Tom Hiddleston performed a Hank Williams song at Wheatland Music Festival

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Brace yourselves. Tom Hiddleston made a “surprise appearance” at the Wheatland Music Festival in Remus, Michigan on Saturday. And when I say “surprise appearance,” I’m not saying that Tommy just went to a music festival and took in some heartland music. He actually went on stage. To perform. A Hank Williams song. Seriously. Tom will be playing Hank Williams in the film I Saw the Light, which begins filming in Louisiana in October. Tommy completed filming on High Rise a few weeks ago, and according to an interview Tommy did shortly after his Williams casting was announced, he’s obviously spending this “down-time” doing research on Williams, plus learning how to sing and perform like Williams. At the Wheatland Music Festival, Tommy showed his progress, I guess. He performed Williams’ “Move It On Over”:

If you’d like to do a side-by-side comparison between Tommy and the original version, here’s a recording of Hank’s song:

I tend to think that what Tommy lacks in genuine vocal talent, he makes up for with mimicry. Tom is not a great singer, but he is a gifted mimic. So, while I have faith that Tommy will probably do a decent portrait of Williams, I do think the musical part of this equation needs some work. And Tommy has time for a crash course. There’s a lot of room for improvement. And I will give him credit for having the stones to get up there, on stage, and sing and play the guitar. Good for him. I wouldn’t have been that brave. But it feels like he’s still in the process of workshopping the character though.

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Photos courtesy of WENN.

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171 Responses to “Tom Hiddleston performed a Hank Williams song at Wheatland Music Festival”

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  1. GlimmerBunny says:

    He looks amazing in the first picture! I love him with some scruff. His singing is pretty good too.

  2. M.A.F. says:

    Torrilla on tumblr posted more videos.

    Still ify on this film. There have been zero cast announcements on the other roles.

    • Lilacflowers says:

      I was worried about that too, but they didn’t announce many of the High-Rise actors until right before filming, and some after filming began. Here in Boston, Black Mass was already filming when they announced actors like Kevin Bacon and Cumberbatch were joining the cast. In fact, Bacon wasn’t announced until the filming was nearly done. So, they may have things in place for ISTL but it still all seems shaky with an untried director.

      • 'P'enny says:

        Marc Abrahams is really passionate and spent years on Hank Williams, think his passion will drive it through. And, The Canadian production co, whose name escapes me, is highly respected at the moment for doing cutting edge work and reported to be ones to watch. I always think films are a joint team effort, and producers are important as directors as actors etc etc.

        As for cast, High Rise slotted in at the last minute, it’s an indie film and I am sure they will find a good actress, I got my money on Kirsten Dunst.

      • M.A.F. says:

        ‘P’enny you had me right until you said Kirsten Dunst.

    • icerose says:

      That particular video is not the best. The recording is scratchy and distorts the music as well. There are a couple of better videos around of other songs
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCs0tY7Qr0A Jambalaya
      one of him and Rodney singing Tobacco Road
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eB_78qH3s2w
      in this one they are just jamming but he keeps the pace up even if he does look a little bit overwhelmed at times. But it very clear especially enlarge
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGDv1Yjbdmg
      And thanking the fans with his usual humility and grace
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkQlAj9F7vo

      • sigh((s)) says:

        Interesting. His breath control is off. Don’t know if it’s nerves or concentrating too much on accent/stylization.

      • icerose says:

        @sigh any video in particular or all of them. I think he was multitasking accent, style ,playing guitar, staying in rhythm with the band and he was nervous at first. Look at the jam session when he is just concentrating on guitar and keeping up the beat-that was challenging in itself.
        I was use to singing in folk clubs with a guitarist but when I sang with a rock band behind me it was quite challenging just to keep track of my harmony and I was not playing an instrument.
        If I heard right he did a little harmony bit on Tobacco road.
        Plus he did at least five numbers at relatively short notice-that alone would make me nervous. He hasa month of rehearsals to go -he will be excellent by the time he is finished.

  3. Lilacflowers says:

    The people yelling at each other mid-way through really add to the smart-phone recording. He performed yesterday too and those recordings, which are floating around, are better. Not too worried about the singing. They can do a lot in the sound editing room and, for traditional country and bluegrass, while the women’s voices are usually lovely and clear, men’s voices, like Williams’s, tend to have “character.” Which means they miss a lot of notes.

    • Lady Macbeth says:

      Totally agree with everything you said in your post!

    • Norman Bates' Mother says:

      +2 Hiddleston is not a good singer but he is not terrible either and these days, with current technology, it seems to be more than enough to record a nice sounding track. Katy Perry, Jennifer Lopez and Selena Gomez all sound nice and polished on their albums and they all have proved numerous times that singing in tune is not their thing and the melodies played on stage by the actual trained musicians are only interrupting them with their “singing”.

    • Isadora says:

      “character” 😀 And yes, he will be fine in the sound studio!

    • icerose says:

      If you listen to this recording of Hank and one of the Carter sisters they both sound a bit on the raspy side. I think given a month of practice and he will be pretty good.
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orM1yplEltI
      Besides which he is not use to playing with a country band behind him and it was mikes not ear pieces so it takes some getting use to. He sang several songs as well not just one and not that much time for rehearsals.
      He seems to have gone down okay-no boos and lots of clapping

      • Christin says:

        That is Anita singing with Hank when they performed together. He allegedly had a crush on her, but could be a dangerous guy, according to stories later told by the family.

        June and Johnny both thought Anita had the best voice of the Carters, and I agree. Her voice only improved. If Hank had lived, and straightened up, his own voice might have only gotten better.

        Video of Johnny introducing his sister-in-law as the “greatest” voice in country music:
        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2r6NxKpzXIk

      • icerose says:

        @Christen I think the voices were as much about how they were vocally presented back then the as compared to today. It is not my idea of a melodious voice but she does sing with soul and musically she was probably ace,

      • Lilacflowers says:

        @icerose, true, everything was styled very differently then.

