We’re all as mad as hatters here

In my past three days of fervent Tom Waits research, I’ve come across several sources, including Tom himself, describing some of his repertoire as “Halloween music”…so what better time for an introductory post than All Hallows’ Eve, eh?

I mean, seriously…..

How is his voice even possible??

I am fascinated by Mr. Waits. He seems like a cartoon character come to life (the coolest cartoon character ever, that is), with his crumpled fedora and distinctive swagger and a constant cigarette hanging from his mouth.

He is, at the same time, an old-fashioned kind of cool –

 – and a little bit crazy.

In other words, my favorite kind of artist.

I think this video is a perfect example of the classic Waits “character,” and also a pretty great piece of songwriting. These last few days I’ve become hopelessly obsessed (which is one of the best feelings: when you know you’re just touching the surface of a vast catalog of inspiration), so I’m sure there are more of these posts to come.

In the meantime, have some more Halloween music (sorry, couldn’t find a more interesting video to accompany the song).

edit: Found a way better video to end with (god, everything about this is just so weird and awesome):