Does anyone actually like Tom Waits?

[Pierre.Suave]

I almost cant stand him, he sounds so forced it is nearly unlistenable.

[Fenris]

1. Yes.

[Pierre.Suave]

9. OK

[crim son]

2. Interesting. The boyfriend introduced me to him some time ago.

He was trying to get me to prefer Waits' "Hallelujah" to almost anybody's but in my case, K D Lang's. I didn't prefer it, but I did like...okay, freaky. I went to his lastfm page to find the song. It's gone but there is a huge new list... of my songs. Hmmm.

Anyhow, Waits did a couple of good ones. "God's Away on Business" is interesting.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExyRMqX8eOA

It's the lyrics.

I'd sell your heart to the junkman baby
For a buck, for a buck
If you're looking for someone to pull you out of that ditch
You're out of luck, you're out of luck

Ship is sinking
The ship is sinking
The ship is sinking

There's a leak, there's a leak in the boiler room
The poor, the lame, the blind
Who are the ones that we kept in charge?
Killers, thieves and lawyers

God's away, God's away
God's away on business, business
God's away, God's away
God's away on business, business

Digging up the dead with a shovel and a pick
It's a job, it's a job
Bloody moon rising with a plague and a flood
Join the mob, join the mob
It's all over, it's all over
It's all over

There's a leak, there's a leak in the boiler room
The poor, the lame, the blind
Who are the ones that we kept in charge?
Killers, thieves and lawyers

God's away, God's away
God's away on business, business
God's away, God's away on business, business

Godddamn there's always such a big temptation
To be good, to be good
There's always free cheddar in a mousetrap, baby
It's a deal, it's a deal

God's away, God's away
God's away on business, business
God's away, God's away
God's away on business, business

I narrow my eyes like a coin slot baby
Let her ring, let her ring

God's away, God's away
God's away on business, business
God's away, God's away
God's away on business, business

[Pierre.Suave]

4. Check this version of Leonard Cohens "hallelujah"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thNVaVfCQEo

[harmonicon]

11. Almost anyone but Leonard Cohen doing that song is completely wrong

It's like the Cat Power version of "Satisfaction" - WTF?! Why cover "satisfaction"? Devo excepted.

[Pierre.Suave]

14. She is really good though

it is a great performance, if you havent, please watch it.

[harmonicon]

30. I've seen it before

Maybe you or someone else posted it.... it just didn't do it for me. One of the Jeff Buckley versions I thought was ok, but not as good as the original doing it.

[mr blur]

74. No, John Cale nails it -

better than the Cohen, IMO

[mitchum]

80. That is the absolute truth. Cohen is talented, but Cale is a genius.

[semillama]

103. "DEVO excepted" - right on!

Anything DEVO covers is awesome, and that includes "Are You Experienced?" and "Head Like a Hole".

[crim son]

13. Beautiful

And I meant Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah. I'm getting the voices confused. Allison Crowe has a beautiful voice. And wow, she gets better as she goes on. Thanks, jasonc.

Do you know KD Lang's? I am a KD Lang fan because I'm Canadian, but also because her voice is incredible.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_NpxTWbovE

[Pierre.Suave]

25. I do know about KD Lang

but dont listen to her much.

I am glad you liked that video.

[crim son]

37. A diplomatic response.

(curtseys)

[Pierre.Suave]

42. LOL

:hug:z my dear and Beautiful Crim son

[crim son]

43. Thanks, and the same to you.

:hug:z

:hi:

[jobycom]

52. How can you confuse Tom Wait and Leonard Cohen? They are as different as

80 grit sandpaper and 100 grit sandpaper.

[crim son]

55. Laughing. I think your question illustrates how out-of-my-normal

musical comfort zone they both are. I wouldn't confuse Bach and Mozart, I assure you. But I do try to be eclectic, because there's so much out there to love. :D

[Schema Thing]

61. There was someone who post here on Du, who posted a relative

...some youngish (17?) girl who was making a music career in LA. I wasn't all that into her original stuff, but she did a truly beautiful (and way beyond her age) cover of hallelujah. Beautiful girl too.


Don't ask me to remember who the poster was though, and I don't think I bookmarked the singer.

