Tom Waits on Everything and Nothing

"I don’t know what the ‘big time’ is"
- Tom Waits in 1988
As told to Chris Roberts (from Rocksbackpages.com)
Hear more from this rare interview: blankonblank.org/tom-waits
"He’s a natural raconteur. A great one. You just get out of the way and let him do his thing, perform. If you can nudge the jokes along, so much the better." - Chris Roberts on interviewing Tom Waits.
From this glorious interview (recorded on cassette tape) we decided to just dip inside the mind of Tom Waits. So he takes us to church, Stonehenge, the streets of New York and inside a Hawaiian nightmare. The interview was recorded in a London recording studio and you can hear muffled music throughout the conversation.
Get more on Tom Waits, his turn as an aniamated cartoon in the 1970s, paling around with Keith Richards and Charles Bukowski and GIFs from the episode:
blankonblank.org/tom-waits
Subscribe for new episodes every other Tuesday (it's free):
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Executive Producer: David Gerlach
Animator: Patrick Smith
Audio Producer: Amy Drozdowska
Colorist: Jennifer Yoo
Music from Tom Waits
"Clap Hands"
"Hang Down Your Head"
Music You Heard via APM
"Keep My Heart" Deep Sounds
"Marinier" Anne-Maire Bernert
"Ten Men Dead" Deep Sounds
"Gypsy Twang" Paul Lenart, Bill Novick
search.apmmusic.com/
More Blank on Blank episodes: blankonblank.org/pbs
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Help us caption & translate this video!
amara.org/v/Q8FQ/

[@sunlion8866]

''We are buried beneath the weight of information, which is being confused with knowledge; quantity is being confused with abundance and wealth with happiness. We are monkeys with money and guns.'' - Tom Waits

[@lindsaykearney5089]

Tom Waits is such an interesting guy. He lives in a rural beach town not far from where I live, so he comes to the movie theater I work at sometimes. He doesn’t not let us give him the senior price (and we don’t say “would you like the senior discount”, we say “do you qualify for any of our discounts”) and he always insists on paying the full price so that he can support us. He seems cool. I’ve always wanted to talk to him more, but he’s definitely not... interested. And that’s saying it nicely. We get his movies at my theater, too, so that’s always fun. He won’t come around for months around when they’re out. He definitely does not like to be in the limelight.

[@cuntchops23]

@@pashadyne creepy! 🧐

[@legion4698]

so basically he hates everyone and wants to be by himself i, cant disagree

[@UncleNucoa]

I used to work at a theater in a suburb of Los Angeles that only showed old movies and "Art" movies. The theatre was built in 1926, and was originally a Vaudeville theatre, so there were dressing rooms under the stage, and scenery backdrops. Anyway, we used to get celebrities from William Christopher to David Lee Roth. Most of them just wanted to go see a movie unmolested.

[@gabrielmorton7030]

Based on interviews I've seen (particularly pre-1990's), his body language shows discomfort. He would give very witty and deliberately vague and non-sequitur replies with little bits of wisdom. He strikes me as someone who's both very private and loves his art without explaining or de-constructing it.

[@bloodanddajugs]

Much like “ What is he building in there?” I could see Tom Waits taking this comment and making it into a short poem or song.

[@1nCub3]

His thoughts are so chaotic they gotta be fun to animate. Fun stuff!

[@PatrickSmithAnimation]

+1nCub3 they totally were.

[@pretorious700]

They are only "chaotic" to linear thinking boobs.

[@khalnetherfields7263]

I'm kind of in @pretorious700 corner here, to me his thoughts aren't chaotic at all, in fact they are a tad on the pragmatic side here to me, I don't want to insult boobs, but traditionally linear thinking isn't a compliment

[@dontaylor7315]

Delicious creative thought processes whether you find them chaotic or pragmatic. There's plenty of both in this clip is what I think.

[@johnnyfelcher8156]

"I always thought reality was for people who couldn't face drugs."

[@chattycathydoll]

The really cool thing about the face drugs line was it was said in a live interview in response to someone saying the only drugs you'd get at high school would be pimple cream. Pimple cream. Face drugs..

[@AnnaLVajda]

@@chattycathydoll yes and Tom said he had skin problems in High School too so it was sort of self depreciating humour if you think about it.

[@SweetParadise68]

Tom should donate his brain to science. I'm inclined to say that he's most interesting man in the world with the most bizarre and unique thought process - and you need not look any further than his lyrics to realise that. What a special human being.

[@marsadale]

Like, if Syd Barrett had been just a hair less fucked up...

[@DSAK55]

Tom should donate his brain to science fiction.

[@vibinwpsilocybin1424]

he reminds me of charles bukowski

[@bartvh07]

It vibes with us, so it is part of us

[@56588]

theo von thinks and expresses himself in a similar way

[@Missjunebugfreak]

Tom is one of the coolest eccentrics in music.

[@AbbyNormal777]

Lou Reed and Bob Dylan are right up there with him.

[@THX11458]

I love Tom Waits and his wry sense of humor.

[@nickdannunzio7683]

This is a story about 4 people named: Everybody, Somebody, Anybody, and Nobody. There was a very important job to be done. Everybody was assigned to do it. Anybody could have done it. But, Nobody did it. Somebody got angry about that because, it was Everybody’s job. Everybody thought that Anybody could do it. Nobody realized that Everybody would not do it. So, it ended up that Somebody blamed Everybody. When actually, Nobody should have not been blamed by Anybody!

[@vibinwpsilocybin1424]

the bystander effect

[@01dirtydirk]

Absolutely stupid

[@kaidengathings3096]

@@01dirtydirk don't talk to yourself like that

[@gboi5164]

go spout your copy & pasted knowledge elsewhere false prophet

[@gboi5164]

@hellostranger false is that you not actually contributing anything but doing it for your own glory. the dude just copy&pasted random "intellectual" stuff that he found so he could look smart

[@carloscastro1192]

”Rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy”

[@lsb2623]

...said my dad like 40 years ago!

[@Claytone-Records]

That can not be a Tom quote. Wonder where...

[@dontbefatuousjeffrey2494]

It's been attributed to a number of people originally, including Picasso, T. S. Eliot, W.C. Fields, Dr Randy Hanzlick and Dorothy Parker. It was a line in a song by Hanzlick before Tom ever said it.

[@Claytone-Records]

Don't be fatuous, Jeffrey, I know I heard it long ago. Thanks, man.

[@dontbefatuousjeffrey2494]

@@Claytone-Records No worries. Tom just said it best :-)

[@diveinnjim]

"George Bush is a fan of mine. came to see me in the Seventies. His coke dealer brought him"

[@mit3y]

Can this be much, much, much, longer please? 5 minutes is not enough.

[@BlankonblankOrg]

Yes. Increase our budget :)

[@EricLeafericson]

+Blank on Blank Isn't Tom Waits still alive? I thought everyone on this channel had to be dead before you looked for the lost interview records.

[@georgechristiansen6785]

+Michael McCoy you sound like my wife! ;)

[@mit3y]

George Christiansen your wife is very cool! I could listen to Tom just talk about anything for about 20 years and not get disinterested.

[@Kaydiem09]

+Michael McCoy Agreeeeeed!

[@Sogonrei]

His thoughts to quote singer Thomas Dolby are "Poetry in motion." It really is like each sentence is a live mini movie. Almost all of my senses are activated. And the cadence of his voice draws you in. I love his music all of it is so wildly intoxicating the instruments and tales and tones of each album are so different, yet they fit together like a puzzle as in you clearly can tell its indeed Tom's work by his unique voice and style, but the theme and story new, the mood, even the era...truly a captivating exhilaration musician to watch and listen to. Once you hear a album or two, you will become a fan for life is one way some hear of him, others have been with him from the beginning, look up "On the Nickel" interview and then watch him play the song in the 70's in Australia. Great song and shy but smart guy.

[@RM-gm7lu]

That was GREAT! Clap Hands.........

[@darling_danke_schoen]

Rich Mash "Sane, sane, we're all insane..."

[@jaghatai_bulut]

Im a simple art lover. I see tom waits. I press like button

[@mickharryharris6866]

I like Tom Waits !

[@gregwalker1913]

...."Hey Tom, it's yer ole' buddy Charlie!" Now that made me laugh.

[@TeetoPlastic]

I don't know why this showed up in my suggested viewing section, but boy am I glad it did. This is great.

[@theraccoondog7470]

Wow, I'm so glad I randomly found this. Such an awesome channel.

[@BlankonblankOrg]

Welcome aboard

[@TruthIsARuin]

Right! I'm a little late, but same here...

[@MasterOfKnowledge.]

I know it's been said before, but Tom Waits is a diamond that wants to stay coal

[@bradtaggart5509]

I absolutely love Tom. I’ve seen him perform many, many times, in many places over the years, and it just never gets old. My journey with him started when I was in high school in the 70’s, and has been a beautiful ride ever since. I would give anything to be inside his head, even for a short while, if I could handle it. 🙃

[@juneeboy888]

same

[@Zencifil]

"It was like a Hawaiian nightmare"

[@lsb2623]

I lived in Hawaii and for me it was a fucking nightmare. Racist gang member hurting me because I am white and from the mainland. My father writhing in drug addiction. The humiliation of not being good enough... whatever the fuck that means.

[@dontbefatuousjeffrey2494]

@@lsb2623 Jesus. I hope your life is better now. I guess you'll never be going back there.

[@lsb2623]

@@dontbefatuousjeffrey2494 ... Life is good, baby! And I guess there was some good back then too. I just cant escape thinking about the bad times.

[@jujubean9063]

Damn. I could listen to this guy talk for hours.

[@dkonciousblkfemknightman]

Me too

[@MrFartboy79]

"There's a world going on underground" Excellent work! Tom is the man!

[@17Beastmode17]

Tom Waits is my hero

[@darling_danke_schoen]

Clayton Link An American original-- a national treasure

[@melissakessler4323]

I have never heard of Tom Waits before yesterday , now I am looking for whatever I can find on him lol .

[@sclogse1]

Get Small Change, Alice, and Mule Variations.

[@bigchief70]

I could listen to that man talk for hours.

[@doortech8227]

I've loved Tom for 20+ years. I've never heard this interview. Love the format. Great animation. Thanks so much for creating this!

[@waldenwonders]

patrick smith is so incredible with the animation that I feel he understands the context of what is being represented rather than what is being spoken.

[@ElizaMogha]

Maaaaaan, I love the animation: how the artist brings to life Waits' words! The choice of words and the choice of images, it's a killer!

[@musicisbrilliant]

Forever a legend. I will watch this everyday! Thank you PBS!

[@justdarkjazz4020]

The inner machinations of his mind are an enigma.

[@george53691]

*milk glass falls*

[@kabangj]

cant stop watching these animated interviews. outstanding

[@Desideratus21]

Only just learned who this bloke is and I’m hooked on his unique way of looking at life and analysing the smallest things that one would usually overlook! He really is an amazing soul

[@karenshepherd4389]

Tom is one of the great minds of all time! Listen carefully, and allow yourself to think.

[@gibo8753]

dude you're so lucky you had to make an animation with Tom's voice. He's my favorite ever and forever.

[@lebbyleb6059]

Friggin LOVE Tom Waits.... another absolutely AWESOME piece of Tom Waits' mind... luv'd it!!!🤘🤘🤘

[@thetriumphofthethrill2457]

Well-done video. Waits is one of the most articulate and interesting characters in music and he's always worth the watch and listen.

[@wolfiesilver2522]

I love Tom waits he is so funny and cleaver

[@sean0208]

cleaver like a meat clever to the face!

[@darrellcook8253]

That's a sharp comment!

[@PogieJoe]

Terrific stuff. Just terrific.

[@williamcole960]

I wanted this to go on for hours

[@diltonaguirre8468]

I'd like to see one on Thom Yorke or anyone from Led Zeppelin since they didn't do many interviews. These videos are really well done. Great job guys

[@DendyJungle]

Listen to thom on the wtf podcast. He was pretty open in that

[@newavalon57]

"It might get loud" is a pretty good film.

