It's a real burden being right so often.

Mal ,'Bushwhacked'


Buffista Music III: The Search for Bach  

There's a lady plays her fav'rite records/On the jukebox ev'ry day/All day long she plays the same old songs/And she believes the things that they say/She sings along with all the saddest songs/And she believes the stories are real/She lets the music dictate the way that she feels.


DavidS - Jul 01, 2007 6:05:06 pm PDT #5968 of 10003
"Look, son, if it's good enough for Shirley Bassey, it's good enough for you."

Thanks for the birthday wishes! Good to see you, Joe.

I'm buried deep working on the book, making a push to finish.

But I offer for your entertainment and education...

Tom Waits As Inspiration On YouTube

No, not just Waits clips, but other people covering him, and making little movies based on his stuff. This is especially useful for those of you who could never get past Tom's voice because there are some gorgeous melodies here as well.

For example, Nine year old boy playing a lovely piano instrumental of "Johnsburg, Illinois

Another instrumental, "Time" arranged for classical guitar.

It's one of Tom's many beautiful melodies (maladies?). Check out Tori Amos' cover of "Time."

How about Frank Black covering "Black Rider".

Here's a young Irish guy with a fine tenor, busking his way through a huge pile of songs, including much Tom Waits. Here he does a fantastic version of "Dirt in the Ground."

His name is Dara Sheahan and I really like his cover of "Chocolate Jesus" too. (He's got excellent taste in songwriters and also covers Leonard Cohen and the Pogues.)

Somebody did a cool vid of King Kong set to Tom's cover of Daniel Johnston's "King Kong". Really cool.

Also very cool, this stop motion animation set to "Table Top Joe."

Several people did animations of Tom's "Children's Story" off Orphans. I liked this one best.

I think I posted this one before, but I still like this fan vid set to "Circus" using archival footage.

Here's a montage from the Tom Waits Peepshow which I somehow managed to miss.

You can't beat a high school musical doing "Jockey Full of Bourbon".

A wobbly video (but with great sound) of Nanci Griffith singing "Grapefruit Moon"

A high school film project set to "Alice"

Tom's "How's it Going to End" covered on guitar and ukelele for a cool/creepy animation

See, now lots of people say somebody's "an inspiration" but Tom really is the well spring that keeps giving.

Also, I've always loved Tom's thoroughly Weimar/Cabaret video for "Blow Wind Blow"


Sean K - Jul 01, 2007 6:26:39 pm PDT #5969 of 10003
You can't leave me to my own devices; my devices are Nap and Eat. -Zenkitty

Those are awesome videos, David.

Your links led me to these interesting tangents I think we can all appreciate:

David Bowie and Frank Black doing Fashion Frank (with funky beard) almost looks like just some local guy who won a radio contest to sing onstage with Bowie, or something.

Frank Black joins Placebo onstage to do Where Is My Mind?


DavidS - Jul 01, 2007 8:50:04 pm PDT #5970 of 10003
"Look, son, if it's good enough for Shirley Bassey, it's good enough for you."

Oooh, excellent finds, Sean. That Placebo cover is especially grand. Big Rock And Roll Fun.


DavidS - Jul 03, 2007 6:25:42 pm PDT #5971 of 10003
"Look, son, if it's good enough for Shirley Bassey, it's good enough for you."

Sweet! Oxford American is letting me write about Dan Hicks.

Plus, they pay money.

Professional writing career, oh how you toy with me.


esse - Jul 04, 2007 6:12:57 pm PDT #5972 of 10003
S to the A -- using they/them pronouns!

That's awesome David. You know OA is one of my favorites.

Saw The New Pornographers down in Battery Park this afternoon. For a bunch of Canadians they do a darned good job of celebrating the Fourth. They did a lot of stuff from the new album, and I stuck around until it started raining enough to be uncomfortable. It was cool to see Neko and AC again.


Sue - Jul 04, 2007 6:14:25 pm PDT #5973 of 10003
hip deep in pie

Neko is from Chicago.


tommyrot - Jul 05, 2007 7:04:55 am PDT #5974 of 10003
Sir, it's not an offence to let your cat eat your bacon. Okay? And we don't arrest cats, I'm very sorry.

So. Bela Fleck and the Flecktones. Someone told me about them, so I downloaded the two tracks available on eMusic. Damn - I never knew the banjo could sound so cool.

So now I need to buy one or more of their albums. Anyone know a good place to start?


tina f. - Jul 05, 2007 8:44:32 am PDT #5975 of 10003

Tommyrot, Bela Fleck has a very extensive discography. I'd suggest starting with one of his solo bluegrass albums like Drive (from 1988).

I also really love his stuff with New Grass Revival ( On the Boulevard is my favorite) . After about 1990 he mostly switches over to jazz. I don't like that stuff too much.

Neko is from Chicago.

She did live here for a while, but she is was born in Virginia, raised in Tacoma, Washington, (which he sings about with so much pride and sadness on "Thrice All American") and went to college in Vancouver.

Congrats, David!


Hayden - Jul 05, 2007 10:25:44 am PDT #5976 of 10003
aka "The artist formerly known as Corwood Industries."

Congrats on the Oxford American gig, David!

My iPod seems to love the Band of Susans right now. I think I have maybe 5-6 Band of Susans songs out of the 4000-odd songs on there, but it's served up 1-2 of their songs, most prominently "Elizabeth Stride (1843-1888)" every day since Saturday. Which is awesome.


tommyrot - Jul 05, 2007 10:37:09 am PDT #5977 of 10003
Sir, it's not an offence to let your cat eat your bacon. Okay? And we don't arrest cats, I'm very sorry.

The ultra-reclusive Sly Stone gives an interview in Vanity Fair: [link]