I'm a public figure. I understand that and I'm thankful for it. What I don't understand is why people contact me to suggest that my nickname "Tim Tam" bothers them. Every now and then when I'm hosting Tonic I identify myself as "Tim Tam" and I'll get emails suggesting that I shouldn't use my nickname. So I wanted to write a short post here at www.timtam.net (!) to provide some context.
When I was a young child... grade one to be precise, I attended my first days of school and almost immediately started to be referred to as "Chink" by one particular school mate. As cruel as that may sound there was nothing I could do about this unfortunate circumstance. It was 1970 in a small town in Alberta. There were no anti-bullying programs even considered at that time. I was on a ride I just couldn't get off of. I sucked it up daily.
In grade five the class I was in had three boys named Tim. As an exercise to keep us "Tims" straight the teacher decided to try distinguishing us by our last initials. As luck would have it all three of us Tims had rhyming last initials... "B", "V" and "T". My teacher said, "Okay, let's go with 'Tim B', 'Tim V' and 'Tim Tam'" and the name stuck. I finally had a nickname that was kind. I embraced it.
I've been known as Tim Tam since 1975. My favorite and most beloved people all call me Tim Tam. So if it slips out during a radio show every now and then please forgive me. I know that my voice is broadcasting into your homes, cars and lives but my intention is to offer my friendship, not to offend.
I've been spending some time with my favorite friends and it's always such a pleasure to be around them. What always strikes me about my pals is how "weird" they are. They don't follow the norms... instead they gallop through life as complete originals and have the fantastic ability to never worry about what anyone else's thinks of them. They are originals, not copies.
Is it brave to be who you truly are? Yes.
Australian palliative nurse Bronnie Ware has spent many hours with people in their final days. She's written a book about the top five wishes of the dying. There were many wishes you might expect:
I wish I'd spent more time with my friends
I wish I hadn't worked so hard
I wish I had the courage to express my feelings
I wish I had let myself be happier
But the #1 regret of the dying was:
I wish I'd had the courage to live my life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.
Anyone who has spent time visiting this website or any of my friends who I've known throughout my life know that I insist on being "Tim Tam". I'm adamant about it. The risks of not being "me" far outweigh the risks of being what others think I should be. I challenge those who push back. I'm not afraid to stand up for what I believe in... for me. I'm an original not a copy. I'm a different.
You're a different too so be exactly who you are... no regrets. Need some rough directions on how to do that? Here are three suggestions for living a life you'll never regret in your dying days:
Always have adventures you're working on. My adventures are travel, experiences, food, experiments, thinking up ideas that will add to the greater good of my community, new friends and learning from my dog. Your adventures will be different so fill your boots.
Lead by being positive. Never let negativity take the lead EVER. Everyone is faced with negative people and situations in their life. It's my intention to NEVER allow negative people or experiences control any of my situations. Always challenge negativity by asking the simple question, "Why does it have to be like this?" and challenge every negative to become positive right there on the spot.
There is no "perfect" so don't expect perfection. Stop worrying about what others are going to think of you. People care less about what you're wearing, who designed your jacket or how expensive your car is. If you want to wear two different shoes everyday to work because it makes you feel good, then go for it. There again if you want to drive that expensive sports car because it makes you feel good then go for it. Do things that make you as happy as you need to be for you... but never for anyone else.
Muster up the courage to be exactly who you are, not a copy. It will be the bravest thing you'll ever do and when you're at the end of your spectacular life you'll have no regrets.
Here's to you. You ride me each time we see each other about not updating my blog on a regular basis so this is a short entry to say, "thank you".
You have reminded me that without updates my blog becomes stale. I need your constant reminders to keep my website up to date because without updates this site becomes the very thing that drives me nuts on a daily basis when I visit musicians websites for information only to be met with... the same information that has been there for months and sometimes even... years (gasp)! Updates are an essential strategy for building an online presence. Thank you.
Your reminders, Ken, have pushed me to write this entry where I can share the very exciting news that I am taking on a new role at CBC Radio 2 and on CBCmusic.ca/jazz. Starting on Monday, April 2 I will become the full-time host of Tonic on CBC Radio 2 where I will host each night from Monday - Saturday night from 8-10 PM and Sunday night from 10-11 PM on CBC Radio 1.
This, Ken, is a role that I take on with relish. I am fortunate enough to have a job where I get to listen to jazz and tell stories about it. This is one of the best jobs in the world and I couldn't be more thankful. Thank you for reminding me that I should tell this story.
So in closing, Ken, please keep egging me on. Your methods are thoughtful and non-abrasive. I really do get a kick out of you egging me on... and remember... revenge is a dish best served cold.
Here's to you (and the extra set of eyes you need for looking behind you... because I could be there... when you least expect it).
Miles Davis - Kind of Blue. The best selling jazz album in history (and a great make out album). Photo by Tim Tamashiro at Urban Outfitters, Calgary, Dec. 2, 2011
The greatest thing happened to me this afternoon when I entered a little store that you may have heard of called Urban Outfitters. In this sheik, hip paradise for young urban fashion buyers... I found jazz.
Yes, I found jazz! Amongst the sea of young adolescent and stylish young people wearing toques and tights I found vinyl LPs of A Love Supreme from John Coltrane and Kind of Blue from Miles Davis. A little tiny gleam of hope sparked in my heart that jazz may be finding a new audience.
Urban Outfitters is a shop for the outer edge of cool. Sure it has plenty of plaid for sale and clothing that would never fit or even be appropriate for a guy like me. But in addition to clothing that would look good on my teenage children Urban Outfitters also has a vast array of quirky books, writing supplies, creative supplies, cameras (film cameras no less), strange party accoutrements and mustache kits. It really is a cool place… especially because they also carry to the most iconic jazz recordings in history… on vinyl! How cool is that? Very cool in my opinion.
So for those of you who are new to jazz, like those young people who are shopping at Urban Outfitters, I just wanted to say that this store has jazz right. If you're wanting to get into jazz then a great place to start would be with those 2 iconic recordings from Miles Davis and John Coltrane. Even if you don't have an actual turntable or what we used to call a record player, use some of your iTunes money you get for Christmas this year and by those 2 albums to get you started down the incredibly fascinating world of jazz.
You'll be cooler than the rest of the kids… because you know who "Miles" and "Trane" are. In fact, you might even be cooler for the rest your life just because you own these albums. Jazz is cooler than you think.
There has been a very interesting study released recently that indicates precisely what kind of people make up the Jazz audience. It's called the “Jazz Audience Initiative” and it's a study that has collected information from 19 different Jazz organizations throughout the US. These national research partners included Jazz St. Louis, Jazz At Lincoln Center., San Francisco Jazz, Chicago Department of cultural affairs and a consortium of 13 University jazz presenters with ticket buyers.
Looking through the key findings of the Jazz Audience Initiative study it becomes very apparent that what we might have thought a jazz audience was comprised of is not actually the case. Most surprisingly only 14% of a jazz audience is comprised of jazz musicians. Only 14%!? That was shocking!
Another group of the jazz audience is a group identified as “jazz omnivores”. These are essentially jazz fans who are not necessarily musicians but primarily listen to and support jazz music. The combined total of jazz's audience in terms of musicians and jazz omnivores only equals 31% of the total audience. That means 69% of jazz's audience is comprised of who?
It turns out that the remaining 69% might best be described as dabblers. This 69% of the jazz audience may have a mainstream music such as Michael Buble, Diana Krall or Rod Stewart in their music collection but have virtually no understanding of iconic jazz artists or new and up-and-coming jazz artists such as Miles Davis or Emilie Claire-Barlow. So it appears that the 69% dabblers are consuming jazz for different reasons than the jazz musicians and jazz omnivores. Jazz musicians/omnivores may be consuming jazz as part of their intellectual, professional or educational pursuits while the dabblers are probably utilizing jazz as an experience.
Thinking about this fact has brought me to come up with a simple check system that can help the 69% understand jazz better.
There are 3 kinds of jazz:
1. Thinky jazz
This jazz may be challenging to listen to. It may be incredibly clever and difficult to play as well. It has all the hallmarks of ingenuity, dexterity, complexity and virtuosity but may not appeal to an audience outside of jazz musicians or jazz omnivores. In a concert setting, Thinky jazz will required the audience to listen and limit conversation so that the musicians on stage or on the recording can showcase their extraordinary abilities.
2. Drinky jazz
Drinky jazz is fun/toetapping jazz. It has a celebratory tone to it. Drinky jazz is music that you might associate to nightclubs, martinis, laughter and conversation. It's fun to have this kind of music as part of a party or a night out on the town. This kind of jazz may be the type of experience most dabblers would look for when seeking out a jazz experience.
3. Slinky jazz
Slinky jazz is subdued/quiet jazz. This is the kind of jazzy you may listen to as a part of a quiet dinner party, romantic evening or with candlelight and champagne. Slinky jazz is music that might be associated with background music.
This handy checklist may help the audience understand what kind of jazz they might expect in any live jazz situation.
The goal of this checklist is to help different audiences understand more about jazz. Jazz musicians and jazz omnivores may be primarily interested in Thinky jazz while the remaining 69% of the jazz audience might be more inclined to take in Drinky jazz and/or Slinky jazz. This is only a theory but I'm certainly willing to bet that the jazz audience is going to better understand what their in store for if this checklist is put into practice. Go ahead and make up some checklists of your own with these 3 categories and post them at your next gig. The audience will act accordingly.
Above all, the jazz audience needs to grow. Jazz musicians and supporters of jazz need to understand that audience development is the number one priority for the survival of jazz. Without growing the jazz audience it will become increasingly difficult to celebrate or resuscitate this incredible music. There is a lot of joy in the jazz. We just have to embrace the fact that we have to help the rest of the world love it as much as we do.
It should be noted however that jazz artists and jazz omnivores should be wary about criticizing the 69% dabblers. Being critical of a large percentage of the jazz audience may be deterring growth in the jazz audience. Jazz has the answer to its own predicament... in other words, jazz can solve its own problems. But how?
Simple. Have it both ways.
Maybe Duke Ellington said it best when he said, “Jazz is music, swing is business.” The great thing about jazz musicians is that they can do it all. They can play extraordinary and challenging jazz that they enjoy immensely yet they are also extremely well-equipped to perform on a regular basis for the 69% dabblers… if there egos could just get out of their way.
Now... let's see if this checklist idea works. Check out the video below after the checklist:
Saturday, May 19, 2012 at 9:40AM 
