Summary
TOM JONES I've always been very proud to call myself a Welshman. I grew up in Pontypridd, near Cardiff. I was part of a close mining community, where I'd see my cousins and uncles every day. I was named after my dad, who was a coal miner, but I didn't want to do that for a living. Instead, I worked in the paper mill and on building sites while I tried to work out how to become a singer. Wales is a beautiful country. There's no other place like it. It's stunning. I'm playing in Cardiff during my tour and can't wait to get back there. The crowd are very loyal to me and I know I'll have a great time.
The Welsh are known for their great singing voices, producing people like Bryn Terfel and Charlotte Church, and for the fire in their belly. My wife, Linda, is Welsh. We grew up together and married when we were 16. We'll have an argument and she'll lose her temper with me. She becomes a Welsh fireball. She'll say, 'Do you think you're Tom Jones? Do you? I married Tommy Woodward [his real name]. I didn't marry Tom Jones.' I'd sing in the school choir, and at family parties and weddings. My whole family could sing. My Uncle Georgie, my father's brother, was the best. He told me to look at people when I'm singing. I'd sing looking at the floor and he'd say, 'Don't look at the floor. It's not asking you to sing, I am. Sing to me. That's how we do it in the valleys, Tom.' There was this Frankie Laine song called Answer Me. One day, I let go and gave it all I'd got. He said, 'That's it, you've got it.' What you see is what you get. We've lived in Los Angeles for a long time, but we still feel Welsh. My Welsh roots have helped me keep my feet on the ground. I don't need to put on airs and graces. I watch British TV and what bothers me is that there has never been much about the Welsh on telly. You have Coronation Street set in Manchester, and EastEnders in London, but there's very little about the Welsh. So I'm grateful for Gavin & Stacey. It pokes fun at the Welsh, but it does the same to the English, so that's all right. At least it's a step in the right direction.See the full content of this document
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Being a Welshman ; How I Feel About...
I met Gavin & Stacey' ...
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