Grim Reapers & Grand Weepers - The Tom Waits Thread

[jayson]

I have finally gotten around to starting a thread about Tom Waits.

Simply stated, I think Tom is the most unique and versatile performer in the music industry. From his early days as the drunken piano player to the highly experimental rock of the trilogy of 1980's Island Records albums to the all that has come after, it is impossible to pin Tom down to a single genre or a single influence. He is a true musical chameleon. Over the course of his lengthy career, his music has incorporated the sounds of jazz, blues, vaudeville, showtunes, music of the Weimar Republic, every style of rock, experimental music and anything and everything in between.

His lyrics are, to me, as good as they come in music. The worlds of his songs are populated by characters that can be either real and lifelike, or truly sublime roadside carnival attractions. His turns of phrase are poignant and incisive.

A common critique of Tom involves all sorts of jokes about his voice, most of them clever ways of calling him "gravelly voiced." First of all, his singing voice is much more than just the gravelly sound with which he is most associated. Yes, that is part of it, but when you have read and understood the lyrics, that voice becomes an integral part of the world his songs inhabit. Hearing some of these songs sung by a less abrasive voice would rob them of their power. Tom's vocal delivery combines the best elements of singers like Howlin' Wolf and Don Van Vliet (aka Capt. Beefheart). I've also contended many times that when you listen to the entirety of his catalog, you'll find that there is much much more to Tom's voice than "that growl". It is one of the most versatile voices out there, and oozes authenticity into every note.

But enough of my thoughts, let's let the man and his music speak for itself. Here are some clips from youtube of the man from throughout his career. If there was ever any question of what it is I see in Tom Waits, let this be my answer...

Tom Traubert's Blues (Four Sheets to the Wind in Copenhagen)
Live, 1977
YouTube - Tom Waits - Tom Traubert's Blues - 1977

Warm Beer, Cold Women
Live, 1976
YouTube - Tom Waits - Warm Beer Cold Women

Time
Live version from the film "Big Time"
YouTube - Tom Waits - Time

Walking Spanish
Live, 1986
YouTube - Tom Waits - Make It Rain - Live on Letterman Show

16 Shells From a Thirty-Ought-Six
Live version from the film "Big Time"
YouTube - Tom Waits - 16 shells from a Thirty-Ought Six

Hold On
Studio Version (From the album "Mule Variations" 1999)
YouTube - Tom Waits - Hold On

House Where Nobody Lives
Live on the Tonight Show, 2000
YouTube - House Where Nobody Lives

Make It Rain
Live on Late Night, 2007
YouTube - Tom Waits - Make It Rain - Live on Letterman Show

Day After Tomorrow
Live, 2008
YouTube - Tom Waits - "Day After Tomorrow"

Bottom of the World
Live, 2008
YouTube - Tom Waits - "Bottom of the World"

[Sam]

ok, um, who's Tom Waits?

[jayson]

Tom is a singer, songwriter, composer, musician who has been active in the music business since the 1970's. He's won at least two Grammy Awards, though mainstream success has never been something he's achieved or sought.

As a songwriter, his songs have been covered by a wide variety of artists, some notable ones include The Eagles ("'Ol 55"), Bruce Springsteen ("Jersey Girl") and Rod Stewart ("Downtown Train").

He's also an actor, probably most known for his portrayal of Renfield in Francis Ford Coppolla's Dracula (imo, the only good performance in an otherwise crappy film). He also appeared in such films as Ironweed, Short Cuts, One From the Heart, and Rumblefish. His most recent role is in the upcoming Terry Gilliam film The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus, in which Tom plays the Devil. This film also features the final performance of Heath Ledger.

