Monday, February 23, 2009

(One of) the other Tom Morton(s) breaks cover

I've been aware for some time of the existence of several other Tom Mortons working in what might generalise as 'the media.' This one broke cover the other night in Channel Four News. He appears to be some kind of advertising guru.

There's another TM in Australia, a broadcaster and writer, oddly enough, and I once appeared at book reading in a school to find a display of one of his books artfully arranged behind me. There's a dead Tom Morton, acclaimed painter; and there's Tom Morton the curator of the Cubitt Gallery in London, also a writer.

It may have been one of these TMs or a different one entirely who wrote an article recently for MicroMart about gaming, thus occasioning my father to get in touch, anxiously wondering how I'd acquired all this abstruse knowledge about Grand Theft Auto and the like.

It wisnae me.

Thing is, though, should I change my name to avoid confusion? Is it up to me?
Who am I, anyway? Thomas MacCalman Morton is my full name. How about T MacCalman Morton, a soubriquet I have used on occasion when wishing to appear pretentious. Or Tom MacCalman Morton. Or, to return to the name I was universally known by until university, Tommy Morton?

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

I like Tommy Morton, sounds like a character from a Buchan novel, or some such dashing adventurer type, which there must be a bit of in you, living on the edge of the world as you do.

Unknown said...

Hi Tom, I've sent you a few texts over the past few years, as 'Robbie from Edinburgh'. I kind of prefer the anonymity of being spindrifter though, if that is ok with you. I've been listenig to you for years now, and occasionally (but not often) texting, because I'm usually driving while you're on air.
I'm kind of shy too, but I love music, and you generally play pretty good music (although Bon Jovi are unforgiveable, please DON'T ever play them again!).

Anyway, to get to the point, I am in soulseek, and I share almost half a million files in there, at decent bitrates, unlike most soulseek users.I'm 45 years old, and souslseek is the best thing that has ever happened to me since my wife and kids.


You'e been playing Bon Iver a lot recently,if you're interested I have the De Yarmond album and the solo album which Justin Vernon made before he changed his name to Bon Iver, plus the EP which followed it.

Despite all the propaganda, downloading is not illegal, although obviously you can't play these songs on the BBC unless you get them legitimately. Still, I think you will love them, just get into soulseek (www.slsknet.org) and find me (spindrifter) - I think you will love his early music, and maybe you will love lots more of the files I have here.

I have to sleep, but I want to say thanks for all the great music you play day after day (apart from Bon Jovi, but hey, we all have our foibles)

All the best to my favourite DJ,

spindrifter

Unknown said...

Tommy Lee Morton sounds pretty cool.

Anonymous said...

Hello

I am one of the other Tom Mortons. Certainly not an advertising guru but someone from the advertising industry who sometimes crops up on the news or in the papers to talk about brands and communicating with the public.

I have always envied my fellow Tom Mortons as they all seem to be pinnacles of the arts and broadcasting community. A few years ago at my first trip to the Edinburgh Festival I was surprised to find that I always got bookings in restaurants until I discovered that the arts editor of The Scotsman was another Tom Morton.

Keep up the good (acoustic) work, namesakes.

Tom Morton said...

Hallo, fellow Tom Morton!
Doubtless our paths will cross at some point, even if it's just nomenclaturally!
t

Tom | Errant said...

heh, so your the guy who hogs all the google searches for our name :D

Anywho - Im holding up the "geeky programming" end of our namesake.

(Not sure if it fully counts; my real name is Thomas but I havent used that in yeaaaaaaaars :))