Tiny Tim and Mr. Plym: Life as We Knew It

by Vivien Kooper, Stephen M. Plym, George Schlatter (Foreword by)

From his first appearance on Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In , pop culture entertainment curiosity Tiny Tim captivated audiences and became an instant star and enigma. In this firsthand look at Tiny Tim's incredible life and career, his manager and confidant reveals previously unknown details of his eccentric life. Best known for his falsetto-voiced rendition of "Tiptoe Through the Tulips" and his Tonight Show wedding to Miss Vicki, Tiny Tim's public persona offered a mere glimpse of the actual man and his true behind-the-scenes antics. From his attempts to join the army and his efforts to help the FBI defuse the situation at Waco to the great joy and even greater agony Tiny Tim experienced because of the inherent conflict between his sexual appetites and deep religious convictions, this humorous account casts a new light on this zany character and one of the entertainment world's most enduring and off-the-wall relationships.

Genres: Biography, Music

266 pages, Hardcover

First published September 28, 2004

Reviews

[Leslie · Rating 1 out of 5]

If the Cliff Notes version of this puerile biography existed, it would read as follows:

Tiny Tim wore adult diapers because he was germphobic.

Tiny Tim slept fully-clothed, including necktie, every single night.

Tiny Tim liked 'em young.

Tiny Tim liked 'em young, but was quick on the trigger.

Tiny Tim had sex with a blow-up doll, then stabbed it to death.

Mr. Plym's gravity-defying hair helmet rivals any current televangelist's.

I forced myself to read the entire book only because I've had an irrational schoolgirl crush on Tiny Tim ever since he married Miss Vicki on live TV. But by the end of this amateurish piece of so-called nonfiction, I was ready to hurl myself off the nearest building. Which is only one-story high, but you get the point.

[Roland · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a really trashy book, and one that I actually felt dirty reading at times. This books isn't a biography of Tiny Tim, merely a series of anecdotes by Stephen Plym showcasing what an eccentric Tiny was. To give you an idea of what kind of book this is, Plym doesn't mention Tiny's music at all. In one year I believe he recorded four different albums, yet this seemingly important event in Tiny's life is overlooked so we can learn more about his diapers and masturbation habits. In fact, this book is mainly for those interested in Tiny Tim's sex life and eccentricities, such as when he demanded that his manager call the FBI so that he could speak to David Koresh during the Waco fiasco. I guess this book works for those who are interested in that kind of book, but his mix of gross stories and bad humor put a damper on this.

[Matt · Rating 2 out of 5]

What starts out as charming and naive and very Tiny-Tim-like, becomes increasingly hard to believe as the story progresses.

Either the author wasn't actually there and made it up, or he's trying to cover up what really happened, or he only has a couple of hundred words in his vocabulary, whatever, it doesn't work after a while.

They just laugh and laugh and laugh. We got it.

I've read that better books exist on this talented, unusual, wonderful man. Try one of those.

It's not boring, though. How could it be when you're talking TIny?

Cheers.

[Peggy Downing · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good book! Didn't want to put it down and it made me wonder how my family and I would handle such situations.