Nuke Tom Smith
Posted August 15th, 2008 by Howard TaylerNuke Tom Smith.
Songwriter and performer Tom Smith was injured on stage in late spring. His livelihood depends on him traveling to conventions and performing, but now he is trapped in a wheelchair undergoing physical therapy.
He’ll be fine, but he is missing the 2008 convention season entirely, and is racking up medical expenses instead of income.
If you’ve been paying attention to sites other than mine, you’ve probably seen plugs for the Mr. Smith Goes To The Hospital fund-raiser from notables and luminaries like Randy Milholland, Phil and Kaja Foglio, Rob Balder, everybody at the FuMP, and Steve Jackson. The plugging, pleading, and exhortation has been drawn out across the summer in order to maximize the benefit to Tom, and it has fallen to me to go last.
I am, to quote Rob Balder, “the last nuke in the silo.” And that means YOU are my warhead. I’m just the delivery vehicle, expelling hot gas from one end in order to deliver you to the target. You are the collection of refined emitters which, when grouped properly, attain that miraculously powerful state called “critical mass.”
Unlike a plutonium pile, however, you will be rewarded with more than just a warm feeling for depositing your surplus energy on the target. You’ll get access to more than 40 covers of Tom’s songs by some of the best and funniest musicians he knows. Plus you won’t be annihilated.
Enough metaphor. Tom Smith needs you to donate some money, and I’m asking you politely to help him out. I like Tom a lot. He has given me smiles when I really needed them, grinning at me like a fool and hugging me within an inch of my life. His music makes me laugh, cry, and cheer exultantly in turn, and I want to make him as happy as he’s made me.
Here is the page with the donation button on it. Follow it, and send what you can. As an incentive, here is some free music: it’s called “Rocket Ride” by Tom Smith, and it’s being covered by the talented Steve MacDonald.
Listen. Enjoy. Donate.
Explore posts in the same categories: Music, Public Service
August 15th, 2008 at 11:48 am
For the record, Rob Balder (project lead for “Mr. Smith Goes to the Hospital”) offered me free access to those forty songs for participating. That hardly seems right. So I donated $50 to the cause, and am now downloading and enjoying the music the same as anybody else can.
GET WELL SOON, TOM!
August 15th, 2008 at 11:56 am
Oh, and there are 47 tracks available for donaters to download. These tracks cover forty different songs. Seven of the songs have been covered twice.
August 15th, 2008 at 1:28 pm
Howard -
I’m sorry, you’re late.
The Foglios got my attention (and Tom my money) earlier.
I will state for the record, however, that there are some absolutely wonderful songs in that download! Never gonna look at Steve Buschemi the same way, for instance… *grin*
Tom - good luck. Rather - make that good enough luck that you’ll get back doing things you enjoy sooner and easier than you expect.
-JB
August 15th, 2008 at 1:33 pm
My favorite is still “Rich Fantasy Lives,” but “Smash the Frickin’ Fairies” is cool, too. Still listening for new favorites.
August 15th, 2008 at 2:51 pm
Well, I couldn’t give much, but I know how even a little bit from a lot of people can add up to a very merry Christmas, and a painful therapy session.
Aaaaaaaaagh! Therapy flashbacks!
Great now my left foot is spasming from phantom pains in my knee.
Please, please, PLEASE let it be phantom pain and not a relapse.
August 15th, 2008 at 4:16 pm
This email confirms that you have donated $50.00 USD to filkertom@yahoo.com (filkertom@yahoo.com) using PayPal.
The exchange rate for this purchase is 1 AUD = 0.844848USD
Donation Details
Confirmation number: 0GP50408BR3395642
Donation amount: $50.00 USD
Total: $50.00 USD
Purpose: Tom Smith Fundraiser CD
Contributor: FreePBX.org
I haven’t heard of him before, but I trust Howard’s judgement in saying ‘This is someone to support!’.. In fact, I’m only barely aware of the filk genre! (Reading wikipedia’s page now)
–Rob
August 15th, 2008 at 7:03 pm
his music sucks. he should stay in the hospital.
for those who havent downloaded the song - dont bother, you aint missing much. talentless wannabe rock star. bleh.
August 15th, 2008 at 7:31 pm
Zurk, you don’t seem to ever have anything good to say, so why do you keep posting?
(I’m actually curious about this).
August 15th, 2008 at 7:53 pm
in the forlorn hope that it might lead to improvement. clearly, its lost on you.
of course, im sure everyone else thinks a guy with an untuned guitar who doesnt know how to sing has talent and is worthy of contributions. i dont.
August 15th, 2008 at 8:08 pm
So Zurk, you more of a Hip-Hop Guy I’m guessing?