[flaggwalkstheline]

I'm also a member of the international cult of waits
sam, n thats who ur learning about on this thread
Tom Waits is the most badass musician EVER
His songwriting prowess is second 2 none (in my opinion even better than bob dylan and Im also a dylanophile)
And while his voice may be harsh he does alot with it and if u listen 2 him its clear that he has more emotional range than almost any other singer, PLUS hes like almost 60 years old and while almost all other older artists get calmer as they get older or go on reunion tours (except bob dylan of course) Waits gets bigger badder and crazier with every album!
heres his wikipedia page (I helped edit it)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_waits
and heres a recording that R of G didnt have up there
YouTube - 14. Tom Waits - Lucky Day (Live, Atlanta 2008)


and heres another 1
YouTube - 6. Tom Waits - Cemetery Polka (Live, Atlanta 2008)

[jayson]

I concur with that, and I am also a massive admirer of Mr. Zimmerman. However, as great as Bob is and as much as I love him, on a pure percentage basis, Tom has more truly great songs and albums than Bob does. Tom also seems to be better at generating complete albums that work both as individual parts as well as a functioning whole product. This is true of only a small number of Bob's albums. I love Bob, and he is easily my second favorite songwriter of all time, but Tom is the top of the food chain.

It should also be noted that Waits and Dylan are each big admirers of the works of the other.

[flaggwalkstheline]

Dylan has released more bad albums than most artists have released in their whole career good bad or other wise (about 1/3 of his releases are nigh unlistenable)
but the 2/3 of his catalgue which is good Is SO GOOD that it overshadows the mountains of junk
Waits on the other hand consistently releases great and if not great at least good albums
I think that Tom Waits should play gasher in a film version of DT3

[jayson]

Not to typecast Tom back into his 1970's persona, but if ever there was a DT movie role custom made for Mr. Waits it would be Sheb. I have pictured Tom as Sheb for many many years now.

[flaggwalkstheline]

hmmm sheb would be cool
Sheb is actually one of my favorite dark tower characters, I would love 2 see how he ended up traveling from mejis to tull
off topic...
The Gilliam film with Waits as the devil sounds awesome! his song "just the right bullets" from the black rider is one of my favorite songs, its him as the devil tempting hunters with the promise of magic bullets

[jayson]

You have no idea how much I've been looking forward to this film. Terry Gilliam is among my favorite directors of all time (his Brazil is my favorite film ever) so for him to work with Tom is a dream come true for me. I know Tom was in The Fisher King but it was such a small role that if you blink you'd miss him. This is a starring role and one that is perfectly suited for Tom.

The Black Rider is a masterpiece in its entirety. I'd have loved to have seen the stageshow that Tom wrote with Robert Wilson and William Burroughs. As you probably know, their version is based on the German opera Der Freischütz by Carl Maria von Weber. In that tale, the Devil offers magic bullets to the protagonist so he can win a challenge and thus win the hand of his love in marriage. Of course, like many deals with the Devil, the Devil has other plans and the bullets don't quite do what the protagonist intended.

[flaggwalkstheline]

I know that album is in my opinion one of those rare works of art that is absolutely perfect
Those snots at the all music guide gave it a negative review!
They should be fed to the lovecraftian creatures spoken of in the song underground!

[jayson]

Meh, the more critics don't like something that I do, the more I realize how right I am. :)

Always remember Frank Zappa's description of rock journalism as "people who can't write talking to people who can't speak for people who can't read." That goes double for the critics.

[flaggwalkstheline]

EXCEPT when its the artist themselves talking about their work at which point they have free rein to poo poo their every sentense (case in point: connor Oberst)

[jayson]

Here are some cover versions of a few of Tom's songs by some artists with whom you may be more familiar...

Eddie Vedder - Picture In a Frame

(I'll bet this gets turtlex' attention if she reads this post)
YouTube - Pearl Jam - Picture in a Frame (Bridge School '06)

The Ramones - I Don't Wanna Grow Up

YouTube - The Ramones - I Don't Want To Grow Up

Bruce Springsteen - Jersey Girl

YouTube - Jersey Girl - Bruce Springsteen

Norah Jones - The Long Way Home

YouTube - Norah Jones - Long Way Home (Live From Austin Texas)

Tori Amos - Time

YouTube - TORI AMOS live TIME

Bob Seger - Blind Love

YouTube - BLIND LOVE, BY BOB SEGER

[flaggwalkstheline]

that ramones version of I dont wanna grow up is cool
I like Waits' version of The Return Of Jackie And Judy, from orphans
Sadly I cant find it or his version Of Danny Says on youtube
We seem to be the only people posting on this thread lol

[obscurejude]

You are not the only ones reading the thread, though. I'm really enjoying it.