[ghostsofgiants]

3. Lots of people.

[Pierre.Suave]

5. really?

I dont "get" him.

[ghostsofgiants]

7. I can take him or leave him, but a few of my friends really love him.

[timtom]

95. He's a beat poet in the tradition of Ginsberg, Kerouac....

[The Magistrate]

6. Hell Yes, Sir!!

[Pierre.Suave]

8. Interesting

maybe I have not heard enough of his stuff, either that or Scarlett Johansson ruined it for me...

[harmonicon]

18. I loved the Scarlett Johansson!

She made me really listen to his song-writing (admittedly, I didn't buy the album and just heard the single), which I found to be very beautiful, but otherwise spoiled by his own stylized performance.

[Pierre.Suave]

23. I think I actually like Tom Waits version better

[The Magistrate]

39. It is Certainly Stylized, Sir

Anything that can evoke strong attachment can as easily provoke strong repulsion.

This is one I like particularly:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O127XdrcXVM

[Pierre.Suave]

44. I appreciate that you like him

I dont fnd him repulsive, but man, I tried to listen to your link and I just wasnt feeling it.

[The Magistrate]

49. Tastes Differ, Sir

Doubtless you like some things that would leave me cold. Some of the charm for me is that the lyric and attitude evokes my 'adventurous youth', past some years by the time this fellow began to sing....

[enigmatic]

68. I heartily agree, sir!

:thumbsup:

[cemaphonic]

10. What's not to like?

Interesting, memorable lyrics, one of the most varied musical palettes in all of popular music, and an iconic recognizable voice. Good sense of humor too.

[Pierre.Suave]

24. It sounds grating to me

maybe I need to listen more.

[cemaphonic]

32. If you're talking about his voice, have you heard some of his older stuff?

Here's one from his first album:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqV8mpTfBHc&feature=related

He's always been a bit gravelly, but he doesn't always do the gruff Howlin' Wolf/Captain Beefheart-style voice either, even in his newer music.

Same goes for his music. Some is percussive and noisy, but a lot of it is more traditional arrangements in a lot of different styles. And he has a real knack for writing melodies that seem like they are older songs that you just can't quite remember.

[harmonicon]

12. I agree

I think he's a fascinating dude, but I don't like his schtick. He decided pretty early on to just do self-parody, which I don't really respect. I know that some would say that he's not doing self-parody, but has instead found a unique voice and is exploring nuance within the field which he's carved out for himself, but I don't see it that way.

[Pierre.Suave]

17. He does certainly do his own thing

I dont know if it is my thing though...

lol...

[mitchum]

81. You have his number, harmonicon

longtime self-parody

[Iggo]

15. I like reading his lyrics...

...but I can't stand listening to his music.

Kinda like (and I'm gonna get killed for this one, but here goes)...Frank Zappa.

:hide:

[Pierre.Suave]

20. Not by me

[Oeditpus Rex]

16. Yes, indeed

He's like Roy Zimmerman on an acid-and-reds jag. :D

[Pierre.Suave]

21. HAHA

:spray:

[Starbucks Anarchist]

19. I love Tom Waits.

[Pierre.Suave]

22. Oh you're just a music nerd

what do you know...:P

heard any good jazz albums lately?

[Starbucks Anarchist]

31. Coltrane's "Ascension" and Eric Dolphy's "Outward Bound."

Part of my recent avant-garde jazz kick.

[Pierre.Suave]

33. I recently picked this up

ELLA FITZGERALD AND LOUIS ARMSTRONG - ELLA AND LOUIS (LIMITED EDITION 200g JAPANESE IMPORT LP)

[Starbucks Anarchist]

36. I think I have that one laying around somewhere.

Good album.

[Pierre.Suave]

41. it is

[grasswire]

85. what a great photo

Louis, my hero. Ella, the queen.

[timtom]

113. Two of my absolute favorites

and both shining emblems of American music.

[Starry Messenger]

26. When I first heard him it was a shock.

I thought someone was strangling Ethel Merman. But he grew on me.

[Pierre.Suave]

27. LOL

[Starry Messenger]

70. I actually posted a Tom Waits poll here in the Lounge just recently

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=105x8164681

I love his lyrics.

