Post by fenderrocks on Aug 28, 2011 17:20:36 GMT -5
Huge thanks to Tom for taking time to chat with fans!
Chat Recap - Tom Thacker (Sum41/GOB) - August 28, 2011
Interview
Tom Thacker: Hey ya'll!
Tom Thacker: I'm fine! Hurricane was pretty tame where I am
Heather: First off, we're going we're going to have a short interview about the new Gob album, then I will announce the "free chat" time, where you can ask Tom questions.
Heather: so here we go! How has the recording for the new Gob album been and what is left to record?
Tom Thacker: It's gone well but has taken place in intervals over the last 2 years
Tom Thacker: We still have some vocals and bg vocals to record.
Tom Thacker: I'll probably be doing them at home. We are self producing the record so it can take a little more time.
Tom Thacker: I've also been super busy with Sum41 so it's been hard to get in to record the gob record
Heather: How would you say this album differs musically and lyrically compared to previous albums?
Tom Thacker: The gob record musically is a more rock and roll sounding the previous record Muertos Vivos. Lyrically it may be somewhat the same, kind of introspective, kind of dark
Tom Thacker: by rock and roll i mean maybe a little more uplifting, possibly easier to dance to. not dance music though of course
Heather: Muertos Vivos had a mix of aggressive and soft vocals, can we expect the same from this album?
Tom Thacker: Yeah there will be some singing, some screaming. The songs are a little more melody based
Heather: Can you give us some insight on your favorite song for this album so far?
Tom Thacker: It's hard to pick out a favorite honestly. Apartment 13 is quite different for gob so it may be one of my favorites.
Tom Thacker: I'm pretty stoked on one called Terpsichore
Heather: Any album titles or artwork ideas yet?
Tom Thacker: There's a bunch of titles floating around but we haven't decided on one. One we were considering was .blood
Tom Thacker: Thought that was pretty funny but maybe too close to sum41's title
Heather: Are there plans to release this album as a physical copy or will it be online only?
Tom Thacker: there will probably be a physical copy, it's a lot easier to get music digitally and the industry is definitely moving in that direction so it will probably be more focused towards an online release
Heather: You've mentioned you write a variety of songs that don't necessarily fit with Gob, have you ever thought about releasing those songs on your own to fans?
Tom Thacker: Yeah, I do come up with a lot of songs, song ideas and I've had a lot of ideas for projects. I will definitely release something different in the future. It's hard to say what exactly. I write a lot of folkier indie rock sounding songs but I could end up doing a garage rock sort of band as wellTom Thacker: I'm also pretty into playing the piano right now, I'm not that great at it but I like a lot of piano based music. Queen, older david bowie, even chopin. I can't really play Chopin. I try to though
Free Chat
--Gob--
Adrian: why the name of last record, "Muertos Vivos"?
Tom Thacker: It seemed like the songs on the last record talked a lot about mortality, we kind of tied it into a day of the dead theme. That's why we called it Muertos vivos
Maria Luis: tom what inspired you to write '' still feel nothing? ''
Tom Thacker: Musically, still feel nothing sounded really dark and hopeless, it just seemed to suit a lyric about someone being in a relationship with an apathetic lover.
AdminGobPTfans: hey tom, first of all, thank you for this chat ! Which is your favorite song to play live ?
Tom Thacker: I really like playing Prescription live. I hear you calling is always great. We played 18 and Sleepyhead on the last couple tours too. Those were great.
SickofEveryone: Will there be a t shirt bundle for the pre order of your new album?
Tom Thacker: Not sure about the t-shirt bundle, there will probably be something like that
jiminy: could you tell us what song from the new album sound more rock and roll? i like rock n roll
in which band do you like to play more, sum 41 or gob?
Tom Thacker: These are all working titles but the more rock n roll sounding new gob songs are "Terpsichore" "Can't get over you" "NIL"
Tom Thacker: I love playing in both bands. It's really different being frontman in a band than being a guitarist so i kind of get the best of both worlds
Raku: First I would like to know if you are taking this time off to work on the new Gob record? Also I would like to know when to expect the new album. I mean I have the album in my list of 2011 albums that I am looking forward to and would like to know if it has been pushed to 2012, or if the 2011 plan is still working?
Tom Thacker: The gob record won
Tom Thacker: it be released until 2012, we still have a bunch of stuff to record
CarlosThacker: Tom, because you decided to call "lMuertos vivos" the last album has some connection with Mexico?
