Tom Brier, From Ragtime God To Struggling Paraplegic
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 6 ก.พ. 2025
- West Coast Ragtime: westcoastragti...
Tom Brier Community Discord: / discord
Keeper1st(where you can find most recordings of Tom Brier playing the piano, especially sight readings): www.youtube.co...
Most Recent Update:
most recent update on the discord channel other than a nice picture of one of Tom's friend visiting him and letting people know how much he appreciates the letters was on january 26th, 2021 "I think this is something y’all will like to know. I talked to Warren Brier, Tom’s dad, a week or so ago. On the 31st of this month, Tom’s moving into his parents’ home in Oakdale. They’ve remodeled the house and added on an ADA compliant bedroom/bathroom for Tom. They have a custom built wheelchair for him, and a transport van that’s easy for wheelchair-bound individuals. I was asked by Mr. Brier if I would call the house once he’s there and talk to him since he hasn’t heard from any of his ragtime friends in almost a year. I’ve also been given permission to go visit Tom and his family once this COVID bullshit is at bay. The iPad that was purchased and set up for Tom will be taken down there to him, by me, at some point (hopefully soon). Since there haven’t been any CaringBridge reports in months, I figured I’d share this with y’all." -GenericHousewife
Important Corrections from a close friend of Tom:
"The drummer performing with Tom is 9 times grammy winner Danny Coots. Professional musicians admire Tom's performances and compositions. I have heard from several of his fans from the professional music world since his accident. Also there are two additional recordings Tom made with the Raspberry Jam Band, which was a group that Tom and I put together in 2005. Tom was unconscious after the accident for two and a half months. He spent four years in a nursing home before he received intensive rehab therapy at a center. He spent about six months there where he mostly received therapy which enables him to participate in self care so he could be taken to live with his family in Oakdale, where he has resided since January 6, 2021. This is not sufficient therapy to enable him to speak or walk which are his major disabilities. The contractions of his fingers and thumb on the right hand were also improved by rehab. The family says that he will continue to be evaluated and receive out-patient rehab. Rehab for the kind of injuries Tom received would require years, not months of therapy." -thejulster Riley(A very close friend of Tom, and someone who vital to a lot of the information I used in this video.) This is extremely concerning that he was only there a short period, not enough to receive therapy, and is living with his family.
Fact Corrections/Further Info(this has become extremely lengthy, sorry):
1. "That photo is not Tom[In reference to the thumbnail(that I changed), and opening sequence]. And BTW, you mispronounced "Brier". It has a long I.
other albums: "Missing You at the McCoys" with Nan Bostick (they made two duet albums), "Brier Plays Marchese", and his last release, "Live in Concert"." - Keeper1st
I suppose I never heard anyone actually saying his last name verbally, so that was a pretty big mess up and I suppose that may make it hard for anyone to listen to me constantly say for anyone that actually knows him personally.
2. In the ending sequence I spelled millions as "milions" (missing an L) -My actual mother pointed this out to me
3. "I'm a friend of Tom's, a fellow ragtime composer from Sacramento (and am in a few of those videos with Tom). His compositions number closer to 300-400 in number rather than 150 as said in the video. Thanks for making this video." - The Syncopated Piano
That was a mistake on my part, when using the summary I had to add more albums and other works he did, but actually forgot to update the number of songs he played.
4. At 1:36 Tom is playing Spasmodic. th-cam.com/video/mwo1PHJJjCw/w-d-xo.html
5. here is the link of where I compiled all of the information for this video, towards the tail end of making it though I had almost everything memorized so it's not a great centralized source. docs.google.com/document/d/1bh1e0axLgdf7CMfS_z8hWnLsP3GGxnzEirU3booI2Ck/edit?usp=sharing
also, there was a wiki that a couple of people were making (I think from Keeper1st's Tom Brier Discord) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:WiJaMa/sandbox/Tom_Brier
the wiki is a work in progress, I agree that is very sad there is no centralized source for him.
6. Had a few people question if I'm going to pocket this money. I'm pretty sure it's illegal to lie about intending to donate the money to charity, I 100% intend to donate the video earnings once a year when the Westcoast Ragtime Society opens up their donations for their festival (should be in about 6 months from now). Also, not including ads in a video harms it dramatically on the algorithm, which honestly no ads is what I wanted to do, but because of the algorithm, I decided to leave them on then donate them. I will provide proof of the money being donated.