[jayson]

that ramones version of I dont wanna grow up is cool
I like Waits' version of The Return Of Jackie And Judy, from orphans
Sadly I cant find it or his version Of Danny Says on youtube


I love the Ramones almost as much as I love TW, for different reasons obviously, so for him to cover two of their songs was a treat for me. Sadly, Youtube is not such a good resource for Waits stuff, but it serves as an adequate introduction for some people here who have no previous knowledge of Tom. At least they can get an idea of who he is and hear some of his stuff. Believe me, if I could post the studio version of "Jockey Full of Bourbon" I think it would speak volumes of my love for Tom and Ribot, but alas I take what I can get and hope some folks are interested enough to check him out further on their own.



We seem to be the only people posting on this thread lol

Maybe the only ones posting because there aren't too many people here who listen to Tom, but definitely not the only ones reading as Ryan shows.:)
I do know there are others around here that listen to Tom, particularly Django as I met him at the TW forum. I know that Jean and Paula and Tiffany and some others have told me they enjoy Tom so perhaps they will find this thread at some point too.


You are not the only ones reading the thread, though. I'm really enjoying it.

I knew you'd be here listening and taking it all in. :)

[flaggwalkstheline]

Man I saw the bigtime performance of Telephone call from istanbul on youtube
It was AWESOME! I gotta find that on dvd

[jayson]

Unfortunately, Tom has yet to release Big Time on DVD so the only way to se it on DVD is to find a version converted from VHS. I actually still have my VHS copy somewhere and had a friend who edits video for a living copy it to DVD for me. It doesn't quite look or sound like DVD quality, but it works for me. I still anxiously await the day Tom allows a fully remastered version to be released on DVD.

I'd also like to see him put out a pro-shot video of an entire concert. I have a handful of shows on video but they are all audience shot bootleg stuff. I enjoy it and would love to see more, but I think someone who puts on a show like Tom should put out a full show for people to see with professional video and digital audio. It's not like it wouldn't sell.

[jayson]

Speaking of Big Time, if anybody out there has the Ovation Arts Network as part of their cable or satellite package, Big Time will air tonight at 8 pm EST. Enjoy it. I know I will.

[obscurejude]

I don't have too much to say right now, but I recently acquired Small Change and Mule Variations from a friend and...wow! I can't believe I'd never heard him before, but with such a large repertoire, I'm really looking forward to getting into his whole career.

I just can't stop listening to it. I'm about to go for a bike ride and it is so tempting to listen to him on my ipod, but that would almost ensure my death for I'll be biking in an urban area and I need to be able to hear the cars around me.

Anyways, Tom Waits is damn fine music. I'll have more to say when it sinks in a bit more.

[jayson]

Welcome to Waits Ryan. I was hoping it would grab you like this and I'm glad it did. :D

[Brice]

I don't have too much to say right now, but I recently acquired Small Change and Mule Variations from a friend and...wow! I can't believe I'd never heard him before, but with such a large repertoire, I'm really looking forward to getting into his whole career.

I just can't stop listening to it. I'm about to go for a bike ride and it is so tempting to listen to him on my ipod, but that would almost ensure my death for I'll be biking in an urban area and I need to be able to hear the cars around me.

Anyways, Tom Waits is damn fine music. I'll have more to say when it sinks in a bit more.


I used to bike from here to Wilmington blasting Metallica on the headphones. :lol:

[obscurejude]

Highways wouldn't be as dangerous, but still probably not a good idea Brice. I tend to ride within crazy traffic patterns when I'm going through downtown Raleigh and I've already been hit by a car. :lol: I'd be surprised if bike messengers listened to ipods while in downtown arena settings, but I'm sure some do.

