When I look at my playlists it is clear I am partial to singer songwriters.
For me there a few giants and Tom Waits is one of them. I have seen him live twice and they were memorable performances. He is unique. I mean he is like no other.
No disrespect intended. We all have our tastes. I was bummed. The venue where I was going to see Jr. Brown closed due to the virus. Had tickets to see John Sebastion as well. It was called Songbirds. Had the largest guitar collection in the world. I mean guitars worth hundreds of thousands each. Sad to see it go. Had a great stage, sat maybe 500-600 tops. A great place to watch really great guitar players do their thing.
Not many here would like Jr. Brown, but he is one of the best guitar lickers in the world. His guitar is the coolest ever.
If everybody had like minds, we would never learn.
I only have one requirement when I listen to music. I have to "feel it". If the music I'm listening to moves me, I'll like it. Empty noise does nothing for me.
My guess is that's why I don't care much for certain bands that have become quite popular and are very partial to some bands and musicians that are not.
Intoducing for The Cleveland Browns, Quarterback Deshawn "The Predator" Watson. He will also be the one to choose your next head coach.
I had a girlfriend a long time ago who tried to introduce me to Waits' "Small Change" album. She wanted me to appreciate it, but honestly it was a chore.
I ended up with the album in my collection after we parted ways. Go figure.
Then, I saw Waits on a documentary about Charles Bukowski a few years back and realized I hadn't thought about his music in years or that I still had that old album.
I put in on for kicks. It was still a bit of a chore, but I did end up liking "Bad Liver and a Broken Heart" a little bit.
I think if you're a music/melody first type of listener (then check out the lyrics if you like the instrumentation), Waits is a tough listen. If you're immediately drawn to the words in a song foremost, then Waits is easier to digest. I'm the former.
I think that's why it took a long time for Dylan to appeal to me.
Also I have read everything published By Charles Bukowski.
Before I ever heard of Tom Waits. I went to a place in Atlanta in the late 70's to see Leon Redbone. Another guy I like a lot. Well Tom Waits opened for him.
That started it. I was blown away by his performance. He sells out instantly when he tours. His concerts are legendary.
But he is not for everyone. Those that like him. Are all in.
That is the way of things.
Much of what I see at the Grammy's I find to be not good. Beyonce type music with bump and grind dance shows are not my thing. And there is a load of that.
Waits experiments with sound and voice. For the most part I love his song lyrics. However, I don't always like the songs. But some of his songs are just exceptional. What makes him is you never know where he will go. He is always changing. He is not a mold. Producing the same thing.
The lyrics to some of his songs are stand alone and create a feel.
I got into Tom Waits in college and I love his music. I agree, his voice is perfect for his music. I have "Closing Time" and "Franks Wild Years." They are great, plus several songs on my Spotify list.
![[Linked Image from i28.photobucket.com]](http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c201/shadedog/mcenroe2.jpg)
![[Linked Image]](http://www.dawgtalkers.net/uploads/small-gator-chomp.gif)