Tom Thacker: muertos vivos sort of has a connection with day of the dead so it sort of has a connection w mexico that way, the riff in still feel nothing may sound a little like mexican music too
--Sum41--
Flora_Sum41Italia: Why doesn't your name appear on the Screaming Bloody Murder booklet?
Tom Thacker: Apparently my name will be on the next printing of SBM
Jessicakill41: Do you think there's gonna be a long time between SBM and a new album from Sum 41?
Tom Thacker: Not sure how long it will be btwn Sum41 records. We haven't really talked much about it, we've just been concentrating on touring and getting SBM out there
christinep8: Deryck said in a recent interview that Sum 41 might make a new acoustic album with some SBM songs. Is this happening any time soon or it was just a thought?
Tom Thacker: I haven't heard about the acoustic record, it's possible but from what I know Deryck prefers to not perform acoustically
Sum41Hungary: Why is Brown Tom your nickname?
Tom Thacker: Stevo almost called me Brownsound once but corrected himself and it came out "BrownnnnTOM" everyone thought it was funny so it kind of stuck
blackhawk1105: Are you guys going to play 88 live anytime soon?
Tom Thacker: we play 88 once in a while, it is usually added to the encore
christinep8: Any plans for a new Music Video soon and if so, what song will be next?
Tom Thacker: we just did a video for baby you don't wanna know
jiminy: you forgot to answer whats your favourite song from sum41
Tom Thacker: my favorite sum songs are, still waiting, mr amsterdam, 88, reas to belieb, SBM, jester
Sum41Hungary: How did you like Perfect Sound Studios?
Tom Thacker: perfect sound was great. i have always preferred that kind of environment to record, when you have a house with a studio, you can stay there and make music all the time.
henriksicecream: any chances that you'll play Summer, Rhythms or Heart Attack in the nearest future?so it's not likely that we'll play those anytime soon
Tom Thacker: sum41 hasn't played summer, rhythms or heart attack since i've been in the band
Tom Thacker: deryck always makes the set list
Ptido: Hi it's Dorian (sum41france). Hearing fans longing for dave's return is a common thing though it's been 4 years you're now officially part of the band How do you feel about that ?
Tom Thacker: hey dorian! you know, i understand that certain fans were and are really attached to dave. that's fine. i love dave too. he chose to leave the band and that's that.
Tom Thacker: i'm glad you like me. i never really set out to compete with dave otherwise i would have played the solos differently and shit like that. i respect dave
christinep8: i really want to see Jessica Kill live.. thanks for answering.
Tom Thacker: oh yeah, we haven't played jessica kill live either
Astrid41: whats your favourite song to play live?
Tom Thacker: live i love to play mr amsterdam, SBM and still waiting
CarlosMcCaslin: Will you tattoo the "41" in your arm?
Tom Thacker: i will tattoo 42 when they change the band name to sum42
Jessicakill41: What did you think when sum 41 asked you to play with them?
Tom Thacker: i thought sum41 was going to continue as a 3 piece but i wasn't surprised when they asked me, we'd toured together a lot and they knew how i played as a guitarist so it made sense
--Touring--
Sum41Hungary: Tom! Firstly thanks for followin us on Twitter, it's so great! How did you like Hungary when you made a show in Sopron, at VOLT fesztiál? The show was great!
Tom Thacker: I loved Hungary. I was lucky enough to have some time to go into Sopron and check out the city. It was really beautiful. I even went up the lookout point and saw the city from up there. Hopefully we'll get to go to Budapest next time
Tom Thacker: BTW That show in Hungary had crazier winds than this hurricane that just hit NYC
AdminGobPTfans: Will you ever ever ever come to Portugal with Gob ?
Tom Thacker: We would love to bring gob to Portugal. We'll try to do it once we finish this record
CarlosThacker: Tom, all your fans in Mexico prompted, give a sum 41 signing autographs before or after the concert?
Tom Thacker: I'm not really in charge of planning the signings but I'm always game for it. i would like to do it at every show
AlessandraSum41Italia: Before the end of the Sum 41 Tour, is there a chance that you're going to play in Italy again?
Tom Thacker: I think Sum41 will probably get to Italy again in the next year
MarieH41: After the europeen tour, do you think Sum41 would make a Middle Eastern tour ?
Tom Thacker: Sum would def do a middle eastern tour but I'm not sure where we would play other than Israel and Dubal. Where else in the middle east has shows?
christinep8: You are on tour all the time and u go to new places, so i was wondering if you will come to GREECE for a concert sometime? I just want u to know that Sum 41 have so many fans here.!!!
