"My father was an exhaust manifold and my mother was a tree." -- Tom Waits

@urbangorilla33

4 жыл бұрын

from Letterman, 1986. I remember it well. He also likened New York City to a big ship... and the water's on fire, and claimed his son was older than he was. Love it..

@theghostofsmokeyjoe8792

3 жыл бұрын

@mickor this made me laugh so hard

@Irquiois

3 жыл бұрын

“I was born in the back seat of a Yellow Cab in a hospital loading zone and with the meter still running. I emerged needing a shave and shouted ‘Time Square, and step on it!’”

Great singer, even better writer and composer. Tom is just my favorite.

@BethRoars

4 жыл бұрын

He's a talented man!

@TheSpacemannspiff

4 жыл бұрын

Good actor as well !

@yesumactuallyno1026

3 жыл бұрын

Great comment, and agreed. Step Right Up comes to mind, such a clever and unique song.

@Missjunebugfreak

3 жыл бұрын

I adore Tom.

@uncle_thulhu

3 жыл бұрын

@@BethRoars but how does he get that voice? 40-odd years of whiskey and cigarettes?

“Reality is for people who can’t face drugs” -Tom Waits

All if his songs have a “feeling”, he acts out the song. Sometimes sad, crazy, mournful, hopeful

@BethRoars

4 жыл бұрын

So true!

@theyonlycomeoutwhenitsquiet

3 жыл бұрын

Beth Roars have you ever listened to Clap Hands? Holy crap what a song

@tensor4ever

3 жыл бұрын

I was so unbelievably happy to see you analyze Tom, he is so unique and my favorite musician ever.

Tom is a legend. Glad to see him in your channel

@BethRoars

4 жыл бұрын

True! Glad you enjoyed 😊

YES I need more Tom waits reactions in my life honestly

@BethRoars

4 жыл бұрын

Glad you like it 😁

@kellkalm6109

2 жыл бұрын

It’s making me crazy that there are none of these for any of the tracks from Heart Attack and Vine.

Best movie dialogues ever: Tom Waits and Iggy Pop in "Coffee and Cigarettes" by Jim Jarmusch.

@GCGrunewald

4 жыл бұрын

Tom Waits and Robin Willians in The Fisher King

@michaelthibault6106

4 жыл бұрын

"So, ah, I don't see any of your songs on the jukebox." LOL

@RogerDidierM.

4 жыл бұрын

@@michaelthibault6106 He's not on here either..,

@Bunke09

4 жыл бұрын

I'm personal to "I scream, you scream, we all scream, for ice cream!" from Down By Law.

@KyOlsen

4 жыл бұрын

Favorite segment for sure!

Someone once said to me Tom Waits' voice sounds like steel wool soaked in bourbon then hit by a truck and I don't think I've heard anything so accurate.

@Zer0san

Жыл бұрын

I've heard his music makes you nostalgic for a memory you never had, and I don't think you're wrong, but I don't think they were wrong either

Once in a generation artist. Never will be another.

I was lucky enough to see him live in 2006, in back row seats and he blew me away. Was actually surprised at how much he could still sing. Truly a master of his unique instrument and one of my all time favorite singers. Thanks for the reaction, Beth!

@Dimloep

4 жыл бұрын

I saw him on that tour, too, in Akron. It was one of the best nights of my life.

@colinreid7259

4 жыл бұрын

Saw him on the real gone tour in london, was an amazing night

@BethRoars

4 жыл бұрын

Wow I bet it was a great experience to see him live!

@colinreid7259

4 жыл бұрын

@@BethRoars it was for me...it was his first appearance in Britain for 17yrs exactly (minus 1 day) and was in same place, Hammersmith Apollo...an experience I'll never forget. Different eras offer a different Tom and that's one of his great qualities...just shy of 50 yrs. The man is a legend

@rogerwood5228

4 жыл бұрын

I saw him on his Glitter and Doom tour in Atlanta.... hands down my favorite concert experience. Such an amazing moment when the crowd did a sing along for Innocent When You Dream....