      • Maria of MD says:

        He’s getting there. He’s got a little over half a month to really work on his breathing and vocals.

      • icerose says:

        @Maria of MD most drama courses work on breathing as part of the voice work training especially one like RADA which focuses on theatre as well as film.
        I did not notice anything wrong with his breathing but if there was it may be down to the multi tasking process at the time ot it may be down to Hank’s style. He was not a trained singer.

      • sigh((s)) says:

        Breath control for acting voice work is a bit different than with singing. And sometimes nerves can throw you off, no matter how well trained you are. He actually seemed more relaxed vocally to me in the move it over one. In jambalaya he seemed to be gasping a bit. Though the phrasing in move it over seemed easier to mask that.
        Really, I just think he’s concentrating too hard on the accent and style. Which is what he should be more concerned with. They can clean a lot up in editing.

    • Janeite says:

      I think it was cool that he did this! And a big surprise for his fans at the music festival and in that area! I thought he did pretty well and it was just nice to see a Hiddleston post on CB again.

      • TotallyBiased says:

        Isn’t it though??? 🙂 Also, his drummer has tweeted that he wasn’t doing Hank, that he’d just gotten off the plane from filming High Rise –guess he didn’t tell them about the week off in Majorca!–and they just asked him to sit in because they liked him. That Hiddleston charm strikes again.

  4. Sixer says:

    I think he was pretty much PANTS, as Sixlet Minor would say, but even I can’t deny the cuteness. He’s such a serious little marshwiggle, isn’t he?

    OT (sorry) calling FANTY: new British Library student resource site. Might be useful for some of your colleagues – http://www.bl.uk/romantics-and-victorians.

    • Lilacflowers says:

      “Marshwiggle” is such a wonderful word.

      • maybeiamcrazy says:

        I have no idea what it means but I want to use it so bad.

      • Sixer says:

        Marshwiggles (I should hyphenate it but I prefer it as one word) are a type of creature in the Narnia books. They’re leggy, which is why I count Hiddlesburp as an honorary marshwiggle and call him Puddletom. The main marshwiggle in Narnia is called Puddleglum.

      • maybeiamcrazy says:

        Thanks Sixer! Now all I have to do is to find a appropriate place to use it.

    • Sixer says:

      Haha. Almost as good as “dufflepud”.

    • t.fanty says:

      Morning! I’m camping out on the Captain America thread today. Come over and answer my question of “how are you?”

      The site is phenomenal. I was looking at it last week. It’s part of a bigger project that they call world of literature, so I presume they are putting up some other eras soon.

    • icerose says:

      @Sixer Sixer says: Marshwiggles I like it and might adopt it -some of the old Hiddle’s terminology is becoming a bit worn. We could all be Marshlights.
      He will be alright on the night-he has a month before filming to hone the mimicry and feed it into something more real

  5. Tig says:

    I was totally underwhelmed- and I like him!(still happy he didn’t get make lead in Me Before You tho!). He and the director have their work cut out for them. Didn’t Jessica Lange lip synch when she played Patsy Cline? They maybe should go that route.

    • 'P'enny says:

      I don’t think he got the lead, because he’s not available he is going straight in Richard 11 for James Ivory, if that Italian article from the Venice Festival is believed.

      I think all that Ben Hur and Me Before You was nonsense.

      • icerose says:

        I think he may have been sounded out for the book film but backed away.

      • caitlin says:

        TH is going to be in Richard II? Huh? Did i miss something? 🙂

      • 'P'enny says:

        @Caitlin

        The Richard 11 has slipped the press radar for some strange reason, but at the Venice film festival, James Ivory [Merchant and Ivory fame] announced in Italian that he is finally going ahead with a film of Richard 11, in 3D [why? :-/ ] Anyway, he said he was waiting for Tom to finish his three films straight, and Coriolanus. And that Tom is in high demand and he has to wait.

        There are rumours that Tom is returning to N/Ireland for further filming beginning of 2015.

        To me that fits, where Ben Hur does not.

        I think the next month, maybe a busy one for PR releases for Hiddles-dom-tom-nom.

      • M.A.F. says:

        ‘P’enny-what is the rumor about him returning to Northern Ireland? To film what?

      • Lilacflowers says:

        @M.A.F., apparently, when High-Rise was wrapping up, he told somebody (not sure whether it was a restaurant worker or a fan or the mayor, who seemed to be hanging around the set toward the end and posting selfies with all the cast on Twitter) that he would return to NI early in 2015 for filming. He said “see you next spring” or something like that. It hasn’t been explained but he has no formally announced projects for 2015 yet although no doubt he’s in negotiations for things. He doesn’t seem to announce his projects too far in advance, usually as one project starts, he announces the next one. So, it won’t be surprising if he releases some info soon. He does seem to be in demand. Those Ben-Hur and Me Before You rumors came from MGM and the Kourakides rumors came from Disney. And then, there are all the “Journey’s End” rumors.

      • M.A.F. says:

        @Lilacflowers-Interesting. You all must be following different sites as I haven’t seen/hear anything, especially this ‘Journey’s End’ project. Ben-Hur I hope is dead in the water, no one should be attached to that film. I’ve heard of the other two projects but nothing new on them. He could go back to NI for pick-up shots on High Rise in the spring. Or a screening of HR. Still haven’t heard of a release date for that.

    • icerose says:

      @Tig One of the reasons they chose him was because of his ability to sound like Hank Williams singing so I think they are going for the live singing. I do not think they would have gone for a Brit if they had not been sure he could manage it
      I doubt Rodney would have got him up there if he thought it was awful or if he was going to muck up their playing From the looks of it he stayed on just playing guitar while the band did their songs as well

    • Tulip Garden says:

      Jessica Lange is da bomb! (Yes, I’m old) Still, Lange elevates anything that she is in. I just finished AHS first season and she is the reason I tuned in. Also, may I say, what an arresting face that she has. Cheekbones and character. Love her 🙂

      • Tig says:

        @ Ice and Tulip- I meant to add that he’s got a ways to go bef he gets to the level of Sissy Spacek’s and Beverly D’Angelo’s (esp her!!)singing in Coal Miner’s Daughter. As someone noted down thread- HW had that distinctive twang in his voice- so hats off to him for attempting it!