7. I've been told multiple times now that both the titling of this video and the car crash sound was disrespectful. I spent hours on those decisions in the video, while I'm not personally on any social media just looking at memes and stuff, I am very aware of the comedic use of car crashing sounds and videos and was worried that it would seemingly add a cheesy unsettling comedic part to something I don't intend to, but I could not really find a way to dramatically transition into the accident well and decided to just find a hardly known car crash recording that isn't one of the often used couples of sound effects people use, not show the video of the event as it was not Tom's crash. With the title it was actually originally exploited instead of struggling, but because of the drama around the family being allegations and not things I can prove 100% I chose to not use the word exploited in the title, but still talk about them in the video because they were very important to Tom's recovery. I'm sorry if either of these things seemed disrespectful to Tom. edit to this point: I might redo this title at some point if that is still concerning to anyone, and if you think it's disrespectful please let me know, as to be entirely honest I'm not very in tune with empathy, but I did use the youtube edit tool to remove the car crash sound and skip that quick part.
8. I was really really careful on what I chose to include here, I had over 45 minutes of a script originally before I ended up cutting things that were either purely allegations and were hard to support, but just one of the things I would see over and over was people accusing the family of taking advantage of the situation, which was largely financially motivated decisions. I am not personally in contact with the family and I am sure that they have no interest in speaking to me unless it is their lawyers handing me a lawsuit, but I think even if I was they would not be interested in giving a public explanation on a lot of their actions as they did not previously when people other than myself tried to see why they made many of the decisions they did, which like I said, to an outside audience the only motivation seemed to be greed. I understand 100% however that even if Tom's family were to try to get financial gain from someone's injury, that it could be potentially difficult(unless there were a large settlement and insurance claims from the accident, which is likely) and almost hard to assume even the worst of people would ever do such a thing, but with the way they have acted publicly on people originally very kindly questioning into it, it kind of only leads people to come to their own conclusions based on the information we have.
9. At 4:34 there was some B roll footage I used that is from a 12Tone video, I tried to keep things accurate to the source material and clips that where taken of Tom almost entirely by keeper1st, but there was still occasions where(and I will not do this again) to add variety to the visuals, I used occasional footage from other places, this is something I do not plan to do in the future and I apologize to 12Tone and the couple of others for the footage of theirs that was used in this video with properly giving credit(such as a small identification on the video form where it came from, similar to how I labeled the biography form the westcoast ragtime society, as just having things in a pinned comment that are not easy to see and in it's current state it's understandable to think there is still not enough credit given).
10. I don't think sight reading as a skill is something that is unique to Tom or a handful of people. It is widely used, it was the level at which Tom could do it is what allowed him to get a lot of his success and how a lot of the internet found out about him. Among his peers though his passion for composing and playing Ragtime is what is most impressive though. I am honestly shocked on how many comments I have gotten downplaying Tom as though his proficiency at sight reading was something standard of any musician.
11. I hope it's alright I'm sharing this, but at 11:03 this is the original video th-cam.com/video/8ruENxAWiXE/w-d-xo.html (the one where it is the first time many people are hearing him play again.)
12. Proof of first donation imgur.com/a/Fl3LscV
A lot of what was talked about in this video were allegations. Most of the time people talking about controversial topics on the internet can hind among the waves of people talking about it, but I had to compile sources from a lot of places on the internet to centralize it into a google doc before I could even write this script. Don't sue me, please!
West Coast Ragtime: westcoastragtime.com/bios/bio.brier.06.htm
Tom Brier Community Discord: discord.gg/3AhzJZ4
Keeper1st(where you can find most recordings of Tom Brier playing the piano, especially sight readings): th-cam.com/users/Keeper1stvideos?view=0&sort=p&flow=grid
Yo I remembered Tom brier yesterday , and as a fellow piano player who loves ragtime , it breaks my heart. And I see this video from a channel that I also love. Thank you.
Keeper's name is Ron O'Dell who is also a ragtime composer. He's the unofficial videographer of the West Coast Ragtime events. I don't think he minds me outing his name.
Is Tom getting any better?
@@misfire6131 I sure hope so, things look like they are on the upside, but honestly, it's hard to tell because the only family is allowed to give updates/visit him during covid, so updates for us have pretty much stopped since the quarantines. edit: please check the links in the pinned comment/description for other sources that are going to keep you more closely updated on Tom's recovery.
here i thought i'd been mispronouncing it.. then i realized i'd heard many of keeper1st's videos about him so i would have heard it that way by now
I'm a friend of Tom's, a fellow ragtime composer from Sacramento (and am in a few of those videos with Tom). His compositions number closer to 300-400 in number rather than 150 as said in the video. Thanks for making this video.
that was a mistake on my part, when using the summary I had to add more albums and other works he did, but actually forgot to update the number of songs he played. I will put this in the pinned comment, thank you
The syncopated piano
I'm completely blown away whenever I hear Tom play. Wishing him all the best
Wait, he's from sacramento!? I'm from Sacramento! Makes me sad that I might have been able to meet him one day :(
@@Semor-bn1lh Now he's living with his family in Oakdale where Tom is originally from, though he spent most of his adult life working in Sacramento as a computer analysist for the county. All one had to do to meet him or hear him was attend a Sacramento ragtime society meeting which were held at JB's lounge in Arden (which no longer exists) or Straw Hat Pizza in Rancho Cordova where Tom also played regularly with bands or as a soloist.
Finally, my man is getting the recognition he needs. Seriously, he's a great musician. Maybe even one of the best.
Yeah, this is probably the fastest I've ever clicked on a video.
I second everything said here
one of the best alive definitely
idk what you mean recognition. Most of the vids of him on keeper1sts channel have a ton more views than this
Neckbeard
Tom Briar is amazing, I’ve been a fan since I joined TH-cam and it’s horrible what happened. I hope not a single one of you take this man as a joke, he’s a blessing to the world
who could take that legend as a joke? the man who turned the rags into riches? not me
The first time I heard him I instantly became a fan. Such a talent. Such a tragedy. I hope some day soon he makes progress physically, and can be happy again. He deserves it.
People who stumble upon Tom, will always become fans and would not take him as a joke
If you don't take him for a joke then at least have the decency to spell the mans name right...
@@agnidas5816 Oh no you really got him. Obviously you missed the point by a mile
It's incredibly sad that the stupidity and carelessness of someone else took Tom's gift away from him. I never knew him, but he seems like an incredible person. His gift to humanity will always live on! And I say a prayer for him every day, I hope he is able to recover and play music again someday. Truly a gift to humanity.
he lost all that, because someone else tried to find something
losing something while someone else is looking for something huh?
Whenever we dropped something in the car as kids my mam would say, "it can't fall any further" and we'd wait til the car had stopped to fish for whatever it was. I really wish that person had known that.
Goddamn pick up trucks… those things will crush a car and kill everyone inside while leaving the driver totally fine.
Should drive way more careful when in a big truck.
It could have been any of us. The one who crashes the car on an innocent. "He who is free of sin cast the first stone". I generally try to be careful while driving... But I should be MORE careful. I am not free of guilt, I didn't hit anyone, but maybe I could have had. Whether if wasn't careful enough because I was in a hurry or because some other driver made me angry because some unfair situation etc....
A lot of people, not all but I dare to say that a lot of people, need to realize the danger that it is to drive a murder weapon like a car without enough care 100% of the times.
There are few things more tragic than a musician loosing the ability to play. For someone to dedicate their life to such a practice only for it to be taken away is heart breaking. The mind still sharp and able while the body unable to respond must feel like a prison. As a fellow pianist I am sorry for the misfortune.
Agree. It's like a painter losing his sight. Painful to watch.
Yeah. My PB guitarist got a similar fate: he's been dealing with ALS for over 25 years now. It's still impressive what he managed to achieve at a young age, for he got the disease while in his early 20s.
I think an even worse fate is being brain damaged like me and not able to actually do it because it’s for real gone not just physically but mentally
@@redlemur7944 I’m sorry man I hope you’re doing okay
@@officialdinodoestuff I’m doing a lot better now. But yeah there’s always someone worse off than me too! So we have to be grateful as hard is that is.
Tom is a good friend. We've known each other for years, and played ragtime duets at many festivals. I last visited him in or around 2019. I wish him the best in his recocery
If I remember correctly I have seen you in pictures online with Tom as both of you where smiling, glad to see another friend of his here and I also really wish the best for his recovery and hopefully for this pandemic mess to clean up so his friends can visit him again.
Yeah he seems like a great man. Best of luck to him and god bless him and you!
Wait is this the guy who shows up in my recommended once in a while sightreading nyan cat?
The very same
I searched for that video like 5 years ago
Yep
Thats him alright.
The one and only.
Tom is the reason I started learning piano even at older age
This was pretty accurate but I would add a few things. The drummer performing with Tom is 9 times grammy winner Danny Coots. Professional musicians admire Tom's performances and compositions. I have heard from several of his fans from the professional music world since his accident. Also there are two additional recordings Tom made with the Raspberry Jam Band, which was a group that Tom and I put together in 2005. Tom was unconscious after the accident for two and a half months. He spent four years in a nursing home before he received intensive rehab therapy at a center. He spent about six months there where he mostly received therapy which enables him to participate in self care so he could be taken to live with his family in Oakdale, where he has resided since January 6, 2021. This is not sufficient therapy to enable him to speak or walk which are his major disabilities. The contractions of his fingers and thumb on the right hand were also improved by rehab. The family says that he will continue to be evaluated and receive out-patient rehab. Rehab for the kind of injuries Tom received would require years, not months of therapy.
