Tom Waits - Interview on The Late Show With David Letterman (2009)

Tom Waits Interview on Late Show With David Letterman on September 7, 2009
Official Site: www.tomwaits.com/
Official Store: tomwaitsstore.com/
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#tomwaits #badasme

[@antennawilde]

Heath Ledger did a great Waits impression in his Joker role

[@marmotsack]

He spent enough time with him on the set of The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, I should hope so.

[@AndreaStote]

Totally!

[@jamesholeman7594]

Now 70s-80s Waits? Hell no, way too deep and gravelly. I’m glad he got the homage to a more pure voice from Heath

[@maxolydian9115]

Damn. Never realized that - very true

[@3EBstudio]

Agreed lol

[@Rxbsen]

How about a show: "Tom Waits explains things". Just give him any item imaginable and let him explain what it's for.

[@playasadonejoe]

EEehhh yeah, this makes bedbugs stick to it, it tastes like sugar but it's actually arsenic.

[@waveegravee]

I would watch that show religiously. Let's give Tom a call.

[@kmacdiddy1]

Yes. Incredible.

[@RamblinAround]

Tom, your Letterman appearances were legendary.

[@AhtoNajeebRashied]

He says thank you.

[@vallee7966]

Legendary for a waste of time. He’s laughable

[@hh4826]

@@vallee7966 Lol, salty? I see you left plenty of distasteful comments... Jealous maybe? Or just can't recognize spirit and talent when you see it!

[@windyhead7960]

@@vallee7966 It's just 'Pataphysics, not everyone gets it, you obviously don't.

[@johnnykaszubski2199]

This is the most Tom Waits thing I've ever seen

[@alexlanning712]

And who can forget that great line, from one of his songs "Having a scene with a magazine"

[@marciocouto3543]

this is actually one of my favourite interviews of all time.

[@mickcraig7134]

Love this guy so much. My intro to Tom was in the 80s Sword Fish Trombone - wow!!!

[@rogerwilco4736]

Me also. Couldn't stop playing it!!

[@maryannr8464]

I miss the Late Night/Letterman. Dave truly loved artists. He always had coolest acts, Tom, Warren Zevon, John Prine…..

[@tammycampbell112]

Al Pacino, too.

[@WilmerCook]

Boy you hit it! The three best ever!

[@colinwilliams553]

"YOU HIT THE NAIL RIGHT ON THE HEAD WITH THAT!!!

[@nicholaslynndrake]

Some of my best memories are just of how much my dad loved letterman. I had sleeping problems and watched from the hallway, and he has an ineffable quality.

[@stevenweck3543]

I love him,,and his style and music

[@mascadadelpantion8018]

Two perfect people having a wonderful sit down and talk

[@TheMsdmeanor]

I adore this man

[@GRequinBlanc]

There to promote his album he entertains us instead. Love him

[@YY-ei1gm]

Ya gotta know the absolute genious of Tom Waits. Can’t believe he even agreed to this interview. The man is a legend and an absolute genius

[@OnafetsEnovap]

Happy birthday, Tom Waits! :)

[@kkwok9]

Love Tom Waits

[@Blue-eyedZombi3]

So fucking cool, Tom always surprises me and him in "Licorice Pizza"was great

[@jacobcasmus1882]

Tom Waits is just that Guy!

[@Rawhide68]

About the thing no spoiler here... he brought, it's from the Mohenjo-daro is an archaeological site in the province of Sindh, Pakistan. Built around 2500 BCE

[@joegrimes9232]

