tom's the man

I'm not sure where to start with this one. It's vast, it's wide.

Tom Waits has a special place in my heart. We have a history. (I became a faithful fan in the early 90's, and still am.) You know how at different times in your life, different music affects you? Whenever you hear it later on, it brings you back to that time? Well, Tom has been a constant. I never get sick of him. His music permeates my life.Yes, I'm a complete nerd and I'm proud.

It was not, however, love at first sight (hear). The first time I was made aware of Tom Waits, was in theatre school. My close friend S. was and is a huge fan. The year was 1994. If you are at all familiar with Mr. Waits' discography,  Bone Machine was released in 1992. Two years later, S. would play the album in our set design classroom. (We spent many, many hours drafting in that room.) I couldn't stand the wrenching music and discordant sounds that came out of the player.  Lucky for me, S. didn't give up easily. He insisted I first needed to hear his early stuff, build up to the more experimental fare that Waits likes to offer.

It was Summer, I was sitting in S.'s truck. He put the cassette tape Asylum Years in the player. The first song I heard was "Jersey Girl", (originally from the Heartattack and Vine album). I was won over. That's all it took.

Here's another oldie, a true gem:


I did end up liking Bone Machine (in small doses), especially the tracks "I Don't Wanna Grow Up" and "Black Wings". The expanse of Tom Waits style allows for much enjoyment, even if some of his music doesn't speak to you. I have made it my mission to introduce people to his genius. He's clever, he tells a good story. His persona is fascinating, and he's actually very funny. He likes exploring the underside of society, he's also not afraid to express emotions like love, empathy... heartbreak. Yet he's still "cool".

Most of his fans want to be Tom.
Even me.



Tom Waits' discography is huge... He's a very prolific singer/songwriter, and he's been around for a while. To learn more about him, check out his official website: http://www.tomwaits.com/.