[fishwax]

28. I like Tom Waits

:woohoo:

Now I shall go listen to The Ghosts of Saturday Night, which contains one of my favorite character descriptions in all of rockdom: "A solitary sailor (who) spends the facts of his life like small change on strangers"--http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwhgoaEQ1Pw

[patrick t. cakes]

29. sometimes

[Swede]

34. I do!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OLA6AiZlVw
Downtown train

Outside another yellow moon
has punched a hole in the night time mist
I climb through the window and down to the street
I'm shining like a new dime
The downtown trains are full
full of all them Brooklyn girls
They try so hard to break out of their little worlds

You wave your hand and they scatter like crows
They have nothing that'll ever capture your heart
They're just thorns without the rose
Be careful of them in the dark
Oh if I was the one you chose to be your only one
Oh baby can't you hear me now, can't you hear me now

Will I see you tonight on a downtown train
Every night, every night its just the same
On a downtown train

I know your window and I know its late
I know your stairs and your doorway
I walk down your street and past your gate
I stand by the light of the four way
and watch them as they fall, oh baby
They all having their heart attacks
They stay at the carnival
But they'll never win you back

Will I see you tonight on a downtown train
Every night, every night its just the same
You leave me lonely
Will I see you tonight on a downtown train
All my dreams, all my dreams fall like rain
On a downtown train

Will I see you tonight on a downtown train
Every night, every night its just the same

Will I see you tonight on a downtown train
All my dreams, all my dreams fall like rain
On a downtown train
On a downtown train
All my dreams fall like rain
On a downtown train

[Tuesday Afternoon]

38. one of my most favorite of all train songs

yes. indeed. Tom Waits!

[cemaphonic]

47. Wow, that's a cheesy video. Wind machines and everything.

It's a great song though. My favorite Waits video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzKiqk2iynY

(also, "Town with No Cheer", which I can't seem to find at the moment.)

Also: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0Puxfk5Huk&feature=related, which is even more creepy when you find out that that is his house.

[Orrex]

92. Rod Stewart and Patty Smyth should both be slain

Other cover-versions still pale before the original, but they don't demand execution

[Common Sense Party]

35. No. He's deplorable. nt

[britpopper]

40. I do like him...

...in moderation...Bone Machine is quite good...

[mcctatas]

45. for you sweetie...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OLA6AiZlVw

[Pierre.Suave]

48. This is more my style

http://jazz88.mpls.k12.mn.us/

It is a local Jazz Station partly staffed by Minneapolis High School students.

[Withywindle]

46. God yes.

His songwriting resonates with me more than just about anyone else's.

[jobycom]

50. Love him, even love his "forced" sound.

Tense and compulsive.

But I can't bear him all the time. Some days I could hear him for hours. Others I wear out before the first song is over.

[Pierre.Suave]

54. I know that feeling

but I dont think I could ever listen to him for hours.

[jobycom]

56. Well, I've been clicking youtubes since I saw this thread

So not quite hours, but he's been fascinating me for a bit now.

You've got enough links posted, so I won't add anymore. :) But if you get bored, look up "I hope that I don't fall in love with you." Folk/alt country sound, not so much gravel.

[Danger Mouse]

51. I love him.

[Pierre.Suave]

53. Dont you have some thetans to wait for or something?

:P

[BlueIris]

57. I do, I do, I do!!! nt

[Amerigo Vespucci]

58. YES

The first album really felt like a first album.

The second and third, "The Heart of Saturday Night" and "Nighthawks At The Diner," are essential. I'd classify "The Heart of Saturday Night" as "the definitive Tom Waits album" and consider it to be every bit as significant as the best works of Warren Zevon, Bruce Springsteen...prime "singer / songwriter" stuff.

Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes did a killer version of "New Coat Of Paint" from "The Heart of Saturday Night."