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

@PortCharmers

4 жыл бұрын

It's about the same thing, just the former works more slowly

@gablen23

4 жыл бұрын

@@PortCharmers haha

@pickled_pigface5189

3 жыл бұрын

I would like this comment, but as it currently sits at 69 likes I will just say, nice.

@kitcarson57

7 ай бұрын

Superb line

Tom said: At fifty, you have the face and the voice you deserve.

@kellyalves756

4 жыл бұрын

That rings a bell. I either heard him say that or read it in an interview.

@Anthropomorphic

4 жыл бұрын

His interviews are notoriously unreliable, but he says he used to spend about as much time with his friends' dads as his actual friends when he was little. He also walked with a cane for a while as a kid, purely as an affectation. He's wanted to be old since he was a child.

My ex husband was getting annoyed when I was raving about Tom Waits one time, and he snapped at me, “ What is it about his voice that makes it sound good to you?” I thought for a minute and said,” Passion.” And thus we jointly identified what was missing in our marriage.

@Monsterassassin3

4 жыл бұрын

Ha!

@gabrielharvey-savard2594

4 жыл бұрын

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is the true power of Tom Waits: insight.

@jaid2383

4 жыл бұрын

Haha I wasn't expecting that ending! Although, knowing humans I shouldn't have been that surprised lol hope thinks are better for you now! 🙂

@kellyalves756

4 жыл бұрын

Gabriel Harvey-Savard Oh, believe it.😁

@cramedaddy8402

4 жыл бұрын

I'm still married. Want to run off together.

Oh and my son has always loved when I play Tom. When he was 4 he thought it was Cookie Monster singing 😍

@flavoredwallpaper

4 жыл бұрын

You might appreciate this: kzread.info/dash/bejne/h2mMlrBrldu1o7g.html

@cjbird7121

4 жыл бұрын

flavoredwallpaper thats awesome! I’m surprised Tom has never been on Sesame Street. He & cookie can do a bit together PBS needs to get on that. I saw one of Prince on Sesame Street and it is fantastic

@BethRoars

4 жыл бұрын

Thats great 😂

Tom Waits - I Don't Want To Grow Up, loved this song when i was young, and loved the music video for it.

He actually has a very impressive range which most don’t appreciate But anyone who has given him any time to listen will definitely appreciate

Tom Waits is an amazing singer/songwriter.

@BethRoars

4 жыл бұрын

He's a very talented guy!

Great video Beth..Tom Waits is a legends on his own league, amazing songwriter and great singer, love him!!Cheers

@BethRoars

4 жыл бұрын

Glad you enjoyed 😁

When talking about Tom Waits' voice it should be noted that whilst his grovely voice that would make a Death Metal vocalist jealous is his main voice... ...he also made songs like Had Me a Girl, Blue Valentines, Take Care Of All My Children, Chocolate Jesus, and Temptation. Each of those songs is sung differently. The man doesn't just have stylistic range, but also vocal range. He's incredible, to say the least.

@bshaun

4 жыл бұрын

Jesus Gonna Be Here, Shore Leave - especially the ending...

@BethRoars

4 жыл бұрын

Well said! 😊

@kellyalves756

4 жыл бұрын

Hungry Hungary Hungarian I was thinking of Jesus Gonna Be Here as a counterpoint to the video.

@carnolasluggs5417

4 жыл бұрын

I've always admired him as a singer in the way I admire film's greatest character-actors. Inhabiting the soul of uniquely separate individuals & giving Academy Award-level performances every single time. His lyrics are as well written as any songwriter who ever lived, but more than that his genius is how well he sells the emotional feelings the 'character' in the song is about. He's before admitted a certain cinematic sensibility with his music so I've always figured that's how he approaches it from a creative, internal standpoint. Which is why he goes with such uniquely different singing styles for so many songs. In a song like Going Out West he's 100% giving a fully committed dramatically acted performance just as much as he's simply singing. I think to an alternative extent Bob Dylan is doing something kind of similar. It's more about the sincerity of the emotion than it is generic "proper" singing. There are millions of "technically" adept singers who put out nothing but one dimensional, 'harmonically pleasing' forgettable garbage all the time. I'd much rather hear Joe Strummer, Janis Joplin, Leonard Cohen, Son House, Karen Dalton, Joanna Newsom, Bob Dylan or Tom Waits belting out a tune instead.

