TOBY TOMTOM

Q: What inspired you to write “I Need a Yoko”? Was there something personal behind it, or another character?

I wrote I Need a Yoko a few years ago and only performed it live acoustically. There have been times in my life where I felt very lonely and isolated. And, I Need a Yoko emerged from this place.

Q: You say in the song you’re kinda afraid of love and letting go of past chances. You don’t think that is kinda a common thing that many people can relate to?

It is common. Nothing new under the sun. I think we are wired to live with regrets. It’s unfortunate because each day, each moment, is an opportunity to move forward and take a chance on something new. So many times, I wondered what someone might think if I took a chance. Now, I consciously try to move without self judgment.

Q: The line “Don’t be afraid of love, just take it” is quite an empowering one. How important is it to you with your music that a message of courage in love be conveyed?

Love is courage. Friendship is courage. Love is up there with food, water and shelter in terms of our basic needs. When I hear hate out of someone’s mouth, I know they are not loved, can not love unconditionally or have never been in love. It’s tragic. So it’s critical that courage in love be conveyed in my music along with love of God or the creator.

Q: Yoko Ono plays a very central role in your song. Why Yoko Ono as a symbol of love and loyalty?

Most times, when I write, I have no idea what channels through me or where it comes from. This is one of those times. I don’t recall why these lyrics came into my head or where the chords came from. I don’t recall why Yoko represented this type of enduring love. My best songs happen in a dream, or come about when I’m playing with my guitar with no thought. God sends the message and I write. This was one of those times. Yet, in retrospect, she perfectly embodies the message.

Q: You mention, with lines like “yellow submarine parades,” imagery from The Beatles. Are you a big fan of the band? How, if at all, did they influence this song?

I am not a huge Beatles fan. I do love the lyrics and spirituality of George Harrison and love Lennon’s political consciousness. So though I am not intimately aware of the works of the Beatles, I know their songs subconsciously. After I wrote Yoko, I familiarized myself with the Beatles more. They influenced I Need a Yoko with their imagery. Yellow Submarine. I am aware of songs like Eleanor Rigby. She’s Leaving Home. These are brilliantly visual songs so yes, they influenced my writing subconsciously, like all of my influences do, like Tupac, Tower of Power, Miles Davis, Marvin Gaye, Debussy and John Denver.

Q: That is such a poetic phrase-wave white linen sheets against the southern wind. Can you tell us more about what that imagery represents for you?

Wow. I’m glad you noticed. Again, I do not know what that represents. Joan Athey, who ran an exhibit of the Yoko and John Montreal Bed-In, heard I Need a Yoko years ago, and interpreted the line as representing the civil rights movement. An interesting interpretation. But, I do not know where the line emanated in my consciousness or what it represents. Maybe a double entendre? Whatever it means to you, is what it is. For me, it’s simply beautiful.

Q: In the song, you talk about taking hold of a moment in love. Is that something you’d apply to your own life?

Absolutely. There have been so many occasions, especially when I was younger and very shy, where I should have, or could have, taken the bull by the horn and simply said hello. Instead, I walked away with regret.

Q: You think modern love is more complicated or easier than it was?

I believe finding love in our modern world is more complicated. I think we are more guarded and less willing to grow with someone. It’s like we want someone to pour from a box of cereal ready-made. Sometimes, I think we’ve forgotten how important touch is. A heartfelt hug. A deep, penetrating glance. Stillness. Calm. Peace.

Q: How autobiographical is “I Need a Yoko”? Do you often pull from your own life when it comes to writing lyrics?

My writing comes from all kinds of places. Environment, situations, my heart. Yoko is autobiographical to a large degree. A soulmate is the ultimate in love.

Q: The song is reflective on regret in lines like “Don’t want to wish for one more day to tell you how I feel.” How do you deal with regret in your own life?

That’s a deep question. I process regret and move on. But before I move forward, I reflect on the moment I try to live my life fulfilled, so if there is something I want to do, I do it. As life has increased in complexity and responsibility, it’s not always that easy, but I do my best.

Q: You talk about taking chances in love. Do you feel like music in and of itself is a way of taking chances for you?

Everything is a chance. We wake up by chance. We take so much for granted. I Need a Yoko is a chance that a friend encouraged me to take. Never in a million years did I think I’d be on folk playlists on Spotify. When I play live, it’s me and my acoustic guitar. I shout it out like a therapy session. But I don’t think about genres when I play live or create. I just create.

But, I never could, or better yet, was afraid to attempt to translate my folk music to a recording in my studio. I was afraid of my voice being exposed, being a musician first and foremost. I imagined myself telling my bass, trumpet, flugelhorn, drums, piano and percussion to go away – there’s no room in the inn for y’all on this song! It was a challenge to strip it all down to voice and acoustic guitar.

I leaned on the universe for I Need a Yoko and let the production process flow with no expectation or roadmap. I love acoustic guitar music like Glen Campbell. But that doesn’t fit me. By chance, I found a great guitar setting that added very subtle ethereal orchestral-like harmonics to my guitar. I turned off the metronome so I could feel the flow. Used a felt guitar pick to smooth the song out, and just let it be. No pun intended! This provided a comfortable place for my voice.

I use a program called CyaniteAI to analyze my songs for moods and genres. I fed in older tunes and they run the gamut from Reggaeton to Gansta-Rap to Hip-Hop to Alt. Pop and Chamber Pop. All these elements are in my music. All this to say, music is a chance to be who you are in that moment. Art is growth. My heroes never got locked in and nor will I.

Q: If you could have a conversation with Yoko Ono herself about this song, what would you want to ask her?

Damn! I would faint if I met her. So before I would ask, I’d need smelling salts. This question gives me chills. I’d ask how she and John become singular in their vision while maintaining their identities. I think of the Montreal Bed-In. How did they know peace is the way? She and John represent the ultimate in love to me. They reached singularity before all this AI stuff. I’d ask what is her wish for the world, for her children. She is beyond beautiful to me.

Q: Do you talk about the relationship between love and art for you? Do you find them being linked?

They are linked. I love our world. In spite of all the hatred, the wars, the little men with hardened hearts and souls causing chaos for ego and personal gain, I aspire to a better place. So my art always reflects aspiration, love, hope, and God. My art is God inspired, touched by Him, guided by Him. It is not me which is why so often, I have no idea where things originate. I used to paint before I had children. I still to this day have no idea where a painting began or where it ended. I go into a zone. The same occurs with music.I trust this process now. I know God will speak through me in His time.

Q: Do you feel your vision of love in this song is more idealistic or realistic?

It is realistic. Yoko and John had it. If we worked as hard at love as we do at war, imagine where we’d be.

Q: The song speaks to a need for someone who will stand by you. Do you think loyalty is the most important quality in a relationship?

I think unconditional love is possible. Open communication with no judgment creates understanding which enables loyalty to be a given.

Q: How does one go about creating their signature style of merging cultural references with the deeply personal?

God did that. I am His vessel to give hope to the world. Many artists merge the two. It’s being aware of and involved in our world.

Q: Do you think love songs still play an important role in today’s music, or have they transformed into something else?

I think in Hip-Hop and a lot of pop music particularly, we’ve lost love. It’s a sad reflection on our culture and has impacted us greatly. We are what we feed into our souls. What we listen to. So yes, love songs play an important role because these songs represent the place that we should aspire to reach.

Q: What would you want listeners to take away from the song “I Need a Yoko” the first time they listen to it?

Like Debussy, who is my favorite composer of all time, I want them to swim in the water, flow, float, feel, and know that with love, all things are possible. Love is possible. Find their Yoko.