Tom Thacker: We would love to come to Greece, we've had tentative plans to play in the past so I'm sure it will come up again
SickofEveryone: Does sum 41 have any plans to come to Mississippi or LA?
Tom Thacker: No tour plans at this point for the south US but we usually get to Louisiana at least one time per record. I hope we tour the US soon, it's been a while since we did a proper US tour
CarlosMcCaslin: Have you planned to come back to Barcelona (or Spain) with Sum 41 or GOB? And how is Deryck's back?
Tom Thacker: I hope we get to Barcelona again soon, I didn't have a chance to look around last time we were there and I've always wanted to visit the city
Tom Thacker: Deryck was having trouble with his back after our trip to South Africa and from what I understand it's not totally healed. Hopefully he's feeling better soon
MarieH41: You could play in Lebanon ! Crossing my fingers
Tom Thacker: Lebanon! That would be great, I hope we get to play there
samueeL: Tom, does the "come to play in my city" question ever make you tired, haha? I mean at the end of the day artists/bands can't decide where they are gonna play?
Tom Thacker: I am always happy to answer whatever question is asked but it is true, we don't really decide where we play, our booking agent books the shows for us
Cake: Tom,Do you like russia?and what with Gob,any plans,concerts?p.s.Sorry for my english,i'm from moscow
Tom Thacker: russia is awesome. i'm super stoked to have such awesome fans in russia, i never thought i would be playing shows in russia
henriksicecream: any plans for Norway? play Norwegian Wood festival next year!
Patrick: Are you planning to go to any Scandinavian countries?
Tom Thacker: hopefully we'll make it to norway, it's the only scandinavian country we haven't played since i've been in the band
chelsealouanne: Tom, is Sum 41's fall Canadian tour stiill happening?
Tom Thacker: i'm not entirely up to date on the sum41 tour plans. i know they've been changing
CarlosThacker: will give a signing autographs in Mexico? and if it is true that if present in the Kids Choice Awards 2011
Tom Thacker: i've heard about the kids choice awards so it's a possibility. not sure about the singing, we always do it if we have time to do a singing
xXx_Flora_xXx: Tom, when you are in France, do you visit certain cities?? Do you like to play in France???
Tom Thacker: we got to see a lot of france on the last tour. it was awesome. we'll go check out castles and shit. walk around the city.
CarlosMcCaslin: You should spend your holidays in Barcelona. Beach, cultural interests, mountain... Lot of things here
Tom Thacker: i totally want to check out barcelona, i made a list of things i wanted to see last time but i dont get a chance to go out
--Music--
Alessio: First of all thank you for give me your guitar pick last year in Milan, i keep it as a relic , then my question is : as a musician that have worked with a Major record company and with an independent label or smaller label, what do you think it's better ?
Tom Thacker: you're welcome for the pick! there isn't really that much difference functionally btwn a major and an indie. a major just has more money to promote your record.
Tom Thacker: at the same time a major will be quicker to stop promoting it if it's not selling up to their expectations
MarieH41: Isn't it hard to manage being in two different bands ?
Tom Thacker: it's not really hard to play in 2 different bands, a lot of musicians play in several bands. in my case, sum41 is a lot busier than gob so it's fairly easy to do
SickofEveryone: What kind and what size of guitar strings do you use and why?
Tom Thacker: my current strings are 10-52, heavy bottoms since i pick hard rhythms and light top since there's quite a bit of soloing in sum's songs
Cake: what kind of picks and strings do you use?
Tom Thacker: i use .73 dunlop tortex picks
lollo 41: can i get an advice from you? I play in a band end (we do 1/2 of you cover) but how many trials have we to play at week?
Tom Thacker: lollo, it's best to practice as much as you can. you should spend as much time writing songs though. always work on your songs and make them better
Zboranski: are there people who u really admire? who are they?
Tom Thacker: yes of course, there are many people i admire. as far as rock and roll goes, i admire john lennon maybe the most
Tom Thacker: i also admire david bowie, bob dylan
Sum41Hungary: For me you're an idol, cause I even play guitar, but it's hard for me to learn playing solos. Can you tell me some advice?
Tom Thacker: as far as playing solos it's probably best to learn scales and to learn to play solos by ear or from tabs. everyone's technique on guitar is different and it's best to learn to play what you like to hear. but scales can help you in positioning your hand
CarlosThacker: Hey Tom! From which age you started playing the guitar?
