One of the contemporary musicians/artists that I most admire is singer/songwriter/composer/actor Tom Waits. Whether it's listening to his early records like Closing Time and The Heart of Saturday Night (I still have them all on vinyl), his masterpiece Swordfishtrombones or later experimental albums such as Mule Variations and Orphans - they give me tremendous satisfaction. It is not just the music and his remarkable voice - it's the very human portrayal of the down & out, the underclass of society and, more than anything, I love the little yarns he spins (from Frank's Wild Years to Missing my Son).
Presently, I am reading Wild Years, one of many biographies on Tom Waits, while waiting for Lowside of the Road to be delivered.
Not a beret wearer, Tom Waits; his early years he covered his head with a very seventies corduroy cap, these days it's more bowlers and pork-pie types.
His ex- girlfriend Rickie Lee Jones is
well known for her berets though, at one stage they were even for sale with her name embroidered on the rim (and a real collector's item these days).
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