I don't get Tom Waits

[spigotsaol.com]

I don't get Tom Waits. He was on Letterman last night (might've been a rerun), and I HAD to change the channel. My wife (who wasn't aware of him) asked me if this was "Schtick." I said no, he's been around forever, and is very highly regarded by some critics. She asked me why. I couldn't tell her why. He was unintelligable, the band was boring, and as my wife put it, "he sounds like a drunk trying to impersonate Louis Armstrong." Can anyone help me understand his popularity? Thanks! Frank

[Wewus432]

Great songwriter and poet. He's rough on the edges live, kind of like Bob Dylan only worse.

[rog951]

As Butthead once said (and I'm paraphrasing here), he writes crappy songs but he sure is a great singer! :D

[mplspaul]

[quote]Originally posted by spigots: [b] He was unintelligable, the band was boring, and as my wife put it, "he sounds like a drunk trying to impersonate Louis Armstrong." Can anyone help me understand his popularity? [/b][/quote]He's NOT popular. That's sort of the point. There are people who like what he does. You don't. Don't sweat it. There's lots of other music for you to listen to. Tom gave up on anything resembling "popular" music when he made Swordfishtombones 25 years ago.

[music-man]

If you have to ask ... okay that's not helpful. It's all about the songwriting. He's a master. Assuming your Q is not in the vein of "lets trash this artist," there are two places to start for "accessible" Tom Waits. One is a recent John Hammond album of Tom Waits songs (can't remember the name of the album, but it's from 2001 I think) - it really captures the songs, but without the off-putting (to some) voice. The other is an Anthology - a "double" cassette (haven't been able to find it on CD) from sometime around 1985 that goes through some of his most popular stuff in chronological order. I loved that tape; amazing to hear the change in his voice and attitude over the years ... Of course, you may just not like him - lots don't. But take note of the fact that artists as far afield as Nanci Griffith have covered his stuff ("San Diego Serenade," on Late Night Grande Hotel - 1991). IMHO, he has written some of the best lyrics in pop music ...

[music-man]

[quote]Originally posted by popmusic: [b]Cookie Monster tunesmith[/b][/quote]Did you make that up? That's funny, dude. ... didn't even know Rod Stewart did that one.

[David R.]

Waits is one of the best song writers on the 20th and 21st century, IMHO. A true artistic genius. He has his shtick and he is shticking to it, but the passion that he puts into his songs is unreal. I remember not likeing Steely Dan because of Fagen's voice, but I could not deny the talent. My girlfriend thinks Tom sounds like a muppet, I can see that. But if you let him, he will take you on a journey from the depths of a small town dinner to the joys of an accordian player making it in the big town. Most songwriters/musicians tend to start out pushing the envelope then settle into a nice comfortable rut in their later years. Waits has done the opposite. Started writing beautiful songs that were covered by big name bands yet kept pushing himself creativly. His band is not made of hot studio cats, but people who can evoke passion and feeling from their instruments. I have worked with some of his sidemen and know this to be true. Love him or hate him, you have to respect him.

[miroslav]

[quote]Originally posted by TheWewus: [b]Great songwriter and poet. He's rough on the edges live, kind of like Bob Dylan only worse.[/b][/quote]Hey Wewus…forget the Stones and Mariah...at least we are on the same page when it comes to Tom Waits! :thu: A close friend of mine...whose Uncle played sax with Waits, and in the band "White Elephant"(?)...turned me on to Tom Waits way back in the late 70's. I use to do a good Tom Waits impersonation...but gave it up 'cuz it was killing my vocal cords... :D

[Wewus432]

I'm so horny, the crack of dawn better look out around me.

[miroslav]

One of my favorite Tom Waits lines...goes something like: "...can you lend me a few bucks 'til my brother straightens out...thanks... ...oh......he's a hunchback." :D

[Bruce Lash]

One of my Tom Waits faves, from "Emotional Weather Report": [i]...And the forecast for an indefinite period, until you come back to me, baby, is High tonight... Low tomorrow... Percccccccipitation is expected. And now back to the 11 O'Clock Blues....[/i]

[music-man]

And two from me ... "All my conversations I'll just be talking about you baby, boring some sailor as I try to get through. I just want him to listen - that's all you have to do - he said I'm better off without you ... till I showed him my tattoo." - Warm Beer and Cold Women "The piano has been drinking, my neck tie is asleep; and the combo went back to New York, the juke box has to take a leak, and the carpet needs a haircut and the spot light looks like a prison break, cause the telephone is out of cigarettes and the balcony's on the make - and the piano has been drinking ..." - The Piano Has Been Drinking

[not coaster MODERATOR]

I saw Tom live about 25 years ago. His shows "evolved" throughout the course of the evening. The first few songs would be just Tom. Then a guy with a double bass would come out. Later, a violin until finally the whole team was there. A very unique flow. Most of the band would sit on wooden barrels while they played. They drew little attention to themselves. I picture Tom more as the railroad yard hobo rather than the town drunk.

