Tom Waits - The Acting Years

To mark the 70th birthday of Tom Waits (7 DEC 1949), Leigh Singer created this cool video which examines Waits' acting career. I think my fave role was when he played himself in Jarmusch's Coffee & Cigarettes in a scene with Iggy Pop. So funny. The video above is about ten minutes long and very worth your time if you have any interest in the man.

From the blurb on the YT page: As he turns 70 years old, a video essay looking at Tom Waits's long alternative onscreen career, and how his music – his style, his subject matter, his personas – connects with and has informed his film roles, from his movie debut in 1978's Paradise Alley all the way to The Dead Don't Die in 2019. And assessing what are the top five Tom Waits acting performances...

Wish I had all that money I used to spend on dope

One of the greats covered by one of the greats.

Neko Case - Christmas Card From a Hooker in Minneapolis

Robot Cast #1

I'm trying my hand at a podcast, since I seem to have a little extra time on my hands these days (read: unemployed). Listen to my lovely voice, as well as some of my favorite songs. Don't be afraid.

Robot Cast #1 by Robot_Hero on Mixcloud

Happy Mother's Day

For all you mothers and mothers-to-be, here's an amusing little story from the legendary Tom Waits.

Tom Waits > Untitled #2

Don't pay heed to temptation

I just recently was introduced to The Wire. I swear, my cousin is like a crack dealer. She always pimps out TV shows to me and I get totally hooked (although this one is by way of her boyf). Funny thing is, the telly isn't what it used to be. I mean, sure, there are still mindless sitcoms with retarded laugh tracks, but there are a lot of really good shows out there that are edgy, thought out, and written well. TV networks are finding that they can't pander to audiences as much as they used to, so a lot of shows are willing to take more chances (especially with the rise of cable/satellite TV).

I realize that I am late (the show's final episode aired earlier this year) and that probably everything I'm writing here has been written previously, so I apologize because I haven't been much of a telly watcher until recently. I think my favorite thing about The Wire is that the characters aren't really judged for their actions. They are trying to get by and do their jobs with the tools that have been provided for them. Some people manage to change or reinvent themselves along the way, while others are caught up in an endless cycle. I dunno, the shit is riveting.

One of the bonus cool points is that the show's theme song is Tom Waits' Way Down In The Hole. I love Tom Waits, so yeah, big points on that one. One of the things that irritates the fuck outta me is that each of the five seasons uses a different version of the song, including Waits' original version in Season Two. The other versions are performed by The Blind Boys of Alabama (Season One), The Neville Brothers (Season Three), DoMaJe (Season Four), and Steve Earle (Season Five). You can listen to all five versions here.

Apologies again, but the other four versions of the song just don't hold a candle to Waits. I give them points for trying, but they just don't work for me. I mean, he's so distinctive that it makes covering one of his songs a difficult task. The only covers I've heard that I really liked were the ones that stripped the songs down and played to the artist's strength. For example, Petra Haden's version of I Don't Want To Grow Up keeps it simple and lets her beautiful voice shine. Same goes for Neko Case's version of Postcard From A Hooker In Minneapolis and 10,000 Maniacs' cover of I Hope That I Don't Fall In Love With You. Have you heard Springsteen's Jersey Girl or Rod Stewart's Downtown Train? Pass.

Check this shit out, tho...

Tom Waits > Way Down In The Hole


Petra Haden & Bill Frisell > I Don't Want To Grow Up


Neko Case > Postcard From A Hooker In Minneapolis


10,000 Maniacs > I Hope That I Don't Fall In Love With You

Well, I see that the world is upside-down

Oh yeah! Tom Waits is hitting the road. I seriously gotta try and see him so I can cross him off of my list. The man is a legend. FACT. And just in time, Scarlett Johansson's album of Tom Waits covers, Anywhere I Lay My Head, is about to drop. I am really not sure how I feel about this, but right now it's more novelty than anything. I mean, come on, it's Scarlett Johansson. She's h0tt and all, but this could very well go the way of the Paris Hilton album. However, at least she (Scarlett) picked someone cool to cover, if indeed the choice was hers. Oh, and some dude named David Bowie contributes backup vocals for a couple tracks on the (SJ) album, as well.

Compare and contrast:

Scarlett Johansson > Anywhere I Lay My Head


Tom Waits > Anywhere I Lay My Head

Don't want no Abba Zaba, don't want no Almond Joy

This is hilarious, it was in yesterday's paper. Some dude built a 6 foot tall, anatomically correct, chocolate Jesus, called "My Sweet Lord". It was supposed to be in an exhibit in New York, but now it's been canceled due to public outrage. The gallery director even resigned after the exhibit was shut down. Guess we'll never be rid of censorship. Here's a pic of the choco Jesus; "Only a chocolate Jesus can satisfy my soul."
And with that, it's George Harrison's "My Sweet Lord" and Tom Waits' "Chocolate Jesus". Classics!

The only thing to live for is today

Tom Waits' "I Don't Want To Grow Up", as covered by Bill Frisell and Petra Haden. Pretty much sums up how I'm feeling today. Man, her voice is perfect and pristine.

This Year's Favorites...

(in this order, sorta...)

1. Asobi Seksu >> Citrus
2. Neko Case >> Fox Confessor Brings The Flood
3. Band of Horses >> Everything All The Time
4. Mogwai >> Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait
5. Jenny Lewis with The Watson Twins >> Rabbit Fur Coat
6. Joanna Newsom >> Ys
7. Camera Obscura >> Let's Get Out of This Country
8. The Radio Dept >> Pet Grief
9. The Decemberists >> The Crane Wife
10. Cat Power >> The Greatest
    
11. Sparklehorse >> Dreamt For Light Years in the Belly of a Mountain
12. Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan >> Ballad of the Broken Seas
13. Tom Waits >> Orphans
    

I didn't really get much new music this year, or at least it didn't feel like I did...but this is what I liked. Fairly predictable, if you know me, but there it is. I'm sure there's tons of stuff that I should be listening to, as well, so I'm open to any recommendations.

I have to say, after a so-so (to put it politely) debut a couple years ago, the Asobi Seksu album came out of nowhere and absolutely floored me. I mean, I was expecting nothing but greatness from Neko Case, but the way AS took me by surprise is the reason I placed it at number one.

Band of Horses took me by surprise, as well. I had read that they were a couple guys who used to be in Carissa's Wierd (sic), whom I really love. So I picked up the BoH album, not really knowing what to expect, and ended up with a wonderful album. I got to see them live, and they sounded fucking great.

I keep using the word, surprise, but it applies to the Jenny Lewis album as well. I'm not a huge Rilo Kiley fan, but I do enjoy their work. Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins caught me off guard with its...simplicity, I guess is the right word. The album is really charming and only gets better with repeated listens.

The Zidane album, to me, is a big improvement over Mr. Beast. I love the quiet beauty within. It's very subtle and understated. Don't get me wrong, I love the noise and fuzz as much as anyone else, but I love the opposite end of the spectrum as well.

**EDIT** I just realized I forgot to throw in Tom Waits' Orphans, even though I haven't listened to all of it. It's three discs long, but c'mon, it's Tom Waits. He's the man, okay?