I really appreciate seeing another one of Tom's friends, especially someone that was as close to him as you were. A lot of the information you shared on facebook was able to serve as a lot of the info in this video and I really appreciate it. I hope the pandemic can settle down so that way you are able to visit him once again. I really appreciate this further info/corrections and I will put it in the pinned comment. edit: I am very surprised to just now hear that he is with his family at the moment? I really thought he was still at the neurological center, but happy to hear he is at least getting closer to recovery, but to be honest it does concern me that it is with his family.
We went to buy a Yamaha grand piano from an old man, he wasn't able to play music anymore due to Parkinson's disease and the piano was reminding him of what he can't do anymore, his greatest passion. My father said he went pale when he was moving the piano to our trailer and shed a silent tear because this was the definitive end of his music. So sad to see someone with a passion and something just takes it away.
That is one of the saddest things I have ever read. It's like something out of a short story
Thanks for making a comprehensive vid on this guy, literally just did ragtime presentation for school and was not expecting this.
family: "we are getting bullied"
also family: *intercepts tom's letters and gifts*
QUESTION! Why has he been blocked off, why has his treatments been diminished?
@@robertmyers6865 the family doesn't want to pay for good treatment, and they also have a financial incentive to keep him mute
I would like someone to bully me by sending me gifts
@@guscox9651 why would they make money if he is nursing home compared to not
@@Shrekfromthehitmovieshrek because tom's fans are sending money, gifts and letters to his family but they don't give it to him
The story can really bring a man to tears, It's such a depressing yet uplifting story that is Tom Brier's life. I can definitely say that everyone in the comments is wishing Tom the best recovery possibly, God bless him.
I remember seeing one of his videos back years ago, never knew how much shit has happened to him. Really hope he does make it to a proper road of recovery and find his way into regaining his skills and passion for playing.
Touhou
@@AlexIsDoingThisShit Yes hello
It's shit dealing with people when you have nerve damage. I had brachial neuropathy (i.e. nerve inflamation) for months that caused not only a great deal of pain but also I lost movement in my arms/hands and much of my voice was lost leaving me to only talk in a high pitch. Mentally nothing about me changed, but in public, I was treated as though I was special needs.
Thanks guy for dropping your M&M causing a genuinely talented person to be injured badly. Its always the good people that get hurt or killed.
Yeah, same goes to the Jazz pianist that got assaulted by a group of teenagers in Harlem, leaving him unable to even play the piano, quite possibly for the rest of his life. The man couldn't even hold his own baby smh
Thank you for this documentary. Tom’s story needs to be shared as much as possible.
Tom Brier to me was the equivalent of the Piano Man that Billy Joel used to sing about. Even here in The Netherlands, people are following the news about Tom's recovery. God bless the living legend that is Tom Brier.
I’d say he resembles more a person like Mozart or Beethoven.
I've been listening to Tom Brier since Keeper1st started uploading his Super Mario sight-readings. He's been an inspiration to me since I was young and even was a motivation when I was in school getting a music degree. I'm now a composer and pianist myself, and I have Brier's inspiring talents to thank for my motivation to be a better musician. I genuinely hope he's receiving the best help possible and is doing well.
Wow thats great!
Ive been subbed to keeper1st for years now, and its so upsetting that that happened to tom. Out of all the people why him.
My thoughts exactly.
Tom inspired me with his gorgeous playing.
Cried a little while watching this video.
Ive been fallowing all the news about his recovery since the beginning.
However, how a family can be this inhumane sometimes is mindbogling
I think we're seeing one side of the story and that there is a lot of conjecture. There is no doubt in my mind that the family's hands aren't totally clean but the extent is unknown.
I listen to Tom Brier all the time, at least twice a day. It saddens me to know that he is no longer getting care. I just recently did a presentation on him, and thus fell down the rabbit hole of following his medical adventure on CaringBridge.
Edit: Holy crap. 70 likes. This is not the comment I expected to get this many likes, but, thanks you legends for coming to this video and supporting the legendary man that has been described so well in the likes of this video. Have a wonderful day, all.
You can get more updates too on his Discord
@@JamesZ32100 I had absolutely no idea he had a Discord.
So glad we've got a documentary like this! I've been listening for years, and he alone inspired me to pick up ragtime piano. Very nice style, there's a fine line between sadness and nostalgic happiness in the video.
I've seen this guy around youtube often, but never knew the full details behind his story. Thank you
Thank you for making this video, the last I heard was that he was in the nursing home and not receiving treatment. Im so happy to hear hes finally going to receive proper treatment!!
I was unaware Tom was finally getting the correct attention he needed, this makes me feel relieved, especially after hearing the rumors of family-related drama. i hope he's doing well. i'm not a man of faith, but the man's definitely in my thoughts, i hope to see him make a full recovery and get back to playing on youtube. i loved his sightread covers of koji kondo songs.