Love listening to Tom Waits.. uniquely talented.

📖 Get your signed copy of my album Fable here: www.bethroars.com/shop ☀ Pre-save my first single "Power Of The Wolf" on Spotify (it really helps me out!): distrokid.com/hyperfollow/bethroars/power-of-the-wolf 🥁 Become a Patreon Supporter: www.patreon.com/bethroars

My own voice: a hippo mating call. But I am the singer in my band and Waits is one of the reasons for that.

One of the best story tellers in the business. Not to mention that voice and his blues/jazz style.

@BethRoars

4 жыл бұрын

True!

“I worry about a lot of things but I don’t worry about achievements. Primarily I worry wether there are nightclubs in heaven” Ladies and gentlemen, Tom Waits. The only singer who’s voice can be describe as a roadkill, marinated in whiskey and hung in a smokehouse for a week. He’s the best🥰

it was so strange for me to listen to his first album where he actually sings, like "i hope i don't fall in love with you". if i didn't know that it's him, i wouldn't have guessed it.

@28Pluto

4 жыл бұрын

Guess what? Tom "actually sings" on all of his albums. Just because he sings *differently* now doesn't mean it doesn't take a lot of talent and practice to do it.

Perfect sound of the train pulling into the station at the end.

Tom Waits and his music are part of me. Been in my life since I was 17. My favourite.

Tom is amazing and legend! Thank you Beth. Great video

Tom Waits is an interesting case in finding your "voice". His first album was much more conventional, but obviously using his voice. it seems like it was produced to take the imperfections out... as much as possible. Then he went through his jazz phase and he found his voice and embraced the imperfections. Then he met his wife/collaborator Kathleen Brennan and he started to explore his voice as a tool box rather than a tool -- the imperfections were just things to be used, evocatively, to serve the songs. There's a big difference between Grapefruit Moon from his first album (kzread.info/dash/bejne/aZakvMykmtKZhNo.html) to Anywhere I Lay My Head (kzread.info/dash/bejne/namJ0sGnh8a2eLA.html) from Rain Dogs.

@Anthropomorphic

4 жыл бұрын

Basically, yeah. He was always into weird stuff, as evidenced by the fact that he hung around with Captain Beefheart and opened for Zappa back in the 70s. Kathleen convinced him to go all in on the weirdness, leading to 'Swordfishtrombones'.

Yay!! TOM WAITS FINALLY! 😍🖤🔥

I count Tom Waits as my favorite artist of all time. He has written so many great songs, I do have a weird relationship to "Hoist that rag" though, because I can't figure out WHY I like it so much. Tom Waits not so much sing the lyrics as he cry them out with this deep sense of despair and the drums and guitar almost drown out his voice. I know that by conventional standards it's not a great song, but that doesn't matter because it's like it's something more than that, it has this quality to it where it almost transcends what constitutes a song and is just something else. It's not so much a song as it is an experience, a piece of art.

@bornwithawoodenleg

4 жыл бұрын

And they ruined it in the remaster!

@Nakna_ankaN

4 жыл бұрын

Agreed, the original is by far the superior version.

I love the line “all we need we carry with us”. Just poetry

My favorite Tom Waits song is "I Hope I Don't Fall In Love With You" where his voice actually sounds AMAZING!

@kellyalves756

4 жыл бұрын

“ Martha” makes me weep like a newborn.

@rogerwood5228

4 жыл бұрын

Had a girl fall for me with that song, particularly the solo guitar version.

@chicken2jail

4 жыл бұрын

That entire album is magic.

@johnjohn37371

2 жыл бұрын

I honestly feel like that acoustic guitar version is the single greatest bar song ever written while simultaneously being the single greatest love song ever written.