Tom Thacker: i started really playing guitar when i was 15
Sum41Hungary: Last, could you give me some advice about writing songs? Cause I'm not really good at that. And once more thank you very much!
Tom Thacker: in order to write good songs you just need to keep writing. there are only so many notes/chord progressions you can use so it's hard to write without sounding like someone else's writing
Tom Thacker: you just have to keep doing it until you are writing songs that are good and have your own unique sound
Cake: Do you know notes?
Tom Thacker: i know notes. i can read music and i understand musical theory/harmony/composition. i don't think it helps you to write a great song necessarily but it is pretty good to know, especially if you want to learn other instruments or communicate with other musicians that play different instruments, like say, horns, strings, symphony instruments
Ptido: - You were drummer for McRackins a long time ago... don't you miss playing drum ?
Tom Thacker: yeah, i love playing drums. i played with the mcrackins for a bit until gob started touring a lot and they got a new drummer. it was fun and i'm happy to see that those guys are still playing
Cyril: Hi Tom ! I'm also from Sum41 france. Why do you always use Les Paul guitars on stage ?
Tom Thacker: les pauls are versatile guitars and they sound great for pretty much anything, that's why i play them live
Cake: whats your favorite music genre?
Tom Thacker: i like punk and some metal but i also like indie rock, indie folk, new wave, romantic period classical piano, some rap
--Other--
CarlosThacker: Tom can send a greeting to all your fans in Mexico?
Tom Thacker: Buenos diaz Mexico!
Tom Thacker: Mucho besos!
Tom Thacker: i meant dias, not diaz he's our beloved guitar tech
CarlosThacker: tom, you really are vegetarian?
Tom Thacker: i was vegan for about 12 years. I have been eating egg and fish a little bit lately. I usually eat vegan meals though
BoniBoyBlue: Just for a little informal moment and because I can't think of a decent question. If you could be a Disney Princess, what princess would you be?
Tom Thacker: if i was a disney princess i'd be princess jasmine
Zboranski: what r u usually doing when u have free time (if u ever have it :8)
Tom Thacker: in my free time i play piano guitar
Tom Thacker: you don't reawlly have a lot of time to play your instrument on the road. you usually only play it when you're on stage
Tom Thacker: i like to read, play video games, listen to music
Tom Thacker: the usual
Jessicakill41: What is the most unusual thing that you have ever autographed?
Tom Thacker: i've autographed pretty much anything you can think of, every body part, prosthetic limbs, peoples pets etc
henriksicecream: what kind of video games do you like?
Tom Thacker: my favorite video games are red dead redemption, legend of zelda, grand theft auto, mario galaxy, mario kart
Zboranski: what do u like to read? what genre and writers?
Tom Thacker: i like to read a lot of different stuff but my favorite writing is the more economical, to the point writing. like charles bukowski, jack kerouac, william s burroughs. i'm reading anna karenina right now and it's great but i find it to be too verbose. i prefer shorter stories.
Astrid41: Do you have a ps3?
Tom Thacker: i have a ps3 and a wii
Raku: Do you think we could get more Sum 41 music for the game Rock Band by Harmonix? Or even some Gob music? =D
Tom Thacker: haha i've seen videos online of people that made their own gob songs for guitar hero. pretty awesome
Zboranski: what's ur favorite food?
Tom Thacker: my favorite food is indian food, dal makhani and garlic naan
Tom Thacker: i also love thai food
Zboranski: do you smoke?
Tom Thacker: i don't smoke
Tom Thacker: i've never been a smoker but i have smoked a few cigarettes in my time
jiminy: whats your favourite drink? do you love jack daniels as deryck
Tom Thacker: my favorite drink is a dirty vodka martini. i'm not really a fan of jack daniels, i like it ok but when it comes to whiskey i prefer jameson or scotch
jiminy: do you like the german beer?
Tom Thacker: german beer rules!
CarlosMcCaslin: I want a haircut by Tom, as the Cone haircut. Can you cut my hair when you'll come to Barcelona, Tom?
Tom Thacker: i think i got lucky cutting cone's hair, i wouldn't trust me as a hairdresser honestly
CarlosThacker: It is true that I was in prison in Japan for drinking in the street? if you really are my hero! Lol
Tom Thacker: haha no, i was joking about going to prison in japan. people are extremely polite in japan, my joke was that even the police are polite when you get arrested. people in japan thought it was true so i kept the joke going for a bit
Tom Thacker: the way i behave at times i could be arrested though
--End--
Tom Thacker: ok bye everyone! thanks for the chat
Tom Thacker: later dudes and dudettes!