This video is extremely sad, Tom Brier has been a big inspiration to my play style as a pianist, just watching him play gave me an introduction into rag time, with out his videos my bass lines might look a lot different.
This man is a genius, I think I watched all his arrangements, I hope he's doing well and we all waiting his return.
It’s dumb that people didn’t think he was capable of sight reading some of those songs. Even if the skill he showed playing super Mario world’s theme was the extent of his skill, it would be more than enough to even mostly sight read most pieces
Not exactly, people's technique can potentially be WAY ahead of their sight reading skills. It depends on how and what they spent most of their time practicing.
He wasn't so much a good sight reader as he was a good improviser given a key and chord progression. The improvisation hid all the mistakes.
Listen to him for a bit and you notice the lack of dynamics begins to bang on your ear pretty badly. It's like he plays forte instead of the fortepiano :p
What is interesting is that there aren't many people better or even equal at the sight reading. What is also interesting is that the way most music is composed it is really really easy to fake. Most piano music is written with some idea in mind - it is not a melody expressed but almost just a formula put down. Most music is this way but piano music more than anything. Music is rarely written purely from a melody and then dressed up which makes it really really easy to sight read if you know all the same music theory. Composers lose their charm once you realize that they don't compose songs - but more so just come across something by accident while relying on the inherent patterns of music. That or music just flows out of you.
With enough time spend on rudiments most of us arrive at the same jazz...
it's all simple patterns and the system sorts itself out. Once you know that - music becomes so easy and you lose your fear.
There is no or rarely ever pre-meditative composing the way people imagine it to be. Perhaps why so few tackle it or get anywhere with it and why so many get nowhere trying to write.
IKR. In my musical school there were guys who sight readed Chopin. I can't get it why people think that sight reading is some kind of magic that requires you to make fake video. Yes, some people can do it better some - worse, but in the end it's a practical skill. Practice makes perfect.
@ they aren't wrong.
@@agnidas5816 that’s true - once certain people know musical theory and the overall progression of a piece of music - improvisation comes easy. That’s why I love jazz musicians/music (and my friends hate them) its their ability to play whatever the heck they wanted and it fit perfectly.
A really sad turn of events. Thank you for making this. The more people rooting for his recovering the better. Really glad to hear he's getting proper neurological rehabilitation. Last, I heard before this was that he was struggling to improve. For a guy who's given the internet so much joy, all we want is for him to be happy.
It’s a shame Netflix can’t be approached to make a documentary about Tom and his music and current situation. Any moneys raised to go towards his treatment and care
As a pianist you can tell how people play when they sightread
Then I'd be a terrible piano player help
@@netroalex5209 yeah, me too. Can't sight read very well beyond very simple beginner level music. Struggling with the Moonlight Sanata currently. Can improv somewhat though.
For some genres/schools, yeah, definitely applies here. There are some great jazz pianists out there that can’t read sheet music very well though.
@@dalepatten5612 Just not so much in C# minor amirite?
@@dalepatten5612 The only piece I learned sightreadig was the menu theme from hollow knight, then I never read any sheet, my ears are there for that lol
I discovered this guy shortly before his accident and have been following it on and off ever since. Such a sad story :(. Thanks for the video.
Same here. By the time I caught up with some of his music he was hit. Hit me hard to discover someone I could admire so much as an adult was so injured. For me his mad skills at improvising are what amaze me the most.
Tom brier will always be a legend. Get well soon piano man
Honestly, thank you. Tom Brier is an inspiration to me and many others. He's actually the reason I started to play the piano! Have been a fan of him for more than a year now and I was really bummed out about the fact that he wasn't as recognized on the internet as you would've expected for a piano player like him to be. I was also concerned about his well being like many others and have been following the discord server for quite a while. So it is nice to see somebody shed some light about the situation. Again, thank you
I would love to have the skill to play the piano. His rendition of the Yoshi's Island athletic theme is what has me even thinking about it (even though I am probably too old at 40). Looks like so much fun. Sadly, I lack talent. I'm probably better off just playing Yoshi's Island itself
All I hope is for Tom to live a happy life from here on. Thank you so much for the video and bringing my attention to one of ragtime’s greatest.
This is the most heart breaking thing I’ve seen. As an artist myself I can’t imagine losing the ability to do what I believe I was put here to do and I’m nowhere near as dedicated or talented as he is at his craft. Life can be so cruel. I feel like I know Tom just through the videos I’ve seen of him playing. To say I’m broken-hearted is an understatement. I’m happy to know that he has friends that truly love him and that he’s getting the help he needs. Geez I haven’t cried this dam hard in a long time.
