Quote:
Originally Posted by Severian
Yeah I don't get the Waits thing. I highly doubt that most living, breathing people could listen to Mule Variations from start to finish without losing their minds.
I remember when that record came out. My father bought it because of a Rolling Stone review he read... he was a fan of Heart of Satrday Night and found everything else totally repulsive prior to this. When he did buy the album, he listened to "Big in Japan" a couple times and then it gathered dust on his shelf until finally I just took it from him. I told him, of course, but he had to admit he didn't care. He just saw a "comeback" album from an old guy like him and thoight "well, this should be pleasant!" ... Then he basically faked liking it until it became a souvenir.
He did the same thing with Mirror Ball and Broken Arrow by Neil Young, and The Ghost of Tom Joad by Springsteen, and I still have all of them.
Waits was probably only inducted because Mule Variations caught him a Grammy nomination, and some industry heads thought it would be appropriate. But Waits is a crazy motherfucker, and his music has never really been appreciated by the mainstream. Like Beefheart, he's a cult anti-icon; not a rock star.
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Waits was inducted 2011, so I donīt think it has nothing to do with Mule Variations...maybe itīs just that they`ve had critic how conservative they are in their inductions, so they decided to pick Tom Waits that year...I think itīs same also in Dr. John & Alice Cooper...but because Captain Beefheart arenīt still there, itīs just shows how there are no idea in their choises.
Itīs quite the opposite story how I started Waits fan as your dadīs. Some friend told me how great & how bizarre Waits is (I think I had heard one of his songs years before and didnīt like it because I was just a kid then). Then I borrowed from other friend Closing Time and just thought "this is not really what I am seeking". But anyway I liked Closing time already then, maybe just because itīs so warm record. Anyway quite soon I bought Swordwishtrombones and then there was no way back...