Chat Recap - Tom Thacker (Sum41/GOB) - August 28, 2011
Interview
Tom Thacker: Hey ya'll!
Tom Thacker: I'm fine! Hurricane was pretty tame where I am
Heather: First off, we're going we're going to have a short interview about the new Gob album, then I will announce the "free chat" time, where you can ask Tom questions.
Heather: so here we go! How has the recording for the new Gob album been and what is left to record?
Tom Thacker: It's gone well but has taken place in intervals over the last 2 years
Tom Thacker: We still have some vocals and bg vocals to record.
Tom Thacker: I'll probably be doing them at home. We are self producing the record so it can take a little more time.
Tom Thacker: I've also been super busy with Sum41 so it's been hard to get in to record the gob record
Heather: How would you say this album differs musically and lyrically compared to previous albums?
Tom Thacker: The gob record musically is a more rock and roll sounding the previous record Muertos Vivos. Lyrically it may be somewhat the same, kind of introspective, kind of dark
Tom Thacker: by rock and roll i mean maybe a little more uplifting, possibly easier to dance to. not dance music though of course
Heather: Muertos Vivos had a mix of aggressive and soft vocals, can we expect the same from this album?
Tom Thacker: Yeah there will be some singing, some screaming. The songs are a little more melody based
Heather: Can you give us some insight on your favorite song for this album so far?
Tom Thacker: It's hard to pick out a favorite honestly. Apartment 13 is quite different for gob so it may be one of my favorites.
Tom Thacker: I'm pretty stoked on one called Terpsichore
Heather: Any album titles or artwork ideas yet?
Tom Thacker: There's a bunch of titles floating around but we haven't decided on one. One we were considering was .blood
Tom Thacker: Thought that was pretty funny but maybe too close to sum41's title
Heather: Are there plans to release this album as a physical copy or will it be online only?
Tom Thacker: there will probably be a physical copy, it's a lot easier to get music digitally and the industry is definitely moving in that direction so it will probably be more focused towards an online release
Heather: You've mentioned you write a variety of songs that don't necessarily fit with Gob, have you ever thought about releasing those songs on your own to fans?
Tom Thacker: Yeah, I do come up with a lot of songs, song ideas and I've had a lot of ideas for projects. I will definitely release something different in the future. It's hard to say what exactly. I write a lot of folkier indie rock sounding songs but I could end up doing a garage rock sort of band as wellTom Thacker: I'm also pretty into playing the piano right now, I'm not that great at it but I like a lot of piano based music. Queen, older david bowie, even chopin. I can't really play Chopin. I try to though
Free Chat
--Gob--
Adrian: why the name of last record, "Muertos Vivos"?
Tom Thacker: It seemed like the songs on the last record talked a lot about mortality, we kind of tied it into a day of the dead theme. That's why we called it Muertos vivos
Maria Luis: tom what inspired you to write '' still feel nothing? ''
Tom Thacker: Musically, still feel nothing sounded really dark and hopeless, it just seemed to suit a lyric about someone being in a relationship with an apathetic lover.
AdminGobPTfans: hey tom, first of all, thank you for this chat ! Which is your favorite song to play live ?
Tom Thacker: I really like playing Prescription live. I hear you calling is always great. We played 18 and Sleepyhead on the last couple tours too. Those were great.
SickofEveryone: Will there be a t shirt bundle for the pre order of your new album?
Tom Thacker: Not sure about the t-shirt bundle, there will probably be something like that
jiminy: could you tell us what song from the new album sound more rock and roll? i like rock n roll
in which band do you like to play more, sum 41 or gob?Tom Thacker: These are all working titles but the more rock n roll sounding new gob songs are "Terpsichore" "Can't get over you" "NIL"
Tom Thacker: I love playing in both bands. It's really different being frontman in a band than being a guitarist so i kind of get the best of both worlds
Raku: First I would like to know if you are taking this time off to work on the new Gob record? Also I would like to know when to expect the new album. I mean I have the album in my list of 2011 albums that I am looking forward to and would like to know if it has been pushed to 2012, or if the 2011 plan is still working?
Tom Thacker: The gob record won
Tom Thacker: it be released until 2012, we still have a bunch of stuff to record
CarlosThacker: Tom, because you decided to call "lMuertos vivos" the last album has some connection with Mexico?
