Wild years : the music and myth of Tom Waits

Newly updated to include his critically acclaimed post-millennial work, this look at Tom Waits—both the reality and the myriad myths—reveals 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 enigma—the poet laureate of the streetlit American night. Legend. Bum. Genius. Con Man. Devoted husband and father. Myth. Storyteller. Inspiration. Drunk. Visionary. Tom Waits is all of these things. 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. 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. 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. Jay S. Jacobs follows the fate of one of America's pre-eminent artists, a very private man whose career embodies a quirky array of fulfillment and loss, beauty and strangeness. This revised and updated edition includes a new chapter, with insight on Waits'career in the 21st century thus far, as well as the most complete discography available in print. Tom's Wild Years – a poignant, revealing celebration of the man and all his myths. Legend. Bum. Genius. Con Man. Devoted husband and father. Myth. Storyteller. Inspiration. Drunk. Visionary. Tom Waits is all of these things. 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. 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. 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. Jay S. Jacobs follows the fate of one of America's pre-eminent artists, a very private man whose career embodies a quirky array of fulfillment and loss, beauty and strangeness. This revised and updated edition includes a new chapter, with insight on Waits' career in the 21st century thus far, as well as the most complete discography available in print. Tom's Wild Years ' a poignant, revealing celebration of the man and all his myths Newly updated to include his critically acclaimed post-millennial work, this look at Tom Waits -- both the reality and the myriad myths -- reveals 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. A biography of the versatile American singer/songwriter shows how Tom Waits has influenced a generation of musicians with his sound, warmth, and willingness to take chances