Happy Birthday Tom

Happy Birthday Tom. It’s hard to believe it’s been 4 years and 4 months since he left us. I especially miss him as we approach the World Series. He was the ultimate baseball fan and the bartender that always had the argument solving statistic on the tip of his tongue or in those books on the shelf under his bar. When we were growing up I was always excited when he had his birthday because mine would be coming soon too. But during that time between our birthdays we would be the same age. Irish Twins. Born 10 months apart. Poor Mom. 

So obviously we shared a lot growing up including toys, bedrooms, clothing (although we tried not to), friends and eventually even brain surgeries. We also shared a love of music. We both played piano but he also played the trumpet and the bugle while I also played the clarinet and the tenor saxophone. We both played in school bands but he also played in a drum and bugle corps while I also played in a Mummers string band. 

By our mid-teens we also shared a love of collecting music… singles and albums. But our tastes were different. Back then I was buying British invasion music, garage bands, and soul music. Tom was bringing home novelty songs. I was running out to get the latest Beatles record or a new Motown collection LP while Tom showed up with Winchester Cathedral or They’re Coming to Take Me Away. Around Halloween we would be fighting over the record player because he wanted to play the Monster Mash over and over. He had songs like the Witch Doctor (I can still remember every word), Purple People Eater, The Chipmonk Song, Snoopy Vs The Red Baron, The Martian Hop, Hello Muddah Hello Faddah, No Matter What Shape Your Stomach’s In and the list goes on and on. 

I was off in the Navy when he was still buying music in the early 70’s like Hocus Pocus by Focus and Bloodrock’s DOA but I did like when he got a Cheech & Chong album. Although he stopped collecting when he started bartending he was a big fan of novelty song DJs like Dr. Demento. 

Of course he certainly redeemed his musical taste with his decades of work at the Philly Folk Festival. Well, we all miss him. The photo here was from when he was Best Man at my wedding. I’ll be tipping one back for Tom tonight.