Tom Thacker: muertos vivos sort of has a connection with day of the dead so it sort of has a connection w mexico that way, the riff in still feel nothing may sound a little like mexican music too
--Sum41--
Flora_Sum41Italia: Why doesn't your name appear on the Screaming Bloody Murder booklet?
Tom Thacker: Apparently my name will be on the next printing of SBM
Jessicakill41: Do you think there's gonna be a long time between SBM and a new album from Sum 41?
Tom Thacker: Not sure how long it will be btwn Sum41 records. We haven't really talked much about it, we've just been concentrating on touring and getting SBM out there
christinep8: Deryck said in a recent interview that Sum 41 might make a new acoustic album with some SBM songs. Is this happening any time soon or it was just a thought?
Tom Thacker: I haven't heard about the acoustic record, it's possible but from what I know Deryck prefers to not perform acoustically
Sum41Hungary: Why is Brown Tom your nickname?
Tom Thacker: Stevo almost called me Brownsound once but corrected himself and it came out "BrownnnnTOM" everyone thought it was funny so it kind of stuck
blackhawk1105: Are you guys going to play 88 live anytime soon?
Tom Thacker: we play 88 once in a while, it is usually added to the encore
christinep8: Any plans for a new Music Video soon and if so, what song will be next?
Tom Thacker: we just did a video for baby you don't wanna know
jiminy: you forgot to answer whats your favourite song from sum41
Tom Thacker: my favorite sum songs are, still waiting, mr amsterdam, 88, reas to belieb, SBM, jester
Sum41Hungary: How did you like Perfect Sound Studios?
Tom Thacker: perfect sound was great. i have always preferred that kind of environment to record, when you have a house with a studio, you can stay there and make music all the time.
henriksicecream: any chances that you'll play Summer, Rhythms or Heart Attack in the nearest future?so it's not likely that we'll play those anytime soon
Tom Thacker: sum41 hasn't played summer, rhythms or heart attack since i've been in the band
Tom Thacker: deryck always makes the set list
Ptido: Hi it's Dorian (sum41france). Hearing fans longing for dave's return is a common thing though it's been 4 years you're now officially part of the band How do you feel about that ?
Tom Thacker: hey dorian! you know, i understand that certain fans were and are really attached to dave. that's fine. i love dave too. he chose to leave the band and that's that.
Tom Thacker: i'm glad you like me. i never really set out to compete with dave otherwise i would have played the solos differently and shit like that. i respect dave
christinep8: i really want to see Jessica Kill live.. thanks for answering.
Tom Thacker: oh yeah, we haven't played jessica kill live either
Astrid41: whats your favourite song to play live?
Tom Thacker: live i love to play mr amsterdam, SBM and still waiting
CarlosMcCaslin: Will you tattoo the "41" in your arm?
Tom Thacker: i will tattoo 42 when they change the band name to sum42
Jessicakill41: What did you think when sum 41 asked you to play with them?
Tom Thacker: i thought sum41 was going to continue as a 3 piece but i wasn't surprised when they asked me, we'd toured together a lot and they knew how i played as a guitarist so it made sense
--Touring--
Sum41Hungary: Tom! Firstly thanks for followin us on Twitter, it's so great! How did you like Hungary when you made a show in Sopron, at VOLT fesztiál? The show was great!
Tom Thacker: I loved Hungary. I was lucky enough to have some time to go into Sopron and check out the city. It was really beautiful. I even went up the lookout point and saw the city from up there. Hopefully we'll get to go to Budapest next time
Tom Thacker: BTW That show in Hungary had crazier winds than this hurricane that just hit NYC
AdminGobPTfans: Will you ever ever ever come to Portugal with Gob ?
Tom Thacker: We would love to bring gob to Portugal. We'll try to do it once we finish this record
CarlosThacker: Tom, all your fans in Mexico prompted, give a sum 41 signing autographs before or after the concert?
Tom Thacker: I'm not really in charge of planning the signings but I'm always game for it. i would like to do it at every show
AlessandraSum41Italia: Before the end of the Sum 41 Tour, is there a chance that you're going to play in Italy again?
Tom Thacker: I think Sum41 will probably get to Italy again in the next year
MarieH41: After the europeen tour, do you think Sum41 would make a Middle Eastern tour ?
Tom Thacker: Sum would def do a middle eastern tour but I'm not sure where we would play other than Israel and Dubal. Where else in the middle east has shows?
christinep8: You are on tour all the time and u go to new places, so i was wondering if you will come to GREECE for a concert sometime? I just want u to know that Sum 41 have so many fans here.!!!