1. New Coat Of Paint
2. San Diego Serenade
3. Semi Suite 3:29
4. Shiver Me Timbers
5. Diamonds On My Windshield
6. The Heart Of Saturday Night
7. Fumblin' With The Blues
8. Please Call Me, Baby
9. Depot, Depot 3:46
10. Drunk On The Moon
11. The Ghosts Of Saturday Night (After Hours at Napoleone's Pizza House)



:toast:

[cemaphonic]

59. Here's the vocal tradition he's coming from:

Howlin' Wolf:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LNt5J0Cesc

Captain Beefheart:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21voUGVzym4&feature=related

[Initech]

60. I like some of his stuff but I havent really been able to get into him that much.

[AbbeyRoad]

62. Many do. It seems that I should too, but I just can't. n/t

[Patchuli]

63. Love him!!! nt

[electricmonk]

64. Love him

He's on my short list of celebs I would like to hang out with and just shoot the shit with.

Interview and short song clips. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BpRyH1dNqw

One of my faves of his (hard to pick one really). Make it Rain http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rF3YQ5WajJk

[enigmatic]

65. Waits is a genius

Flat-out. One of the best songwriters of the past 35 years.

Tom Traubert's Blues:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZmqbcBsTAw

Connie Champagne doing Tom's "Ruby's Arms":

http://recluseshow.blogspot.com/2007/02/rubys-arms-connie-champagne.html

[enigmatic]

66. "Martha" is about as heartbreaking as it gets

I always get a lump in my throat by the end when I play it on my show:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBtlmdV_ZLY

Operator, number, please:
it’s been so many years
Will she remember my old voice
while I fight the tears?
Hello, hello there, is this Martha?
this is old Tom Frost,
And I am calling long distance,
don’t worry ’bout the cost.
‘Cause it’s been forty years or more,
now Martha please recall,
Meet me out for coffee,
where we’ll talk about it all.

And those were the days of roses,
poetry and prose and Martha
all I had was you and all you had was me.
There was no tomorrows,
we’d packed away our sorrows
And we saved them for a rainy day.

And I feel so much older now,
and you’re much older too,
How’s your husband?
and how’s the kids?
you know that I got married too?
Lucky that you found someone
to make you feel secure,
‘Cause we were all so young and foolish,
now we are mature.

And those were the days of roses,
poetry and prose and Martha
all I had was you and all you had was me.
There was no tomorrows,
we’d packed away our sorrows
And we saved them for a rainy day.

And I was always so impulsive,
I guess that I still am,
And all that really mattered then
was that I was a man.
I guess that our being together
was never meant to be.
And Martha, Martha,
I love you can’t you see?

And those were the days of roses,
poetry and prose and Martha
all I had was you and all you had was me.
There was no tomorrows,
we’d packed away our sorrows
And we saved them for a rainy day.

And I remember quiet evenings
trembling close to you…

[cemaphonic]

72. Yeah, leave it to Waits to take that dumb old songwriter cliche

of talking to the operator about your lost love (and never actually connecting) and making it totally brilliant.

[A-Schwarzenegger]

67. Listen to "Day After Tomorrow."

[enigmatic]

69. Another great one

Of many...

[Heidi]

71. Here are two links: Tom Waits as singer, and Tom Waits as actor.

Waits may be an acquired taste, but I do love the guy.

Waits singing "Jockey Full of Bourbon," the theme song of "Down By Law": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7WNZ8jXKpZI

Tom Waits (and Iggy Pop) in "Coffee and Cigarettes": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6Mw6b1T50U

[Mojambo]

73. Every single person in my social circle does, but I'm not feeling it.

Ah well.

[cwydro]

75. I used to love him years ago.

"I hope I don't fall in love with you".

Old song, great song.

[malta blue]

76. LOVE HIM.

:shrug:

[tekisui]

77. I love Tom Waits. Try his earlier stuff to get started.

[zabet]

78. Yes.

Hold On - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74xpualjuhk

Get Behind The Mule - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORSMACaVPYY

[mitchum]

79. He tries wayyyyyyyy too hard. It's a cooler shtick, but still no less of a shtick than Kiss

[mitchum]

82. I have a friend who does a great impression of Waits singing "Sometimes...

When We Touch (The Honesty Is Just Too Much)"
and it does sound like a Waits original
He does that to underscore how much Waits own work relies upon a lot of boilerplate sentimental horseshit.

[graywarrior]

83. Yes

[Starbucks Anarchist]

84. One of my favorites - "Cold Cold Ground."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Urkki2FIymU

Unofficial video on YouTube.

