'Q&A'

Day 20

This is it....the final question and the one that most amused Tom. I have the name of the person who sent this question but not there address. So, you know who you are, send me your postal address and I will send of some Tom McRae goodies. Thank you to everyone who sent in a question. Keep thinking of them, for next time.

Question

Might you, one day, be prepared to let your son/daughter marry a robot?"

Tom's Answer

I love this question.
If it was for love then absolutely. As long as the pre-nuptial agreement included an extended warranty and free software upgrades. I look forward to the day I can sit at sunday lunch with my son/daughter and their robotic partner and not be the only one who is clearly a heartless bastard.

Day 19

Question

Given Tony Blairs initiative to get everyone in the country to go to university, many universities are starting to offer really obscure courses, like divinity and modules in Bob Dylan studies and such. Given this decline in the tightness of academic rigour in higher educational institutions, how long do you think it will be before we'll have students working for their BA in Cheating Destiny?

Tom's Answer

Cheating Destiny is actually available as a module on the Combined Russian Roulettte and Fish-husbandry ( BA Hons) course, currently being offered by De Montfort University. Some recent graduates have obtained well paid jobs in the private sector while other less successful candidates have blown away half their brains and gone on to present television and radio shows.

Day 18

Question

My question to Tom is.....Why do Allied Carpets always have a sale on?

Tom's Answer

The real question is who are they allied with? are they members of
NATO? we have a right to know.

Day 17

Question

Does revealing too much of yourself, in your writing, scare you?

Tom's Answer

I've never understood not revealing yourself in a song. If it doesn't
mean anything to me to sing why would it mean anything to someone listening?
People - journalists mainly - will always misunderstand or misrepresent you
no matter what you do, so it's best not to think about it let alone be
scared by it.

Day 16

Question

How can you assess endothelial function using pulse waveform
analysis, and what are the effects of laboratory induced stress?
If you could answer this in 5-7000 words with appropriate
statistical analysis I would personally be very grateful!!

Tom's Answer

Tom: By pulse wave form analysis I assume you mean high resolution
ultrasound - or your average handbag house track. A 30 frame cine-loop
is obtained and interrogated (asked particularly taxing questions about
soap operas with no coughing assistance allowed) to obtain three images
at end diastole as determined by proximity to the peak of the R wave on
an EKG recording. Images at or within 30 msec of the peak R wave are
just prior to mechanical systole and thus at "end diastole" - I hope I
haven't emabarrased you by stating the obvious. One centimeter of the
intima-lumen interfaces are marked and measured pre- and post stress.( A
felt tip is best but crayon will do at a push). I trust you will find
this of some benefit.

However, endothelial function can also be determined by measuring
forearm blood flow (FBF) in response to intra-arterial infusion of
acetylcholine (endothelial-dependent) and sodium nitroprusside
(endothelial-independent) - this is not to be overlooked in your hurry
to get down the pub.

By laboratory induced stress are you referring to yours or the
subjects'. Your stress can probably be dealt with in the usually
precribed manner, a large drink /sex with a stranger/ or an unfeasibly
large amount of money spent on shoes you will probably never wear.
Sometimes all three is the only solution. If you mean the patients'
stress then I would probably say that sustained increases in shear
stress elicit an adaptive response in endothelial cells that is
manifested, in part, by increased expression of the enzyme that
catalyzes nitric oxide production. Predictably - oh so predictably -
endothelial function in animals that perform regular exercise(say a
quick bout of five-a-side, or frisbee) is improved as a result of
increased endothelial nitric oxide production and is better than that in
animals that do not exercise (although animals who use gyms are often
derided by friends and develop unhealthy dependence on MTV). Such
adaptive responses of the endothelium also apply to the coronary
circulation in humans, even in those with coronary artery disease, and
especially those who think watching A Question of Sport is a form of
exercise.

As for the last part of your question any statistical analysis I offer
in this area would ultimately be of little use as (a) I can't be
bothered to look for any and (2) 87.2 per cent of all statistics are
meaningless.

