The songwriter Tom Waits labelled “as essential as hammer and nails”
For decades, the gravelly tones and emotionally charged lyricism of Tom Waits have represented the pinnacle of songwriting. After honing his craft in the folk scene of the 1970s, the Californian wordsmith went on to embrace a variety of seemingly disparate styles, especially drawn to the melancholic world of blues. Despite his legendary status, Waits has never shown himself to be particularly boastful, taking every opportunity to espouse the joys of his greatest musical influences.
The list of Waits’ many musical influences is as broad as his own discography, ranging from jazz legends like Thelonious Monk to punk heroes like Elvis Costello or The Pogues. His record collection tells the story of a true music obsessive, keen to absorb as much material as humanly possible. The effects of these various inspirational figures on the work of Tom Waits can be clearly seen throughout his body of work, which has consistently refused to stay in one place, constantly evolving and looking forward to the next big thing.
Despite this unwavering dedication to evolution, one figure has been a consistent influence on the life and work of Tom Waits: folk hero Bob Dylan. Admittedly, it would be easier to list the songwriters who have not been impacted by the groundbreaking writing of Dylan, but Waits is a particular disciple of the Minnesota-born songwriter. In fact, it was the revolutionary folk of Bob Dylan that first inspired Waits to pursue a life in music and performance.
So, when Waits was asked to compile a list of his all-time favourite albums back in 2005, it was inevitable that Dylan would feature heavily. Citing Dylan’s 1975 record The Basement Tapes as a particular favourite, Waits shared, “With Dylan, so much has been said about him, it’s difficult to say anything about him that hasn’t already been said, and say it better.” It is difficult to disagree with Waits there, as there has been so much discourse surrounding Dylan since his emergence in the 1960s that, surely, there can’t be much more to add.
The Basement Tapes, despite being released in the mid-1970s, much of it was recorded back in 1967, between the making of Blonde on Blonde and John Wesley Harding. The extensive album is an essential part of any Dylan fan’s records collection, so it makes sense that it would be a favourite of Tom Waits.
“Suffice it to say Dylan is a planet to be explored,” Waits shared with The Guardian, “For a songwriter, Dylan is as essential as a hammer and nails and a saw are to a carpenter.” Explaining the appeal of the songwriter, he continued, “I like my music with the rinds and the seeds and pulp left in – so the bootlegs I obtained in the 1960s and ’70s, where the noise and grit of the tapes became inseparable from the music, are essential to me.”
“His journey as a songwriter is the stuff of myth,” Waits said, “because he lives within the ether of the songs. Hail, hail The Basement Tapes. I heard most of these songs on bootlegs first. There is a joy and an abandon to this record; it’s also a history lesson.” You cannot ask for a much better recommendation than that.
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