friend Herbert Buckingham Howry

Mother's Reaction (Tilly Hauri): Jealousy and Total Control. Herbert's mother was characterized by emotional instability and overprotectiveness, mixed with cruelty. Pathological Jealousy: Tilly considered her son her "property." The appearance of a girl with whom Herbert shared secrets without her knowledge would provoke a jealous outburst in her mother. Interrogations and Searches: She would subject her son to a real interrogation: who this girl was, what family she was from, why she was associating with the "strange" Herbert. If a friend tried to visit them, Tilly would behave extremely arrogantly, picky, and would subject the girl to a thorough search. Attempts to Destroy Friendships: Herbert's mother would quickly begin to convince him that the girl was only associating with him for profit or to make fun of him along with other bullies. Father's Reaction (Boutros Khauri): Suspicion of "abnormality." Herbert's father, a Lebanese immigrant, kept the family under strict control and was very concerned about "what people would say." Suspicion and Shame: In the 1940s, a close friendship between a boy and a girl aged 13 or 14 with no intention of marriage was considered suspicious in such conservative families. The father would have thought that Herbert was bringing shame on the family by having affairs behind his back. Ridicule Instead of Support: Instead of being happy for his son, the father would likely have continued to tease him, calling him a "weakling" who hid behind a girl's skirt instead of making boy friends and playing football.

Christmas (The Main Holiday of His Life)Herbert adored Christmas with a religious, almost childlike awe, which he retained until the end of his days. Atmosphere of an Old Fairytale: For him, Christmas was the living embodiment of that very Victorian era and the old songs he loved so much. On this day, he felt part of a wonderful past. Connection to Character: It was because of his love for this holiday and his vulnerability that his manager later gave him the pseudonym in honor of Tiny Tim from Dickens's "A Christmas Carol." Herbert considered this a sign from above. Christmas Albums: He carried his love for this day throughout his work, recording several Christmas songs and albums (for example, Tiny Tim's Christmas Album). Halloween (A Day to Be Yourself) For little Herbert, Halloween was the one day of the year when he felt completely safe outside. Protection Behind a Mask: On normal days, he was bullied and beaten for his strange appearance, awkwardness, and paleness. But on Halloween night, everything changed. On this holiday, his "scary" and "freakish" appearance seemed to those around him like the perfect carnival costume. Freedom of Self-Expression: Only on Halloween could he secretly paint his face white, wear his mother's strange old clothes or rags, and openly go out without fear of being beaten. The bullies thought he was just dressing up, and Herbert could finally walk around with his head held high.

Vaudeville costumes of the 1910s and 1920s. In his fantasies, he saw himself as a star of an old-time theater. He dreamed of fitted jackets, smart striped vests, crisp white shirts with high, stiff collars, and silk scarves. He desperately wanted to wear starched cuffs with cufflinks. Top Hats and Bowler Hats. Instead of the usual boyish caps, Herbert dreamed of vintage headwear. His cherished dream was to stroll down the street in a shiny black top hat or a formal bowler hat, like the gentlemen on the covers of old music books he found in the library. Canes with knobs. For him, clothing was inseparable from accessories. He dreamed of a truly dandy cane (preferably with a luminous or silver head), which he could elegantly twirl as he walked, concealing his awkward gait. Pointed-toe vintage shoes: Herbert hated his rough, heavy school shoes. He dreamed of two-tone (black and white) Oxfords or patent leather pointed-toe shoes with a small heel, like those worn by jazz-age dancers. Women's theatrical costumes and bright makeup: He was also drawn to the aesthetics of female images from operas and silent films. He secretly dreamed of trying on long silk scarves, feathers, boas, and luxurious kimono robes, which seemed to him the height of artistic grandeur.

Simple "Children's" Food: Of the ordinary dishes, he most loved classic American food, the kind adored by children. His favorites were hamburgers, mashed potatoes, and the most basic tomato soup (especially canned Campbell's, which was cheap and readily available). Sweets and Desserts: Herbert had an incredible sweet tooth. He adored ice cream (especially vanilla) and pumpkin pie. Sweets were a rare comfort for him during his difficult childhood. Raw Food and Vegetable Diet (in later years): As he got older, he became interested in a raw food diet. He believed that raw food cleared his voice and protected him from germs. He would go for weeks on end eating only raw vegetables and fruits and drinking only distilled water. He often abstained from meat altogether. A Special Attitude to Tea: He drank a lot of tea, but always brewed it according to a special ritual. Tiny Tim believed that a certain temperature and purity of water helped preserve his famous high falsetto. The main secret: he hated eating in public.

Secretly from his parents, young Herbert did everything they considered "abnormal," shameful, or stupid. Since he was strictly supervised at home and punished for any odd behavior, he had to display true spy ingenuity. Here's what Herbert did most often on the sly: He listened to records at night at minimum volume. When his parents fell asleep, Herbert would sneak to his old gramophone. He would play records from the 1920s and 1920s and literally press his ear to the speaker to prevent the sound from carrying throughout the apartment. At these moments, he would weep with joy and imagine himself on the stage of a turn-of-the-century cabaret. If his father had caught him, the records would have been smashed, and Herbert himself would have been severely punished for "wasting time on old junk." He practiced falsetto, burying himself in a pillow. Herbert discovered his famous high voice (vibrato/falsetto) in his teens. But singing at home was strictly forbidden. To practice, he closed the windows, buried his face in a pillow or mattress, and sang there to muffle the sound. Sometimes he went into the bathroom, turned on the water full blast, and sang to the sound of the spray. Instead of going to school or hanging out with the boys, Herbert would sneak off to the New York Public Library. There, in the music section, he would spend hours secretly studying old sheet music, reading biographies of forgotten vaudeville performers, and copying out song lyrics. He lied to his parents that he was out for a walk or doing homework, as they were furious at his obsession with the past. He stole his mother's makeup to try it on in the mirror. While his mother was out, Herbert would sneak to her vanity. He would take powder and lipstick and secretly apply them to his face, attempting to emulate the pale, theatrical look of silent film actors. He carefully studied his facial expressions in the mirror, and before his parents arrived, he frantically washed everything off with soap until his skin was red, so as not to leave a trace. He spent his pocket money on old records instead of food. His mother gave him small cents for school lunches. Herbert practically starved.

