i_heart_tinytim
Posts: 30
Joined: 9/14/2006
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quote:
ORIGINAL: SP111
How is that you've come to admire and remember Tiny Tim? His era was quite a while ago, I remember him on TV singing in that high voice the song we all recall, Tip Toe Through the Tulips. I never understood why anyone would want to sing like that, except that he was having fun. It was clear he could play and sing well so why didn't he just sing in a more serious way a song that would be popular? I never understood why he chose the path where he would not be taken seriously as a musician. He set himself up to be seen more comedic, was that intentional?
Did you know him? You say there is more to him than what we all saw, and that's true, good or bad for every performer. Then did he marry a stripper? Well, that's tabloid stuff right there.
Why don't you tell us some of the good things he did, you said he was a wonderful man, please share the best of him with us.
I came to know about him (and became a fan of him and his music) back in 1985; my dad had just died (he was murdered). I have the same kind of curly hair Tiny Tim had. I also wore my hair the same way, before I even knew about him. It's pretty much the ONLY way you can wear hair this curly... lol Anyway, some kid in class started talking about, "Hey, guys, did you check out that freak last night on tv?" (He was saying this loud enough where I could hear him on purpose). The other kid answered, "yeah, he was scary looking." Then the kid who started the conversation said, "what was his name?" A third kid chimed in with, "Tiny Tim." Then they huddled and whispered, occassionally looking in my direction, and then they all looked over at me. I hadn't even seen the program. I was trying to ignore them until they started pointing and laughing at me and my hair, calling me, "Tiny Tim's sister! Tiny Tim's sister!" It didn't bother me at first - I had no clue what they were on about. As far as I was concerned, I was constantly getting harrassed and teased for something, so this was no different.
I went home and asked my mom, "why are the kids calling me Tiny Tim's sister? They say it's some weird guy they saw on tv." My mom didn't say a word. She came out of her bedroom and handed me an album of his, "God Bless Tiny Tim." Now remember, back in '85, we still played records on record players. She told me, "they're talking about this guy. He was famous when I was growing up." I looked at the album and noticed how strage he looked, and quinched up my nose. She also went on to say how weird he acted, and why, and how everyone thought he was a joke, even though he took himself seriously, etc. So I stopped quinching up my nose and gave the guy a chance.
My dad had just died, I wasn't getting a break from the kids teasing me at school, and I just needed something happy for a change). I took the album and played it. I was hooked ever since. I even developed a little crush on him. (Hey, I was a kid, gimme a break)! It was mostly because I could relate to not being liked - downright hated - like Tiny Tim.
I guess it was about five years ago, when I first got hooked up to the internet, that I started looking things up on Tiny Tim in more depth. I wanted to know more than just the "basics" that my mom told me, like that Tiny had stated that he knew that no matter how serious he was, he just didn't have the "looks" that it takes in showbiz in order to be taken seriously. He said that he sang that way, in falsetto, to be "different," and get noticed. He was right - it worked! Later on in his career, he did sing more seriously, in his natural baritone voice. He often mimmicked Al Jolson and Bing Crosby, who were only two of his many favorite musicians. They inspired him to want to sing. Sure, not everyone took/takes Tiny Tim seriously, but there are folks out there who did/do take him seriously. I didn't really find much more on the 'net that I already knew.
I've never had the pleasure of meeting him, but several friends of mine have, as well as my mom. She and my friends all had glowing reports to share. Apparently, he was a real romantic guy. He would sing to all the ladies in the crowd (he sang to my mom), and anyone else who would listen. In a documentary about him, one guy said Tiny would give $20 to some homeless people on the street, by his old apartment, and do you know the reason why? He said, "everyone has to live, and everyone has to eat." He was a generous, pure-hearted guy. His motives were always insanely pure to the point that he was naive. For this reason, his managers swindled a lot of his earnings from him. With Tiny, what you saw was what you got. What you saw on stage was the real Tiny. Sometimes offstage his personality was even freakier. But he was always, always, very polite and formal with people. He also loved the Lord. Sure, he had his strongholds that he dealt with (which I won't get into), but he still loved the Lord with every fiber of his being. I think Tiny Tim is an amazing testimony to the power of God's love for us. A couple friends of mine were actually correspondance friends with him. One was by phone, the other was by snail mail. That was years ago, though. They say he always had a lot to talk about. Just because I didn't know him persoanlly or didn't grow up in the 1960's doesn't mean I don't have a right to appreciate him as a human being and a musician. With everyone, you have to take the good with the bad. I'm not saying he was perfect - no one is - but I believe he was sweet and likeable, like my mom and friends say he was. He sounds like a guy you could really trust, and have fun with and be friends with. Unlike some people, I could see past his eccentricities and appreciate him. I hope this explains it for you. :o)
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Please visit my Tiny Tim tribute site and be sure to light a candle in his memory: http://clik.to/remembertinytim
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Tiny Tim Fans - 
RE: Tiny Tim Fans - 
I am now using a different "memorial candle" page, rather than the one offered here. Niccola Cragg suggested it. The one here is great, don't get me wrong. But "red and black" isn't really my kind of theme - especially for a memorial. If we were given the option to change the color scheme, I would use this one. I guess because people have to enter an e-mail addy on this new one, they are kind of leary now. But you can enter a "fake" e-mail addy, so... *shrugging shoulders* I'm still going to keep this one... But for the reasons mentioned above, I like the new one better. Sorry 
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