Tiny Tim does heavy metal

When I met Tiny in Toledo, Ohio in 1983 I realized that I would never be the same.

After seeing his show and his Elvis medley I begged him to consider doing heavy metal songs. He replied that it wouldn't be as far out of the ordinary as one might think-after all, "All the songs I do were number one in their day," he said.

After spending the entire week with him he was off to Australia but not before I said if he remembered nothing about his visit to Toledo at least remember my suggestion that he do heavy metal.

Well three weeks later I received a package postmarked in Sydney, Australia which contained a cassette tape he had recorded with a punk-rock group that featured "I Love Rock 'n Roll" and "Highway to Hell."

His response to my suggestion led to a long and satisfying friendship and included opportunities for us to work together. I created the first ever Tiny Tim T-shirts in honor of his 1984 Heavy Metal World Tour which he kicked off in Toledo, I produced the first ever telephone concert in 1991 which Tiny headlined from the Rough Trade record shop in San Francisco, and I traveled with him on the midwest dates of the Great All American circus tour.

Over the course of ten+ years Tiny and I grew to be good friends and spent hours on the phone (many of which I've recorded) and visiting each other in Toledo, New York and many other cities.

I've never met anyone like him before or since and I'll never forget him for what he taught me about life, the business, and myself.

I once asked him what he learned about life at the top.

His reply?

"The higher you go, the more your bottom shows!" Amen.