      • Lilacflowers says:

        Beverly D’Angelo’s singing was fantastic in that film.

    • icerose says:

      @M.A.F The journeys End project was all over the papers here.It will be an adaption of a play about WW1 and the producers/directors were looking at BC, Hiddles and Remayne.There would actually be good parts for all three.

  6. Allegra says:

    More links :

    https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ0b-24LHvJfocMabQHt03w

    http://instagram.com/p/sqs_bmu3_1/?modal=true

    http://purplerose59.tumblr.com/post/96954200123/tom-hiddlestons-short-interview-wheatland-music

    pic.twitter.com/ePPsnsrOXR

    iiwikidii.tumblr.com:
    “…and Tom tagged along with to practice performing. Grant and I were watching another performer, Sarah Jarosz from the “backstage” area. Just so happens that Tom was watching as well. He took a seat next to Grant and I and had a chat with Grant about his musical background and the role. He even talked to us after to see how he did on stage. He’s such a genuinely nice person. “

  7. Mia4S says:

    He’s not bad, but wow does he need a dialogue coach! His accent is overpowering, which usually is less of a problem in singing. Get to work!

    “That’s the guy in the Avengers”? (To paraphrase one of the videos) There you hear the difference between Internet fame and the real world.

    • Isadora says:

      I think it’s not that surprising that they didn’t recognize “Loki” – he looks rather different in real life. The same is true for other actors in big costumes, I’m not even sure if people would recognize a normal casual Javier Bardem as “that guy from James Bond” and he certainly is famous.

      At least they have seen the Avengers and obviously know Loki. 😉

    • TotallyBiased says:

      He was explaining to a kid who was up on stage, hence the Loki reference. In other videos and pics tweeted around, it’s clear that a surprising number of people in the Midwest knew who he was (to the point of interrupting his meals for autographs and pics.) Didn’t expect that.

      As for his Brit accent, I don’t hear it in Move It On Over. You definitely can on Jambalaya in a different vid. But I played the Saturday night clip for someone I know who’s a serious Hank fan and actually saw him perform live. It sounds better than expected for a crap phone recording, and the Hank fan was well-pleased with his progress towards Hank’s distinctive sound.

      • icerose says:

        @TotallyBiased -I thought when he first started Move it on Over his English accent was peaking through but as he relaxed it got better, His singing was more relaxed on jambalaya. I think he was really nervous and that will not have helped the singing. His little aside about boos and Rodney smiling at him. His guitar strumming was pretty good especially in the video where he is jamming not singing.
        Someone tweeted that her family were Hank fans and they liked him

    • Janeite says:

      Torrilla posted the text of a tweet where someone said they got their picture taken with Loki. LOL, for some fans that’s all Tommy’s ever gonna be known as!

  8. allons-y alonso says:

    He’s got serious cajones to go up there and perform. I could never do that. That’s the best way to test out out his progress I guess. Good for him.

  9. Hautie says:

    My complete bias opinion… : ) Hank Sr. was not some great male singer. Ever. His singing was high pitched and whiny. That folks over the years… have turned him into some legendary singer.

    Hank Sr. was a heck of a song writer. And those songs are still pulling in big dollars for his two children, decades later. But this continue talk about how Hiddleston can’t hold up to the voice of Hank Sr…. is a joke. What little I have seen of Hiddleston’s singing, he is not going to embarrass him self. He will probably do a great job.

    Just look at Sissy Spacek in Coal Miner’s Daughter…. she did her own singing. She did Loretta’s songs… better than Loretta. And won an Oscar for it.

    The real questions for me… are they really going to tell the actual Hank Sr. story…. of all the drinking, drugging and women. And how Nashville is a soul sucking machine to this day.

    • delorb says:

      I don’t think his fans turned his voice into anything other than what it was. Sometimes people with weak vocal range get called great singers because of the emotion behind their voices. That’s Hank Sr, IMO. So all Tom has to do is to sound enough like Hank to pass. Hopefully modern viewers will understand the difference.

  10. Leah says:

    Well, Hank Williams wasn’t a gifted singer either for Christ’s sakes so I’m not sure what this carping is about Tom not being a gifted singer. I enjoyed that performance. God bless him. I read he’s been living with Rodney Crowell and that is Rodney and his band he jumped on stage with so Tom is in excellent hands and getting first hand training.

    Plus ninety percent of the damn movie will be him ACTING which he is extremely good at so everything will be just fine.

    I’m more worried about production values, script and directing myself. Tom is probably the strongest link in the chain.

    • M.A.F. says:

      Agree with the last part. The director didn’t have a strong first film and Brett Ratner is another producer so…

    • Isadora says:

      Yes. And the actual singing for the movie will be done in a professional studio and not live on stage. They can do it as long as it is satisfactory, then put the bits together from each try that were the best and tweak it enough to resemble Hank Williams the most.

      I don’t want to shade Lana Del Rey (I actually like her music), but if you have ever heard her records and then her singing live on stage you know what a huge difference that can be. 😉

    • icerose says:

      @Leah totally agree with all of it. Hank wrote some amazing songs but my favourite versions are by other artists. Plus they can do things in recording studios to make you sound a lot better than you are,

      People seem to forget he is not dong a Tom singing but Hank accent and all. So he is not going to sound like a modern day artist.

    • Josa says:

      @Leah. “Plus ninety percent of the damn movie will be him ACTING which he is extremely good at so everything will be just fine.” MTE. I know Hank was musician and is important to get the singing right. But some people only focus on Tom’s singing and how it’s not like Hank’s, and assumed the film will be doomed. There’s a lot more to the movie than just him singing.