[mikeytherat]

86. I never did until I heard this: Diamonds on my Windshield

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V143YHuQGM8

Diamonds on my windshield
Tears from heaven
Pullin' into town on the Interstate
Pullin' a steel train in the rain
Wind bites my cheek through the wing
Fast flying and freeway driving
Always makes me sing
Duster tryin' to change my tune
Pullin' up fast on the right
Rollin' restlessly, twenty-four hour moon

Wisconsin hiker with a cue-ball head
Wishin' he's home in a Wisconsin bed
Fifteen feet of snow in the east
Colder than a welldigger's ass
And Oceanside, it ends the ride,
San Clemente coming up
Sunday desperadoes slip by
Texaco station close in, you cruise by with a dry back
The orange drive-in, neon billin'
Theatre's fillin' to the brim
Slave girls and a hot spurn bucket full of sin
Metropolitan area, interchange and connections
Fly-by-nights from Riverside
Black and white plates, out of state, running a little late

Sailors jockey for the fast lane 101 don't miss it
Rollin' hills and concrete fields
Broken line on your mind
The eights go east and the fives go north
And the merging nexus back and forth
See your sign, you cross the line, signal with a blink
Radio's gone off the air, and gives you time to think
Easy ridin', creep across, this intersection
Hear the rumble as you fumble for a cigarette
Blazin' through the neon jungle
Remember someone that you met
And one more block, the engine talks
And whispers: home at last
Whispers
Whispers
Whispers home at last
Home at last

mikey_the_rat

[Sequoia]

87. Yes.

Not all his songs. He lives in my neck of the woods and see him in town from time to time.

[Tikki]

88. Love, love love him.....

Guess you get him or you don't....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzKiqk2iynY
"I Don't Want To Grow Up"...Tom Waits


Tikki

[CrownPrinceBandar]

89. I'm a big fan of Tom........

"Singapore" is one of my favorites.

[Silver Swan]

90. I first discovered Tom Waits

when I was trying to find information about an event in Johnsburg, Illinois, a town a few miles from me. (And my daughter lives in McHenry, also mentioned in the song.) So, of course, I bought the CD. Waits kind of grows on you, but then I also like Leonard Cohen!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNKy_zV4lis

She's my only true love
she's all that I think of
look here in my wallet
that's her
She grew up on a farm there
there's a place on my arm
where I've written her name
next to mine
you see I just can't
live without her
and I'm her only boy
and she grew up outside McHenry
in Johnsburg, Illinois

[DeepBlueC]

91. Me. I do.

[redqueen]

93. Yes

[applegrove]

94. I won't turn him off if he is on the radio.

[Blue_In_AK]

96. Love him.

[mvd]

97. This might surprise people, but yes, I like some of his stuff

Depends on the song.

[Mudoria]

98. He's an acquired taste

Personally I think his music sucks but brother is a fan. To each his or her own..

[Forkboy]

99. Count me in with the ones who do.

There will always be room in my collection for his stuff. I can see why some people don't like it, but for me it goes over nicely. And it's so different from most of what I normally listen to that it scratches a certain itch that the others don't.

[Rabrrrrrr]

100. What?! WHAT?!?!?! Are you serious? More talent in his asshole than in all seasons of American Idol.

Tom Waits is fucking WONDERFUL!!

His opera with Robert Wilson "The Black Rider" is an absolutely incredible piece, and Woyzek was also quite good, though not quite the piece that Black Rider was, in my opinion.

[Amerigo Vespucci]

104. "Chunks of guys like Clay Aiken in his stool"

Sorry...that Phil Hartman bit was definitely in his all-time top ten. R.I.P. Phil...

:toast:

The Sinatra Group

Frank Sinatra.....Phil Hartman
Sinead O'Connor.....Jan Hooks
Billy Idol.....Sting
Luther Campbell.....Chris Rock
Steve Lawrence.....Mike Myers
Eydie Gorme.....Victoria Jackson

http://snltranscripts.jt.org/90/90ksinatra.phtml





Announcer: The Sinatra Group. An unrehearsed discussion of current issues in the recording industry. With panelists Sinead O'Connor, Billy Idol, 2 Live Crew star Luther Campbell, and Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme. And now, here's the moderator, Frank Sinatra.