As someone who CONTRIBUTED a track for the charity CD I just want to say you are cordially invited to go [explictly moderate yourself.]
A lot of us love him and the joy he’s given us, if you don’t like it, don’t listen to it, let people be their own judge.
The Benefit CD is pretty uneven in quality, I admit. But we all did it because people cared and wanted to help. And thats what its about. We loved him for what he’s done for us and we wanted to show him we cared. And whine and piss and moan, you can’t do a thing about that.
Show us what it is YOU produce, or admit you can’t because you already flushed the toilet.
August 15th, 2008 at 8:31 pm
Hm. something tells me zurk hasn’t donated, either.
Or even read the blog post very well.
My hint? “For those who haven’t downloaded ‘the song”
Well, if we’re only paying attention to one song, that’d be the ‘free sample;’ “Rocket Ride.”
“and it’s being covered by the talented Steve MacDonald.” Not, you might note, by the talented Tom Smith.
What does this mean?
That zurk rushed through the blog post as fast as possible to find something to complain about, in the hopes of starting an argument.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troll_(Internet)
…not that I’m all that much better, I suppose.
August 15th, 2008 at 9:35 pm
rob,
check “prometheus music”:
http://www.prometheus-music.com/
the owner, eli, has a number of free samples legally downloadable on the site that can give you some of the flavour of filk music. i’ve been enjoying it for years.
“gunner”
(and “zurk”, i neither know, nor care what your problem is, but i’m pleased to see Howard’s fans are the sort to rally round when someone is hitting a hard patch, but that does not surprise me. happily your sort are in the distinct minority in the world at large.)
August 15th, 2008 at 9:50 pm
Prometheus Music is a GREAT place to start checking out filk music. Another place to check is Tom’s blog iTom, where he did a song a week for about a year. Also see The FUMP, or the FUnny Music Project.
Howard, thank you for publicizing this.
August 15th, 2008 at 9:53 pm
Ack. That last tag was supposed to be closed after “The FUMP”. *kicks HTML code*
August 16th, 2008 at 1:00 am
Apparently my angry post didn’t get past the kill filter. I didn’t mean to offend you Howard. Let me try again.
[MODERATOR: Yeah, you used a word that yoinks the post into the moderation queue. Your original post is now present.]
Zurk, all of us who did things, like help make the cd, “and yes I’m on it” did it out of respect for a great man who’s work we enjoy. Rob Balder especially, and a lot of people worked hard to help a man who has helped us, so take your garbage back under the big flat rock you crawled out from under.
Nobody made you listen!
August 16th, 2008 at 4:42 am
I’m with JohnB - I heard about this from the Foglios too. I didn’t contribute much, but when it comes to hospital bills, EVERY little bit helps. For those who have LiveJournal, http://filkertom.livejournal.com/ is Tom’s blog over there. You can see what he’s up to and how he’s doing that way.
And Zurk - be glad I am NOT near you right now. Your ears would be ringing with my very LOUD retort of your tirade against Filkers. (Did you know that you can include “Weird Al” Yankovic in that bunch?) Apparently you haven’t listened to “Trans Poly U Fight Song” - it’s for Girl Genius, but the way Tom used the “Notre Dame Fight Song” to his lyrics are incredible! (and I prefer Tom’s version, which you can get for FREE off his website.) I also agree with Tak - you CHOSE to listen. If you don’t care for it - go rant on your OWN Blog, not Howard’s! :pppppppppp
note to self - must record my version of that emoticon. ;)
August 16th, 2008 at 4:53 am
Oops - just remembered something.
I used to BE on that newsgroup; in fact, I’m on the “Blanket List.” (Howard, don’t mind what you see in that List. What was on the envelopes I sent the postcards in is correct. ;) )
So if the Wikipedia article still leaves you with questions, email me over at gmail dot com. I’ll be happy to answer any questions as much as I can. (Just be sure to put something like “Filk questions” in the subject line, or your note may end up in the Trash folder.)
August 16th, 2008 at 4:55 am
Oh good. Glad to see you joining in. I’ve been listening to Tom since the days when he was putting his stuff out on cassette tape. I still have a copy of “Who Let Him In Here?” around here somewhere.
I threw some cash at him the day I heard about this, but I should probably at least go check out his web store and see if there’s anything I haven’t bought. Rocket Ride is a favorite, but I can always find time to listen to “Starlight and Saxaphone” or his Wile E. Coyote tribute “Operation: Desert Storm.”
Oh, and zurk, if you don’t like the music then don’t listen to it. If you don’t want to give him money, then don’t. But please quite being a schmuck or at least do that quietly.
August 16th, 2008 at 6:12 am
Guys, don’t feed the troll. Some people are just going to be jerks when there’s something good going on. Clearly zurk is one of these.