I hope this was of some use.

Day 15

Question

In the cover of "Just like blood" it's printed that you are thanking
people "......for helping reduce music to zeros and ones"
and in a quote on your homepage you're saying about music: "....it's nailed
you and no-one knows how or what or why."
Are you comfortable with it all just being numbers? Or is it just amazing
what science do to us... ..?

Answer
Tom: " technology has tansformed every aspect of my life and and like every
touring musician I've become a gadget freak - but the more technologically
sophisticated the world becomes the more I'm sure that the same things will
always move people. Stretching wire over a piece of wood has yet to be
bettered as a way of communicating certain wordless emotions. As for what
science is doing to us I'm intrigued to see what will happen, I've always
firmly believed that give a man an elastic band and he'll turn it into a
weapon before he turns into an engine so I don't expect it to turn out well,
but at least I'll be able to watch the world end on my G5 hologram enabled
cornea implanted Nokia, as I sip cocktails on the moon. "
 

Day 14

Question

Having recently seen Tom at the both the Wedgewood Rooms in Southsea
and the Shepherds Bush Empire, I feel that his performance would be greatly
improved if he employed the services of a choreographer and introduced some
dance moves during some of his more up tempo numbers. He could use a
headset like Steps and ditch the guitar which we all know he doesnt
really play anyway. He should also think about using interpretive dancers
with large cardboard scissors wrapped in tin foil for songs like You cut
her hair to help Tom convey the lyrics to the audience. Do think Tom would
ever consider this option?

Tom Says:

Visual aids are a useful tool in the medium of mass
communication, and dance steps have been proven to increase sales by up to
34.3 %, however the cost of dancers would be prohibitive and as I believe in
a fair days' pay for a fair days' work the venture would be impractical. The
headset mic you refer to is actually a mind control mechanism which flashes
images of what life would be like without the trappings of D-list celebrity
across the cerebral cortex of manufactured 'artists'. The fear spasm induced
by the prospect of anonymity is often misinterpreted by many as smiling or
waving at the audience. "

Day 13

Question

What is your favourite dinosaur and why?

Tom's Answer

it's a toss up between Tricerotops and Stegasaurus. While neither were
particularly fearsome when compared to the T-Rex, they have a compactness
and ability to defend themselves when push comes to shove. Also my favourite
character in the Land Before Time was a baby Tricerotops. Both compelling
arguments, I think you'll agree.

Day 12

Question

I would like to ask how Tom got a recording contract? was he doing gigs
when somebody spotted him? or did he send a demo to a record company?

Tom's Answer

Lots of questions along these lines...... honestly doing all the
things you're supposed to do to get a deal got me no where. I gigged for
years, made tons of demos and sent them all off and never got replies. The
myth of bands being signed after someone heard their demo is usually just
that - a myth. Record companies have A&R departments that will usually only
give something the time of day if they come to them with representation, a
manager or a lawyer. Like everything else it's who you know not what you
know. I blackmailed someone into managing me - compromising photos are
always useful. Ultimately it's about being lucky - which I define as being
ready when the opportunity presents itself. I still go to open mic slots at
singer-songwriter nights around the world, because it's always salutary to
see people who are much better than me but who may never make it. It's not
always the best songs that get heard, the best singers who become stars. But
it is the people who won't take no for an answer. "

Day 11

Question

If you could have any super power, (i.e. power of flight, x-ray vision, etc.) what would it be?

Tom's Answer

" I've often dreamed of being able to put a duvet cover back on the duvet single-handedly... but this may just be wishful thinking. If I had one super-power above all others, I'd love to know just exactly what it is radio DJ's are laughing at all the time. Is it just me, am I missing something? What is so permanently funny about everything?"

Day 10

Question

Peanut butter, Crunchy or smooth?

Tom's Answer

Crunchy with strawberry jam on top.

Day 9

Question

Do you worry that your work could become too monochromatic or that you will run out of new and interesting things to say?

Tom's Answer

" .....er........um........"