Frank Sinatra: Issue number one: Censorship. They got the records with the labels now, people getting arrested. What the hell's going on? Sine-aid O'Conner!

Sinead O'Connor: Well, I thnk it's a bloody shame that freedom of expression is suppressed in this country..

Frank Sinatra: Yap, yap, yap! Billy Idol!

Billy Idol: I think they're all a bunch of tight-assed old farts.

Frank Sinatra: Get a haircut. Luther Campbell!

Luther Campbell: Well, man I had my run-ins with censorship all year.

Frank Sinatra: Can't understand a word.

Luther Campbell: I said I was censored all year.

Frank Sinatra: You don't know what censored is, junior. Censored is being dumped by Columbia because Mitch Miller doesn't like the way your career is going. It's having million-dollar pipes and nowhere to play 'em. Am I right, Steve and Eydie?

Steve Lawrence: Yes, you are, Frank.

Eydie Gorme: Absolutely, Frank.

Frank Sinatra: You bet I am. Next issue: this crap with M-TV. With the nudity and all. What is this crap? Sinbad O'Connor.

Sinead O'Connor: Well, I think it's bloody awful. But it's typical of entertainment in a male-dominated society.

Frank Sinatra: Boo-hoo! You had me, and then you lost me! Billy Idol.

Billy Idol: I think it's great.

Frank Sinatra: Shut up! Luther Campbell.

Luther Campbell: Well, that's my bread and butter, man.

Frank Sinatra: Once more around, pal. Sounds like pops and buzzes from here.

Luther Campbell: I said, that's my bread and butter, man.
Frank Sinatra: No, you're wrong, schoolboy. You don't need to work blue! You'll never play the big rooms with that crap. Ask Redd Foxx. You don't need the blue stuff, kid, you got talent!

Luther Campbell: But I don't have talent.

Frank Sinatra: You've got it, kid. You listen to me - you've got a Ben Vereen quality, I can't put my finger on it. Take the high road, baby!

Luther Campbell: I swear, man, I don't have any talent. None! This is all I got. (to Billy Idol) Tell him, man.

Billy Idol: Yeah, he sucks!

Sinead O'Connor: He's not talented.

Frank Sinatra: No, Bob Goulet - that's not talented! You got talent! You got a Dionne Warwick/Falana kind of thing going. Steve and Eydie?

Eydie Gorme: Oh, you're right, Frank.

Steve Lawrence: Absolutely. He's great!

Frank Sinatra: Of course he is, you brownnoses. Look at you, you're just swimming in my wake. Issue number three: (points to Sinead) This bald chick - what's with her head? Let's start with the chick. What gives, cue ball? I'm looking at you, I'm thinking: fourteen in the side pocket!

Sinead O'Connor: I can't believe you're talking about my hair with all the bloody starvation and suffering in the world right now.

Frank Sinatra: Come on! Swing, baby, you're platinum! Billy Idol.

Billy Idol: I think she's really quite attractive.

Frank Sinatra: Check out his papers. Luther Campbell!

Billy Idol: You watch it, mate!

Frank Sinatra: Easy, baby! And what's with the sneering crap? (Billy sneers) Don't do that to the people, they want to like you! That's what killed Dennis day - contempt for the audience. Luther Campbell! What about the chick's head?

Luther Campbell: Be honest, I don't care about the head. I like the butt.

Frank Sinatra: I hear you, baby. Forget the head. Put a bag over it and do your business! Am I right, Steve and Eydie?

Steve Lawrence: (slow to answer) You bet, Frank!

Eydie Gorme: You know it, Chairman!

Frank Sinatra: You were a little slow that time.

Steve and Eydie: Sorry, Frank.

Frank Sinatra: Forget it, you're alright. You could pick up a check once in a while..

Eydie Gorme: Frank, that's not fair.

Frank Sinatra: Shut up! Okay, issue number four: Milli Vanilli. What is this faggot crap? Uncle Fester!

Sinead O'Connor: I don't understand the question.

