Tom Waits: Tales from a Cracked Jukebox.

[Gordon]

BBC4 - 9pm tonight.

A must see for fans - a definite record and keep.

[john]

Big fan of Tom Waits, one of music's true greats that about 90% of people have never heard of. I have 2 biographies about him and as one of them says he seems to make a deliberate attempt to mislead people about his persona, portraying himself as a sort of hobo & drunken bum, when in fact he has been in a stable marriage for a very long time.

It also surprising to note the large amount of films he has appeared in, usually playing the town drunk or a ner do well.

Very interested to see how this programme portrays him.

For those not familiar with his work listen to this link. Here he is playing the town drunk (as usual) reminiscing about his childhood. Quite beautiful imo. 

http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=kentucky+avenue+tom+waits&view=detail&mid=1DE17E31669F2E09D8A71DE17E31669F2E09D8A7&FORM=VIRE



   

[Gordon]

I've told my kids I want 'The Piano Has Been Drinking' played at my funeral.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzNxiatscqs

[john]

Interesting programme but as I suspected Tom was hiding behind his stage persona again and we were given no insight at all into the man behind the mask.

Just once or twice there was a little cheesy grin to camera "are you falling for all this".

Also I didn't clock when the programme was made but there was no mention of his (and his wife Kathleen Brennan's) recent opera ALICE based on the Lewis Carrol fantasies.

Disappointing, I really want to know more about this man. 

[Gordon]

I thought it was too - I'd have preferred either more performance stuff or something more biographical - too many snippets and people saying how enigmatic he is, which we already know (if you are a fan).

[john]

Hi Gordon

Just want to say I love your photo of the rock structure in the Quirang (is that how you spell it?). I have a super photo of me sitting on my cruiser on the windy road near there with this feature in the background. I am even more fond of the picture when I remember having to zig zag my way through "thousands" of highland coos with ten foot horns to get there, they would not move off the road.   

[Jack Knave]

I was disappointed that I missed it, but judging by your comments I didn't miss much.

[Gordon]

Hi Gordon

Just want to say I love your photo of the rock structure in the Quirang (is that how you spell it?). I have a super photo of me sitting on my cruiser on the windy road near there with this feature in the background. I am even more fond of the picture when I remember having to zig zag my way through "thousands" of highland coos with ten foot horns to get there, they would not move off the road.   

It's the Old Man of Storr - great pic, link below, and found for me by Rhi.

http://paradiseintheworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/isle-of-skye-mountains.jpg

We go to Skye with the grandkids at least once a year: usually stay in Staffin, which is just 'below' the Quiraing. Every time I go 'up' the last bit of road between the two bends I'm always convinced I'll fall off - it is so steep. Trotternish is just magical (about 5 hours drive/ride from here).

When you say cruiser - I do hope you'll get a proper bike one day 

[Nearly Sane]

It's a fair enough summary but agree nothing was a revelation. He's in my humble opinion a more interesting artist than Springsteen and one of the greatest poets of our time.

[Jack Knave]

It's a fair enough summary but agree nothing was a revelation. He's in my humble opinion a more interesting artist than Springsteen and one of the greatest poets of our time.

Their material etc. is aimed at different ideas and targets. Springsteen is a more everyday, conscious genre and Waits is that of the unconscious undercurrents of life. People, of any depth, tend to gravitate towards the darker, more mysterious contents that are present to them.

[Nearly Sane]

Their material etc. is aimed at different ideas and targets. Springsteen is a more everyday, conscious genre and Waits is that of the unconscious undercurrents of life. People, of any depth, tend to gravitate towards the darker, more mysterious contents that are present to them.

Do they?

[Jack Knave]

Do they?

What do you think?

[Nearly Sane]

What do you think?

your claim

[Jack Knave]

your claim

OK. They do.