Had an idea for a movie Idea for Tom and also Ron Pearlman. The two are estranged Brothers. They are sons of a Jazz legend who dies at 106. They have to reunite for the funeral and carry out thier Dad's last wishes - he wanted to drive route 66. Get buried in California. Jeff Goldblum plays a young protegee turned musician and producer who presides the funeral and he's a egotistical guy who plugs at the funeral. It's a roadtrip movie about 2 old men who act like they are 13 dragging thier father's remains cross country and see modern America. Chloe Grace Moretz joins them at a point hitching a ride home, but really is looking to escape her shitty home and make it big in LA blackmailing the brothers after they thought she was hitching home. When her face appears on a TV screen the Brothers try to ditch her. Oh so you are going to leave me here?" Ron: "looks that way donnit?" Moretz "Ok. Great where am I supposed to go now?" Tom: "not our problem." Moretz " you're right. It's not. It's the polices problem. I'll tell them two old creeps kidnapped me from a 7/11 and they had a corpse in the car... They did horrible things and since we crossed the state line I think the FBI..." Ron slaps the car roof. "alright! Alright. Get in smart ass." Moretz grins and climbs in. Tom tosses his cigar aside looking incredulous. "You lost your damned mind?" Ron shakes his head. "What'd you have me do. She's right. We take her, we can drop her off on the west coast. Leave her out here?" Alan Alda is a family member they have to visit in an Old Folks home on the way. A pal of thier Dad's. He wanted to give him a present of the 30 bucks he's loaned him when he was a bum. Ron insists they skip, but Tom insists. They meet him and he's a jolly guy who flirts with the nurses. "goodness are you two? My word his Sons heh heh..." The Nurse walks away. Alda leans in. Whispers "you got to get me out of here." "yeah, no. That wasn't exactly part of the deal. See we came here to give you the thirty bucks and.." "wow how magnanimous of you. Look. You see that one over there?" Alda points serrupticiously to a brick house of a lady. The trio nod. "She's the night nurse." Tom grimaces. "the spongebath..." he utters. Alda nods and leans back in the chair. "right"

[@joegrimes9232]

Ron "We only got room in the Car for Me, my Brother, Dad and... Whoever she is." He nods towards Moretz. Alda furrows a brow. "She's not your Grandkid?" There's a pause. "Ok. Where do you want to go?" He gives up. "oh Firenze. Florance. It is such a wonderful city but it has a lot of Tourists" "No. I mean in the immediate area. I can't drive you to fucking Italy" "Oh, right. I got a nephew. He visits every few months. Software guru he lives a few miles away. Keeps telling me he wishes I could stay with him. Ha." "Done" "haha. You'll need to sign the release with the night nurse." They all look over at the beefy nurse. She glances at them. They cheerily wave nervously then return to the Powow. "Tall order" Waits frowns. "yup. Agreed. Sorry but you are on your own." Ron chimes in. "No I got it" Moretz perks up. " oh great grandad! That's WONDERFUL. I HOPE YOU'LL SAY YES, IT'D MEAN THE WORLD TO US IF YOU CAME STAY!" Waits grins and Ron facepalms.

[@joegrimes9232]

The end point is thier dad had already made the trip in 1962 but he just wanted his sons to reconnect, but along the way Moretz realised fame isn't as important as the people you meet along the way and the trio share a beer looking out over the ocean. The Brothers realised the families of thier own they missed. "hey can you drink?" "i'm 23 asshole and I crossed 700 miles" "want chips" Waits pulls out his beat up guitar and sings as they all begin to chime in. A weird dysfunctional family as thier dad floats in the sea. Off beat comedic ending.

[@joegrimes9232]

Want to squeeze Hugh Laurie in there as the husband to Waites' ex wife. He is smug and an ass. Pearlman stops Waits from hitting him. Then Laurie sits at a piano. "I think."he plucks a few keys. "yes that song your dad played. Cab Calloway did a rendition." Waits tenses. Laurie flourishes on the piano. Then sings. He finishes. "It's a wonderful piece." The room looks relaxed. Then Laurie chirps up again. "but Louis Armstrong did a great version and I struggle to forget. How did your father's piece go again?" Hard cut outside. Pearlman is putting his brother in the car like a police car. Waits is waving off his hand after a punch. "how did it go again?" Wait's jibes. "just get in the car asshole. This was a mistake." Pearlman retorts. "Louisiana crowd. Dickhead" Waits continues in the car. " You went there looking for a fight." Pearlman shakes his head at the wheel. "No." Tom sulks. "yeah. Right. So what, Dad did covers. Jazz has thousands of covers. You pretend like Dad invented the Song. The Limey is a prick so what else is new? You were trying to impress Sarah." Waits stares out the window pretending to have not heard. "Sarah. Yeah. Good girl. Smart, bright. I thought you two were an item , but I guess you fucked it up." Waits lazililly breaks his gaze from the window. "Like you fucked up those nightclubs? Playing businessman? I thought you'd be a Donald Trump by now. I guess you fucked that up." The pair sit in silence for few dozen miles.

