TK Japan - Feb 2017
TK & Ivan Tour Pix
TK Slide Scans
Production Videos
“Places That Are Gone” from “Songs From The Film”
“Turning On Blue” from “Ten Years After”
“Listen To Me” from “Songs From The Film”
“Deep Six Saturday” from “Behind The Parade”
“Places That Are Gone” on Conan O’Brien in 1994 promoting “The Real Underground”
Tommy’s Appearance in the 1986 movie “Out of Bounds”
Live Videos
A couple of highlights from the Matthew Sweet tour!
And a historic performance of Blue Steele featuring Tommy on the drums courtesy of BK!
TK Features
TK Historical Archive
Check out this Tommy Keene Fan Club newsletter from 1987 from then TKFC president Joanna Sobol-McCallum! Thanks for sharing Joanna! xo
TK Fansite Q&A from 1998
And thanks again Joanna for saving this Q&A from a Tommy Keene fansite from back in 1998!
9/1/98
From: David Douglas
To: TKeene97@aol.com (Tommy Keene)
Tommy – Hope everything is going okay. If you haven’t yet, please check out the latest on the web site, http://fly.hiwaay.net/~ddouglas/tommykeene, you’ll notice that I recently ran a survey and posted the results. You might find them amusing.
Anyway, a lot of people wanted to ask you questions direct, so I included a place in the survey for them to ask questions. I have attached a file that lists all the questions. Whenever you get time, it would be great if you could answer them and email back. I have included them as a text file since I wasn’t sure what Word Processor you might have.
Let me know if you have any trouble. Thanks in advance…
9/2/98
From: Tommy Keene
To: David Douglas
Hi Dave Here goes.
1.) What is your favorite song that you’ve written/recorded?
TK) I honestly can’t pick one but some favorites are: Places; Zero; Babyface; Underworld; The Story Ends; Based On Happy Times; Hanging On To Yesterday; When Our Vows Break; Love Is A Dangerous Thing; Down, Down, Down; Silent Town; Compromise; Dull Afternoon; Faith In Love; Long Time Missing; and Pizza and Subs.
2.) Who are your favorite musicians?
TK) The Beatles, The Who, Roxy Music
3.) What makes you write a song?
TK) If I really feel like it.
4.) Do you write for the stage, the studio, or neither in particular?
TK) I’d say the studio since why else would I write so many songs that are so hard to pull off live
5.) Do you eat breakfast most days?
TK) I try to, lately it’s been Honeydew melon or Cantaloupe.
6.) Do you use a stereo amp setup?
TK) I use 2 amps, one a Mesa Boogie Tremoverb Combo or the head through a Marshall cab. The other one is a Roland JC120, which can be miked in stereo. ln the studio I often run various stereo guitars.
7.) Do you ever see Ted Nicely anymore?
TK) I haven’t seen him in a while but I recently talked to him tight after “Songs” came out, he says hello.
8.) What’s your favorite athletic event to participate in?
TK) Probably bowling
9.) Do you like baseball, or am I just reading too much into the Bobby Thomson home run broadcast?
TK) lf I had to pick a sport I liked I would say baseball but I’m really not much of a fan, so yes, you’re reading too much into it.
10.) What’s your day gig?
TK) Sleeping
11.) Do you have pets? Do you like animals, etc.?
TK) I have an English Springer Spaniel named Lucy.
12.) “If you were forced to play only one guitar, which one would you pick?”
TK) Of mine? Probably my orange Telecaster.
13.) Did he go to Walter Johnson High School?
TK) Yes
14.) Does he know Dean Sciara?
TK) No
15.) Does Ted Nicely still work at Records Yesterday & Today?
TK) Ted is a record producer currently living in NYC.
16.) How does he feel about his involvement with Geffen?
TK) Next.
17.) What bands from the 80’s does he still listen to?
TK) Hmmm.. Replacements, Smiths, Echo & the Bunnymen, REM
18.) What’s his opinion of Game Theory/Loud Family/Scott Miller?
TK) Very talented
19.) What’s *his* favorite Tommy Keene song?
TK) See #1
20.) Is he still in touch with Don Dixon, T-Bone Burnett & crowd?
TK) No.
21.) Would he ever think about recording with the likes of Marti Jones, Chris Stamey, Sam Phillips, etc.
TK) Sure.
22.) Who does he listen to these days?
TK) You am I, Posies “Success”, Creeper Lagoon, Guided by Voices
23.) When will we see STRANGE ALLIANCE on CD?????
TK) Never, if I have anything to do with it.
24.) I know he’s working on re-releasing “Based On Happy Times” on CD with bonus
tracks. Is he also working towards releasing Strange Alliance (plus “The Heart”) on CD also?