Plus, I only used the big theater headphones so I'm completely deaf to the outside world. No ear bud bullshit for me.

[flaggwalkstheline]

have any of u guys heard the song "spacious thoughts" by N.A.S.A with Tom Waits and Keith kool? its really badass, antirecords website has it available for free download

[Mai]

Wow I love this thread. I love Tom Waits. I am not as into his music because I don't listen to it that often but what I have heard I really like. My sister went to see him n concert recently. I do like him alot I just never listen to him. Just because I dont have any easy access to his music. (No internet at home)

[jayson]

Proving for about the billionth time that he is not for sale, Tom recently refused to allow the (now cancelled) ABC show Life On Mars to use one of his songs. This is another in a long series of instances of Tom disapproving of the use of his songs for things which he does not approve. It's refreshing to see artists with this kind of integrity who are interested in more than a royalty check for the licensing rights.

This is not to say it's wrong to let movies or tv shows use your music, but it suggests that perhaps an artist should consider whether or not it's a movie or tv show they find to have some merit before they allow their music to be used.

http://www.prefixmag.com/news/tom-waits-turned-down-life-on-mars-said-he-hated-t/27433/

Tom Waits Turned Down Life on Mars, Said He Hated the Show
April 3, 2009 8:51 a.m. by Nick Neyland

The ABC show Life on Mars came to an unceremonious end this week after being canceled with just 17 episodes in the can. It may not have gained much of an audience, but it had one of the strangest endings to a major network TV show since Twin Peaks . I won’t give away the ending here, but if your curiosity is piqued, just check out the “Plot” section on the show’s Wikipedia page.

As the show came to an end, producers Josh Appelbaum and Scott Rosenberg talked frankly about their experiences to TVGude.com. Asked about the (mostly excellent) use of music on Life on Mars , they said: “We write every song into the script, not after the fact, because the music is so important. And only one person denied us.”

That person was Tom Waits, who is so adverse to artists having their songs used in commercials that he once said: "If Michael Jackson wants to work for Pepsi, why doesn't he just get himself a suit and an office in their headquarters and be done with it?". Applebaum said they attempted to use Waits’ “Tom Traubert’s Blues” in episode six of the show, but the singer firmly rebuffed them.

“Tom Waits approves all of his licensing, and he sent an email saying he thought the show was [bad],” said the producer. “It was pretty funny.” Anyone getting the shakes from going cold turkey on Life on Mars should check out the British version of the show, which is available here: Amazon.com: Life On Mars: Series 1 (U.K.): John Simm, Philip Glenister: Movies & TV

[obscurejude]

I read about all the lawsuits he won on his wiki page. More often than not, he gives the awarded damages to charity. :cool:

[jayson]

Indeed he does, which makes each instance doubly cool striking a victory for artists' rights and providing financial benefit to worthy causes.

One of his songs is currently in a tv commercial campaign, but it's not for a product, it's for Feeding America (a group which fights hunger and poverty in the US).

YouTube - Feeding America PSA - Version 1

[Brice]

Highways wouldn't be as dangerous, but still probably not a good idea Brice. I tend to ride within crazy traffic patterns when I'm going through downtown Raleigh and I've already been hit by a car. :lol: I'd be surprised if bike messengers listened to ipods while in downtown arena settings, but I'm sure some do.

Plus, I only used the big theater headphones so I'm completely deaf to the outside world. No ear bud bullshit for me.

I wear those too. :lol: I tend to be on the more reckless side of silly things like safety. I've done it in some pretty crazy traffic patterns too. I've been hit by several cars, but so far nothing so bad I couldn't walk away from it...eventually.

[jayson]

saw this bit this morning and thought some of you might find it amusing.


We asked people to be Tom Waits, this is what happened...

http://current.com/items/90043478_i-am-tom-waits.htm

[flaggwalkstheline]

that was cool!!!:pirate: