I'm pretty sure we all have musicians we use to determine good taste and approval. For me, Tom Waits is definitely one of them. When someone tells me they like Tom Waits, or even that they are familiar with and appreciate Tom Waits, they're okay by me. They can like anything else or dislike whatever they want but as long as I can have conversations with them about Tom Waits, I will be their new best friend.
The man fascinates me. His music is like no one else's. It's obscure, it's jazzy, it's emotional. And his voice? It's my favorite. It's scratchy, a little sultry, I could listen to him talk and sing all day. Tom Waits is a man that I would love to just sit and have a conversation with. I feel like he would have really crazy things to say. And then I could photograph him. And he acts! I just watched him in a Jim Jarmusch film called Down By Law where he plays a lead character. Good movie. Then there are a few minor rolls he's played that I've loved in movies like Wristcutters and Mystery Men.
I may also love him so much because he is so nostalgic for me. Tom Waits will always remind me of my father who loves Tom Waits more than anyone I know. I had a rather strange childhood and Tom Waits played a larger-than-normal role in it. I remember being really creeped out by him as a child. I dreaded listening to him and thought my dad was crazy but as I've grown older, I've developed a deep fondness for him. I've developed a love for anything strange and unruly, really. Tom Waits is the epitome of strange and unruly.
And now please enjoy this. It's one of my favorite songs.