Frank Sinatra: I'll tell you what you better understand! Next time you see Old Glory riding up that pole, you better sing that anthem, darling! You're lucky you're a chick, or you'd be nothing but a stain on the road and a crewcut. Our founding fathers went to the mat for you, baby!

Sinead O'Connor: It's not my flag - I'm Irish.

Frank Sinatra: Oh? Well, then stay off of this stuff.. (mimes drinking) That's the curse of you people. Billy Idol!

Billy Idol: I forgot the bloody question.

Frank Sinatra: I'll tell you the question - What the hell's with this Devil stuff? The whole black mass, and the whole six-six-six, coffins thing? Don't think the Big Man ain't keeping score, baby! He put you in the penthouse, and He can kick you back down to the gutter with these two! (points to Steve & Eydie)

Steve and Eydie: Hey! Geez!

Frank Sinatra: Shut up, you wastes of space! Just be glad you get to hang with me!

Steve Lawrence: You're right, Frank.

Eydie Gorme: Sorry.

Frank Sinatra: It's your choice. You can open for me at the Meadowlands, or you can headline at the Tick Tock Inn. Okay, Luther!

Luther Campbell: I think Milli Vanilli got what htey deserved.

Frank Sinatra: Can't understand a word. Next issue - Rita Hayworth or Ava Gardner, who would you rather nail? I disqualify myself, because I've done them both.

Billy Idol: I think you're a bloody, stupid old fart!

Frank Sinatra: You're all talk, blondie! You want a piece of me? I'm right here!

Billy Idol: Don't provoke me, old man.

Frank Sinatra: You don't scare me. I've got chunks of guys like you in my stool!

Billy Idol: Alright, I'll rip your bloody head off.

Frank Sinatra: Steve, go kick his ass.

Steve Lawrence: (confused) What?

Frank Sinatra: You heard me!

Eydie Gorme: Do it, Steve!

Steve Lawrence: Huh? Well.. okay.. (stands over Billy)

Billy Idol: You got it. (punches Steve in the gut, knocking him to the floor)

Frank Sinatra: Next week, the Grammy Awards. Where the hell is Vicki Carr's album? Bye bye. (overlooking the fight) Keep the hands up, Steve..

[Rabrrrrrr]

105. That's awesome! I bet Clay Aiken doesn't even understand Waits' music.

[Zomby Woof]

111. Wonderful and underappreciated work!

"November" is chilly enough to make me go get a coat, no matter the weather.

[Dr Fate]

101. He has some interesting songs- and I enjoy a handful of them...

Thanks to Ipod sharing, I own almost every record he made, and I'm not even a huge fan.

He seems to have built his imagery & lyrical arsenal on Charles Bukowski, imaginary street/gutter culture & film noir type archetypes- it can be interesting...

[Taverner]

102. Lyrics are great, singing and music is horrible

He's a poet, not a musician.

[snailly]

106. I have a visceral hatred for him.

Glad I'm not the only one.

[SoxFan]

107. He sounds like a sterno bum with TB

Yeah, yeah, I'm a philistine. I don't care for Leonard Cohen either.

[Zomby Woof]

108. Yes

Lots of great albums, but "Rain Dogs" and "Swordfishtrombones" are the pinnacle.

[mitchum]

109. He goes slumming so that his audience doesn't have to

visceral thrills for the bourgeoisie

[Zomby Woof]

110. That's not what I get from him

He has some interesting arrangements and colors going on underneath the boozy bohemian gravelly vocal groove. He gets top-notch musicians in there to mix it up - (I have never heard the ex-members of Little Feat sound that dirty.) I have a weakness for musicians who don't quite sound like anyone else, even as you know where they draw their influences. Which includes carnival music on acid, I suppose. And I wouldn't be a complete fan without loving his lyrics.

I'm guilty of a lot of musical sins, but I could never slum viscerally. :-)

[cemaphonic]

112. Pre "Swordfishtrombones" maybe

Although he really was a depressed alcoholic at the time, so I'm not sure that slumming fits. If he's been slumming for the last 2 decades though, they're much more interesting slums then I've ever seen.

(And yeah, I know, hobo romanticism has been a pretty common theme up to this day, but I think that's more of a conscious and stylized invocation of the "old weird America" than any notion that it is at all autobiographical).