I remember looking into how to write ragtime and his music coming up all the time. It was a nice change of pace from watching tutorials and reading people gate keeping the secret. From blind play throughs to originals he always looked like he was having so much fun sharing music with family and friends. Hope the guy can find new joys as he progresses, even if it's small duet pieces as you showed. Thanks for making this!
one of the most talented people lost his talent in a blink of an eye and his family refuses to help him and exploits him instead
I'm speechless
You are, ignorantly, wrong about my Aunt and Uncle [aka Tom's parents].
That's so tragic! I really enjoyed listening to him play my favourite songs from video games, and as someone who took some lessons for piano I can appreciate how much talent Tom had, and how dedicated he was to honing that talent. His secret to his ability may have been "Lots and lots of practice" but I sense an awful lot of modesty there. He truly has a gift, and I wish him not ONLY all the best in his recovery, but that he can have lasting peace and serenity in his life, away from the haters and gossipers. Thank you, Tom, for sharing your gift with so many thousands of people.
What a coincidence. All of a sudden got recommended his stuff months ago. While it's to no surprise since I adore piano and a musician to begin with, but I am glad you are shedding light into his situation. The man is gifted.
Its so sad to hear his own family treated him that way, but it’s great to hear that he’s getting the care he needs now. I discovered Tom through Keeper1st’s TH-cam channel and love all his sight read pieces. Wishing him all the best in his recovery.
I’d seen Tom’s videos from time to time for years and was recently reminded. Wanted to see newer videos and found this video. That’s really sad, man. Thanks for making the video.
Thank you for the update, what happened to Tom still breaks my heart.
Thanks for the update. Hoping for some promising steps towards recovery this year, all the best to Tom!
I'm so happy someone finally made a video about this amazing person
The algorithm showed me this man and I've been following his progress after his sad accident. Get well soon Tom you brought me a lot of joy
What a great video, i would have never known about this, thank you jester!
Thank you for making this. I've been a fan of Tom for quite a few years, admiring his art from Nova Scotia. I have a lot of passion for classic games and piano. I can't count how often I've just listened to his music while doing chores around my house and it always puts a huge smile on me. It's devastating to see such a kind hearted fellow go through this. Tragedy befalls us all at some point, but his recovery has been so stunted. I really hope he's able to get on his feet. And thank you to the guy who has posted his music. Because even if Tom never gets to where he was, we always have that. It's timeless. I wish for Tom to just get better for him. He should be able to enjoy his many remaining years and let's hope fate and fortune has that in store for him. Thanks for the update because it was hard to find real and current information about his recovery and situation. Now I understand why.
What an excellent video. Very glad that you put all this together. I had seen the responses from the family before, and thought they were just very private. Horrifying to see this kind of abuse, especially on someone who is so beloved by the internet. Also, this is incredibly short sighted. They could have helped him, gotten him better, built a very close bond with him, and then rode his coattails into the world of comfort if he’d been able to monetize his musical talents on TH-cam.
And that children is the reason why you do not only write a will but most importantly a patient decree.
Guy has touched SO many more lives than I think he realizes. 😥
My prayers and hopes for Tom’s complete recovery so he can once again play and share the music he loves so much as he would want to. I pray and hope that now he is getting the care he needs for his full recovery. Thank you for this update and please continue to post updates on his progress.🎹🦋🎹
Thank goodness someone made a video about Tom Brier. Been a fan for years, and still watch the stuff on Keeper1st even after the accident.
Thanks for making this video. I look forward to future updates on Tom’s recovery. Best wishes to Tom and thanks again.
Thank you for making this video. God, please help Tom recover more. Maybe one day he will be able to send a few words to the folks, who love him.
Tom turns 50 years old today
Happy Birthday Tom!
Thank you for putting this together and sharing for Tom, his friends, and fans & followers ❤.
I look up to Tom so much. I strive to be even 1% of the pianist that he was. Because of him I started to learn how to play some ragtime tunes. I had no idea that he was a programmer, as someone who wants to become one in future it only gives me more reason to look up to him. It is really quite sad to know that his gift has been taken away, but I know he can recover and keep playing the keys.
My heart goes out to you Tom, I got hit by a bus in 2009 and sustained sever brain damage and I'm still dealing with that to this day in some shape or form. Similar to you I couldn't walk straight, talk straight or even think straight for that matter. But man if you're reading this just push through, nobody understands it like you do and I know that's the hardest part. But you, just like me, have won the battle so every day from now is on is a bonus.
Again my heart goes out to you man, wish I could give you a hug but I hope this youtube comment will suffice.
I wish you well and hope that your recovery continues.
I always showed the videos from Keeper1sts channel to fellow music students back when I was in high school. I'm grateful you've even decided to touch this topic.
