Fall always makes me think of Tom Waits. Maybe it's because I was first introduced to him in the fall back when I first started college, or perhaps it's just the simple foreboding wisdom of his voice (my boyfriend says he has the voice of a man buried alive); but to me, fall means Tom Waits.
My earliest memory of Tom Waits is not my fondest. My friend TJ had just gotten The Black Rider on CD and had me over after school to listen to it. We both lay on his twin bed, listening to what I later referred to as "demented circus music," and eventually we both drifted off to sleep. That record inspired in me the craziest dreams, the likes of which have not been rivaled in 14 years of dreaming, and I was understandably hesitant to give Mr. Waits another chance. So TJ played "Step Right Up" and "Christmas Card From a Hooker in Minneapolis" for me, and sent me on my way with Closing Time and The Heart of Saturday Night. And while I have definitely grown fond of his grim reapers throughout the years, the weepers are still my preferred carnation of Tom Waits's genius. I think one of the reasons I love the Edward Norton film KEEPING THE FAITH (besides the obvious-- hello! Ed Norton and Ben Stiller! Sign me up!) is the opening– New York City skyline made even more beautiful by Waits singing "Please Call Me, Baby." He wrote and performed the wonderful (Oscar nominated!) score for an otherwise regrettable Coppola film, ONE FROM THE HEART, including one of my favorites, a delightful breakup song, "Pickin' Up After You," which is a duet with Crystal Gayle.
The next logical thing to do as part of my college education was to see the films he had appeared in. I had to re-watch THE OUTSIDERS, RUMBLE FISH, and THE COTTON CLUB to remind myself who his characters were in those films. Then my friends and I rented THE FISHER KING (not just an amazing movie, but also Awesome Zara's all time favorite film). But when people ask me who Tom Waits is and what he's been in, usually I say Coppola's BRAM STOKER'S DRACULA because I know that if they've seen it, they'll remember Renfield.
But the movie that changed it all for me and made me a fan not just of Tom Waits, songwriter and performer, but also of Tom Waits, actor, was SHORT CUTS. SHORT CUTS was Robert Altman's ambitious 1993 project, which takes many of Raymond Carver's short stories and weaves them together into a depressing but ultimately satisfying film. As an English major who had read much of Carver's work, I knew that this film was not merely an adaptation but a brilliant, original idea inspired by the simplicity and humanity of Carver's stories. I had an appreciation for most of 
When you have an evening, have a gin and tonic and just listen. |
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Carver's stories before I saw the film, but "They're Not Your Husband" was not one that I particularly liked. But when Altman had Waits, as Earl, come into the diner and observe the other men scrutinizing and rating his wife's body, I suddenly got him.
Tom Waits has also singlehandedly rescued several films, including MYSTERY MEN (1999) and DOMINO (2005). But no matter how amazing and God-like, even he couldn't save COFFEE AND CIGARETTES (2003).
I have friends who vehemently oppose the use of any Tom Waits song on a mix CD. I see their point (Frank's Wild Years and Rain Dogs are drinks best finished in one sitting), but I don't subscribe to such absolutes. ("Alice" and "A Little Drop of Poison" are currently two of my mix CD staples). If there is no Tom Waits in your library, you must own Bone Machine and Frank's Wild Years. If you have trepidations, I suggest introducing yourself to his works chronologically. (Following his progression from ballads to blues/jazz/experimental will feel organic).
And if you work at a corn maze or haunted house, or if you've set something creepy up in your yard to frighten trick-or-treaters, I suggest giving that old scary sound effect tape a rest and trying The Black Rider. It may not be scarier than Judi Dench, but it gives her a run for her money.
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Semi-wholesome Midwestern girl and certified Geek Magnet offers her suggestions - often new, sometimes classic - for DVDs that are definitely queue-worthy.
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