It’s often said that everyone has a purpose, but is it possible that we have more than one? If you ask Tommie Vaughn, the answering is a resounding yes. And with good reason, since Vaughn is the lead singer and songwriter for the alternative rock band Wall of Tom, but her talents don’t end there. She’s also a book author, master storyteller, and a mom, too. Here, Vaughn tells the tale of her life, with all of its twists and turns, and explains how you ultimately end up right where you’re supposed to be.
Of all the hats you wear, I know that being a mom and a musician are the most important. So does it give you a sense of joy that your kids are musically inclined, too?
Absolutely. My son Tyler is a drummer, but I say that he’s the next Tim Burton. He loves music, but he also loves to make characters, and he does claymation.
When my son was little, my husband and I were still really into the rock ‘n roll scene in Hollywood. For the first two years of life, Tyler was in the studio in Hollywood with us. I broke the rules and ended up falling in love with my guitarist, but it worked for us! Anyway, my son would walk up to my husband’s guitar, put his hand on it and say, “No more; no more music.” And we were like, “Oh my God, we’ve destroyed him.” But what do you do? This is what Mommy and Daddy do. We took a step back with being so musical around him. But now that he’s almost 14, he loves it.
And then my daughter, Tatum — who is 10 going on 16 — is a shining star. There is no stopping that girl. We see her path — we see exactly who she is, and we just cheer her on, because she is just going to be incredible. I say she’s got my tone, my husband’s pitch, and the soul of a blues singer. When she sings, she has that resonance, that beauty, and she’s this tiny thing but she’s also a fashionista. I didn’t have that when I was little; I was out getting dirty, riding horses. [laughs]
I think it’s important for kids to see their parents working, and especially when they’re doing something that they love.
That’s true. I see it in my daughter. She says to me, “I’m your biggest fan, Mom,” which is so sweet. When we perform, the kids will be off to the side of the stage watching, or they go to the merch booth and sell T shirts. It’s beautiful to be able to share that with them. We just want them to play an instrument so we can be the Partridge Family.
All you need is the van and to put some flower decals on it.
I’ll trade my car in right now!
So you’re in the process of writing your fourth book, but this one is very different from the first three.
Yes, the new book is different. I’m coming from a different writer’s voice, because I’m channeling my father, who was this incredible man who lived to 91. He was a three-time war veteran. He was in World War II, the Korean War, and in Vietnam. The great thing about my dad was that he was a wonderful storyteller. That’s why I have to make this book historical fiction, because I don’t know if he embellished his stories a little! [laughs]
I really wanted to write the book not just to honor my father, but in the fact that he was incredible with all these crazy stories, like him being attacked by wolverines.
You’re kidding me.
I shit you not — that’s how the book starts. My dad was out tracking longhorn sheep by himself up in the Canadian mountains, and all of a sudden, he realizes that these wolverines are coming up the ravine and they’re coming right at him. He told the story, and I had written it down while he was alive. So I love the way the book starts because it’s his own words telling this crazy story, but it goes back and forth with him on his deathbed, basically holding his daughter’s hand and telling her stories.
Aww, even if it’s not perfectly historically accurate, because it’s your dad’s stories, it’s still so incredibly meaningful.
It’s very true. And I think that I’m a storyteller, too, just like him. I love stories, and stories are only better with a little embellishment.
What is your writing style?
When I write, I become the biggest hermit. This time, it was so cathartic. I could hear him whispering these stories in my ear. I had to do it because people who knew my father loved him, so I think the rest of the world needs to know about him and his legacy.
In terms of your career, you’ve had tremendous longevity in the music world.
I started Wall of Tom about 25 years ago. When I was starting the band, it was this amazing time in Hollywood because there was still that the essence of an artist, of a musician. You picked up a guitar and you wrote songs, and then your friends came over and you wrote more songs and drank whiskey. It was magical. I say that the band has been the biggest therapy that I’ve ever had. I’ve always written from an experience and/or from a heartbreak. I love performing and being on stage. You have all these aspects of yourself that you just need to get out.
It’s incredible that you were doing this while raising two children.
Exactly, oh, exactly! The two things that make me happy are my children and my music. I look at the choices I’ve made, and I see my life, and it’s so beautiful. My children gave me that, that creativity and that time to be able to write my books and play music. I remember being seven months pregnant, and I played the Viper Room. And after my son was born, I remember holding him and bouncing on one of those balls, just typing with one hand and it worked. The book poured out of me, and then the same thing happened when I got pregnant with my daughter, too.
The third book took some time to write, because it was right after I lost my father. I went into this dark time in my life. I was unhappy, and I thought, “Why am I unhappy? I have these beautiful kids. I live in Santa Barbara. I’ve had a great run. Why am I unhappy?” And then I went, “Oh, I’m not singing, I’m not performing.” And suddenly, I had the band back together and my world opened up again. I didn’t have that balance that every artist — and every parent — needs.
What brought me back to myself was getting back up on that stage again. We toured as much as we could, and we took the kids with us. My third book came to me, too. It was a beautiful time and that’s how my life — my kids, my music, and my husband — have always intertwined with my heart. I love it all, but I always say that my kids are the greatest songs I ever wrote.