10 Pearls of Wisdom From Tom Waits 

Years ago I opened for Tom Waits at a club called The Quiet Knight in Chicago. In between sets he was at the bar nursing a beer and I was a few stools away. This perky, suburban blonde sits down next to him and says, "All your songs are so sad. Don't you ever write any happy songs?" To which Tom replied without even looking up, "Lady, I haven't been happy since 1956." Legend.

"They say I'm difficult to work with and I have no hits...like it's a bad thing."...love that guy.

"There ain't no devil, there's just god when he's drunk."

"Songs are just really interesting things to do with the air..." is one of my favourite Tom Waits quotes. Thanks for the great video.🙂

my personal favourite quote: “A gentleman is someone who can play the accordion, but doesn't.”

Life is a path, lit only by the light of those I've loved. Tom Waits

“It’s like a photographer going to a Wedding and ending up married “ some of its going to stick. “Brilliant gotta love Tom Waits

Long time fan.What Dylan was to political metaphor, Waits is to asphalt metaphor. Album names say it all: "Nighthawks at the Diner", "Closing Time." Waits is the underbelly exposed and if the pretense and hubris of mainstream culture irritates you, find a sleazy hole-in-the-wall piano bar and blend right in. I'm 63 & discovered him my senior year of H.S. & time has only magnified the insight of his stuff. A gritty, genuine poet with a firm grasp of human nature. He recharges me.

The guitar riffs in between the shots threw me off at first but inevitably it doesn't matter, because Tom Waits will have consumed you by the end of it

One of the greatest song writers ever. Very original and amazing. Swordfishtrombones and Mule Variations still blow me away and I listen to them like I just got them.

A reference. Sheer poetry, quite often. His ability to paint a whole scenary with just sentences here and there is something that stills amazes me. Of course it's your own imagination that will have to portray his sketches. And that's part of his artistry. His power to suggest you so many things in not too much lines, made me think, sometimes, that Waits could also be a fine story teller. I own him a lot of suggested beauty, a lot of feelings aroused. He is one of the most moving singers and writers I ever heard and read. Love to hear the cds I made, recording my prefered tunes, from the several records I have. I keep feeling as if forced to keep hearing everything new he creates. For have no doubt I will find more and more things to think about. And to feel with his melodies, or empathise with his characters. Rarely felt closer to the human kind than when hearing Waits singing about his strayed ones. After reading or hearing Waits, one may think, it doesn't matter, guy, we are all loosers, after all. Or as he may have said it too, "for everything goes to hell, anyway". We all throw part of live's things away, during our time here, don't we? And to have this clear, may lead you to say "this is mind", in't it ? -If Who Are You, The Part You Throw Away, Alice or Downtown Train, aren't great songs, don't know what a good song is. From Strange Weather to Lucky Day, from In the Reeperbahn to Russian Dance or Rain Dogs, this Artist innovated music through his rhythmic bases. And in the meanwhile, he mantains a high profile as writer. In few words, would say Waits is an excellent vocal jazz artist, but has to be said that he also goes far beyond that. Don't think Tom is only those famous Eggs and Sausage or Better Off Without a Wife...think his lyrics deserve to be studied in Universities, in case they aren't yet. Frankly, this is a unique, very original and highly creative artist, a real icon of our times. We must consider ourselves happy to have the Dawn Poet (as read he was once called by critics) at work. Clever Music for clever people, don't doubt it. Hats off to Tom Waits, so!! (and don't think this is just an Emotional Weather Report!! 🤗) ❤️🎶👍😇🙏

Did Tom once say..reality is for people who can't handle their drugs

Thank God for Tom waits

Thank you. Now I have to watch again and write them all down. Then combine them with the list of pieces of wisdom that are attributed to Monk, roll some dice and get on with my life.

Love in #3 that it sounds like he’s gonna bust out of the leather jacket. Tom to me has always been a top shelf storyteller,song tailor with hints of restless junky.

Great video. Tom is a GOAT

Some fantastic pieces you've found here.

