Caoimhin

I was sitting here listening to Nighthawks at the Diner and curious if I'm the only one.

Let's face it...the man is a god.

DaveNinja

I have the Bone Machine CD somewhere. Actually, i think i gave it to my dad. My dad likes Tom Waits. A bunch of my friends were also way into Tom Waits (would go see him live in SF). I never really got into it.

but there are others out there.

daveninja.com

DVDsucker

Yes - I worship at the alter of Waits. He is that rare artist who's work becomes *more* vital as they get older.

I saw him in 1999 at LA's Wiltern; I took my "Test-a-mints" & had a religious experience.

LilacWine

He's very talented but some of his work is a bit challenging to listen to .

Was watching him live on PBS late one night and it was incredible - everything seemed to make more sense when I saw him do it live.

Got turned on to his music when I was searching for artists who had been compared to Nick Cave and/or Tindersticks.

revco2k

Tom Waits is the man. Part of a holy musical trinity I worship

Jepthah

Might just be the greatest singer-songwriter ever. I have almost everything he made, plus the Big Time movie--eagerly awaiting the DVD version.

Caoimhin

I'm psyched about his later operatic works being released here finally. So much has been released in Europe that we never get to see. All of the collaborations with Robert Wilson have been in Germany and Copenhagen, The Black Rider has even been shown on Austrian television, and there's a new CD of live stuff just released in the UK.

I feel shafted.

Keyser Soze

Yes, a very odd, interesting, talented artist.

-k
###

LurkerDan

"Around about 2am you've taken advatgae of yourself.

Makin a scene with a magazine...

I'm not weird about it, I don't tie myself up first, I just...spend a little time with myself!"

Answer: YES

Caoimhin

"...salisbury steak with Shake 'n' Bake in a provocative sauce of Velveeta and half and half..."

ViewAskewbian

Man, as I reading this post I am
listening to Small Change. . .

So, yeah, I am a fan. I have all
his stuff and listen to him on a
weekly basis. Started off with the
two Early Years discs after a teacher
turned me on to him back in college
a few years back.

I then purchased Blue Valentines and
though, man, is THIS the same guy?
I thought I got a messed up disc as
it sounded so different. It took some
time to get used to the change but I
soon loved it, even though I enjoy his
earlier stuff a touch more (Heart Of Saturday
Nigt is my favorite disc).

This guy has it all and brings up such
haunting images with his songs. Man,
how can you listen to a song like Ruby's
Arms or On The Nickle without getting
a lump in your throat.

Strange, however, this is the one guy
I cannot get anyone into.

V

ViewAskewbian

Well, now I am curious of the
other two?

V

F For Fake

Well, I'm not sure about his trinity, but mine is Tom Waits, Elvis Costello, and Curtis Mayfield.

Waits is one of those rare artists who has actually grown throughout their career. Whether you like the early singer-songwriter stuff, the beat-poet/piano bar lothario stuff, the operatic stuff, or the southern gothic/black gospel/world music/total freakout stuff, Waits has a little something for everyone. I, however, enjoy the entire catalog.

Jason

A very interesting artist. I've got Nighthawks, Rain Dogs (one of my all time fav's ), and Swordfishtrombone.

So what else is 'essential'?

F For Fake

FWY is my personal fav or the Island-era Waits.

For the piano bar era stuff I'd recommend "Blue Valentine"

And for the later, more experimental stuff I'd definitely recommend "Bone Machine".

But really, I'd recommend that you buy all of them

dmvsvk

I hope someday they release the VH1 storytellers and Big Time on dvd. I think some people are put off by Tom's quirkiness and the subject matter of his songs but to me he is a true legend.