Rauque'n'roll man (6)!

Tom Waits was born to parents teachers in LA in December 49. His father, Frank (which it will subsequently tribute musically), was Spanish teacher and played the guitar, but mostly was a drunk-in-thirsty A barfly, an alcoholic. His mother, Alma, conservative and rigid, actually a bigoted Evangelist, sang and made him sing in his church. At 59, Frank went to be seen elsewhere and Alma moved to San Diego (30km from Tijuana) with Tom and his two sisters. After doing lots of odd jobs to boil a little family pot, Tom, who was interested not in school, but could play the piano and guitar, composed and wrote and sang, started without too much squeeze, a bar pianist career and saloon singer: born into a family of teachers and pastors, the man who always seems to have made the wedding all night, the 'bad boy' pinch in-cheek, small and skinny, with the odd appearance and mop battle at hoarse rocky patch, a little autistic artist, authentic, with tics, cleverly hidden behind her character bohemian hobo, became the painter deviant, the marginalized, the staggering drunks, the world of shady bars and street dead end, the nights never end and that blondes are crushed to five o'clock in the morning, less a singer that a storyteller elsewhere, and rather shy, introverted and reserved in life, unlike its somewhat boastful character on stage.

Also at Elektra-Asylum, the sixth album of the freak guttural voice and unusual style, close to the satirical cabaret as blues-rock avant-garde, was released in 1980. Fan of Jack Kerouac as Charles Bukowski, but also James Brown as Bob Dylan, the 'psalmodieur' on the cap and goatee poulbot, who used to tell dirty jokes on stage while singing, we continued to bludgeon his bluesy melodies.

9 pieces up only the sixth galette:

- Heartattack and vine: 'See That Little Jersey girl in the see-through top, was sucking soda pop': a mid-tempo song on the night world and vast wildlife that special music already anticipates future

- In shades: a long bluesy instrumental not really explosive

- Saving all my love for you: 'No one in this town is makin' any noise, aim the dogs, the milkmen and me ': a gentle walk on the almost empty streets and the hangover the morning

- Downtown: 'It's cool of the evening, the sun's goin' down, come on Baby, we'll set off all the alarms burglar ': and one more mid-tempo slightly destroy evocation of the world of the night

- Jersey girl: 'Tonight I'm gonna be with you, I'm gonna take that ride across the river to the Jersey side, sha la la, sha la la': one of the most beautiful songs of Tom Waits -Resumption Besides the 'Boss' is not trompe it, Happiness pure 5mn

- 'Til the money runs out: "Someone stole my watch, I sold a quarter of blood and Bought A half a pint of scotch': even a rough evocation of the world of the night and specifically pimps and drug dealers

- On the nickel: 'You're sleepin' in the rain and you're always late for supper ': a beautiful lullaby tribute to LA homeless

- Mr. Siegal: 'How do the angels get to sleep When the devil leaves the Porchlight it? ': A rough mid-tempo evocation of Vegas Bugsy Siegel

- Ruby's arms: 'Will someone could was my train, I'll never kiss your lips again, as I say goodbye to Ruby's arms': a beautiful ballad about a guy who is bowing to the girl when he broke the heart

At that time, Tom Waits began to tire of his disorderly life: a disc, then eight-month tour, then back a disc, etc. Ricky Lee had gone to hard drugs and Tom accompanied him on his first European tour, but along the way they broke and Tom came back quickly in the US, moved to New York and decided to change gender. It was then that Francis Ford Coppola contacted him and asked him to sign the soundtrack of his next film, 'One from the heart', and it is in the studios of Tom Coppola met the woman who would become his half, I ' have appointed Kathleen Brennan, who brought him security: Tom thought of settle down and have a family. As things did not advance very quickly with the film he wrote and recorded this new album (he was still contractually speaking, in his record) and thus offered his first blockbuster, 'Jersey Girl' which immediately placed the disk among the best sales of the year. In 82 came the soundtrack, superb, with several duets recorded with the beautiful Crystal Gayle. After that began a new era ...

Note: Without borrowing, no rock'n'roll; mine are from the book 'Tom Waits, a biography' Barney Hoskyns (2011)