[@warpartyattheoutpost4987]

"Thom & Tom" would be an interesting conversation.

[@youmothershouldknow4905]

Only Waits is fascinating

[@ilgatonegroyblanco]

Poetic stuff. Thanks for sharing.

[@Julottobanks]

I missed those episodes I wish they would make more

[@hikupmusicofficial]

I really love these blank on blank keep them up

[@eryndean2769]

"...looked like a Hawaiian nightmare" lol don't know why but it sounds extra hilarious and awesome when he says it :)

[@buttbrowser]

Great stuff. Love Waits, always have always will...

[@wesleyrodgers886]

Gawd bless tom and his gifted 'Weirdness'.

[@salpairadice]

The last 20 seconds... amazing

[@marcokalach]

i miss your videos. gracias amigo.

[@hollywoollett3991]

Love it. Love Tom Waits and you've captured him well ;)

[@el6178]

The wisest interview with the minimum of words.

[@shahbazsheikh3545]

Tom Waits = National Treasure.

[@R0kushi]

you guys should make one about Kubrick, that would be sooo good, fantastic work guys ;)

[@myealmarza2474]

Seconded!

[@marty7442]

@@evanpeltier :Ohh you are in for one ugly and perverted surprise...

[@evanpeltier]

@@marty7442 Honestly I just don't like Shamalyn's movies. The happening was terrible, nothing happened. Last airbender was on the list of worst movies ever made. And the Village made absolutely no sense whatsoever.

[@marty7442]

@@evanpeltier : You missed the point... www.crazydaysandnights.net/2018/07/blind-items-revealed-6_5.html

[@ryneprince7113]

@@marty7442 you wouldnt understand sheep

[@keepyourlovesafe]

That bit at the end with Charlie killed me.

[@TheBeverleyann]

Fantastic ! Loved it ! Thanks

[@thefifthdisco-man8197]

I love this man...

[@wadesternator4787]

Love to meet him

[@MrBiswas123]

A great poet and thinker

[@ohdannyboy4727]

this man is my accordion hero. A toast to you Mr. Waits

[@DogmanUndertheSea]

kill us some dragons pal and bring us back the skins

[@chocolatejesus3806]

Beautiful. Love the animation and the audio of a great man speaking plain truth.

[@joeswanson7502]

Hey do you know the song that’s played my at 3:00 I’m trying to find it but it’s driving me crazy. I know I’ve heard it before I just don’t know off of what album.

[@joeswanson7502]

Never mind. I found it. It’s off rain dogs.

[@chocolatejesus3806]

@@joeswanson7502 Hey sorry I only just saw the question. But yes, I'm sure you've already found it. "Clap Hands" is great. Rain Dogs is my second favorite Waits Album. He's just unbeatable 🤷‍♂️

[@KenRubenstein]

some brilliant work here.....

[@appoNo1]

Heath Ledger based his "Joker" voice loosely on Tom waits! Listen 😜

[@rphanmurphy8385]

Did you just make that up or is it a fact?

[@turnip332]

ØrPhÄn MüRpHy nah it’s true but this video isn’t a good example

[@NotAlwaysBilly]

I came to the comments just to find someone saying this, thinking they know some ancient secret. I thought most people already knew that

[@turnip332]

Billy McGee same, but also I’ve been going through a tom waits phase recently to lol

[@alleyoop4465]

@@turnip332 me too, for about 15 yrs.

[@marsimus13]

one of the most fascinating blokes in the entire world

[@lucianoscarcia9517]

I love this interviews please make more, this videos are épic

[@f0na279]

i love this man

[@MrTangent]

This is why I absolutely love Tom Waits.

[@kostantine1000]

this is the best thing on the internet

[@RustyRomantic]

Loved this!

[@sanjayyethipathi]

a 5 min interview felt like an hour, I felt sucked into his world really strong.

[@gama6749]

Love this

[@georgetirebiter4343]

I still have a dusty cassette tape I made of Nighthawks at the Diner decades ago. That opening sequence gave me a flashback of it.

[@sethdavid4993]

Awesome, keep the content coming.

[@SnoKing]

I thought the title said, "Tom" waits for everything and nothing.