    • Dara says:

      @Leah – am I reading that right? The mental image of Tom having a sleepover at Rodney’s house gives me the giggles…although I can’t quite lock in on what kind of houseguest he might be. Well-mannered to be sure, but after I few days I can imagine the hosts locking themselves in the bathroom with the lights off to get a few moments of peace away from all the enthusiastic zeal and incessant questions about vocal technique.

      • 'P'enny says:

        and, quoting shakespeare after too many beers. 🙂

        Actually, i think he would be the soul of the party, but i could only take 2-3 hours before i had to shut him up in some manner, because brilliant as he is, his zeal as you mention it would get a bit too bouncy for me and that the likes of only Benedict could only keep up.

      • Isadora says:

        The image of the locked bathroom makes me crack up! 😀 On the other hand.. he was a rather quiet and serious worker on the set of OLLA, so who knows. Although channeling Adam would make everyone quiet and probably a bit depressed. (God, I love that morose vampire…)

      • Dara says:

        @Isadora – I finally got to see OLLA, and the wait was totally worth it. Jarmusch will never do it, but I would love a sequel – or maybe a prequel. Adam and Eve (and their relationship) hooked me but good.

        I like that I can’t quite pin Tom’s personality down. As much press as he’s done, I still don’t know what the guy is really like when he’s off the clock. Serious thespian? Circus bear? Dance-club kid? Driven workaholic? Always-happy people-person? Anti-social loner? Maybe all of the above, or none of the above…

      • icerose says:

        @Dara Yoyr scenario right in with my latest film script. Young Hollywood actor of British descent is making a film about country music and an older country and western singer who’s career is in the decline is persuade to take him on as he researches into the wild side of touring, drugs,sex and booze. . A light satirical comedy.I can now add the female part. A pretty young backup singer looking for a solo career is bribed to distract him when his over zealous behaviour becomes to much for the band to cope with.

  11. Kate2 says:

    I give him credit for going up there. I had to sing in front of people for a student performance that my voice coach was doing for her students and families. There were about 30 people and it was an acoustic song so it was just me and a guitar. I was terrified.

    I won’t watch the video though. I’m happy pretending I live in a world where TH doesn’t sing.

    • Abby_J says:

      You and me both. I finally did press play, and it isn’t horrible, but it isn’t perfect either. I suspect that he’ll be fine. If Joaquin Phoenix can pull off Johnny Cash passably, our little Tommy can do it too!

  12. Tulip says:

    It’s night and day comparing the two songs BUT when performers do live music it’s a very different result than being locked up in a studio and recording only the best version. He’s passable and as others have pointed out, has time to tweak things. I didn’t know he played guitar either. If that’s also a newly developed talent, then he’s doing quite alright and as Allons-y pointed out, has the cajones to pull it off.

    If he really wants to do his own singing I hope they let him. Joaquin Phoenix was allowed for that Johnny Cash movie, so what the hell. Either way, I already have my money in hand just to see him in a retro country outfit.

    Hank Williams Sr. ‘s life was so sad. Hiddleston will do justice to his life story, I’m sure.

    • Lilacflowers says:

      He has played the guitar for years but has said he has to learn Hank’s music and the way Hank held the guitar.

    • icerose says:

      Hello Tulip you may see yourself around in some of my old internet haunts. I use to call my self Tulip but fancied a change but never bothered to track the old name down but if you are ever on After Elton look out for me.
      And yes to the singing

      • Tulip says:

        @ Icerose: Holy cr-p! Did NOT mean to take your name, was just clueless. Also, I don’t always go back to what I post (depends on the day, work, etc.), so if you called me on it before, I truly am sorry. I can easily tack something onto the end (like, um, abc or lalala, or something) so post if you can and let me know. I might just add it on to be safe.

        I haven’t been to After Elton website, but if I decide to post there I’ll stay clear from all variations of Tulip and Icerose.

        Sorry about it all, I’m just clueless and will be more mindful in the future. Thanks for not get vicious about it:)

      • icerose says:

        @tulip I was not calling you on it and would never get upset about it -how would you know I had used it on other sights-I thought it was fun that we had chosen the same name-usually if the name has already gone they tell you.

  13. GoodNamesAllTaken says:

    I was pretty excited about him playing this role until I saw and heard the video of him singing. Hank Williams didn’t have a beautiful voice, but it was distinctive and pleasantly twangy. Tommy sings ok, sort of like my cousin who always gets up and sings at family parties, but he doesn’t sound country at all. Needs a LOT of work.

    • sigh((s)) says:

      It wasn’t awful. I feel like he’s trying to get the “grit” into his voice, but it brings down the rest. I think Brits have a tendency to lower their pitch when they do an American accent. He needs to try to keep his pitch higher and lower the roughness just a hair. The accent may or may not come. We shall see…

      • icerose says:

        @sigh good point. At the moment he is trying to not only sing but sing with an accent and lets face it he has a month to walk around perfecting his accent.

      • sigh((s)) says:

        And he’s trying to do a very specific accent. Its tough, but he’s a hard worker, I’m sure he’ll get in the ballpark with it.

  14. flavia_deluce says:

    Holy Hell, he is so f-ing attractive. I will watch anything he’s in. As far as I’m concerned he has a perfect track record with choosing and executing roles, so he would have to be pretty horrible in a lot before I turned on him.

    Also, he is hot. Phew.

  15. Christin says:

    A few days ago, the 1960s Hank movie Your Cheatin’ Heart starring George Hamilton was featured, with an intro by Robert Osborne. Apparently few thought George could pull off a decent Hank portrayal, but the end product showed George’s acting abilities were better than expected. He did lip sync to vocals sung by Hank Jr., but wanted to perform them himself.

    The funny part is that George is a Southerner (from Memphis), but had been cast in preppy, very cosmopolitan type roles up to that point.

    • GoodNamesAllTaken says:

      Love you, but, um, there are plenty of preppy, cosmopolitan Southerners. We’re not all hicks. Lol

    • Christin says:

      GNAT, I am Southern as well and try to grin and bear how we are sometimes stereotyped.

      I just found it humorous that the studio and public balked about a preppy playboy type being cast as Hank when he (GH) grew up on the music and really wanted to do the role. The stereotyping seems so silly, but the same thing would probably happen today (unfortunately).

    • Janeite says:

      LOL, Christin, I saw that too! Good to know I’m not the only one who watches TCM sometimes! I’ve gotten engrossed in some really fantastic older movies sometimes.

      • Christin says:

        Glad to know I’m not alone. I have found so many good movies and actors (many not well known) by sifting through their programming each week.

  16. Lilacflowers says:

    As I said yesterday on the Tom Hardy thread (he’s still yours in my view, Sixer), I have tickets to see Rodney Crowell later this month, so if Tom continues to tour with Rodney, I’ll get to judge how well his vocal training is progressing.

    • Sixer says:

      I thank you!

    • Abby_J says:

      Make sure that if he is there, he gets back home at an early hour, Lilacflowers. You know how grumpy he gets. 😉

      Lots and LOTS of pictures, if he is there. 🙂

      • Lilacflowers says:

        @Abby_J, uhm, we will be camping that night as it is a long drive back to Boston from North Adams late at night after a concert. We want to stay safe (don’t remind me about the 4,000 black bears in MA) and have no accidents on the road. Grumpy? Me camping = grumpy But I’ll have him home in time for brunch.

  17. Jaderu says:

    Meh, I didn’t think it was that bad. Hank Sr. wasn’t a terrific vocalist. It was his showmanship, his writing, and the true heartbreak that he had that he put in to his music. It wasn’t whether or not he was perfect pitch it was the emotion he conveyed in his voice that made Hank Sr. special. If Tom can capture the heartbreak and the man falling apart then it should be a great movie.

  18. Isadora says:

    That’s true. All the people who don’t like the guy had a pretty hard time in the past as everyone working with him was gushing over him. The dancing bear hasn’t appeared in months, instead it was all serious actor and nice guy. No weak points. But now he has put himself out there and certain people will have a field day.

    • icerose says:

      @Isadora and to his credit he did it. He knows Hank 111 fans will be gunning for him and it took some balls to get up in front of a country audience and get it out there.
      Judging fom the way Rodney looks at him in some of the photos I think he was smitten as were some of the audience. Loved the guy who called out -come back and Tom as respectful as ever calling him sir.
      You can put the country boy into the actor but you cannot take the English politeness out of the man.

    • joe spider says:

      They already have!

  19. TotallyBiased says:

    Vocal progress aside (my Hank expert is now totally on board with the casting–Tom evidently “stands like Hank” as well), can we talk about how absolutely delicious he is with the black jeans, boots, blue shirt and leather jacket?

    I’m even starting to like the Hank hair.

    Plus, major ballsy move to get up with grammy winners. Crowell must have thought he wouldn’t embarrass him.

    • icerose says:

      I thought that as well -there was no way Rodney was gonna get him up of he did not think he was ready.
      Loved seeing the tatty leather jacket back. He looked like part of the gang until he opens his mouth and his perfect vowels popped out

    • Lilacflowers says:

      Yes, much enjoyment of the jeans and dark shirt.

  20. TotallyBiased says:

    AND can we talk about the PR coup that evidently snuck by Luke?!! As I’m certain this was meant to be low key (sorry) and under the radar, but in 24 hours turned in to coverage all the way up to Vanity Fair and Time. That last was a little surprising, but they were universally relatively positive and spread both the video clip and that mommy journalist’s photos far and wide.

    Well done for the dancing (and guitar playing) bear!

    • 'P'enny says:

      it might have been Luke that pushed it over to Time and V/Fair , although to be honest, I do doubt it. I don’t think Luke is on the books at the moment.

      I think those sites just picked up the twitter buzz, and apparently it trended on Facebook at some point yesterday. So it’s certainly buzzing.
      Unless it ends up on Daily Mail, Luke is probably not involved.

    • icerose says:

      Once someone posted a video it was always going to spread like wildfire. Not many adverse comments on the sights as yet although I am sure they will come.If it is not happening the nay sayers will make it happen

    • Lilacflowers says:

      It actually was quite a little PR coup, wasn’t it? With everything going on at the Venice and Toronto film festivals and several TV shows starting new seasons last night AND the Rivers funeral, it is really surprising that his brief appearance at a trad country festival is getting such media attention. Huffington Post picked up on it too.

      • Dara says:

        @Lilac – the tidal wave of PR is surprising – it’s moved beyond the usual online sources that seem to focus on all-things Hiddles. In addition to the ones you’ve mentioned, there was also Variety, the Los Angeles Times, USA Today – this hit the mainstream media way more than I thought an iffy-quality 90-second phone video would have done.

        Or am I cynical enough to believe that Team-Tom knew exactly what they were doing? Tom stops in at a chain restaurant in Random-ville, Michigan knowing full well at least one photo of ‘Loki’ would end up on Twitter or Instagram. His legion of fangirls notice and start asking, ‘why the bleep is he there?’. A few Google searches later and the news is spreading amongst the dragonfly network that a possible live appearance w/ Rodney is imminent and the resulting meltdown starts to trend on social media which catches the eye of the more mainstream press. Presto – instant (free) PR for a small-budget indie movie that needs word of mouth. It’s brilliant really- although they really should have had a ‘plant’ in the audience to grab a better quality recording…

      • icerose says:

        @Dara The video was posted with a Tom tag so of course the fans picked it up-that part was legit-it might be that it got a bit of help with circulation.
        The other brilliant PR bit was that it got him out their with Country music fans and he becomes more of a real person in their eyes. It also gives the hank 111 fans and die hard fans a chance to get things it off their chest before it is released. Then when it comes out the focus will be on the acting and production values and not so much his Britishness. Intelligent and ballsy move.

        I have been on the Variety facebook (over 700 posts)and people who were at Wheatlands said his performance was a pleasant surprise, lots of fanning ,lots of positives some in betweeners ,some negatives and some Hank 111 should have been cast.

      • Isadora says:

        I HOPE he knows what he is doing (and Luke)! He is an actor on the rise with a lot of internet fangirls but I doubt a lot of average people on the street (esp. older ones who haven’t seen The Avengers) know his name. So using the internet fame to get some PR for a new movie and make media would be great. If you consider the drawbacks of always posing for a selfie with people, even in Random-ville (*g*), then I certainly hope he gets some (PR) compensation for it.

      • Josa says:

        @Dara. I’m quite sure that the first breaking news is someone tweeting seeing Tom singing on stage. That’s way before the random restaurant instagram surfaced. Between the someone tweeted “I’m on a plane going to NYC and Tom is on it” to “OMG, Tom is singing on stage”, he wasn’t spotted in between. I say he’s being quite low-key during transit. And no one will expect he can go up on stage and perform and go unnoticed.

      • Dara says:

        @Josa – I might have the sequence off since I didn’t see the Bennigan’s Instagrams until a few hours after they were posted, but they were what sent me scurrying to Twitter where I caught all the “Tom Hiddleston is at Wheatland” tweets almost in real time. There were tweets that he was there before he ever took the stage.

        I still think it’s awesome whether it was planned or not, and I agree with your point that he can stay under the radar when he wants. That suggests to me that some of these random sightings might not be so random. Oh, and there’s this –
        https://twitter.com/JonPaz/status/507662170138882049 – pretty sure Tom continued on to Nashville from NYC.

      • Lilacflowers says:

        Rolling Stone and Entertainment Weekly have picked it up and both gave a fairly positive spin and only Fox News is carrying a story about Hank III’s whining.

      • TotallyBiased says:

        Dara–actually he performed first, then there were a couple of tweets about him performing, then the instagrams were discovered by the fangirls and Tumblr’d into oblivion, then the video of the evening show was posted on Tumblr of the guy who took it, and he tweeted it. Ignore the articles, he performed twice on Saturday (with plaid shirt in the day) and once on Sunday.

        As for the Bennigans, it was attached to the ‘hotel’ he stayed at, and there aren’t a lot of dining options in the area. Besides, look at his previous faves in the US–Chili’s? Bennigans is well within his wheelhouse.

        At first I thought the whole thing was supposed to be and stay low-key (ha!), in case it didn’t go well.

        Then I heard that Rodney Crowell introduced him on to the stage for the first show by saying “you know him better as Loki”–and now I’m thinkin’ RC is one CLEVER Nashville-residin’ sonufagun. Cause PR in Nashville IS a bloodsport.

      • Josa says:

        @Dara, I actually meant he can’t stay under the radar even if he wants to, not going out on stage in front of a crowd, in this social media era. The first tweet I saw was someone saying her mom or dad was at the festival and saw Tom on stage in a music festival singing and she thought Tom was filming I Saw The Light in Michigan. Because this person didn’t state what music festival, I went to search but I suck at it and didn’t find which one. I was doubting that tweet thinking maybe the person’s mom mistaken someone as Tom. I just think if this is a PR stunt, he should have control it better. Because a fan’s iphone taped him singing can do no justice to the real live performance. He could be singing alright but came out as horrible on the video. It could have ended up a negative PR and did him more disservice than good. It’s not just a simple public appearance. Thank god it was well received, but some many things could have gone wrong. But you seem determine to believe that Tom has all his sightings planned lol. Is he not the mastermind of the universe or what.

      • Dara says:

        OK, OK – I surrender! 😊
        I thought for a brief moment this weekend that I might have the chops to give Torrilla and the other cyber-sleuths a run for their money, but I bow to their (and your) superior skills. I’ll leave the real-time status updates to those better suited to the task. Maybe I’ll finally get the house clean – I swear it looks like a hoarder lives here ever since I got sucked into the never-ending Tom vortex.

      • Innie Outie says:

        @Dara: re: small-budget indie movie: it seems like it won’t be all that cheap. With Ratner producing and also given that Cowell was hired as music producer – and that the producers secured the rights to songs – I’m thinking it’ll end up a proper biopic.

      • icerose says:

        @Isadora I do not think posing for selfies is all about PR I think he genuinely likes the interaction especially at events like this where it is expected. He is known in the UK as a stage actor as well and for his TV roles.
        My impression is that in the states not so much mainly because apart from Loki he has not had a starring role in a TV show or major film and it probably does not help that he changes his look for many of the well known films he has been in

    • DahliaDee says:

      Actually, the Vanity Fair one is easily explained. The writer is a former collaborator for Pajiba, a site Celebitchy has a partnership with, if I understand how sharing links works. And over at Pajiba, we’re quite fond of Hiddleswiddles, so much so, he was no 3 amongst the 2012 Pajiba 10 (beating Cumberwumbers – 5, and Hemsworth – 8)

    • M.A.F. says:

      I rather have this type of PR than the in your face, you-can-totally-tell-they-are-trying-to-be-low-key-but-we-all-know-it’s-not type of PR.

      • Dara says:

        @M.A.F. – agreed. This weekend was a terrific (if not entirely unexpected) treat. It was a perfect venue – small enough to not be too intimidating for a live music debut, and I think the audience was discerning enough to appreciate the effort.

        btw- the whole social media PR/photo op game intrigues me. I still can’t decide if those walkabout-in-a-puffy-coat photos from Toronto were a lucky catch by the photog or someone made a discreet phone call. Part of me thinks Tom made a deal, ‘leave me alone for a few months and in exchange you’ll get an exclusive heads-up when I venture out wearing a Moncler coat that Jessica’s boyfriend tossed my way’. Win-win for everyone.

      • Josa says:

        Does knowing if it’s a PR stunt or just a Pap shots changes your enjoyment of the pictures? It doesn’t change mine a bit, so I won’t bother to rack my brain to figure it out. And for the record, I don’t like that set of pictures in Toronto, he looked seriously pissed off.

      • M.A.F. says:

        @Dara-at some point all of them engage in the Pap Walk. It’s just par for the course.

      • Dara says:

        @Josa – I wonder about the context of paparazzi shots of any celebrity, not just Tom. Knowing whether it’s a true candid or Pap Walk (thanks @M.A.F) does change my enjoyment, yes. I’m not a fan of those Toronto photos either – and it’s because he looks so pissed (or at least vaguely annoyed) that I wondered in the first place what the circumstances were.

  21. Lola says:

    This man is like the Juice, no doubt.
    The singing is good but he does need a bit more practice.

  22. joe spider says:

    Few points from this Brit:

    Country singer generally don’t have the most wonderful purely singing voices.

    Must have been difficult for Tom to debut play and sing at the same time

    When he is recording in the studio for the actual film he will be much more relaxed, and it can be tweaked. (the recording I mean) 😉

    I believe he will actually be singing three songs in the film.

    • Janeite says:

      Joe and any other UK peeps here, is country music popular in the UK? It kind of amuses me to think of British people listening to the hardcore twangy stuff!

      • icerose says:

        @Janiete it has an audience base which is not huge but is growing. When I first came to the UK it was looked down on by the certain segments of the population/media so much so that when they did a show on Johnny Cash at Folsom prison they called him a folk singer because it was more acceptable. I laughed at that. When I fist stared working in hospitals with the elderly people like Jin Reeves were always popular
        Country cross ove,r as in the states, has also added to the audience base and we do have dedicated country music radio shows. I went to a Highwayman concert at a huge stadium and it was sold out for three nights
        A lot of professional musicians have come out in support of country music and it’s early routes which helps. The Outlaw performers like Jennings and Willie also got a following in the 70’s.Butch Cassidy and Jimmy Dale Gilmore use to fill small arts centre type venues in Oxford and Dolly and I think Willie have played the Glastonbury Festival which is a major rock/folk festival. Albert Lee has played Chropredy festival run by fair port convention

  23. TotallyBiased says:

    My sad panda face is for the lack of video covering his midday performance Saturday. Supposedly he sang I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry.

    • 'P'enny says:

      I have sad panda face too, I am bit perplexed at his lack of twitter post on this 😢

      Talking about twitter hope you saw the Luke Evans pic with a cos playing loki – brilliant. I’m hoping Hiddles-pufflesdom (or newbie Nick-name by Sixer) post in reply.

      • TotallyBiased says:

        I did! Just hope himself sees it–maybe he needs to dump tweetdeck for a better twitter management system 🙂
        And I’ve actually missed Sixer’s snarky asides regarding PuddleTom the Marshwiggle. Always gave me a bit of a warm tummy feeing, they did. Unless that was the heartburn?

  24. Allegra says:

    More videos.
    Tom and male fan:

    Wheatland 2014 Day 2 Part 9 – MEETING TOM!
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9j49Dc2E1VM&feature=youtu.be
    Wheatland 2014 Day 2 Part 10 – I COVERED THE MIC I’M SORRY!!
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbpZg_85fOY

    • icerose says:

      so much for people not knowing who he was.

    • 'P'enny says:

      Crikey those vids are awful – I watched 5 mins of feet and dark ground and fan squeeing. I bet tom puts a pound in a jar for everyone who says ‘yr a god, man’ 👀👍

  25. Allegra says:

    I not sure when this happened but it´s funny:
    https://twitter.com/ingenue_meg/status/508732420816785409
    “No one looks like this on a plane wtf is this sorcery @twhiddleston”

    • 'P'enny says:

      Think that flight photo is last year, hair colour & style is darker and the white shirt is also ‘so’ last year. This year navy shirt & return of the red flannel & crumpled light blue shirt & grey pants & benedict white trainers 😃 yes I mentioned benny in a tom thread.

      • joe spider says:

        That red flannel shirt had an outing for OLLA filming and before that I believe.

        At least Tom isn’t wearing a back to front baseball cap. 🙂

      • Ellen says:

        Or that nasty nasty blue baseball cap that needs to be urgently burnt. Why haven’t fans who get the opportunity To meet him buy him one? Future wife of Hiddles should make it her priority to burn it when they first move in together.

      • joe spider says:

        Future wife should make it her priority to report back that he does buy his clothes in sets of half a dozen, to Scotch the rumour that he wears the same clothes for days on end. (Even though all reports suggest he always smells very nice)

      • Lilacflowers says:

        In one of the red/blue plaid shirt pictures of him singing with Rodney, he has a giant bruise on his right elbow. I need to put ice on that and make it feel all better for him.

    • M.A.F. says:

      That photo is from last year as ‘P’enny pointed out. Around the time he was researching Capa.

      And yes, the white shirt is so last year. It’s all about those grey slacks & white Van slip ons (which need to see the inside of a washer).

  26. Ellen says:

    Who else agrees that this is the happiest we’ve seen him in a long time? It’s been well over a year but it’s great to have the happy giddy hiddles back.
    He looks a bit hot in every way in that leather jacket though

  27. Ava says:

    I give him a lot of credit. He doesn’t have to do this. He is working out the character. What guts! I can’t wait to see this film. He looks happy and for an actor a challenging role is a big rush. I am rooting for him!

  28. Kelly says:

    I finally got around to seeing Only Lovers Left Alive and I’m now fully convinced that, while I do really like Joseph Gordon Levitt, I feel Tom would be a PERFECT Morpheus in the new Sandman movie. He would capture everything about Dream that makes him Dream…the morose and gothic darkness, the poetry of the part, the ancient solitude, and, of course, he has the figure for it, too. I need this to happen!!!

    • TotallyBiased says:

      ^^^^^^^^THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
      I thought that from day one. And Neil Gaiman has ‘liked’ pictures of Tom as Adam in OLLA compared side by side with Morpheus images (though I’ve no idea if he’s seen the movie.) Unfortunately, although he is heavily involved, I don’t believe he really has any casting say. Or else the role would surely be either Tom or BC.

    • M.A.F. says:

      Other movie sites have suggested Hiddleston for the role but it seems it was always JGL role.

  29. jammypants says:

    Adorable and sexy. I hope he gets a dialect coach though.

  30. tigerlily says:

    I think he sounds okay considering it is live, his studio singing will be fine. Esp with Rodney Crowell overseeing the music. But….Tom needs better fitting jeans. Maybe a tight pair of Wranglers?

    • Allegra says:

      It´s kind weird because his “social” pants are tight and his “casual” ones are loose.
      He definitely needs new pants.

  31. Kate says:

    This took major guts. I’m impressed. The singing will hopefully improve.

  32. Miss Jupitero says:

    Everyone has seen this, right?

    The movie everyone wants:

    http://www.wired.com/2014/09/loki-full-fan-movie/

  33. Allegra says:

    I really love this pic:
    Working on songs with @twhiddleston at the Wheatland Festival.
    https://twitter.com/RodneyJCrowell/status/509133641549508608

  34. Camil says:

    Finally! Hiddlesnews! It’s a good way to start my week (especially this one full of work and sadness u.u). He was brave enough to show up on the stage, that means he is really committed to the role.

  35. Allegra says:

    Finally , full performance of Tom singing Move It On Over:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Q82CFEzBt8#t=26Finally

    • Camil says:

      Oh god, I think he sounds good 🙂

      and I love the way Tom and Crowell interact each other

      • Dara says:

        Wow! What a difference a day makes – he sounded a little off the first night, but this version already sounds better.

    • Innie Outie says:

      Hmmm, this version is much better already. Tom’s more relaxed and it immediately shows. Go, man!

      Also, just like everyone else, I feel the need to take my hat off to his guts. Wanted to write “to his balls” but figured it’ll end up having a sliiightly different connotation 😛

  36. Lilacflowers says:

    Hank 3 rushed to Fox News to criticize and insult him. Sorry, Hank, nobody offered you the part and you won’t be seeing any money from the film.

    • Janeite says:

      He did? I missed that, but then again I avoid that channel like the plague. Hank III really has his dander up over this, doesn’t he?

  37. Jess says:

    Love this guy.

  38. 'P'enny says:

    Hank Williams 111 has been shouting off again, ‘he’s got no soul…’ can someone put a sock in it. As much as he feels he has a right to be an ‘expert’ on his grandpa [who has never met.] He is beginning to sound like a real jealous sour puss, who needs to get on board or ship on out and leave it to Rodney Crowell to get Tom up to scratch.

    I sometime wonder if his problem is because he is not been asked to be music guru for the film and Rodney has.

    Why is he shouted off, but Hank Williams Sr isn’t? is it all about getting PR coverage for his songs? I don’t know, but I really want to punch him.

    • Innie Outie says:

      IKR? So much second-hand embarrassment for a grown-up man, ugh 🙁 If Hiddleston released a cover album of Hank songs and delivered the kind of vocals we’ve heard on those phone camera recordings, it’d have been another matter and Hank III would’ve been in his complete right to bash him into oblivion.

      However, given the circumstances, if Hank III found it in himself to acknowledge that Hiddleston sang for the very first time in front of an audience and if Hank were constructive about his criticism – I’d have appreciated his opinion. Instead he posts a vid of himself – a professional vocalist – singing the same song and writes: “Here is how you do it TOM ,You got no Moan Or SOul In your voice”. *shrugs* His attitude devaluates his opinion.

      • Innie Outie says:

        Want to correct myself – Hiddleston did sing in front of audiences for a laugh, but it was the first time that he performed a Hank song live during a real country music fest.

        Also, the grammar nazi in me is literally squirming in discomfort at the very sight of THESE RaNdOmLy CapitaliSED letteRS 😀

    • TotallyBiased says:

      I just LOVE the way people (**cough**’Hank iii’ fans***cough) have made final conclusions based on rough phone videos/outdoor videos of a guy’s first performance compared to video made in carefully controlled environments.
      Yeah, because that’s an equivalent.

  39. icerose says:

    The nay saying has started. A group of them have been rubbishing the video arguing that a Hank tribute singer name Limes should have been offered the part.I can understand that you feel strongly about who plays your idol but the focus seems to be totally on the singing and not the acting

  40. 'P'enny says:

    http://instagram.com/p/ssgoLoBQko/

    LOL! I love it, here is in Nashville.

    I am so jealous wish I was travelling around there. it ‘s so on my wish list.

    • Ellen says:

      That just proves he reads this message boards. I was saying the other day that the horrid blue baseball cap needs burning and now he’s brought himself a nice new one!

      To the person who asked If country music is popular in the UK it comes under specialist music. It is mainly popular with line dancers, old men and Joaquin Phoenix fans. Johnny cash is the most known. Don’t hold me alll to this as I’m not originally from the uk

    • TotallyBiased says:

      @JerryRoe, in the picture with him, was the drummer for Rodney this weekend that said Tom wasn’t “doing Hank”, just sitting in with them because they liked him. And I’m sure for the practice of live performance.

      In other Country News, even waitresses in a southern states Applebee’s apparently recognize Tom. Since he doesn’t look REMOTELY like Loki at the moment, have to think that means his on the street awareness factor in the States is a lot higher than most of us thought. I include myself in this group. Source: Rodney Crowell’s Facebook, regarding their trip by bus from Michigan to Nashville. Now there’s a road trip!

  41. TotallyBiased says:

    Hey, look, it’s a casting call!
    Notice the requirement “MUST LIVE LOCALLY”–they’re already preparing for the fan girl onslaught. 😀
    http://www.projectcasting.com/casting-calls-and-auditions/hank-williams-biopic-i-saw-the-light-open-casting-call-for-speaking-roles/