@yourinsipidrecordcollection

Жыл бұрын

Perversely, that was 'our' song in one 'us' of which i was part for several years. :)

I've been a huge fan of Tom since I was a teenager and seeing him on the David Letterman show singing either "9th and Hennepin" or "Clap Hands" , I'm 51 now, so that should tell you how much I enjoy him. My other eclectic musicians were Dr. John and Leon Redbone, may they both Rest In Peace. Thanks for reacting to a wonderful storyteller.

@grindmaster7433

4 жыл бұрын

You should try some Captain Beefheart

@BethRoars

4 жыл бұрын

Im glad you enjoyed!

Great! Thanks for this choice! Such a surprise. "Nighthawks at the Diner" is one of my favorite albums for near 40 years.

@BethRoars

4 жыл бұрын

Good choice!

@cbgbstew4072

4 жыл бұрын

Same here!

My favorite of Tom's is Warm Beer and Cold Women (at the Last Ditch Attempt Saloon).

I love Tom Waits, every thing I’ve ever heard from him. Franks Wild Years , Bone Machine, and Closing Time are 3 of my favorites. His music is pure art and full of integrity without being righteous or elitist. If I was stranded on a desert Island and could only have one source of music. It would be Tom Waits. He could make a thousand songs with a seashell and a coconut. Best voice nah, best songwriter maybe but definitely the best Tom.

@katiekirschner6917

4 жыл бұрын

"He could make a thousand songs with a seashell and a coconut." Haha, I love this.

@Lookinforrealmusic

4 жыл бұрын

I started to try to put down my favorites but just can't choose. There's so much to love.

Hell Broke Luce, God’s Away On Business and Come On Up To The House will forever be in my top ten favorite songs of all time. Tom is a true legend.

I love Tom Waits. Been a fan since I don't know when, since I think my mum was playing his albums in the house at least in the 80s. He's just always sounded so interesting to me, and that's one of the things that attracts me to an artist a lot of the time, just doing something interesting and a little unexpected. Waits voice always has that sort of character to it for me.

Let us not forget that technique is a means to an end. You're supposed to learn the technique of a craft and then toss it and do your own thing with it. Find your own voice, so to speak. Tom not only did this to the ultimate degree, he absolutely mastered the art of expression with his style. He is a master. A literal Grand Wizard. The amount of heart and soul is immeasurable.

Top notch performer and unique singer, I simply adore Tom Waits!

Tom waits is everything

Thank you so much, Beth, I am saving and sharing this. Tommy is my all time favourite! Great channel, too, keep up the good work!!!

What always gets me about Waits’ voice is that when he sings more gently, it is so beautiful, like in ‘Hold On.’ Or a song like ‘Talking at the Same Time’ where he’s singing in what I think is his version of a falsetto, and it sounds great!

Man has been sober since 82'. Lifestyle doesn't account for this as much as showmanship from another era.

@KoolKinchishKat

4 жыл бұрын

Yeah much more a conscious stylistic choice than lifestyle - sometimes in movie roles you'll hear him sing in this quite sweet voice, and of course his earlier stuff is far from 'pure' but wayyyyy smoother than his barks ha ha

@emilyflotilla931

3 жыл бұрын

Bravo for him, I wasn't aware of that, sober since 83 here!

I think i remember reading somewhere, that he would scream into his pillow when he was younger. Scarred his vocals up. You can really hear it in his "Rain Dogs" song .

Thank you for shining a light on this absolute legend. I could definitely go for more Tom Waits reactions.

I love Tom Waits!!! Have every cd he ever put out!!

@alfredvanravenswaay2799

2 жыл бұрын

It's not a competition - I've only got 28

Tom Waits is pure magic to listen to!!

In the late 70s I was tending bar in a little dive that wasn't on the wrong side of the tracks but it was close enough throw a beer bottle across the tracks. It was the kind of place that Waits would be right at home in. What an education. It was also when I discovered Tom Waits through a friend.

Best train ride I've ever taken. Look up Tom Waits on Letterman... it has all the interviews and performances... and you can watch him grow as a person, a writer, a storyteller, and of course that voice of his....

Finally!!! A vocal coach covers the great Tom Waits. You are brave, Beth. Lol

I once was sitting in my car in a parking lot when two teens pulled up playing rap on the car stereo. As I started my car to leave I cranked up the volume just as "going out west"started, one of the kids said to the other" that's not music, that's just noise". Perfect.