[@VCT3333]

@@joegrimes9232 about how high were you when you scribbled this down? I ain't saying it's bad ... anything with Waits and Perlman and Goldblum can't be.

[@DippyHippie]

👏🏼👏🏻👏🏾👏🏽❤️

[@paulwheeler6609]

Fred Flintstone's lunchbox.

[@Grandcaravanman]

😂😂😂 I remember as a kid seeing Edison’s last breath at the Henry Ford museum. Weird stuff

[@ryankempf1544]

“It’s fine with me!”

[@GreatBeeman]

It's not a very effective trap, but it do sends a message

[@BlakeBlackstone]

This dude went on and talked about a mouse trap for 5 minutes. rofl

[@richiebeirach3671]

40 years of dope blow scotch hash acid etc etc plus great talent = tom

[@marcusmorris1670]

"its so that you can submerge it in water"

[@Mr-pz1sl]

It was a subliminal message

[@Cultee]

Heath ledger brought me here.

[@bonifaciomagdiwang1697]

I thought is Joker talking

[@philswaim392]

I'm here from game changer

[@patch33]

日本のスナックのママに似てる声

[@ianhale4466]

Anyone else wonder how many rats could go at once before there was enough combined to keep afloat by swimming

[@robotatomico83]

I know Tom is a bit of a meme sorta thing but Rain Dogs is the best album of all time when you're drunk

[@Bruningable]

"Bad as me" was released in 2011, so this can't be from 2009...

[@VCT3333]

Like the saying goes ... Tom Waits for no Man.

[@musicloverkathy]

I'm relieved that he doesn't try to write a song that includes that object.

[@generalfungus4205]

this isnt even an interview lol they just talked about the rats but good conversation nonetheless

[@raddastronaut]

It is genius but not as genius as Tom. 😂

[@PSWildlife]

So cruel. Make it humane and release.

[@davidpotter6119]

Looks like James Hetfield

[@thetruthhurts6652]

My cousin had a rat problem in his barn on his farm. He stole two baby hawks from their nest, raised them and every day he would let them feast in the barn. They got very fat.

[@rayscard2477]

2 twots

[@loganwolfpack]

Joker killing rats

[@diegoparra4367]

Fime w hi ith me

[@patrikpass2962]

Just comparing humans to rats and saying we are dumb these days, they are not saying there are to many people around. Nothing to see here...

[@TheDrewjameson]

Tom Waits is one of the most innovative and unique voices in rock music, and he's also, apparently, a decent prop comic.

[@KarklinPumpkin]

This and the horse stalls. He's is truly a good prop comic but also some sort of rabid historian

[@jaketaft7533]

"Hey Tom how are you." "I have a Rat Trap from the 1800s."

[@Missjunebugfreak]

Tom is just illegal levels of cool.

[@vallee7966]

Gotcha snowed don’t he?

[@ssll3393]

You are just beginning to understand. Without Tom, there is no AC. Think it is hot now? Just the blues, incoming. Tom has shifty eyes. What is he seeing in there?

[@doobiewoman6956]

Tom isso far beyond cool.

[@maryvallettakeith6146]

@@vallee7966 What is wrong with you?

[@MustangBoss1973]

Even makes a rat trap cool.

[@antennawilde]

"I'm not longer allowed on eBay. The last thing I bought was the last dying breath of Henry Ford." LOL!

[@Draeka]

Who else but Tom Waits would turn the Late Show into Antique Roadshow.

[@mollyanderson8445]

If Tom Waits began hosting Antiques Roadshow, I would never watch anything else.

[@Nantosuelta]

a show where Tom Waits rambles about random obscure objects would be genius

[@davidnissim589]

"And when the cheese is gone..." *(door closes)* This made me laugh way harder than it should've

[@williamcole960]

Lmfao not enough of these comments are talking about the fact that this man went on a late night show and instead of talking about some bullshit he literally brought an 18th century rat trap like it was show and tell. ONLY TOM. God I adore this man

[@kidkique]

You'd be surprised but every single comment is actually about that

[@dreamwell2020]

"There's always free cheddar in the mousetrap, baby - it's a deal, it's a deal!"

