Sound the Swordfish Trombones

A while ago I did my fantasy concert post. I asked you all to decide which band you would go and see, in which year, touring which album. Many of you commented, which was nice, as always. I have even started work on a time-machine, just to make it all possible (still having problems with the flux capacitor). Stay posted for news on that.

I, myself, picked Queen, in 1975, touring a Night at the Opera. What I didn’t say was that second to that would have been Tom Waits touring “Frank’s Wild Years” in 1989.

Given that none of us can ever see Freddie Mercury again and there’s just no way I would ever go and see Queen touring with Paul Rogers in his place, I am delighted to say that I am, at last able to see my number 2 favourite recording artist of all time, Tom Waits.

I have always said that Tom Waits would be the only guy I would pay airfares to go and see. Turns out, I don’t have to and a centimetre of ozone will live to fight another day .

I have just been first in the queue to buy tickets for his Edinburgh gig on the 28^th of July. Tom hardly ever comes to the UK, and I was overseas when he last played London. Has he ever played Scotland? I don’t think so. Anyway, I am shaking with excitement. I have front row balcony seats at the Edinburgh Playhouse. I may cry when he comes on stage. I LOVE that man.

Tom isn’t to everyone’s taste and for those never exposed to him before it’s usually best to start off with the early work and work from there to the more, let’s say, challenging stuff. Closing Time, Swordfish Trombones or Nighthawks in the Diner are good places to begin your assured love of Tom Waits.

In one hundred years time, well after Tom Waits’s death, he will be down in history as one of the titans of American songwriting. Forget Bruce Springsteen for capturing American life …Tom is the master in that regard.

People don’t realise what he’s written. Suffice to say that Rod Stewart didn’t write Downtown Train, and that Scarlett Johannssen album that everyone’s squawking about is all Tom Waits covers. He’s just not very mainstream, but he flippin’ well should be.

Tom is rarely played on UK radio and it was my great pleasure to strongarm my Original 106 FM colleague, Andrew Learmonth, to play my favourite ever Tom Waits track, Grapefruit Moon, on the Sunday Showcase Film Club, a month ago. This was done under the ruse of talking about rock stars in movies. Tom Waits has been exceptional in every movie he has ever been in, which can’t be said for most “acting” musicians.

I saw the event as a personal triumph, and within minutes another presenter from the station came in to congratulate our brave playlist choice, saying that he was told off by “the man” a few weeks back for sneaking some Tom into his late night show. Shame. Tom is perfect for late night radio.

So to fans, to novices, and to people wondering what the blazes I am on about, here’s a little Tom Waits treat. This is classic, challenging, exciting and “WTF was that!?” Tom Waits. Temptation: