I am not a person who is a "fan". There are sports and teams that I follow, artists whose work I will make an effort to see or hear. There are authors and thinkers whose work I have seriously studied.
I am a Tom Waits fan.
I was first introduced to Tom in '93 when at University. The first two albums I heard were "Black Rider" and "Big Time". I can't say specifically what it was about his music that caught my initial interest (it was very different compared to the other music in my meager collection), but soon I was hooked.
Since that time, Waits' music has become something like a soundtrack to my life. I have listened to his songs so many times that lyrics fall into everyday conversation; his music is played at my best and worst times. One of my favourite memories of fourth year undergrad was Aash and my afternoon playing of "Bone Machine" where track selection would indicate the person's mood - starting on track 10 was always good. Quite simply, the music of Tom Waits is the score of my adult life and adult self.
Waits' music is not always very approachable. My family is still reeling from the Christmas when I played "The Black Rider". If you are interested in finding out more about Tom Waits' music, I suggest first picking up a copy of his album "Rain Dogs". After that I recommend listening to the albums "Big Time", "Small Change" and "Swordfishtrombones". For some, the album "Bone Machine" (which won the Alternative Music Grammy for '92) is an easy step into the music of Waits although you miss the musical story of how he got there. For me, one of the most enjoyable aspects of Wait's music is following its recorded evolution.
tom resources
The links below provide a good initial glance into the world of Tom waits and particluarly his creative process.
Tom
Waits Supplement
The timeline provided in the Biography section of this site is excellent.
Mark Ribot, guitarist- whose album "Y Los Cubanos Postizos" is absolutely beautiful - gave a brief interview to Mojo about Tom's creative process.
Barney Hoskyns interviewed Tom for Mojo in April 99. A good article for those who are just becoming interested in Waits.
