Tom Waits

hoochmonkey9

hoochmonkey9

Art should be its own hammer.
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Founding member
mjp said:
That's the problem when you have a high profile job, people assume everything else you do is just self-indulgent wanking. And usually it is.Hard to be taken seriously, those types.
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but I'm not comparing Shatner to Scarlett. she is more talented and I'm sure a better singer.
 
roni

roni

mjp said:
I remember seeing model/actress Milla Jovovich sing (original songs) maybe 10 years ago, and I have to say, it was really fucking good.
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she's on the 'Million Dollar Hotel' soundtrack with a version of Lou Reeds 'Satellite of love'. Her voice is beautiful.


Father Luke said:
Ever heard Shatner Sing Common People?
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When I started this link just now, a friend of mine who sits on the computer next to me immediately screamed "The SHAT!" - well, she's into trash-punk-rock usually. so that fits.
 
bospress.net

bospress.net

www.bospress.net
Yeah, he moved from NYC because of their smoking ban. I guess that if it continues to go the same way in Europe as it is going, he may end up in North Africa.

Bill
 
Ninjerk

Ninjerk

I just bought The Heart of Saturday Night a few hours ago. I'm working through my brand new Tenacious D album first, though.
 
Ninjerk

Ninjerk

I don't expect anyone to get crazy about it, but I'm also eager to get my hands on the Cobra Starship CD I ordered when I bought the D and Waits.
 
hoochmonkey9

hoochmonkey9

Art should be its own hammer.
Moderator
Founding member
mjp said:
She's an unusual person primarily known as an actor. I don't know if she can sing, but I know there is more to her than meets the eye (though what meets the eye is not exactly unpleasant).

That's the problem when you have a high profile job, people assume everything else you do is just self-indulgent wanking. And usually it is. But I remember seeing model/actress Milla Jovovich sing (original songs) maybe 10 years ago, and I have to say, it was really fucking good. Not just good-for-a-model good. Then again, maybe I was just drunk enough to enjoy it and it really wasn't so great. All I have are my cloudy memories.

So I reserve judgment on miss Johansson's abilities, but the odds are not in her favor. Hard to be taken seriously, those types.
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well, here she is.

not dreadful, not great. but, you know, not dreadful.
 
chronic

chronic

old and in the way
Well, she's still got her looks.

I always thought Falling Down was a really good song... hope this hasn't spoiled it for me.
 
rjwink666

rjwink666

it's ok, not bad. not amazing. Not as bad as other hollywood actor types who have tried to become musicians (Jared Leto I'm looking at you)
 
Digney in Burnaby

Digney in Burnaby

donkeys live a long time
Waits' van broke down on the way to Toledo. Martin Mull and Tom Waits on Fernwood Tonight. I remember this from back then. Key line: I'd rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy.
 
S

slimedog

My two favorite Waits quotes, the "I rather have a full bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy." and " I think people use reality to escape form drugs."
 
Erik

Erik

If u don't know the poetry u don't know Bukowski
Founding member
slimedog said:
My two favorite Waits quotes, the "I rather have a full bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy." and " I think people use reality to escape form drugs."
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(cough)
Rather have a bottle in front of me

Filed under Music by adam | February 19, 2005 | 1977 hits | 5 comments

Tom Waits is featured on this week's American Routes public radio music show (archived here "” real audio link). There's a great interchange where you can't tell if Waits is totally screwing around with the host, or just being himself. Here's the clip (10 second ogg):
Q: I don't want to misquote you, but I think I saw you once said something like "I'd rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy."
A: Oh right right right...
Q: Very succinct and poetic line.
...
A: Mmm... Um, I read that on a bathroom wall.
Q: Oh "” did you really?
A: Uh huh. Yeah.
Q: But it strikes me it's also somebody that sang that at that time that maybe "” drinking was probably pretty important to you at that point?
A: Oh, well, I haven't had a drink in like fourteen years.
Q: But... I... when you said that, my guess would be that you probably were, unless you were totally playing a character...
A: Oh, yeah, I was drinking in those days, yeah, sure.
Q: Yeah, yeah.
​
Apparently, the "lobotomy" quote, often attributed to Tom Waits, is actually written by Atlanta physician Randy Hanzlick. But it's entirely plausible it got to Tom Waits via a bathroom somewhere. I'd believe it.
Update: a commentor points out that Hanzlick himself actually got the quote from graffiti on a bathroom wall. The plot thickens.
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5 comments


  1. Matthew Good Jan 28

    Actually, on that linked page it says that Dr. Hanzlick himself got the quote from a bathroom wall.
  2. Matthew Good Jan 28

    Also, I should say thanks for the heads-up on the Waits interview. Perfect timing too, as I read this about 2 minutes before American Routes came on my local NPR station.
  3. Anonymous Jan 28

    I'm pretty sure that Groucho Marx was the one who came up with the quote, although I can't give you a reference right now...
  4. micah Jan 28

    thanks for pointing this out, I would have never noticed it otherwise. I'm a big Tom Waits fan! I happen to remember the "I'd rather have the bottle in front of me..." as a song I heard on Dr. Demento, "just different ways to kill the pain the same..." it started something like, "Jimmy and I were brothers, but we went down different paths, Jimmy always listened to my mother,
    And me, I never like to take a bath....I might be drunk, but at least I'm not insane!"

  5. gold mine Oct 24

    the "bottle in front of me" quote is most often attributed to Dorothy Parker (Wiki "Algonquin Round Table"). I'm seeing lots of mis-attributions on the web, and its interesting how recent people think this quote is . .
 
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Rekrab

Rekrab

Usually wrong.
I was big into Waits for his first 5 or 6 albums. Didn't lose interest, just got too busy to stay current. Anyway, we saw him perform a few times down in L.A. and he was great. I'd say he was completely in control. No doubt he's done some living in his time but I suspect he put that (drinking mostly, I'd guess) behind him early on and any remnant of the lush life in his manner is just stage dressing. A very talented, creative musician. He's great in that Dracula film, as the bug eating Renfield (do I have the name right?)
 
B

Benwa

Johansen has a myspace page with some tracks.
http://www.myspace.com/scarlettalbum

I can't tell if I like it or not. A little too processed for my taste. The music and her voice. Heavy on the echo-y reverb. Sounds like theres some sort of harmonising done on her voice. She seems like she can sing but its sort of missing soul. Waits is probably a hard guy to cover because he's Tom Waits! My judgement of her talent is clouded by a desire to bone her. I want to say she sucks because she's hot, then I want to like it because she's hot. Who am I kidding, I don't like it.

Waits is coming to a town near me, but he's sold out already. Piss on Life!
 
M

marqcoig

goddammit...WHY ISN'T HE COMING TO DENVER??!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

fuck it...i seen him live. it was awesome. maybe its worth it if its only a once in a lifetime thing. it was at the Paramount. it was alot of money--would prolly be more now--but i loved every second of it. but i'm older now and SO much more of a fan than i was then! why won't he come to Denver? grrrr....we love him! we did like, THREE encores because we loved him so much!

damn damn damn DAMN...i can't drive to Phoenix!!! DAMN!
 
E

EuropeYankee

Yeah...Tom Waits, One Of The best Beat-Musicians...

a very "different" voice indeed... but just a great musician... got everything from him...from Closing Time until Orphans Collection + bootlegs from 1978 (zappa Years) till today...my faourite singer..

imho best albums: Rain Dogs, Closing Time, Blood Money/Alice, Mule Variations
 
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