August 16th, 2008 at 8:16 am
me: *points out obvious deficiencies in the mp3 posted*
you: waah! internet troll! i want my mommy!
sheesh. get a grip, people.
and while youre at it how about replacing the crappy mp3 in the blog posting with an mp3 that would…i dunno…CONVINCE PEOPLE TO ACTUALLY BUY THE CD ?? a tuned guitar and someone who actually knows how to sing in a proper studio which doesnt pick up background static might help.
if the rest of the cd is so great, how about posting a mp3 from the rest of the cd ?
August 16th, 2008 at 8:45 am
We get it. You don’t like the music and you don’t think people should give him money. Now run along and go listen to your Britney album and let the grownups talk.
August 16th, 2008 at 8:49 am
I just went back and listened to Tom’s Wiki Pirates, I gotta donate some to him.
Also, taking my saving LOL.
August 16th, 2008 at 9:13 am
Zurk:
Your behavior is akin to walking into a restaurant and complaining loudly, where all the patrons could hear you, about the music being played over the loudspeaker. You have managed, unintentionally or not, to insult both Howard and everyone who has expressed enjoyment over Tom Smith’s music. You are entitled to your opinion. There may even be people here who agree with you. You are not entitled to make a scene or openly insult the opinions of others here in Blogunder. A restaurant patron who makes a scene is politely asked to either calm down or leave. Consider me the restaurant manager and consider this your warning.
August 16th, 2008 at 10:02 am
Zurk has a (small) point, which is that the quality of “Rocket Ride” is lower than what fans of heavily-processed music have come to expect. It sounds like there are clipping issues, which means the mic was run too hot.
But abusively insisting that nobody donate is the wrong reaction, and as Sandra pointed out it’s certainly not appropriate in this setting.
For the record, I know that the quality of the tracks on Mr. Smith Goes To The Hospital is all over the map. Some are great, some not so. But they were all donated in an effort to get our friend Tom back on his feet with less than six figures of debt chained to his neck, so I don’t mind. I didn’t make a $50 purchase. I made a donation, and the tracks were a reminder that I need to go pick up some original Tom Smith versions of these Tom Smith tunes.
Zurk, please don’t attempt post anything further in your defense. The last word in this discussion belongs to me.
On a happier note, Tom emailed me to say that Schlock fans are exceptionally generous. THANK YOU FOR HELPING MY FRIEND, EVERYONE.
August 16th, 2008 at 1:13 pm
Thanks, zurk, I wasn’t going to contribute because I don’t care much for filk. Turned out that Tom’s friends impressed me more than his detractor; guess that’s all I need to know about him.
D.
August 16th, 2008 at 2:44 pm
I have already sent in some money for Tom. I first heard about it from some people at my local Filk circle after they came back from DuckCon, when this fundraiser was just getting underway. I have always liked Tom’s stuff (go to his website and read “Rocky Horror Muppet Show”. But be prepared to REALLY laugh out loud. I happened to read it when everyone else in the house was asleep, and almost hurt myself not waking them up), was glad to send some money to him, and hope that he gets well soon. The tracks were a bonus.
As Howard mentioned, the quality of the covers varies, but that is the case with most filk that you can find online. Even on some of the published CD’s, since a lot of the songs are recorded at various cons, with audience participation (wanted and otherwise) included, and not in studios. But in the ones that you can find online, it can rage from home-studio quality (quite good) to singing unaccompanied into a computer mic (OK to horrible). It is just something that you have to get used to if you are into the genre.
Personally, I do not play an instrument, nor do I sing (yet, anyways. Still a little too self-conscious), but I do go to the local filk circle which is held monthly whenever I can. Just to listen, but also to be part of a group where I do not have to explain why I like Sci-Fi, and all the stuff that goes with it. To be with others that share a lot of my interests, and where talk can range from the mundane to the out-of-this-world (literally). Sort of like Cons, but on a smaller, more intimate scale (although this group also runs a local Filk con as well as the circles)
August 16th, 2008 at 8:35 pm
The Foglios already convinced me to donate, so count me in. I’ve had time to listen to only one track (yes, “Rich Fantasy Lives”), but, as Howard said, this wasn’t a purchase. It was a way for me to help the community and have a chance to check out the work of people with whom I’m not familiar–yet.
–GS
August 18th, 2008 at 1:14 am
I was unable to check a nuke out of the armory, but a small conventional round is inbound to Tom. Hope you are on your feet soon.
August 18th, 2008 at 6:45 am
Thanks, Chris! No need to try and be the whole nuke yourself. That’s what the whole “refined emitters” metaphor was about. Everybody sending a little will accomplish a lot.
Thanks again!
August 18th, 2008 at 5:29 pm
ch-ching. $Donated. Downloading filk, and liking it.