Tom Miller (performance artist)

Tom Miller

Tom Miller (born October 5, 1965, in Hialeah, Florida, United States) is an American performance artist, writer, filmmaker, painter, musician, actor, and poet known for his avant-garde work and provocative public stunts. He hosted *The Tom Miller Show*, also known as *The Reverend Angeldust's Tabernacle of Hedonism*, the longest-running continuous open mic variety show in the United States, from 1984 until his retirement in 2024. Based primarily in Gainesville, Florida, Miller’s career spans independent films, music, visual art, and activism.

Early life

Miller was adopted by Nathan Anderson Miller and Alfreda Rowena Reed Miller and raised by his aunt, Alice Miriam Reed, a piano teacher. He began piano lessons at age three. At 15, he enrolled in an acting school led by Ruth Foreman, Florida's "First Lady of Theater," working as an actor and technician for five years, appearing in TV commercials and local television programs.

Inspired by bassist Paul McCartney, Miller learned bass guitar and recorded a 45 rpm single, “The Underground,” at age 15. In high school, he formed the Miami band Penguin with Charles McWhorter and John Williford, releasing five albums over a decade. He later co-founded Middle Earth with Don Traub, which performed two shows after two years of rehearsal before disbanding.

Career

Music and early performance

Miller began his career in Gainesville, Florida, in 1984, playing bass in bands including Plastic Age, Middle Earth, Penguin, NDolphin, Bill Perry Orchestra, The Space Masons, and Chicago’s Vini and the Demons. He has released over 50 CDs and authored 45 chapbooks, with poetry published in Ploplop, Abbey, Poetry Motel, Moon, and Thunder Sandwich. In 2013, he released *Tom Miller Plays the iPhone*, the first solo ambient music album created entirely on an iPhone, recorded in under five hours. In 2017, he released *Music for Cats*, the first album designed specifically for feline listeners, using sounds tailored to their auditory range. In 2023, he released *Tom Miller - Music for AI and Not People*, the first album designed exclusively for artificial intelligence, using AI as a collaborator despite his criticism of the technology.

Performance art

Miller’s performance art includes a 1995 naked press conference, a 17-hour reading of Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood as Capote, and UFO secrecy protests. In 2010, he completed a 30-hour Twin Peaks marathon, consuming only coffee, doughnuts, and cherry pie, to promote transcendental meditation. In 2015, he crowdfunded a trip to Copenhagen’s Noma restaurant for “Operation Copenhagen,” exploring communal support, inspired by chef René Redzepi. In 2016, he stared at a photograph of Ted Cruz’s mouth for two hours, covered by Huffington Post. That year, he installed *Nothing*, an invisible sculpture at Bo Diddley Plaza, leading to a 2021 legal dispute with Italian artist Salvatore Garau over his similar work, *Io Sono*. Miller’s lawyer sent a letter alleging Garau knew of Miller’s piece, though no lawsuit was filed.

Theater and writing

Miller wrote *UMMU*, a surreal play about reality, staged as a reading at the Acrosstown Repertory Theatre in Gainesville in July 2015 and fully produced on May 12, 2017. He directed *Sunset Village* off-Broadway at the 14th Street Y Theatre in 2018. In 2014, he created *Project r*, an interactive hyperlinked narrative of stories, poems, and autobiographical content. His screenplay *The Tabernacle of Hedonism* (2018) is a comedy about Gainesville misfits forming a church to legalize marijuana and oppose extraterrestrial forces.

Filmmaking

Miller has written and directed over 100 independent short films with experimental themes. His 2016 film *Nothing*, documenting his invisible sculpture, was an official selection at the NYC Indie Film Festival and won three awards—Best Short, Visionary Director, and Best Experimental Short—at the Puerto Aventuras International Film Festival in 2025. His 2017 film *The Seven Sides of Shakespeare*, created on an iPad with a minimal budget, won Best Experimental Short at the Indie Shorts Awards and Best Director at the NYC Indie Film Festival in 2017. His screenplay *Elmer’s Saucer*, a sci-fi story about a widower’s UFO encounters, is in a Hollywood development deal. *Roach Buddy*, a horror-comedy screenplay about a man’s bond with a roach, has a budget estimated at $100,000 to $1 million. In 2024, his short film *Audience* was submitted to film festivals, including Filmthreat and Indyred, receiving positive reviews.

The Tom Miller Show and retirement

From 1984 to 2024, Miller hosted *The Tom Miller Show*, also known as *The Reverend Angeldust’s Tabernacle of Hedonism*, the longest-running continuous open mic variety show in the United States, featuring spoken word, music, and burlesque in Gainesville. Co-founded with Paul Cohen, it supported local artists and marijuana legalization advocacy. Miller retired in December 2024 to focus on screenwriting and filmmaking. Plans to transition the show into a podcast are in discussion.

Visual art and activism

Miller has painted portraits of Gainesville figures, including former mayors Pegeen Hanrahan and Craig Lowe, former police chief Wayland Clifton, hemp activist Michael Geison, and drag queen The Lady Pearl. He ran for Gainesville City Commission in 1995 and was a plaintiff in a 1995 First Amendment lawsuit against the city, which he and other organizers won. He also hosted Gainesville’s HempFests.

Education

Miller holds a BA in Theatre from the University of Florida and an MFA in Screenwriting from the David Lynch MFA Screenwriting Program at Maharishi International University.

Awards and recognition

Miller’s film *Nothing* (2016) was an official selection at the NYC Indie Film Festival and won three awards—Best Short, Visionary Director, and Best Experimental Short—at the Puerto Aventuras International Film Festival in 2025. His 2017 film *The Seven Sides of Shakespeare* won Best Experimental Short at the Indie Shorts Awards and Best Director at the NYC Indie Film Festival in 2017. His work has been covered by Huffington Post and Gawker.

Personal life

Miller’s work reflects his interests in cigars, martinis, and lobster, with a surreal, punk-inspired aesthetic.

External links

• Tom Miller: A Never-Ending Performance
• Tom Miller, Tabernacle of Hedonism Richard Spencer Exorcism
• Tom Miller’s Play, UMMU: NPR Interview
• Short films
• Official website bio
• Magic marker drawings
• Tom Miller Tabernacle of Hedonism