@tonymuhamad

2 жыл бұрын

lol that's hilarious...but lets not ironically adopt their myopic perspective, don't know if you did or not, perhaps not. its just that it runs a great risk of fostering bigoted opinions as well when this attitude is applied to rap music in particular in my experience.

@keithhorning7753

2 жыл бұрын

@@tonymuhamad I don't like rap . music myself , but I've come to believe to a large extent we like what our personality type dictates.

Love Tom Waits, my dad got me into listening to him. Great storytelling, wonderful visualization, awesome wordplay. “I like beautiful melodies telling me terrible things”. Many of his songs have been covered by other musicians from all over the genres.

Love love love Tom Waits. And that was one of his performances on The David Letterman Show (which is where I first saw him why back in the 80's). That little 'whoop' sound he does that you like, I called it the Bebop Whoop, because that is quite common in rockabilly singers.

Tremendous artist with a close to unparalleled discography.

@BethRoars

4 жыл бұрын

So true!

Awesome! Thanks, Beth!

The man who gave Heath Ledger the inspiration for his take on the Joker! 👍

I seem to remember Waits saying one of his kids describing his voice is a "cross between a circus clown and a cherry bomb". If so being a wordsmith runs in the family. Beth you and your channel are awesome. So positive and appreciative which is so refreshing.

@BethRoars

4 жыл бұрын

Thank you! Im glad you enjoyed the reaction! 😊

Love that you included Tom Waits! He is one of my all time favorites.

@BethRoars

4 жыл бұрын

So good!

Thank you for covering Tom, Beth. One of the all-time greats and this performance of Chicago is simply brilliant.

It took me about a year to really get into tom waits, but during that time there was something that just drew me back to him, and now I love his music so much. He is a legend

I adore this man!

He's the best been a fan for over 40 years

Finally!!!! Thanks beth! Great take on this legend

@BethRoars

4 жыл бұрын

Glad you liked it!

His voice, his style, his movements, his melodies, his lyrics, his instruments, his bands... Tom Waits is a total work of art - I love him 😍

Saw him live years ago at a new years eve show. I'd never head of him before, but was thoroughly entertained.

Tom's voice has changed so much over the years

@TommiBrem

4 жыл бұрын

He is one of the very few people who got rougher and rougher over the years.

@HarryMudd

4 жыл бұрын

He was more of a lounge-singer in his early years. Heart of Saturday night and Ol' 55 are perfect examples of that

@stucody

4 жыл бұрын

Harry Mudd To very good album’s.

Tim Waits is amazing singer and songwriter

@BethRoars

4 жыл бұрын

He is indeed! 😊

Tom waits is the crooked tree in the forest 💛

"Here's a little something arranged for piano and fire extinguisher..." - Tom Waits, 1977

I've listened to this version of this song innumerable times. I love everything about it. I love Tom Waits. And this was a very engaging presentation. Thanks!

@BethRoars

4 жыл бұрын

Thanks for listening

Waits has been my #1 since 1984. His voice evolved into being full-on Howlin' Wolf.

Excellent observations. Being authentic and true to yourself is only way. Thanks for this.

@BethRoars

4 жыл бұрын

Thank you for watching :)

Toms voice is what eating a carton of smokes sounds like

Much more Tom Waits, please Beth!

Man's an immense talent,pure talent.

Tom’ss lyrics are so unique and special. It would be such a treat to hear you, in your voice, cover a Tom Waits song.

His voice is perfect his music.

Great review, I always wanted to see one about Waits.

@BethRoars

4 жыл бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it!

My first introduction to Tom’s music was the album Alice. I found out later that this was one of his stranger albums of music. No regrets. His skill as a songwriter is deeper than most.

Tom.Waits is just an awesome giant.

The most poetic way of putting Tom Waits' voice, that I've read, is “sounding like it was soaked in a vat of bourbon, left hanging in the smokehouse for a few months, and then taken outside and run over with a car." 100% a compliment, because it's so unique. Also, if you want to sound like him I recommend a regimen of bourbon and cigarettes. 😉

I love Tom Waits!!