[vintagevibe]

Get the "Heart of Saturday Night" CD. It's absolutly brilliant. He's a true musical and poetic genius.

[Jeff Klopmeyer]

The good news: you don't [i]have[/i] to get Waits. That's the coolest thing about music...there are a lot of different people on this planet, and a lot of different ways to express yourself via a combination of timbre and rhythm (and sometimes melody and words as well). Luckily, there seems to be an audience (of varying sizes) for almost every way of expressing yourself musically. Tom Waits is funny, original and appeals to a particular type of listener who likes the qualities he exhibits. But just because critics and/or people you respect like him shouldn't put pressure on you to feel the same. In fact, there's no one I respect less than someone who pretends to get a band or artist just because they think they should. Go with your heart...it's usually right in matters such as these. :) - Jeff

[Mark Zeger]

[quote]Originally posted by popmusic: [b] [quote]Originally posted by music-man: [b]But take note of the fact that artists as far afield as Nanci Griffith have covered his stuff [/b][/quote]And as mainstream as Rod Stewart... "Downtown Train" is probably Tom Waits' most well-known song.[/b][/quote]Followed by the Eagles' cover of "'Ol '55". One of my favorite Tom Waits' lyrics: [b]Frank's Wild Years[/b] Well Frank settled down in the Valley and hung is wild years on a nail that he drove through his wife's forehead. He sold used office furniture out there on San Fernando Road and assumed a $30,000 loan at 15 1/4 % and put down payment on a little two bedroom place. His wife was a spent piece of used jet trash, made good bloody marys, kept her mouth shut most of the time, had a little Chihuahua named Carlos that had some kind of skin disease and was totally blind. They had a thoroughly modern kitchen, self-cleaning oven (the whole bit). Frank drove a little sedan. They were so happy. One night Frank was on his way home from work, stopped at the liquor store, picked up a couple Mickey's Big Mouths drank 'em in the car on his way to the Shell station. He got a gallon of gas in a can, drove home, doused everything in the house. Torched it. Parked across the street, laughing, watching it burn, all Halloween orange and chimney red. Then Frank put on a top forty station got on the Hollywood Freeway headed north. Never could stand that dog.

[G. Ratte]

Man... I laid out $300 for 2 scalped tickets to see Tom Waits in Chicago a few years back for a girlfriend and was pretty bummed. What a ridiculous overly romanticized Depression-era cornball schtick. Old white guy singing like Louis Armstrong? "Waiting at the train station, sitting in a dumpster w/my bottle of Jack...here comes my prostitute girlfriend, did she score our junk? It's raining and I've got throat cancer, blah blah blah." The most bling-bling over-the-top gangsta rap is about as "real" and "relevant" and "sincere" as this escapist fantasy stuff. But Waits is a 'genius'. I understand the appeal, but man... c'mon, not exactly The All-Powerful Music Wizard or something. I don't like Leonard Cohen either!! hahahaha!!! All done, don't care, just opinions, I'm just bitter about my 300 bucks! ahahaha!!

[Rog]

[quote]Originally posted by spigots: [b]I don't get Tom Waits. He was on Letterman last night (might've been a rerun), and I HAD to change the channel. My wife (who wasn't aware of him) asked me if this was "Schtick." I said no, he's been around forever, and is very highly regarded by some critics. She asked me why. I couldn't tell her why. He was unintelligable, the band was boring, and as my wife put it, "he sounds like a drunk trying to impersonate Louis Armstrong." Can anyone help me understand his popularity? Thanks! Frank[/b][/quote]I went through a phase a few years ago where I just wouldn't talk to you if you're not into Waits. Oh ... I'm still going through it, so get lost! ;)

[Rader Ranch]

"a tinker, a tailor a soldiers things. his rifle, his boots full of rocks oh, and this one is for bravery and this one is for me and everything's a dollar in this box." A Soldiers' Things - off Swordfishtrombones...you gotta hear it to appreciate how sad it is..i grew up in small town America, and his style and lyrics hit home often.

[Philip OKeefe]

Nothing for you to "get". You either like it or you don't, and either one is just fine - it's YOUR opinion after all. For the record, I think he's a great writer, and I actually like his whiskey soaked, cigarette rasped voice. And the one live concert I saw (Blue Valentine Tour @ the Huntington Hartford MANY years ago) was really good...

[KenElevenShadows]

I think the guy's great. Great songs, interesting sounds. I like the usual stuff that others like, but really, I found "Mule Variations" to be very listenable. A lot of it is the production and the cool croak of a voice that's occurred from years of wacky living and aging.

