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You know, Tom Waits has always been this cult figure that I’ve been told by both culture and occasionally real life people (though only a small few), that he’s cool and maybe even important. But I’ve never listened to any songs of his until this post. I was curious if there was any actual substance to him. If there was more beyond his persona and veneer of “cool.”
I’m glad the song had the lyrics in the description so I could follow along with what he’s trying to say. And I will say, I did like it. It seems he’s talking about the struggle and hardships within yourself and against a harsh society. But I’m wondering if there’s a real message or perspective here, or if he’s only creating a pastiche of the vagabond type charachter like that in Jack Black’s “You Can’t Win.”
Is he really saying anything of value here, or is he only wearing a costume?
I don’t really know enough about his life to say if he’s really a born beat like Jack Black or Neal Cassidy or a fan who joined the life like Jack Kerouac… it sounds like maybe he’s more like Kerouac.
I won’t pretend to judge if there’s substance to it; I just like the music. You can be the judge I think:
I dont mean to sound cynical. He doesn’t have to have lived like Black or even Keruac to have good and important (or even fun) things to say. Heck, I believe we put to much importance on authenticity sometimes (its important in some instances, but not every one at every time).
But i appreciate this post and the follow up. I think that I might have to finally do a dive into his music.