Here are the main nicknames that haunted him during his school years: Sissy (Sissy / Mama's boy / Girly) - this was the most common and painful nickname for him. Because of his high, thin voice, complete lack of interest in sports, excessive emotionality, and habit of crying, bullies constantly teased him as "Sissy." Scarecrow (Scarecrow) - this is what they called him because of his appearance. He was very tall, extremely thin, stooped, with long, skinny arms and legs. His shabby, ill-fitting clothes, which hung on him like sacks, only reinforced his resemblance to a scarecrow. Dopey / Dummy (Dumbass / Dumbass) - Herbert repeated a year of high school twice. He couldn't concentrate in class, was constantly daydreaming and thinking only about music, leading teachers to consider him a failure and classmates to openly call him stupid. The Freak—that nickname stuck a little later, around age 14 or 15, when his eccentricities became obvious to everyone on the street. He would walk down the sidewalk, loudly singing old songs under his breath, waving his arms strangely.

Tall but too thin: He grew tall but remained very thin, making him appear elongated and fragile. Long limbs: He had unnaturally long arms and legs, which he did not always manage gracefully. Clumsy movements: Due to poor coordination, his gait and gestures appeared awkward, awkward, and fidgety. He lacked masculine stature or athletic grace. Slouching: Often, these teenagers slouch heavily in an attempt to appear shorter, which makes their figure even more odd. Here's a detailed description of his appearance from ages 10 to 14:Face and HairFace Shape: His face was long, thin, oval, and pale. He appeared gaunt due to poor appetite and stress. His facial features appeared sharp, with a large, long, and already noticeably hooked nose standing out sharply.Hair and Hairstyle: From ages 10 to 14, he had thick, coarse, dark brown (almost black), curly hair. Long, shoulder-length locks were not yet common. His mother was meticulous about his grooming and took him to the barber, so at school, Herbert wore the standard short boyish haircut of the time (with a neat parting), which made his curls bouncy and "spherical."Eye Color: Deep, dark brown eyes. Because of the overall thinness of his face, his eyes seemed huge, round, and perpetually frightened, "puppy-like." Body and proportions (the hardest period) Height and awkwardness: It was between the ages of 12 and 14 that Herbert experienced a sharp growth spurt. He became much taller than all his classmates, but remained extremely thin. Because of this, he looked like a "pole." His arms and legs stretched faster than his body, which made his proportions seem caricatured. Posture: Herbert was very self-conscious about his tall stature, so he constantly slouched, trying to appear shorter and more inconspicuous. His rounded back and sunken chest made his figure even more awkward. Approximate shoe size: His feet grew rapidly, outstripping his peers. At the age of 13-14, his shoe size was approximately size 41-42 (in the American system, about

Herbert tried to seek protection at home, but instead of support, he encountered cruelty. Accusations and beatings from his mother: His mother, Tilly Khauri, was an emotionally unstable woman. When her son came home crying and complaining of bullying, she claimed it was all his own fault because he wasn't behaving like a normal boy. Moreover, according to the artist and biographers, his mother regularly beat him for any signs of "strangeness." His father's contempt: His father, Boutros Khauri, treated his son with cold disdain. He agreed with school bullies, also calling Herbert a "weakling," and considered him a disgrace to the family. Attempts to commit him to a psychiatric hospital: His parents were so ashamed of their son's strange behavior, his fixation on old music, and his emotionality that they later even sent him to psychiatrists. They seriously tried to commit him to Bellevue Psychiatric Hospital, from which only a miracle saved the young man.

Teasing and bullying: Herbert was very different from his peers. He was tall, gangly, unmanly, and had no interest in sports. For this, his peers constantly called him a "sissy" and despised him. Beatings and harassment: He wasn't just teased—he was regularly beaten on the streets of New York and at school. He had to literally run to avoid another beating. Tears and escapism: Due to the constant humiliation, Herbert cried a lot and felt deeply unhappy. His only way to cope with the pain was complete withdrawal. He locked himself in his room, listened to old records for hours, and mentally transported himself to the early 20th century, which he thought was safe and wonderful.

Loneliness and bullying: Because of his unusual appearance and behavior, he was often bullied by his peers at his New York City school. He preferred to spend time alone. Escape into music: His main escape as a child was an old gramophone, given to him by his father at age 5. Herbert would lock himself in his room and spend hours listening to archival records from the 1900s to 1930s, escaping into his own world. Conflicts with parents: His parents (a Lebanese father and a Jewish mother) disapproved of his passion for old music. According to the artist, they often scolded him, considered him strange, and never supported his vocal endeavors until he became famous.