***Editor's Note: Due to space constraints CityScene published only an excerpt of the interview with Tom Smothers. Below is the interview in its entirety.
Brothers Tom and Dick Smothers were born two years apart from each other – Tom in 1937 and Dick in ’39. But they’ve practically been inseparable since.
They both attended San Jose State University, and when they finished up they spent some time in a folk group before deciding to do the whole Smothers Brothers comedic/musical duo act in 1959. They first appeared on TV in 1961 and have showed no signs of slowing since.
Tom and Dick now book about 75 tour dates a year, as opposed to the 100 or so they used to. But other than that, it’s full speed ahead for the famous team, who will bring their multifaceted talents to Columbus for a show with the Columbus Symphony Orchestra May 18 and 19 at 8 p.m. at the Ohio Theatre.
For almost 50 years, Tom and Dick have entertained nearly every realm of show business. They hosted an Emmy award-winning variety show in the ‘60s – The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour – which eventually ignited conflicts with CBS for featuring anti-war musical and satirical acts.
Their shtick stems from brotherly and intuitive disagreements (sometimes turned arguments). “Mom always liked you best” remains Tom’s signature line.
They’re far more dimensional than their comedy and controversy, however. Tom took some time out from his schedule to talk with CityScene about sibling rivalry, Yo-Yo tricks and what it takes to have longevity.
CityScene: Did your mom really like Dick better?
Tom Smothers: No, she always preferred Sherry. (The brothers’ sister Sherry is two years younger than Dick, and lives in Sarasota, Fla.)
CS: Most people probably don’t even realize you have a sister. Do you think it was hard for her to deal with her brothers in the spotlight?
TS: I imagine it must have been, but she’s so proud of us and always has been. You know, she’s very funny. She has a better sense of humor than Dicky does! (Tom points out that he and Dick often refer to each other as Tommy and Dicky).
CS: Describe Dick, since he’s not here to defend himself…
TS: Dicky is pragmatic. He has a veracious appetite for life. He has to make sense; everything has to fit into a box. But everything to him is possible. He is very prompt. One of his great philosophies is that guilt is the most useless emotion man has ever had. So, if he hits his thumb with a hammer, it’s the hammer’s fault.
CS: Are you guys more alike or different?
TS: We are Yin and Yang. The only things that are similar about us are, well … We’re the same height. We’re exactly the same size. Our ears are big. And we have the same tone in our voice. The rest is all different. I’m late. I’m flighty. It doesn’t have to make sense to me to work.
CS: So how do the two of you make your act work so well?
TS: We work because our differences aren’t faked. People can read through falsities, but our arguments are authentic. They’re organic.
CS: How does that transpire on stage?
TS: He’s the straight man in our comedy team, which is funny since I’m the older one and it should have been the other way around. Every comedy team has had an exceptional straight man. If the audience believes the straight man, then they’ll definitely believe the comic. They will buy it. My brother is the world’s greatest straight man and that’s why I work, and why we have worked.
CS: You have a vineyard, and love to play golf and have many other interests. You can’t possibly have that much free time…
TS: Everything I’ve done in my life has been introduced by Dicky. Wine, golf, sushi, sailing. I am a one trick pony. He tells me I don’t even know how to wash my own car anymore. I needed this stuff. I am too one-dimensional and he keeps me driven. He reminds me to learn something new everyday, especially since we’re not getting any younger.
CS: What can people expect from your show in Columbus?
TS: Not many comedians work with orchestras. We have this arrangement of over 100 pieces, and the musicians haven’t heard our comedy yet, so it’s like they’re part of the audience. And you’re bringing in two crowds, the comedy lovers and a little more high-brow people, who go to the symphony. It’s a fun dichotomy. People think of us as comedians only, but we’re musical, so there will be a nice surprise for them.
CS: When you were fired by CBS for being too political, did it surprise you, and have things changed a lot since then?
TS: It completely surprised me at the time. But now with more wisdom and hindsight, I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised at all. I actually think things have gotten worse. The Dixie Chicks were blackballed for one comment. It took three years to get us off the air!
CS: The CBS issue was such a big deal at the time. Do you have any regrets about it?
TS: Youth has a wonderful audacity to it. You’re invulnerable. I don’t have that same audacity now. I have more intellect and am still very angry about things, but the only regret I really have is not remembering it and appreciating it while I was in it. If I would have known that what we were doing was going to be so important, I would have taken notes! It all just goes so fast.
CS: Do you have any favorite moments?
TS: Our favorite moments are the ones people probably don’t remember. The high moments were doing The Tonight Show with Jack Parr, our comedy hour, we did a Broadway show called I Love My Wife and it was a wonderful time. We also worked in Vegas in ’94. These are the things that stand out in our mind.
CS: How did you come to incorporate a Yo-Yo in your act?
TS: It was around 1985 and Mason Williams sent me a song “Yo-Yo Man” about traveling demonstrators from the ‘40s and ‘50s. I liked the song, so we worked on it, and he told me to use a Yo-Yo. I hadn’t done that since I was 8 or 9 years old. You can’t even find them in toy stores anymore. But I did it, and Mason wrote a little dialogue to go along with it, and now Dicky is the voice of Yo. The Yo-Yo Man doesn’t speak, so Dicky does the play-by-play like a sportscaster. People think I’m a pretty good Yo-Yo-ist, but really I have like a 15 handicap.
CS: Do your younger children (Riley Rose, 11, and Bo, 14) realize the depth of your career?
TS: Well, when I’m home, I’m in their face, so they want me to leave and go on tour. But Bo I think has a sense of it. They call me the Yo-Yo Man. Kids are into retro these days, and Bo thinks it’s cool I knew Jimi Hendrix and I have pictures with John Lennon and Yoko Ono. To him, I am like this suppository of information.
CS: Who are your influences?
TS: My hero is Bill Maher. And Michael Moore. And Lewis Lapham, who writes really profound pieces I find myself reading over and over again. I love it when people are fearless. I’d love to be that way, but I have to stay funny.
CS: Do you have any regrets?
TS: This is our 49th year doing this, and that stuns me. It goes too fast to have too many regrets. I didn’t expect to live ‘til I was 40, but I just turned 70. Now if I fall down, the headline will read ‘Elderly person breaks hip!’ The only thing I would have done that I didn’t is direct a film. And I wish Dicky and I did a film together.
CS: Well, it’s not too late, is it?
TS: Now it’d be an old person’s film. They don’t have a TV channel for old people like they do for young people. If they did, then maybe I’d do the movie!
For more information about the Smothers Brothers, including their new DVD and CD releases, visit www.smothersbrothers.com. For tickets to the performance with the Columbus Symphony Orchestra, visit www.columbussymphony.com or call 614-228-8600.