Steven Hart on Tom Waits

Steven put together a wonderful tribute to the man who wrote the line, "A murder of silhouette crows I saw."

Shore Leave - Tom Waits

Dedicated to true veterans like Il Principe, whose opinion I listen to rather than all the wannabe veterans and phonies.

Rain Dogs

Heartattack and Vine

liar liar with your pants on fire,
white spades hangin' on the telephone wire,
gamblers reevaluate along the dotted line,
you'll never recognize yourself on heartattack and vine.

Happy Birthday Tom Waits

Answers.com has Tom Waits listed among those who celebrate birthdays today. He's 59. I posted about him once before including a few videos. Today, I'll leave you with this one and say Happy Birthday, Tom.

The Fascinating and Multitalented Tom Waits

Tom Waits is an intriguing performer. I'm a big fan not only of his singing but also of his acting. His sandpaper voice and distinctive appearance make him quite the unforgettable character. Wikipedia has a good bio, including this bit about his attitude towards mainstream advertising:

Waits has steadfastly refused to allow the use of his songs in commercials and has joked about other artists who do. ("If Michael Jackson wants to work for Pepsi, why doesn't he just get himself a suit and an office in their headquarters and be done with it?") He has filed several lawsuits against advertisers who used his material without permission. He has been quoted as saying, "Apparently, the highest compliment our culture grants artists nowadays is to be in an ad—ideally, naked and purring on the hood of a new car," he said in a statement, referring to the Mercury Cougar. "I have adamantly and repeatedly refused this dubious honor."

Here he is paying homage to those gun-totin' chicks we love so much, followed by a few other favorites.