Tom Jones Sends ‘Kiss’ to New Audience

Like Chippendale’s male strip show for women, the world of Tom Jones is a special arena where drooling is not only allowed but encouraged. He of the bulging trousers, this harvester of used lingerie is the very embodiment of primal lust gone mainstream.

Pulsating with an unthreatening old-fashioned machismo, Jones taught the book of love to American television audiences from 1969 to 1971, and his hugely popular weekly variety show made him a major star, while neutralizing his provocative performing style into an acceptable prime-time catharsis. TV has an amazing capacity to take the teeth out of anything, and for all Jones’ pelvic gyrating and turned-on growling, he came off as a harmless Lothario whom even granny could love.

The grannies still love Jones, but now a new young audience is discovering him, thanks to his current hit single, a remake of Prince’s “Kiss” recorded with the British avant-pop group the Art of Noise. “Kiss” shows the 48-year-old Welshman to be none the worse for wear after 25 years in the business.

His astonishingly muscular voice sounds as good--if not better--than it did on the string of hit singles that propelled him to stardom in the ‘60s. And while the “Kiss” video shows Jones--who’ll be at the Celebrity Theatre in Anaheim on Feb. 19--to be a tad more subdued than in the past, he’s still no shrinking violet on stage.

“The pants are not as tight as they used to be, because I don’t think my age allows it,” said Jones during an interview at his home in Bel-Air. “That’s all right when you’re young, but when you’re middle aged--well, I don’t want to shock anybody or look rude. At the same time, as long as I keep myself in shape, I don’t see any reason why I can’t continue doing the kind of show I’m known for.

“I often see other performers project sexuality in what I consider a tasteless way,” he continued, warming to the subject. “I’ve seen Michael Jackson grab hold of his . . . well, I’ve never done that and people have always said, ‘Hey, you’re going over the bloody line here!’ In his ‘Sledeghammer’ video Peter Gabriel moves the bottom part of his body in a way that’s supposed to be sexual. . . . To me, that is not sexy.”

Remarkably free of the cynicism and bitterness that hangs like an acrid fog over many show business figures, Jones comes off as a simple, easygoing man, devoted to his family and seemingly thrilled with his lot in life. The father of a son and twice a grandfather, Jones has been married to Melinda since he was 16, and has weathered dozens of musical trends and a few cultural revolutions without falling prey to drugs, shady business dealings or his own ego swelling to painful proportions.

“I have no reason to be bitter or paranoid because I haven’t lost anything because of my career,” he observes. “I could’ve done much more business-wise if I’d had a mind to, but business doesn’t interest me. . . . I’ve had good people around me all along, and though lots of creeps have come around, I’ve always known what I wanted.”

Though Jones is often described as a middle-of-the-road balladeer (much to his annoyance), he cut his musical teeth in the early ‘60s playing down-and-dirty roots-rock alongside bands like the Rolling Stones. He keeps his stage show current with material by contemporary artists like Prince and Billy Idol.

“I started performing in clubs when I was 16, playing on bills with bands like the Stones, but I wound up taking a very different road because of the audience I attracted,” he recalls. “I remember being on a bill with the Stones at a club called Beat City, and I’m doing my thing, singing basic rock and these kids were looking at me like I frightened them!

“I suppose I looked masculine and they didn’t know what to make of that because in the ‘60s fellas were looking a bit effeminate. In fact, I had trouble getting a contract because of that. The record companies said I was old-fashioned because I looked and sounded like a man.”

The record companies might have been slow to catch on to Jones’ appeal, but the ladies got the point immediately. From the time of his first hit single in 1965, “It’s Not Unusual,” women made up the major portion of his audience.

“I’ve been told that I give off a powerful male thing and I guess women respond to that,” he modestly asserts. “However, I’ve never thought of myself as a ladies’ man and don’t design my shows with women in mind--although I do always try to have some kind of sexual dynamic going on. When I say sex , I mean feeling--a song has to make people react, make ‘em laugh, cry, get horny, whatever.”

Despite his consistent performance on the charts in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s, he was often treated as a novelty act rather than a serious musician.

“My musical abilities have been upstaged by my image and that’s always bothered me. I never meant it to be that way and wasn’t even aware of what was happening until I began reading reviews of my shows. Sometimes the reviews didn’t even mention the voice. . . .

“I like the way I sing, and sound is very important to me. If I’m not making a powerful sound when I perform, then I don’t feel right.”

The new fans who enjoyed the powerful sound Jones makes on “Kiss” should appreciate his new album, set for an April release on Jive Records. After six years of being creatively exiled to the country division of PolyGram Records, Jones hopes to reconnect with the pop audience with his 39th LP.

“A lot of people think I’m no longer recording and I hope this record clears that misconception up,” says Jones about the album. “I also hope the record shows that I’m more than a middle-of-the-road singer. I got that image because I played Vegas and was very successful there. I don’t regret playing Vegas because I’ve had great times there, but there are other things I’m Capable of doing as a singer.”