[@croatiancroissant28776]

I loved Tom as the gold prospector. From that raspy 20-something kid to now, an amazing journey.

[@outfoxed2006]

His prospector bit was great. I was so pleased the first time I saw it. Totally unexpected. Loved him in the book of eli as well.

[@xavierpaquin]

He was great as Renfield in Dracula

[@SeaWasp]

Down By Law is a great performance

[@randyelliott9152]

@@outfoxed2006 Check out Short Cuts,A Robert Altman film from 1993,he plays a Limo driver and his girlfriend is Lily Tomlin,also in that movie,Lyle Lovett

[@samsquanch1996]

Tom is the only person who can actually pull off the fedora look and not look like a douchebag.

[@frankvazquez5974]

facts

[@slammajamma5435]

Fedora’s are great 👍

[@richardmcdonald6237]

Tom Landry

[@goovinguy8596]

Indiana Jones

[@christianbuckett2724]

Let me correct you… “And still look like a douchebag”

[@haveaseatsir]

Fun fact: Heath Ledger was such a fan of Tom that he based the Joker’s voice off of it in The Dark Knight. Once you hear it you can’t unhear it.

[@MarkTheMagnificent]

And then they worked together in The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. Very cool.

[@WorkFromYourLaptop]

It’s a fan theory for obvious reasons, but Heath never said that himself in any interview. He actually mentioned the character from A Clockwork Orange and Sid Vicious, but never Tom Waits.

[@tom120ali]

Where is the evidence for this?

[@pena.3302]

​@@tom120aliword o.g factually.

[@MauriceTaylor-o3o]

Stfu... stop trying to make this about you!

[@trevoReevo]

*”I believe whatever doesn’t kill you simply makes you… Stranger.”*

[@DippyHippie]

Absolutely!😂

[@tonymagana8115]

“It’s simple we kill the Batman.”

[@kareemmendoza5004]

You're crazy

[@vitojohn8168]

​@@kareemmendoza5004why so seriussoo

[@mikepower75]

Tom thought David would labelled him as brutal for having that thing when he explained what the hole is for,instead David says it's a genius..hilarious.

[@nigelthornberry5375]

he walked onto the 2015 letterman interview wearing the same exact getup, 'cept the hat. Legend.

[@JosephJMerten]

Tom Waits is a comic genius - “…Henry Fords last breath…”

[@izaisruiz9212]

I can't get over Pauls rendition of Rain Dogs as Tom was being introduced.. 0:14. That Wah Trumpet sounds amazing.

[@acb9896]

Close, but not Rain Dogs. Bad liver and a broken heart.

[@swaglikeohiobingbong4298]

Yasssss

[@swaglikeohiobingbong4298]

Beautiful sound

[@sroevukasroevuka]

Tom liked it too.

[@charlesdavis7461]

Tom Waits, such talent and intellect. His jokes just get funnier and he is just 2 cool.

[@acb9896]

Nothing more surreal than buying food from the Phillipino grocery store in Chula Vista and looking over at the next checkout to see The Rain Dog buying pancit from the deli.

[@johnlittle3430]

Wow, he was on Dave's show promoting Bad As Me TWO YEARS BEFORE IT CAME OUT! This is incredible.

[@liamguitars]

Tom . A poet with a worlds ear on his side. I feel like he is talking to me directly sometimes. ya damn good bastard!

[@peepingtom5547]

Bad as me came out in 2011. Is this really 2009?

[@johnkemp9835]

Like so many of his lines that I've stolen, I shall henceforth only point like Tom did upon his entrance.

[@amcsibozgor6791]

I could listen to this guy all day.

[@bevwest7428]

I have.

[@vallee7966]

What a waste

[@Idk-dc7hv]

@@vallee7966 Do you spend all your free time insulting Tom Waits? Sure seems like it

[@evgrafrozenberg4648]

Nobody: Absolutely nobody: Tom Waits: comes to the late show with a huge audience just to show off his new cool antique mouse trap.