Day 8

Question
I would like to thank you first of all for a spectacular concert in Bergen last friday, sadly the place is a dump and you should really consider changing venue the next time you come to Bergen. And please do return! The music stands for itself. That is rare! Then my question?

Well...considering us all being part of the same generation, the so-called generation X, the youngsters with nothing to fight for, no religion and no meaning in the existence. It is a cliche?
Isn`t it? I mean...is there any meaning in the existence? Can we believe in love and community? Or is everything subjective? Is anything real? You sing, " falling feels like flying until you hit the ground", and I really can relate to your lyrics. But, if my interpretation and yours never can coexist and understand each other, is there any point to it? If my psychological and subjective percepcion of the world never can be communicated to others, is there any meaning to music like yours? Or existence itself?

My point is, I think there is. I think life and humanity is beatiful. But I cant remember the last time I heard a song or saw a play or read a book that translated this message in the same profound and moving way that the "loneliness and no meaning" theme has been passed in thousands of songs and books. Do you think that the lighter side of man is more superficial? Or is it just to big of a challenge to move people with a profound transendence of love and meaning?

Tom's Answer

Maybe.

Day 7

Question

What's your motto in life?

Tom's Answer

"Today, anything is possible".

Day 6

Question

Tom, After listening to the first track on your first album I was wondering, have you ever considered cutting hair professionally? And if so, I need a trim, would you consider doing mine?

Tom's Answer

I have considered many careers but never hair dressing. I am dangerous around sharp objects, both to myself and others, and while I am prepared to consider offering you a light trim I draw the line at styling, dyeing, or blow drying. Anything for the weekend?
 

Day 5

Question

If you could erase one person from history, who would it be?

Tom's Answer

Henry Ford. For giving the world a reason to need oil, for creating car culture, for making most cities inhospitable to pedestrians. Cheers, Henry.

Day 4

Question

What's the most memorable gig you've ever played & why? Bearing in mind that I went to see you at the Borderline in December & at the Concorde 2 in Brighton recently (where I stood outside for 30 mins 2 hours prior to your performance & listened to you rehearse .... almost wet myself I was so happy) which were both fucking amazing nights so if there were any better ones out there ... well, quite frankly Tom I'd be shocked.

Tom's Answer

Without being overly sincere most of the gigs I play have something special about them, it's usually something about the audience or the venue that can just conspire to make the night memorable. I played a beautiful theatre in Venice two years ago supporting Paul weller and both of us were amazed to be playing somewhere so spectacular, and recently in Norway I played one song to a group of college students - not really a gig but special nonetheless. All I want from a show is to come away with something, a feeling or whatever that something happened, that something was shared by a group of people. And now I'd like to thank God, my family, my producer bla bla.

Day 3

Question

I notice you are not a very tall person. Nothing wrong with that - neither am I. I just wonder if your smaller size is part of what prompts you to fight so hard against the world around you? or do you identify another driving force that makes you strive to be heard?

Tom's Answer

" I'm not small, it's a trick of the light. I'm actually 6' 2 but my hair makes me look smaller. Being slightly smaller than average has in no way affected me and suggesting that it makes me aggressive is the sort of comment that may well result in you getting punched - alright?"

Day 2

Question

What brings a genuine smile to your face?

Tom's Answer

" small children falling over, Bob Marley's voice on Rebel Music, and a sunset at 37,000 feet ".

Day 1

Question

Do you ever just wake up in the morning and decide to write something overwhelmingly happy? Do you think a cheery Tom McRae song is even feasible?

Tom's Answer

Waking up has always been traumatic for me, I'm not the sort who bounces out of bed reaches for his guitar and his cornflakes and goes off to write a pop song. However, scientists are currently researching into the possibilities of me ever writing a happy song, and while my record company remain hopeful I'm not holding my breath. Of course if Tony Blair and George Bush died in a car crash (probably colliding with Clare Short's fast reversing vehicle) then the overwhelming joy would probably have to be recorded in song.