Synopses & Reviews
Legend. Bum. Genius. Con Man. Devoted husband and father. Myth. Storyteller. Inspiration. Drunk. Visionary. Tom Waits is all of these things.
Wild Years: The Music and Myth of Tom Waits retraces the long road that Waits has traveled and explores the music that made him a legend. Jay S. Jacobs looks at the towering myth that Waits has created for himself, a larger-than-life persona of neon bar lights and desperate dreams. It reveals a complex, brilliant and fascinating man comfortable portraying the role of off-beat music legend and yet resolutely protective of his private life.
Poet laureate of the common man, Waits is the lifeline between the great beat poets and today's rock & roll heroes. He's old enough to be your dad and cool enough to be your hero. Waits is one of the few truly original musicians recording today. He's also the rare singer who can actually act, and he has put together a respectable body of work in movies. He's a modern Renaissance man. From his early years when he embraced the beatniks and the grimy realities of life on the streets, to more recent tonal experiments, Waits stubbornly followed his own path and vision. It just so happens that his vision is arresting and brilliant, inspiring a devoted following. His 1999 album Mule Variations was the best selling of his thirty-year career. But more importantly, Waits can still surprise and delight listeners.
Review
"Jacobs' study isn't simply informative; it's a solid and entertaining read on its own." —Eric Waggoner, Phoenix New Times
Synopsis
Newly updated to include his critically acclaimed post-millennial work, this look at Tom Waitsboth the reality and the myriad mythsreveals the man behind the curtain. A tale of how a self-taught, drunken hipster in roach-killers and a dirty beret has influenced a generation of musicians with his sound, warmth, and willingness to take chances, this biography shows how he has moved between sideshow barker and evocative troubadour with ease, recording almost 20 albums that range from cabaret to movie soundtracks. Waits encapsulates the wink-and-nudge of a Vaudevillian and the rhythm and heart of a beatnik, and his fans span a similarly wide spectrum, drawn in by his candor and humor. But off stage, he has resolutely protected his private life even as he and his wife-collaborator, Kathleen Brennan, publicly experiment with innovative recording techniques and instrumentation. A complete discography, as well as a look at Waits' film and theater careers, rounds out this exploration of a great, self-styled, genre-hopping enigmathe poet laureate of the streetlit American night.
About the Author
Jay S. Jacobs is widely published in music magazines such as
Creem, Magnet, and
Rock Guide and edits the online magazine www.PopEntertainment.com. He lives in Philadelphia.