An Inspired Chat with Velvet Tom of South LA

We’re looking forward to introducing you to Velvet Tom. Check out our conversation below.

Velvet , so good to connect and we’re excited to share your story and insights with our audience. There’s a ton to learn from your story, but let’s start with a warm up before we get into the heart of the interview. What are you chasing, and what would happen if you stopped?
I am chasing passive income. Creating art that pays me and mine, well after the fact. Making something my growing audience can’t refuse. But let’s explore the word chasing. As a person of a certain age and I don’t have the speed like I used to, but I do have stamina, and experience. Moments are cyclical, What you’re aiming for always comes back around. Be ready, this time. Part of the plan to finance my projects means submitting for every artist grant I qualify for, in 2026 and play that lottery. Being an entertainer is playing the lottery. No wins, small wins, big wins, it’s all there! Of course the answer is chasing money. Because most of us hardly have any, while a few of us have more than we know what to do with.

Stopping is out of the question. Artistic pursuits don’t stop until the artist does. But once the work is out there, that’s where it lives. Out there in ‘The Ether’. New fans, new listeners, new sets of ears and eyeballs, allow past artists to live on. The extreme example is Sinatra. Prolific in his time, he left us in 1998. But you wouldn’t know it, because everyday is a reminder of what he gave audiences, and that is a reason to keep listening. There will always be new fans, that will “discover” you way after the fact. Create that rabbit hole! But let me be clear, I’m not comparing myself with Frank. They say “standing on the shoulders of giants”. Believe me, I’m still climbing up his pant-leg.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I am an entertainer, and my brand today is Velvet Tom. Velvet Tom is a lounge act I created, based largely in part on the television I watched as a kid, which included numerous sitcoms, variety shows, telethons, holiday specials and game shows of the 70’s-80’s. There’s a playful darkness to that era and that still intrigues to me. I recall telling my high school friends, that “If I never ‘make it’ as an actor, I’ll become my own lounge act”. Well, here we are. My current project is rebuilding my live act by covering the music from my youth. 80’s music. The best music made for the best generation, Gen X. In fact, I go back into the studio tomorrow, to record backing vocals for my current single “Sunglasses At Night”, a Jazz cover of the synth hit, written and sung by Corey Hart. Once that’s finished, we’ll release the single on select streaming platforms, a video on my youtube channel, and for download on my website. And then, we’ll move onto the next track! Exciting stuff, right? What does a live Velvet Tom show include? On stage are my jazz quartet The Velours, my back-up singing sensation The Velveetahs, and yours truly, me, Velvet Tom! As previously mentioned, it will be an evening of 80’s music done in the style of jazz/cabaret. There will be laughter and maybe some tears. We promise a warm and welcoming night for everyone who wants to be there. Let us take you back and send you home, laughing and singing and maybe asking yourself “What did I just watch?” Greatness my friend. Greatness. Leave the kids at home. The show isn’t raunchy but the humor might go over their heads. For more information, contact me on my website www.velvettom.com.

Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. Who taught you the most about work?
My parents taught me the most about work. My dad was the first one to put me to work. Naturally, when you hit your tweens, you get more responsibility (whether you want it or not). Trash, dishes, etc. You know, chores. My dad had me pushing a lawn mower at 10 years old. Raking, Gardening, all of it. The son of a farmer himself, he was working in the fields even younger than me. I imagine my dad thought he was behind schedule, waiting to put me to work at 10, I have three older sisters who were his previous crew, and by the time I came along, they had no problem taking an early retirement from mowing the yard, ever again. Once I got a little experience, we expanded my “lawn services” to some of the elderly widows in the neighborhood. Year around services, I recall. leaf raking in the Fall, shoveling their driveways in Winter. Admittedly, I wasn’t always the most attentive ‘small business owner’ but I was glad my dad was the ‘board of directors’ to encourage me to get to work. It was encouragement. My dad was patient and measured in his tone. He was a motivator who was teaching me entrepreneurship. Be your own boss. I think he meant boss of my own landscaping company. I’m quite sure I threw him a curve ball, turning to entertainment. I like calling my own shots, when there’s shots to call. I would rather pay myself. Another nugget of wisdom my dad gave me. It feels more like a philosophy than an instruction. I still seek the eternal meaning of paying myself. During all of this, I watched my Mom return to full time work. It was the 80’s and I didn’t really understand what a big deal it was in the grand scheme. Wage stagnation was setting in. Union busting was commonplace, jobs were being exported, “Trickle Down” was taking a hold, workers were being exploited. Her returning to work was out of necessity. Before she was my mom, she worked for the phone company as an operator, or “directory assistance” is what they called it, at the time. She returned to that job when I was in grade school. It was a union job. I know because I walked the picket line with her a few times. Perks came with that job, too. We were a test family for upcoming services like call waiting, call forwarding and ‘Star 69’. That stopped a couple of phone pranksters in their tracks when my mom would call their houses back. Like many midwestern suburban households, we were experiencing a turning point regarding American work and it’s true value and how the people doing the work are the least valued, by the business owners who need them the most. Forty years later, not a lot has changed. I think my folks instilled in us a work ‘ethic’. Another gem was “Leave it better than you found it”. Make life easier on the next person who comes along.

What fear has held you back the most in your life?
My biggest fear is asking for help. Asking for help, bringing people in on a project, including folks, I have a hard time. I have a much easier time when I’m the invitee, because my immediate mission is: “How can I exceed their expectations?” I have to allow myself to invite that same energy to my collaborations. I can’t be the only person who puts on their ‘good little worker’ cap. But I get caught up in the narrative of “So and so probably has something else going on.” When in reality, people want to help. It’s in our nature to be helpers. It is part of our humanity. I want to pay my fellow artists, but I can’t always afford to do that, and that is something that stops me in my tracks. “No money? I guess we’re not moving forward.” So much good art dies that way. I’m always surprised when I put myself out there. I’m surprised that people believe in our projects enough that they work for free. I’m surprised, that even if someone can’t help, they ‘know a guy’. Sometimes, I’m the guy people know. Being the ‘go to guy’ is very rewarding but also comfortable. I know I’m hiding when it comes to completing projects if I don’t practice the same outreach, and that ol’ standby “Networking”.

Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? What are the biggest lies your industry tells itself?
The two biggest lies about the entertainment industry that come to mind are:

That the next new entertainment platform, is going to elevate our industry AND that the money people are creative collaborators.

The truth is the next new platform is going to usher in more AI and money people would rather deal with a “digital artist” that doesn’t talk back and works long hours for nothing. AI has its place and it will improve streamlining necessary public services, even though it’s going to wreak havoc on our environment if we use it on any mass scale. When I see the letters AI, I read it as, “Artist Included”. A) because I’m corny B) Because that is the message I want to deliver. The concept of “work” is going to change drastically in the next few years, across all industries. It will be interesting (to say the least) to witness that turning point.

Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
I’d love to be remembered as an entertainer’s entertainer who commits to the bit, but I’ll let whatever work I leave with you, speak for itself. As long as family and friends have numerous stories to share at my memorial, that might be all I need to know going into the afterlife. I hope our inside jokes endure the test of time at reunions, after my passing. Velvet Tom is a Lover, Loser and Legend. I have loved and been loved. I have lost and am still losing. Legend has yet to be realized. I’m a legend in my own mind, as they say. I have such a niche act that sometimes I’m concerned that only the real nostalgia hounds will ‘find’ me again, as years pass. Maybe one day, a clip of me doing my thing, will show up in somebody’s social media feed wishing me a happy heavenly birthday. It’s the VH1 Behind The Music, that plays in my head.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://velvettom.com
• Instagram: @velvettom
• Linkedin: Tom Farnan
• Facebook: Velvet Tom
• Youtube: Velvet Tom
• Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/velvet-tom

Image Credits
All images courtesy of Harmony Gerber.
IG: @photo_grafitti