Tom Thacker: We would love to come to Greece, we've had tentative plans to play in the past so I'm sure it will come up again
SickofEveryone: Does sum 41 have any plans to come to Mississippi or LA?
Tom Thacker: No tour plans at this point for the south US but we usually get to Louisiana at least one time per record. I hope we tour the US soon, it's been a while since we did a proper US tour
CarlosMcCaslin: Have you planned to come back to Barcelona (or Spain) with Sum 41 or GOB? And how is Deryck's back?
Tom Thacker: I hope we get to Barcelona again soon, I didn't have a chance to look around last time we were there and I've always wanted to visit the city
Tom Thacker: Deryck was having trouble with his back after our trip to South Africa and from what I understand it's not totally healed. Hopefully he's feeling better soon
MarieH41: You could play in Lebanon ! Crossing my fingers
Tom Thacker: Lebanon! That would be great, I hope we get to play there
samueeL: Tom, does the "come to play in my city" question ever make you tired, haha? I mean at the end of the day artists/bands can't decide where they are gonna play?
Tom Thacker: I am always happy to answer whatever question is asked but it is true, we don't really decide where we play, our booking agent books the shows for us
Cake: Tom,Do you like russia?and what with Gob,any plans,concerts?p.s.Sorry for my english,i'm from moscow
Tom Thacker: russia is awesome. i'm super stoked to have such awesome fans in russia, i never thought i would be playing shows in russia
henriksicecream: any plans for Norway? play Norwegian Wood festival next year!
Patrick: Are you planning to go to any Scandinavian countries?
Tom Thacker: hopefully we'll make it to norway, it's the only scandinavian country we haven't played since i've been in the band
chelsealouanne: Tom, is Sum 41's fall Canadian tour stiill happening?
Tom Thacker: i'm not entirely up to date on the sum41 tour plans. i know they've been changing
CarlosThacker: will give a signing autographs in Mexico? and if it is true that if present in the Kids Choice Awards 2011
Tom Thacker: i've heard about the kids choice awards so it's a possibility. not sure about the singing, we always do it if we have time to do a singing
xXx_Flora_xXx: Tom, when you are in France, do you visit certain cities?? Do you like to play in France???
Tom Thacker: we got to see a lot of france on the last tour. it was awesome. we'll go check out castles and shit. walk around the city.
CarlosMcCaslin: You should spend your holidays in Barcelona. Beach, cultural interests, mountain... Lot of things here
Tom Thacker: i totally want to check out barcelona, i made a list of things i wanted to see last time but i dont get a chance to go out
--Music--
Alessio: First of all thank you for give me your guitar pick last year in Milan, i keep it as a relic
, then my question is : as a musician that have worked with a Major record company and with an independent label or smaller label, what do you think it's better ?Tom Thacker: you're welcome for the pick! there isn't really that much difference functionally btwn a major and an indie. a major just has more money to promote your record.
Tom Thacker: at the same time a major will be quicker to stop promoting it if it's not selling up to their expectations
MarieH41: Isn't it hard to manage being in two different bands ?
Tom Thacker: it's not really hard to play in 2 different bands, a lot of musicians play in several bands. in my case, sum41 is a lot busier than gob so it's fairly easy to do
SickofEveryone: What kind and what size of guitar strings do you use and why?
Tom Thacker: my current strings are 10-52, heavy bottoms since i pick hard rhythms and light top since there's quite a bit of soloing in sum's songs
Cake: what kind of picks and strings do you use?
Tom Thacker: i use .73 dunlop tortex picks
lollo 41: can i get an advice from you? I play in a band end (we do 1/2 of you cover
) but how many trials have we to play at week?Tom Thacker: lollo, it's best to practice as much as you can. you should spend as much time writing songs though. always work on your songs and make them better
Zboranski: are there people who u really admire? who are they?
Tom Thacker: yes of course, there are many people i admire. as far as rock and roll goes, i admire john lennon maybe the most
Tom Thacker: i also admire david bowie, bob dylan
Sum41Hungary: For me you're an idol, cause I even play guitar, but it's hard for me to learn playing solos. Can you tell me some advice?
Tom Thacker: as far as playing solos it's probably best to learn scales and to learn to play solos by ear or from tabs. everyone's technique on guitar is different and it's best to learn to play what you like to hear. but scales can help you in positioning your hand
CarlosThacker: Hey Tom! From which age you started playing the guitar?
Tom Thacker: i started really playing guitar when i was 15
Sum41Hungary: Last, could you give me some advice about writing songs? Cause I'm not really good at that. And once more thank you very much!