Tom is the coolest cat for sure

Tom Waits' son on drums, David Hidalgo on the Gibson Les Paul

san Diego serenade and the piano has been drinking as close as I can come to calling a favorite tom waits song

Back in the dark ages I saw him on Letterman. Dave asked him "What are you doing in town?" "Here to see Sinatra's voice doctor." "What did he say?" "Gotta stop singing like this." This was around '87 and it was five years before he released another album.

@dasein47

4 жыл бұрын

Also right at the time he release Frank's Wild Years, which is his homage of sorts to Sinatra.

That "so bizarre" hissss, hissssss at the end of the song, followed a couple of "all aboard"s and mimics the release of steam from an awaiting train out of a more nostalgic time. That said, you just won a million points with me for being appreciative of Wait's uninhibited character. Most are too busy ridiculing to really listen. Thanks !!!

I saw Tom in concert back in the small change days, in Cambridge, MA. He puts on a whole stage show with street lamps, ash registers, etc. He also arrive like an hour and 1/2 late and we had to listen to Bad Company for that whole time. It was definitely worth waiting for.

there is only one Tom Waits, he is an amazing songwriter

He’s big in Japan!!!

@ronaldowens5025

4 жыл бұрын

My favorite album next to Alice.

I was 100% prepared to be upset when I saw the title of this video. I'm a long time Waits fan and few people seem to understand why I think he's a brilliant singer. Above his lyrical genius and musical gifts, his delivery is wrought with soul that few can come close to tapping into. Anyone else with a voice like that wouldn't bother singing - they'd sell their songs or hire a singer. Much like Dylan, Waits needs to do his own songs because no one else is capable of making them what they really are. His gravel doesn't stop him from giving you chills. His bark doesn't make a song any less romantic or heartbreaking. No, he doesn't have a 4 octave range - but it goes to show that anyone can find that place inside where soul lives and just "sang." There's singing and then there's "sanging" - not a cultural term, I mean just singing with your heart more than your chords. Thank you for this review. As a musician, I respect how you approached this. I'm gonna subscribe even though this isn't my area of interest - you get my support :)

@robwilliamsfn9425

4 жыл бұрын

Screamin' Jay Hawkins did a pretty terrific "Whistling Past The Graveyard": kzread.info/dash/bejne/doaeqqOBpJnYqtY.html

I just started listening to Tom and gods away is my favorite.

Great analysis, Beth. Tom Waits sings about the disenfranchised, the derailed, the discarded and the defeated. His is the perfect voice for those songs.

Beth, I'm impressed, most vocal coaches would never attempt to analyze Tom, dismissing him as an example of what NOT to do with your voice. But you have done your work and give a legitimate thoughtful analysis of his distinct style. Truthfully, I actually prefer his earlier stuff to his later work. Its more melodic, his voice isn't as torn up, and sounds less like a muppet but at his core, Tom is a storyteller. He crafts songs about the down and out, addicts, hobos, drifters, and broken toys. The over looked human flotsam that are in every city and every town across the world. He focuses his attention on the characters and situations most people refuse to look at. His voice is KEY in crafting that mood weaving the spell of desolation and hardship.

Yay! Tom! I would LOVE to see you react to one of his more melodic tunes, like "come on up to the house" or "flowers grave". As crazy and fun as he can be he can also be so incredibly tender and moving.

@Lookinforrealmusic

4 жыл бұрын

Or maybe Hold On....that one gets me everytime

Listen to Martha or grapefruit moon, if you wanted to here Tom showing he has one of the most beautiful singing voices in history. Downtown train personal fav.

@MasterOfKnowledge.

3 жыл бұрын

It's gotten incredibly rougher since The Heart of Saturday Night, but I do agree that from 1971-1974/75, he had one of the smoothest and laid back voices out there. It was like an angel rolling in honey

Love Tom, and his band is always so lose and tight at the same time. Addictive brilliance

Anywhere I Lay My Head last track on Rain Dogs brings me to tears every damn time