[halljams]

I think he is one of those artists who if you could take the time to follow his evolution, you would appreciate his present state. He has done some incredible stuff. The eagles and Shawn colvin come to mind as a couple mainstream artists who had very popular versions of his tunes. His voice is like it is now i believe due to throat cancer but i could have that wrong. He generally incorporates very inovative and cutting edge players in his bands and the production is often a huge treat from mainstream. I'd suggest checking out some of his older stuff and moving to the present. But don't write him off.

[D. Gauss]

like i've always said, "Tom Waits for no one." -d. gauss http://www.betteroffdead.com

[ABECK]

[quote] [/qb][/quote]He's NOT popular. [/QB][/QUOTE] Well, not in the "MTV/TRL" sense of the word, but if he wasn't popular, we wouldn't be talking about him.

[David R.]

"Waisted and wounded Not what the moon did Got what I paid for now See you tomorow Hey Frank can I borrow A couple of bucks from you" "Smelling like a brewery Looking like a tramp Ain't got a quarter Got a postage stamp" "I've lost my equlibrium My car keys and my pride" "Using parking meeters as walking sticks" "Colder than the ticket taker's smile at the Ivar theater" "I know a woman who has been married so many times she has rice marks all over her face" "With a chorus of see you laters, and screwdrivers on carburators" "Well the night does funny things inside a man These old tomcat feelings you don't understand" "Rusted brandy in a diamond glass Everything is made from dreams Time made for us is slow and sweet Only a fool knows what it means- Temtation" "These diamonds on my whindshield Are tears from heaven I'm rolling up fast on the interstate I've got me a steel train in the reign" What's not to like?

[stanner]

i gotta top 10 type list that hasnt changed in a while,(miles w/k.jarret, jimmy vaughan w/thunderbirds...)and in there is this tom waits show from back in the 70s-he was opening for bonnie raitt @ berkeley community theater and his performance was gutwrenchingly beautiful-it just somehow caught the audience and me by surprise(everyone was there to see bonnie!) and he just really touched my heart and the hairs on the back of my neck-hard to pin point why.anyway its on my list fwiw s

[gchildpblutah.com]

For wierd interpreters of song I always preferred Leon Redbone. Anyway, Holly Cole's "Temptation" album almost made Mr. Wait's songs listenable.

[eightyeightkeys]

It really is funny. I loved it. As soon as I flipped to that channel and started to listen I was glued. In this cookie cutter, jump on the bandwagon world Tom is really something different. No pseudo intellectual bullshit or singers forcing false emotion seemingly getting paid by the note. I worked with one artist from the Ukraine that was sort of like Tom Waits and though I couldn't understand all of the words perfectly the music and his performance was very compelling. Each line dripped with description and drew you in. Art.

[Magpel]

Your loss! I'm just thankful that he's remained productive. Mule Variations sold a million copies. For a while there it looked like he would become primarily known as an actor. Some time in the early 80s, with the encouragement of his wife, Kathleen Brennan, Waits decided to go for a kind of anthropological field recording sound. You begin to hear it on Swordfish and it's in full bloom by Rain Dogs, my favorite Waits album. Some find Bone Machine and Black Rider unlistenably savage in production; I think they're totally beautiful. BTW, I missed the TV appearance, but I'm sure it was occasioned by the fact that Tom released not one but two new albums on Tuesday of this week. I can't wait(s). First a new Elvis Costello and now two new Waits discs. Favorite Waits line? Impossible. How about: Hell doesn't want you and heaven is full. We're chained to the world and we all got to pull or: All your cryin don't do no good Come on up to the house Come down off the cross We can use the wood Come on up to the house or: Well it's 9th and Hennepin And all the donuts have Names that sound like prostitutes And the moon's teeth marks are On the sky like a tarp thrown over all this And the broken umbrellas like Dead birds and the steam Comes out of the grill like The whole goddamned town is ready to blow. And the bricks are all scarred with jailhouse tattoos And everyone is behaving like dogs. And the horses are coming down Violin Road And Dutch is dead on his feet And the rooms all smell like diesel And you take on the Dreams of the ones who have slept here. And I'm lost in the window I hide on the stairway I hang in the curtain I sleep in your hat And no one brings anything Small into a bar around here. They all started out with bad directions And the girls behind the counter has a tattooed tear, One for every year he's away she said, such A crumbling beauty, but there's Nothing wrong with her that $100 won't fix, she has that razor sadness That only gets worse With the clang and the thunder of the Southern Pacific going by As the clock ticks out like a dripping faucet Till you're full of rag water and bitters and blue ruin And you spill out Over the side to anyone who'll listen And I've seen it All through the yellow windows Of the evening train.

[Mr. Downchild]

I dig the last ablum that John Hammond jr put out called 'Wicked Grin'. It's an album of Tom Waits covers. 'Heartattack And Vine' [i]waitsean[/i] may have the zinger of the year with: "There aint no devil....it's only god when he's drunk". Definetely ' [i]waitsean[/i] '.