[@WesleyClark-j4f]

Tom waits is a very smart man

[@keithp1417]

Letterman always had the coolest guests. The man had great taste

[@garyrasberryjr.552]

Between Tom Waits and Warren Zevon, Dave had great musical taste

[@rockets4kids]

I enjoyed watching Dave in the 1980s when I was a teenager. Much of it I enjoy re-watching even more as an adult.

[@The_Not_So_Great_Cornholio]

Ignoring the genius of Tom Waits (and the fact that most people I've mentioned Tom Waits to aren't aware of Tom Waits, much less the genius of Tom Waits), the Letterman vibe was so different than Leno; so much better. Letterman had an unimitatable oddness and unique sense of humor. I can go back and watch Top Ten Lists from way back and just die laughing (yes, I know he didn't write them, but it took a special mind to deliver them). My brother and dad liked Leno. I've never seen eye-to-eye with either of them. Their conclusions are all wrong; narcissistic, opinion- instead of fact-based. The Leno-Letterman rivalry was really a personality rivalry. Letterman was for the thinking man, Leno the eternal popular high school student who always asked the Letterman crowd for homework answers 5 mins before it was due. Anyways...

[@MiddleLane658]

It’s like Tom is speaking about how to catch Jerry

[@johnnynephrite6147]

Fuck me. I didn't know that the actor Tom Waits was the same guy as the singer Tom Waits.

[@remoskins1437]

So Tom, why was it in a music store?

[@davidwagner6116]

Is it a musical instrument? A rat trap. I always get them confused.

[@ryanglaros9120]

Still sounds the same!

[@Riskmangler]

Leave it to Tom Waits to own the "better mouse trap."

[@bhornannawindeedeigh5007]

Tom - initially shy, but comes out of his shell to tell the coolest story. He's an interesting man with all kinds of interesting stories to tell. Love his music. This was a cool interview - Dave is good at it. I'll have to find the full one.

[@alexlanning712]

Tom came out here, to Australia, in about the mid 70's and to him it must have been like driving into "Nutbush City", I'm pretty sure he had no idea on how to procure his "chemicals" and I saw him on an Athol Guy TV show, and the poor guy seemed like he was at the end of his tether.I think his visit inspired him to write that great song, sung to the "Waltzing Matilda" tune

[@donniecatalano]

Somebody like Mr. Waits has charisma, power, intelligence, culture, knowledge, passion and experience. That is why he can afford to look scruffy and weird. He's the man.

[@maryvaughn7886]

Such a redheaded guy! Character & crazy brilliant. Loved Dave's show too but Colbert is no slouch either.

[@nicholeleekolovanigruber2678]

XOXO 💋 K 😘😘😘😘 K

[@Exerus]

Been on a waits kick and it hitting the 90s grunge trip hop vibe that massive attack has.

[@lisaberglund312]

But he did not record the album until February-July, 2011?

[@jackmanning1117]

He sounds like a perfect combination of Heath Ledger’s Joker and Mark Hamill’s Joker

[@christophermaynard1902]

That indeed is the voice of heath ledgers joker....fantastic job heath...

[@flamindigo]

Yes, absolute genius - screw whomany-t

[@6lu5ky86]

He taught me a lot about consumerism.

[@alexander_dean]

Bad as Me came out in 2011. No way this was 2009.

[@themzbonez14]

I wish Tom showed more random stuff he bought off eBay

[@garyg-mangelman3963]

Can’t imagine dying that way, cruel AF

[@DETROIT1948]

My Rat Trap Has Been Drinking, Not Me, Not Me.....

[@John_Falcon]

So you just put the plague rats in the stream and the people up stream contract the plague; Genius!

[@brad5426]

I'm surprised nobody said it was an stone age croc 😂

[@davidcane8011]

Could have been the greatest stand-up comedian of all time. Threw it all away.

[@user-vr8fs8gg6h]

Wym

[@gregorysullivan7175]

Such a tragedy.

[@Elijah-qx3qn]

And all he has to show for it is the greatest discography of all time. Such a shame

[@WestCoastExpress11]

Well, when you've no use for something, you either give it away or throw it away. Either way, you are now without the thing you never needed to begin with.

[@MrShunkawarakin]

Tom Waits! and David Blah Blah Blah.

[@MitchellMaichak-ze7mr]

Is he related to Keith Richards ? If he 's not , he ought be !!!