Wayback music challenge: Day 6 - Tom Waits
Tom Waits - Chocolate Jesus
I was nominated by @katharsisdrill to participate in this challenge, where you have to write seven consecutively posts about songs from your high-school/college years, that somehow were important for you.
Probably my most favorite singing artist during my High School and College years was Mr. Tom Waits. He was often referred to as the singing Bukowski and I absolutely admired his charisma. I loved his rough voice, his weird music and last not least his attitude.
It was really a tough choice to pick my favorite song, but between the fabulous The Piano has been Drinking (aka. The Bartenders Prayer),which was my first Tom Waits song, I've ever heard, Down, Down, Down and Way Down in the Hole, I decided to go for a live version of the Chocolate Jesus. Here it is:
Tom Waits - Chocolate Jesus
As you can hear in his introduction of the song above, there was a reference to how I left my parent's house, but I wasn't aware, that nearly all of my favorite songs deal with topics like Jesus, the devil and church (and drinking). It must have played a subconscious role, though.
Although his mother (of Norwegian heritage) was supposed to be a regular church-goer and his father (a Texan of Scots-Irish ancestry) was an alcoholic and outsider, I couldn't find any hints, that he had problems because of a particularly strict religious education. But I have to admit, that his music literally saved me from becoming depressive a dozen of times.
Reality is for people who can't face drugs.
I also loved his work as an actor, like in Jim Jarmush's Down by Law and especially his conversation with Iggy Pop in Coffee and Cigarettes, which you can see below:
Iggy Pop and Tom Waits (Coffee and cigarettes) - FULL version
Thanks for reading!
The #musicwaybackchallenge rules:
- Choose one song from your high-school/college years.
- Write a few words about who made you listen to this song for the first time, what this song means to you (was it a breakup song? you blasted it at 100% on your audio system when you were partying with your friends?) whatever you want.
- Write your text while listening to the song. As soon as the song ends, wrap up what you where writing and submit it.
- Do this for 7 days in a row if you get nominated
- Mention one person who should do this on each day.
- Tag it with #musicwaybackchallenge and include these rules at the bottom of your post
First time I heard Tom Waits was on the Faroy Islands. I was working as a fisherman and rented a room in the Klaksvik youth hostel. There was a lot of Swedes, mostly girls, but Tom Waits was the favourite of the Swedish boy (or young men, we were all between 19 (me) and mid twenty).
Later when I lived in Florence with my wild girlfriend (my wife to be) she knew it all and was a Down by law fan. I really like his music - I always thought of him as a German lied-singer born in the wrong country. His phrasing, the show, the music.
I remember, that you had worked as a fisherman back in the days, but I didn't know, that you and your later wife lived in Florence once. Would love to know more about that times.
We made our final school trip to Florence and I thought about staying there and living as a street-artist, but I didn't have the guts to just bunk off.
Regarding the German kind of singing, I never thought about Tom Waits could be one of us. We barely have (and had) some cool guys like him. Maybe Udo Lindenberg would come close.
You did have cool guys, but he is special in this time and age for sure. When he made his sound that mixed blues into the old German cabaret style, Germans were doing other things like punk versions of the same... Nina Hagen for example. She is also quite a character.
Didn't know Udo Lindenberg - there is so many names in German music that I don't know I realize - he is classic German singing. I still try to get my head around the film you wrote about in the last post, do you know any place where you can see it on the internet. It sounds very interesting.
Yes, Nina Hagen is really a one-of-a-kind character and she mixed classic singing with punk. Most remarkable is probably her remake of Zarah Leander.
I did a research about legal streaming of "Step across the border" but unfortunately neither couldn't find a source. I guess, it once aired at mubi, but they only play 30 independent movies at a time.
If you're able to watch DVDs, you won't regret buying a copy or maybe you could check, if they incidentally play the movie in an arthouse cinema near you.
I suppose I will have to find the DVD.
My man!
Nice post @shortcut :D
Tom Waits kicks ass!!!
Yeah, he does!
All the world is green :)
Strange video, but I like it. Do you have some more infos about it?
Sounds like this:
Hey leider nein, nur wie man im Film sieht, das Werk eines Filmstudenten, offenbar älter. Der Song ist neben "All the World is Green", "Down Down Down"und "Downtowntrain" einer meiner Alltime Favorites. Als ich deinen schönen Post sah, konnte ich nicht anders reagieren erstmal :) Aber das ist ein interessanter Kurzfilm, das Hämmern das Schuster passt auch gut. Grüße
Danke dir für die Erklärung! Der Film hat auf jeden Fall Charme ;-) Freut mich, einen weiteren Tom Waits Fan kennenzulernen. Ich hätte mich fast für „Down, Down, Down“ entschieden, da man dazu super abtanzen kann.
2007 hab ich ne 80 Gigabyte-Musik-Mp3-Sammlung u.a. aus Deutschrock, Punk, Liedermachern, Techno, Reggae usw. also überwiegend gutes Zeug von einem Kumpel bekommen, der wie viele gesammelt hatte. Mengenmäßig war das der Wahnsinn für mich....Von ihm waren 8 Alben dabei. Bei Tom Waits finde ich manches weniger erträglich, von anderen Alben zwei, drei absolut genial. Dieses Schrummelsongs mit Säuferattitüde und Stimme sind nicht so meins von ihm und da hat er auch sehr sehr viele. .
Tom Waits -- one of the true unadulterated individuals on the music scene. He is his own music genre ;-) His music has that seedy, dark, after-hours vibe, and conveys the sense that it is the real deal.
As an actor, I often thought this movie would have benefited from his music, and if he had played the bartender.
Glad you agree with me about Tom Waits :-)
He, he, I never thought about him this way, but you're probably right. Sometimes his singing reminds me of Screamin' Jay Hawkins, but he surely developed his own unique style.
Regarding the movie, I probably have seen it, but somehow must have forgotten about the details. Time to rewatch it.
I always imagine him ins a smoky after hours bar in a seedy part of town., but you're also right about the Creamin' Jay Hawkins similarity. Here's a good example.
Can't go wrong with a little Tom Waits that is for sure.
Been hearing this song a lot lately
Glad you agree :-) He's a perfect match for some sad and blue moments and -like your example proofes- even a good singer.
chocolate Jesus is quite intriguing and would fit in with his style. I like Tom's 'Waltzing Matilda' Thanks @shortcut
Thanks for your feedback! Waltzing Matilda is a great song, too, I hardly find Tom Wait's songs, I don't like, though ;-)
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Very confusing! Your 'quality criteria' is based on 'news updates round the clock', but you gave me an upvote of $0.00(?) for an historic music post. And what is this thing you have with unicorns?
To be honest, this just looks like if you want to ask for an upvote (and not much more).
Excellent video music sir
Thank for the sharing post
My pleasure! Thanks for your appreciation :-)
@shortcut today you post the most popular song..with tom waits..and chocolate jesus also a very creative musician..i really like both of them..a big thank for share your memorable time..