That's what the local free paper said about Tom Waits' upcoming concert June 20th at the Plaza theatre.

I first heard Tom Waits in 1976 or maybe it was 1977…I just remember my first daughter was a wobbly little thing on her feet when a friend gave me the album “Heart of Saturday Night." So maybe it was 1977. He loved finding new music and introducing it to me… he had recently turned me on to the likes of Kate Bush and Rickie Lee Jones...so here was another new find he obviously thought I would enjoy. I put the album on the turntable and remember my little one holding onto the table that it sat on... She bobbed back and forth to the music...but me, I didn’t know what to make of it. So I read the lyrics… the voice coming from the speakers didn't seem to match the lyrics at all. His voice has been described "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." I think that’s a great decription. But as rough and gruff as his voice and appearance is, his lyrics are as beautiful,clear, tender, intimate, haunting and visual. The more I listened to him, the more I fell in love with his words and music.
He’s part tin pan alley, carnival performer, street guy, circus clown and poet rolled up into one.
His songs have been covered by Bruce Springsteen, Rod Stewart (remember “Downtown train”..that's his...), Shawn Colvin, 10,000 Maniacs, Bob Seger and Marianne Faithfull to name a few.
Personally, I like his songs best when sung by him.

This is part of the song called “Drunk on the Moon” that is on that album my friend gave me:

“And the moon’s a silver slipper Its pouring champagne stars
Broadway’s like a serpent pulling shiny top-down cars Laramer is teeming with that undulating beat
And some Bonneville is screaming its way wilder down the street
Hearts flutter and race
The moons on the wane
Tarts mutter their dream hopes the night will ordain
Come schemers and dancers
Cherry delight
As a Cleveland-bound greyhound and it cuts throught the night
And I’ve hocked all my yesterdays Dont try and change my tune
cause I thought I heard a saxophone -
I’m drunk on the moon”

Beautiful, eh?

You may have heard Bruce’s cover of his song ‘Jersey Girl’ from “Heartattack and Vine” :

“You know she thrills me with all her charms,
when I’m wrapped up in my baby's arms,
my little angel gives me everything,
I know someday that she'll wear my ring.
So don't bother me cause I got no time,
I'm on my way to see that girl of mine,
nothin' else matters in this whole wide world,
when you're in love with a jersey girl,
And I call your name, I can't sleep at night.”

Easy to see why Bruce would want to sing that one, right?

And “Blind Love” from “Rain Dogs” :

“Now the streets are turning blue and the dogs are barking
And the night has come And there are more tears that are falling from your blue eyes now
Well I wonder where you are and I whisper your name
The only way to find you is if I close my eyes
I’ll find you with my blind love Oh it’s blind love
The only kind of love is stone blind love”

Again, beautiful…

‘Innocent when you dream” from “Big Time”:

“The bats are in the belfry the dew is on the moor
where are the arms that held me and pledged her love before
and pledged her love before
It's such a sad old feeling the fields are soft and green
it's memories that I'm stealing
but you're innocent when you dream
when you dream
Running through the graveyard we laughed my friends and I
we swore we'd be together until the day we died
until the day we died
I made a golden promise that we would never part
I gave my love a locket and then I broke her heart
and then I broke her heart.”

Tom Waits is going to be here this Friday on his “Glitter and Doom” tour and I’m going. There is actually a small group of friends that are revved up for seeing him live. He can sing any one of the above mentioned songs and make my night…I am secretly hoping for 2 other songs that I haven’t mentioned… one reminds me of a possible future business venture that could be really cool and make me smile a big one.
At work I have said to a few people, "Hey, have you heard that Tom Waits is going to be here?"…I am smiling big saying, “How cool is that?” and the usual response is, “who?” oh well, I’m excited!!

Part of the lyrics to "Heart of Saturday Night" and video...not the best quality video but the only one I could find of this song...and although he'll be playing on a Friday night and not a Saturday night, I'm not complaining...not at all.

“Well you gassed her up behind the wheel
With your arm around your sweet one in your Oldsmobile
barrelin' down the boulevard
You're looking for the heart of Saturday night
And you got paid on Friday and your pockets are jinglin'
And you see the lights You get all tinglin' cause you're cruisin' with a 6
And you're looking for the heart of Saturday night
Then you comb your hair Shave your face
Tryin' to wipe out ev'ry trace of all the other days
In the week you know that this'll be the Saturday
You're reachin' your peak
Stoppin' on the red You're goin' on the green
'Cause tonight'll be like nothin' you've ever seen
And you're barrelin' down the boulevard
Lookin' for the heart of Saturday night”





after many years of listening to him – his voice and lyrics seem like a perfect match...and I think he is simply lovely.