Tom Brier was my inspiration. I was 9 when I first saw him play, and ever since I have been playing every day. I truly wish the best for him.
A really well crafted video man, I loved this. This must've taken tons upon tons of research and it really paid off. Not gonna lie, never expected to be interested in this but this really blew me away. I found it amazing how captivating you were while providing as much info about this man.
The only times I've heard of ragtime was in none other than old west movies but I never saw myself being involved in such a topic. I am not complaining though, I was actually quite amused.
Really wholesome stuff too, shedding light on what condition Tom was, was pretty heartwarming and great to do so. This is probably one of the most beautiful videos of your channel alongside the philosophical videos (I still love the shitposts). Keep it up homeless man, you did an absolutely wonderful job.
Very appreciative of this video! Every time I watch a video featuring Tom, I would look at the date and wonder why they're not any more recent. I really hope he's able to get good care now :D
Used to watch Keeper1st’s videos of Tom years ago when he would do first time sight readings of super Mario compositions. My favorite parts of those videos is when he’d really get the hang of the original melody and then flip it into his own improvised ragtime version of it.
The fact that someone’s family would abuse a family member like this is sickening. But I guess that’s what money does to people
IF that's the case then yes, it's sickening. What bothers me here is that nobody knows that for sure, but the community is nevertheless throwing Tom's entire family under the bus...
All because somebody speculated a while back and it somehow turned into "internet fact".
@@StickManatee Nah, it was four years of never seeking to rehabilitate him, not a single person's speculation. You don't dump someone in a nursing home to rehabilitate them from brain damage, especially when you received the necessary funds from insurance and the at-fault party. You don't avoid the questions regarding someone's care when you're the *caretaker* and then start making yourself the victim. Tom is the victim of a lack of rehabilitation, not the family who refuses to rehabilitate him.
The speech therapy part is particularly concerning. I would assume they have power of attorney or control of his finances. Him being able to speak would remove that. Seriously, can you imagine suffering brain damage, and instead of getting you speech therapy, your family dumps you in a nursing home?
The actions the family took placed themselves solely in the path of the bus, the bus being Tom's friends' and fans' righteous indignation at his (lack of) treatment at the hands of his family.
@@StickManatee Steven (below) makes sense. It's not all that complicated. One of the problems is that Tom was the cuckoo in their comfy nest: they never understood his music, his computer analytics (his "day job") and most of all, the vibrant personality that drew nearly everyone who heard him or came near. What you are reading is not "speculation." The only thing people Don't know is whether the family (parents and a brother) just didn't understand this strange talented magically musical man beloved by hundreds (and more, all over the world), his open personality. Or, as some who have met them think, they are simply mean, close-minded, unfriendly folk. I speak professionally, as an RN (retired) to the matter of his care. The family delayed major care when it was most crucial, at the beginning, and continued to interrupt it for no reason until they have finally taken him away entirely from the therapy he cannot get at home. They couldn't afford the kind of daily, "visiting" specialists and knowledgeable nursing and therapy care for him even if they wanted to - only millionaires could. I have had enough contact with one of them to to know that while the family is not "abusive" in the legal sense, they are neglectful in every way that Tom needs and that, in this case, "home" is not where the heart is nor where Tom should be.
@@pennagainagain7491 Are you saying you have had contact with his family regarding his care?
You are, ignorantly, wrong about my Aunt and Uncle [aka Tom's parents].
I started watching Tom play the video game songs last year and never read any of the comments until tonight. Holy shit what a sad story.
I looked into this a while back and didn't really understand what happened to Tom. This is a great video!
I just love this guy and his story thanks for bringing this to my attention! ;)
Thank you. I always wondered what happened to him! I had no idea. This was wonderfully, compassionately done.
Hah, nice use of the 12Tone footage! Clever :P
Fantastic video, overall, too. I remember watching Tom when I was a younger man, and he impresses me so much even to this day.
Thank you for the update. I hope you can give us another one soon as this one is a little dated. I hope and pray things have continued getting better for him.
I know it's a long read, but try to prioritize the important parts towards the top. From what I'm aware of, I have it up to date in the pinned comment and if you want to stay updated the keeper1st discord is probably your best bet, he has a channel just for Tom updates.
@@JesterJones perfect, thank you so much. I’m glad your video included an address, I’m going to start writing him letters too.
Excellent video! I have loved Tom myself for about 3 years and it is so hopeful to see that others have him in their hearts as well!
First time I am hearing about his accident...I was not following his music for the last 6-7 years. Very sad to hear about the difficulties during his recovery.
This was depressing...I hope he gets better soon.
Great vid, Jest! Your are a great writer/speaker :)
I've never seen a more talented or inspiring pianist than Tom Brier, and hearing the news of the accident was incredibly saddening to hear. Thank you for this coverage on what's been going on with him, I'm very glad to hear things are looking up.
This vid is a really clear, concise, and informative video, thanks for making this video
Unfortunately, the most recent update mentions Tom might never fully recover :'(. At least he's still around us to enjoy the feedback from his fanbase.
From making funny mic vids to making amazing video essays about Tom Brier, I love this character arc
Thank you for putting this together. I knew he was in an accident but not to what extent. I hope he recovers enough to start enjoying playing music again.
Amazing Video! Saw this in the discord server. Glad to see other people caring about Tom! Hopefully he can see this video some day.
I’ve been following the journey since the accident and before (since I think Tom is probably the only person who could play Keeper1st’s rendition of Cantina Band theme- I learned some of it for a gig many years ago).
I didn’t know of the video of him playing since the accident. Thank you.
It has been frustrating and sad to witness as an outsider the whole time. I have been worried about how things would degrade during covid and I don’t know how the move to his parent’s house will go.
I always wish him the very best.
And as a note, as someone who donated a long time ago, I wanted that money to go to his therapy.
This man's work made it in to an extraordinarily prestigious Jazz class at a former university of mine and I could never be more proud. I've known his work since I was 12, but keep coming back and maintain a melancholy sense of despair yet pride.
Thanks Keeper1st for introducing me to Tom and his work.
That’s how I found out about Tom too.
I hope he gets the care he needs and is able to make a huge turn around. Found his music a number of years ago and was always enamored by it. Much love goes out to him wherever he may be.
He got fans in France since a long time ! we still watching his performances, we wish that he is able to recover and play music again someday.
Thanks for posting this very good summary of Tom's demoralizing situation. Thanks, too, for the addendum pinned at the beginning of the comments section; particularly in regards to the pronunciation of Tom's last name. (It's pronounced the same as "briar" as in "briar patch," the common name for a thicket of thorny plants. In fact, one of Tom's early compositions was humorously named "Brier Patch Rag.")
There was indeed legal rangling between friends and family which resulted in his friends securing speech therapy, new glasses and greater scrutiny for Tom among many other things. I reluctantly give the family the benefit of the doubt for dealing with an overwhelming legal and financial situation, and thankfully Tom is now in a neurological facility that can belatedly deal with his condition. Let's hope that this delay hasn't permanently harmed his ongoing recovery.
As a ragtime fan, I was immediately taken by Tom's skill. His musicianship and humanity only grown; he didn't always just try to beat the land speed record! What a funny, self-effacing and intelligent soul! It's amazing that many of his new fans came by way of his sight-reading of video game themes on TH-cam and he has, thanks to Ron O'Dell, a huge following in Japan. Your video makes it clear how much his creativity and acrobatic technique is missed in both worlds and it makes one wish anew for a more robust and meaningful recovery.
I am thankful to hear an update. I found Tom on youtube a while back and fell in love with his playing. His Mario Bros ragtime was one of my absolute favorites. I still listen to it often! I hope he gets all the help he deserves!
I was an instant fan of Tom when I saw his sight reading videos. I’ve also been amazed by how accomplished he is in the ragtime world. From time to time I think about Tom and wonder how he is doing. Thank you so much for making this video and providing so much background and information. Hopefully when everyone is vaccinated I can make it to the ragtime festivals one day.
This is so unfair I’m a piano player and he deserves to play so much more than me. It shouldve been me he deserves to play piano more than anyone. Its so angering
OMG I've been wishing for a video on Tom Brief for freaking years! This is awesome that he's finally getting recognition. Hopefully he'll be given better treatment to recover than he's gotten in the past.
Finally someone made a video on this. I found out about him roughly 8 months ago and thought it was really sad. I wish him luck.
Keeper1st is the best friend one can wish. So glad to hear a positive update!
I completely forgot Tom existed before this video, but I used to watch all of his ragtime videos in grade school. I really hope he recovers fully some day.
I had no idea this was happening, always loved his videos and yours too Jester. Well done mate
Dear Tom,
I listened to you site read nyan cat on TH-cam and it brought me great joy.
I hope the people looking after you are doing the things you want.
Much respect from a fan
The first opening 17 second paragraph is deserving enough to recieve 100s,000 views! 👍
Sad that a family would rob him of a potential recovery. Thank you for making this video and I pray for his well being...God Bless this amazing man!
This guy was my hero since I first saw his videos in 2009. The dude was THE GREATEST RAGTIME PIANISTS ALIVE and decided to be a computer analyst. When we look back at all the celebrities we lost in 2016, its scary to think that he was almost one of 'em. Tom Brier will always be a goddamn legend.