Tom Thacker: in order to write good songs you just need to keep writing. there are only so many notes/chord progressions you can use so it's hard to write without sounding like someone else's writing
Tom Thacker: you just have to keep doing it until you are writing songs that are good and have your own unique sound
Cake: Do you know notes?
Tom Thacker: i know notes. i can read music and i understand musical theory/harmony/composition. i don't think it helps you to write a great song necessarily but it is pretty good to know, especially if you want to learn other instruments or communicate with other musicians that play different instruments, like say, horns, strings, symphony instruments
Ptido: - You were drummer for McRackins a long time ago... don't you miss playing drum ?
Tom Thacker: yeah, i love playing drums. i played with the mcrackins for a bit until gob started touring a lot and they got a new drummer. it was fun and i'm happy to see that those guys are still playing
Cyril: Hi Tom ! I'm also from Sum41 france. Why do you always use Les Paul guitars on stage ?
Tom Thacker: les pauls are versatile guitars and they sound great for pretty much anything, that's why i play them live
Cake: whats your favorite music genre?
Tom Thacker: i like punk and some metal but i also like indie rock, indie folk, new wave, romantic period classical piano, some rap
--Other--
CarlosThacker: Tom can send a greeting to all your fans in Mexico?
Tom Thacker: Buenos diaz Mexico!
Tom Thacker: Mucho besos!
Tom Thacker: i meant dias, not diaz he's our beloved guitar tech
CarlosThacker: tom, you really are vegetarian?
Tom Thacker: i was vegan for about 12 years. I have been eating egg and fish a little bit lately. I usually eat vegan meals though
BoniBoyBlue: Just for a little informal moment and because I can't think of a decent question. If you could be a Disney Princess, what princess would you be?
Tom Thacker: if i was a disney princess i'd be princess jasmine
Zboranski: what r u usually doing when u have free time (if u ever have it :8)
Tom Thacker: in my free time i play piano guitar
Tom Thacker: you don't reawlly have a lot of time to play your instrument on the road. you usually only play it when you're on stage
Tom Thacker: i like to read, play video games, listen to music
Tom Thacker: the usual
Jessicakill41: What is the most unusual thing that you have ever autographed?
Tom Thacker: i've autographed pretty much anything you can think of, every body part, prosthetic limbs, peoples pets etc
henriksicecream: what kind of video games do you like?
Tom Thacker: my favorite video games are red dead redemption, legend of zelda, grand theft auto, mario galaxy, mario kart
Zboranski: what do u like to read? what genre and writers?
Tom Thacker: i like to read a lot of different stuff but my favorite writing is the more economical, to the point writing. like charles bukowski, jack kerouac, william s burroughs. i'm reading anna karenina right now and it's great but i find it to be too verbose. i prefer shorter stories.
Astrid41: Do you have a ps3?
Tom Thacker: i have a ps3 and a wii
Raku: Do you think we could get more Sum 41 music for the game Rock Band by Harmonix? Or even some Gob music? =D
Tom Thacker: haha i've seen videos online of people that made their own gob songs for guitar hero. pretty awesome
Zboranski: what's ur favorite food?
Tom Thacker: my favorite food is indian food, dal makhani and garlic naan
Tom Thacker: i also love thai food
Zboranski: do you smoke?
Tom Thacker: i don't smoke
Tom Thacker: i've never been a smoker but i have smoked a few cigarettes in my time
jiminy: whats your favourite drink? do you love jack daniels as deryck
Tom Thacker: my favorite drink is a dirty vodka martini. i'm not really a fan of jack daniels, i like it ok but when it comes to whiskey i prefer jameson or scotch
jiminy: do you like the german beer?
Tom Thacker: german beer rules!
CarlosMcCaslin: I want a haircut by Tom, as the Cone haircut. Can you cut my hair when you'll come to Barcelona, Tom?
Tom Thacker: i think i got lucky cutting cone's hair, i wouldn't trust me as a hairdresser honestly
CarlosThacker: It is true that I was in prison in Japan for drinking in the street? if you really are my hero! Lol
Tom Thacker: haha no, i was joking about going to prison in japan. people are extremely polite in japan, my joke was that even the police are polite when you get arrested. people in japan thought it was true so i kept the joke going for a bit
Tom Thacker: the way i behave at times i could be arrested though
--End--
Tom Thacker: ok bye everyone! thanks for the chat
Tom Thacker: later dudes and dudettes!