Yeah , this guy is so original & unique such an amazing entertainer . The lyrical imagination he possesses Is something that I can relate to cuz it brings back that old familiar experience of eating smoked oysters with pops & Schafer's beer 16 shells from a .30 ought six , buckets from a red Corvette yeah

Love all the archive material. Thanks for sharing

That was bloody great, cheers

Great work, thank you! (:

TOM IS BEST.

I got 35 summers left... think about it, 35 summers

I've been captivated since I first heard this man not like anyone I'd ever heard . Loved it and you. I was 17 I think.

"It's good to be back in the land of wigs and novelties... At the corner of Friendly and Snooty..."

"I'd rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy "

good collection. thanks.

Pure gold

“ DO ANYTHING I WANT “ ATTA BOY TOM ! SCHOOL ‘EM UP !

Tom was/is always unique,against the stream.

What a voice....

Really love this for seeing and hearing him. But could have his epic music for the segues

''Seems no matter where you're going Or no matter where you've been Whether @ the beginning or @ it's end All along the way... Tom Waits.'' -gilpin 41721

I wish there were audiobooks read by Tom Waits.

I would've loved to have seen an interview between tom waits and hunter s thompson, I wonder if they ever met.

🤨🤔Serious COOL🤗😁Yup‼

I couldn't get through this video. I love Tom Waits, but those guitar interludes and intro are musical kryptonite to my senses. Thanks anyway though.......

This man should be more celebrated. What can we do 🧐

What a quality fucking video

"Never trust a man in a blue trench coat. Never drive a car when you're dead." -Tom Waits

Andy Granatelli reference haha Who else here old enough to get that?

12:50 fresh and clean

The instruments were crushing themselves

Diamond cutting in a moving truck

holy crap he was so high

Tom Tom .....ow can 12 humans dislike you?

"George Bush came to one of my gigs once, he brought his coke dealer" Tom Waits.

🤗. It's like..Gumbo ). 🌸

A door inside a door inside a door inside a mirror.

I'd rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy. (Fernwood Tonight "guest" appearance)

my guy

My idea of Paradise may be lying in a sofa with my girlfriend, some good books and my chosen Waits tunes, but why not, now and then it's also "A barman who always understands" ...not yours ⁉️😇

Great interviews, Tom's always an interesting and unique chap, nice leftovers stew stir up But friggin hell what an amateur the sound guy is @ 3:00 - Putting a fkn lapel mic on a leather jacket! It's like the cameraman only filming his shoes! \😌/ (Sounds like someone's making balloon animals behind the camera! '@~@'

The hidden depths of Tom Waits for those that care to explore will feed your soul for eternity. We found this out when we started doing classical interpretations of his music and mistakenly thought we would only do a handful.....🤣ru-vid.com/group/PLgWraQrAW-abrxZaKRyHuu2YvKvA0mIra

12:24

that guitar shit between the clips is reeeeeeeeealy annoying but besides a wonderful piece thanks🙏

Was waits a speed freak for a bit? Or is that just him?

"I'd rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy". TW

Y' knaw

Did they break the mold after Tom Waits was born? No. They reduced the mold to pebbles and then dust, for the world is much too small for two men such as this. Oh, no dear. No duplicates would be permitted.

god.

Do they need to be playing music that sounds like bad soundtrack music from an 90's cop show? Kinda jarring. Makes ya think it's standard format show instead of something more unique.

A cross between Andy Granatelli and Dostoevsky.....🤣

Save the glutens

6:10 why is he moving like that??

hes like doug stanhope but all sad

The interview bits are fine. I could really do without the intervals of the rock music, though, which are just junk, just stupid noise - an interruption of what I'm here to pay attention to. Is someone afraid I'll go to sleep of I don't get kicked in the head every two minutes with this?

I'm sorry but could you limit your transitional music? It's not the scope of the video. I know you probably wanted to pad your runtime but it's jarring and inorganic.

Turn off the radio. . . .

Waits is wonderful of course but the peripheral sht is horrible.

Unfit opening music for Tom

Nobody like him, anywhere