[@adams115]

The problem with the name forming a sentence.

[@GeeRad]

Sno King Tom waits for no one

[@wangotango5447]

Tom waits for no man

[@jose2226]

It does

[@northernaccent369]

Tom Waits while Jeremy Irons.

[@SaintSolitaire]

That's so awesome

[@RobertSlover]

beautiful.

[@joshuahomme1]

I love this soul.

[@199411CARLOS]

Un genio, sin duda alguna.

[@victorbanuelosgandara2652]

by. 'your

[@sydbarrett5]

These videos are brilliant!

[@BlankonblankOrg]

Thanks!

[@householdrecordings]

This one's the best.

[@ConfuciusSlaps]

This may be a high or drunk thought, but I feel like Tom Waits and Theo Von have a similar thought process... in the sense that they don't have any filter and it's always just raw "this is who I am as a human being" energy. And I love it. Like I said, I'm intoxicated so this may make no sense and I'll delete it later probably. But what a brilliant mind, and a beautiful soul.

[@slavonian_stud]

Holy shit i can't believe someone also made this connection!

[@wet-read]

Makes sense to me, but now I need to find out who Theo Von is.

[@Iannlolmemo]

@@wet-read funniest man ever

[@Yaddlezap]

Tom Waits is so great.

[@darrellglenn9566]

We've all got a little of this guy in us. Cool cool dude

[@garyhorsfield442]

Spiffing........You chaps are dashed talented

[@stuvs830]

I thought the cameo Tom played in the movie "The Fisher King" was wonderful and perfect. Only he could've broken my heart with his portrayal of that Vietnam vet character, as he did.

[@lebbyleb6059]

Stu VS ya know, he actually WASN'T in the credits for that movie... totally uncredited cameo... cool

[@maxwigant2011]

Splendid channel.

[@stevebob240]

Great video. Tom Waits is the best.

[@omgilovedischannel]

It would be so cool to see one with Jeff Buckley. :)

[@BlankonblankOrg]

Noted.

[@omgilovedischannel]

Cool. :D

[@jameshanley-somers8684]

+Blank on Blank Buckley would be awesome and so would Dylan ! I really dig this series thanks a lot !

[@sweetflower3280]

James Hanley-Somers

[@buttbrowser]

John Fante also,......you should do one on the classic late great storyteller novelist John Fante. "Ask the Dust", "Brotherhood of the Grape", "Dago Red", "Dreams from Bunker Hill", the list goes on......fuckin honest to God painstaking genious material. Right from the heart, aimed at our lungs. Brings us to tears. Keeps us alive!!!

[@koningsbruggen]

love it

[@e.t.464]

Brilliant

[@eyeballsushi]

I think the best yet. very inventive animation imagery, works with the interview and waits personality perfectly. keep them coming! would love to see what you guys would do with bruce jenner, before and after katlyn or whatever.

[@PatrickSmithAnimation]

+Michael Low not a bad idea.

[@stuvs830]

+Patrick Smith -Sam Kinison?

[@PatrickSmithAnimation]

+Stu VS screamin' sam kinison, grew up with head bangers ball on mtv late 80's

[@bleumotel]

Pretty cool for PBS!

[@jakespeed63]

Brilliant..subscribed

[@nateparker8450]

We need a Tom Waits podcast

[@robertbeckerbecker1354]

I wonder what this interviewer was thinking when he heard him talk about moles.

[@MatthewGoreBGenomics]

Commendations Blank! These are getting better and more personal.

[@Man-fp8vp]

Poo Poo

[@leosharman8630]

I feel like tom Is actually dumb and that dumb people think he is actually enlightened.

[@estebanb7166]

@@leosharman8630 Sharman

[@lsb2623]

people love to think that shit they like is special and that they are too.

[@john-eman]

Or maybeeee he’s reallyyyyy really high

[@thebittertruth6832]

@@leosharman8630 And I think you chat shit

[@TheJohnGway]

cool idea, good execution.

[@rockyoumentally]

Very good.. Good idea

[@lyndamancia1189]

Great animation

[@FlemilyEming]

omg laughing in church is THE BEST