Tom Jones still chases the dream

Tom Jones says his songs are timeless, but the same doesn't apply to questions about ladies' underwear. Photo / Hawkes Bay Today

Perennial entertainer Tom Jones will sing Sex Bomb even as he turns 70 and tell stories told many times before with enthusiasm - but will not entertain questions about women flinging their underwear at him.

Jones, 69, famous for It's Not Unusual and stages filled with
underwear thrown from lusting crowds, cheerfully answered questions today in a press conference to promote his four-stop tour around New Zealand, starting at Auckland's Villa Maria Estate on Sunday.

Jones walked into the conference room, in front of a pack of cameras and reporters, with a charming grin and salute.

But this was after repeated warnings by organisers not to ask about women's underwear, questions that would be "old hat" and "unimaginative."

Reporters were told their reputations would be on the line.

Jones has performed for 50 years, toured the world, amassed an estimated $400 million, and mixed with the biggest names, like Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra.

But even after all his performances, he was not sick of singing any of his singles, because none of them were too similar, Jones told the conference.

"When you do them on the stage they're timeless so you never get tired of them ... The people keep those songs alive."

Besides, it would be wrong to disappoint fans who expected to hear the
song they were familiar with, he said.

He would not want fans to think, "What the hell is wrong with the ones I bought?" he said.

His singing was a performance, he said. "It's getting into the role; it's like an actor ... You try to make it as believable as possible."

His dream had always been to do what he loved - sing - and that was still his dream today.

"If you really like performing it's like a drug and you don't want it to go away."

Also unchanged is his deep, raspy voice that seduced women
worldwide. It even still has a distinct Welsh accent even though Jones
has lived in California for years.

But it had become a little milder, he said.

"They used to say, `We can't understand you. You have to slow down.'"

In a black suit and well-tanned, Jones was a charismatic performer even on a press conference stage.

He diplomatically answered, "it's not unusual," when asked "is it unusual to be loved by anyone?"

And no one asked the dreaded question about underwear - maybe the one thing he has become sick of over the years.