My kids are starting to notice I’m a little different from the other dads. — Tom Waits
I don’t keep up with such things, so if you’d told me Tom Waits wasn’t already in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, I wouldn’t have believed you. Waits has never enjoyed anything close to superstar status, but he’s right up there with Townes Van Zandt, John Prine and maybe three or four other singer / songwriters of my generation with what I’d call “near Dylan” talent. And as with Dylan, many listeners are put off by Waits’ grating voice. A pity, since the best of his lyrics more than make up for any of his (many) eccentricities.
Well now, turns out Waits (along with Alice Cooper, Leon Russell, Dr. John, Darlene Love and, um, Neil Diamond) made the 2011 inductee list. It’s a bit late, but here’s a seasonally appropriate Waits song to mark the occasion:
Have you ever heard the song “Christmas Sucks” which is supposedly a duet with Tom Waits and Peter Murphy? I always find the imitation of Waits ‘ voice amusing.Report
No, I haven’t heard it.Report
It’s an attitude I can understand, I guess. However, Waits’ rough voice adds so much to the beauty of his music that I simply can’t imagine it being otherwise– ingenious lyricism or no.Report
I agree completely, though I think I’d have a problem listening to a whole album of his stuff (I’ve not yet had the opportunity to try). I also agree with DAR that Waits lyrics are fantastic.Report
Okay, I definitely like Tom Waits’s voice and have put this song on many a Christmas CD. However, I really did like Neko Case’s cover of it quite a bit, if only because it sounds a bit different when a woman is singing about being pregnant and hooking. Either way, it’s a great song.Report
I agree completely, though I think I’d have a problem listening to a whole album of his stuff (I’ve not yet had the opportunity to try). I also agree with DAR that Waits lyrics are fantastic.Report