Unabomber Eleven
kiwifarms.net
- Joined
- Nov 14, 2022
It's quite obvious that Tom doesn't actually like music, he just likes the image that being street musician generates in his counterculture obsessed dementia riddled mind.
All jokes aside, I think you’re on to something here….
I recently grabbed a bunch of still frames from his YouTube videos where he’s playing recorder or saxophone for my nefarious photoshopping purposes, and I noticed his expressions and movements were a bit off….the Uncanny Concert-hall, if you will…
First off, Tommy’s expressions and movements are exaggerated, forced and disingenuous. The overall feeling I’m left with is that he’s always in his head thinking “passionate artists that are really good do XYZ, gotta remember to do XYZ”…. What he doesn’t seem to understand is that XYZ happens spontaneously and as like a side effect of being in the “flow” and full of intensity in the moment. When you mimic that, it looks shallow and performative, like Tommy does. Tommy doesn’t lose himself in the music because he’s too busy looking like he’s losing himself in the music… Making a face that looks like you’re reaching into your soul doesn’t mean that you are and won’t make you play any better.
Secondly, and before anyone says he’s just being “his version of passionate” or whatever, the microexpressions he’s exhibiting are not those of rapture…. He looks like he’s either constipated, angry or over it (why not all three?), and it contributes to the uninspiring performance he delivers. His off-timed and overdone mannerisms make it look like he’s either trying to aggressively eat or bite his instrument as well, which is honestly fucking hilarious….

This is the closest I’ve seen on Tommy’s face to “passionate artist face”, but it still looks a bit peeved and only lasted a moment…
Examples:







(This one’s my fucking favorite because he looks like an actual goblin

Even Mick Fleetwood, with his crazy faces, always looks like he’s having a good time.



And I think @Mellow Malevolent is right on the money here, that Tommy is just doing this to relate to or fit in with the underground/counterculture scene he so desperately wants to be a part of
ETA: I’ve also noticed that Tommy often has the mouthpiece/reed of his instruments off to the side instead of dead center. Not only is it incorrect embouchure, (yeah I played clarinet as a kid, wanna fight?), but it might indicate his teeth/gums are bothering him. Knowing Tommy, he probably never learned correct technique because that’s probably too square and mainstream for him…
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