TK) Geffen records may re-release “Based on happy times” but I have no idea if or when.
25.) Can you just beg him shamelessly to keep recording? ;)
TK) You could.
26.) The production on Songs from the Film and Based on Happy Times is radically different, with the latter I think more appropriate, if a bit bombastic. Why the difference?
TK) I think we wanted “Songs” to sound more like “BOHT’ did. We certainly at the time were into those big drums. Basically “BOHT’ to me sounds more like a rock and roll record which the band at the time sounded like. Ironically the band split before I made that record
27.) When are you coming to Canada? Saw you with Lloyd Cole back in late 80’s and that’s what turned me on to you so please come back soon.
TK) I played Canada several times with Velvet Crush and also with Paul Westerberg. The Tommy Keene Group played Toronto, Montreal, and Ottawa in May 96 on the Ten Years After tour opening for the Gin Blossoms.
28.) Why didn’t he get to sing a couple of his songs when he played with Paul
Westerberg?
TK) It was Paul’s show.
29.) Are lyrics available for his songs?
TK) Lyrics are available on “BOHT’ and the Japanese versions of Ten years after and Isolation Party.
30.) Would he consider playing again with his old DC bandmates?
TK) Sure.
31.) I’d like to know how Tommy has always achieved a great guitar sound on record. As far as I know, he’s mainly used Tele’s and solid state amps. This combination does not usually create a sound so solid and in your face as his. What, if any effects are used for guitar?
TK) See # 6 I only use a solid state amp when trying to get a clean sound, usually I mix the 2 together, also in the studio I use a Les Pau, Strat, and a Gretsch Nashville. Incidentally there isn’t one Telecaster on Isolation Party. I also use an old Boss blue, 3-knob only compressor box.
32.) You’ve threatened to “hang it up” – will you still make music if that happens? How? You are way, way too good a songwriter and musician to hit “eject”!!
TK) Stay tuned!
33.) What would you do for a Klondike Bar
TK) I don’t like Klondike Bars
34.) Will he be making new albums?
TK) See #32
35.) Any plans for a “live” CD?
TK) See #32
36.) Will “Based On Happy Times” be re-released on CD?
TK) Maybe / probably See #24
37.) When will you tour Texas again?
TK) Don’t know at this time – probably when they start playing me on the radio.
38.) Who are his favorite artists/albums?
TK) See #2
39.) When can we play spades again?
TK) Anytime but I’d rather play 31 or blackjack.
40.) Will you ever play in Albany, New York?
TK) See #37
41.) Did Isolation Party or Ten years after have any outtake, videos or b-sides?
TK) Ten years after had two songs tacked on for the Japanese release. I guess Karl Marx was an outtake but none of the songs were ever considered for the actual album. We also did a video for “Turning On Blue” that was played nowhere. Isolation Party was supposed to be released simultaneously in Japan and here, hence no bonus tracks .This didn’t happen for some reason and they are advertising it as having bonus tracks but there aren’t any.
42.) When will he be coming back to Austin?
TK) See #37
43.) The chord progression for Places that Are Gone
TK) The riff is tricky to explain without me demonstrating but the chords are
verse- Dm C Am B flat B
verse- Gm Am B flat C
chorus- F C B flat Dm F C B flat Am C
bridge- Dm C Am B flat Am
44.) Where I can buy some recordings of The Razz?
TK) Try Yesterday and Today records in Rockville Md.
45.) Any more plans to release demos and unreleased tunes?
TK) Maybe but not at this time
46.) Anything your management is doing to give you more i.e. the recognition you deserve?
TK)?? contact Blackpark@aol.com
47.) Can we come visit you in LA and bring our kids so that you can take them to Disneyland?
TK) Maybe. We’ll see. Do they like dogs?
48.) Are you really hanging it up? Will direct financial contributions help?
TK) Yes if you’re a large corporation with lots of dough to throw at us for a tour bus and other things.
49.) How’s a guy get his hands on a CD copy of Based on Happy Times?
TK) You’ll have to break into Paul Westerberg’s house, I gave him my last copy.
50.) What’s the creative process like for you?
TK) I usually get into a songwriting mode and sit down every day and see what happens. I don’t do this ail the time though.
51.) What are the added lyrics at the end of Places?
TK) You’ll have to wait for the live album to find out, kinda like the ending of Pretty in Pink
52.) Why do record companies charge tour expenses against a bands’ royalties?
TK) Tour support? What’s that?
53.) Are you married with a family, etc.?
TK) No and no.
54.) Why did you pick Scott Johnson to do the mini tour?
TK) He’s a friend of ours from the Gin Blossoms.