Tom became interested in music early and began tacking up sheets of Bob Dylan's lyrics in his room and even framed some in the rest of his house. He would keep a pad of paper and pencil by his bed so that he could remember the lyrics that he would think up in the middle of the night. He taught himself how to play the piano at a neighbor's house and then learned the guitar on a Gibson.

As well as creating music at an early age, the persona that Tom is famous for soon appeared. He enjoyed entertaining his classmates and his teachers as soon as his secondary schooling. An art class teacher would let him play his harmonica for the class and sometimes he would be asked to get up on the tables and do his version of a "soft shoe". He also tried as soon as possible to grow a mustache and a goatee. Sal, Tom's employer at "Napoleone's Pizza House", used to joke that he had more hair growing wild on his ass than Tom could cultivate on his face.

During his adolescence, Tom spent quite some time keeping his cars running. He first had problems with his '54 Ford station wagon that he called a "bato wagon". He then worked on his '55 Buick which was to be inspiration for the song "Ole '55" which the Eagles covered. He then progressed to the '61 white volkswagen where he finally learned how to drive a stick shift.

Waits has told at least two different ways of how he got the big break into the music business:

• Break #1: Herb Cohen is impressed when he sees the doorman of LA's Heritage Club sing a few of his original songs, and then signs him to Asylum Records.
  
• Break #2: Herb Cohen falls into conversation with Tom Waits at Ben Frank's on Sunset Strip, and signs him to his management roster on the strength of his shoes.
  

He began his career living in the famed Tropicana Motel on Santa Monica Blvd. in LA which is somewhat near the corner of Hollywood and Vine. He toured alot where he supposedly opening for such varied acts like C&W superstar Charlie Rich, pianist Billy Preston, John Hammond, Jerry Jeff Walker, and even Buffalo Bob & The Howdy Doody Review?. During this time he was dating Rickie Lee Jones whom was featured on the "Blue Valentine" album cover. After his career was more stable and while on the Zoetrope set of "One From The Heart", directed by Francis Ford Coppola, Tom met his future wife, Kathleen Brennan, who was a script editor at the time.

Kathlen Brennan was born in Johnsburg, Illinois. Waits described their courtship as a little unorthodox: "She can lie down on nails, stick a knitting needle through her lip and still drink coffeee, so I knew she was the girl for me." They were married in August 1980 and honeymooned in Tralee, Co. Kerry. When Patrick Humphries asked Tom Waits about the marriage ceremony, he said: "I found the Marriage Chapel in the Yellow Pages, right next to 'Massage'. The registrar's name was Watermelon and he kept calling me Mr. Watts! My mother likes what I do, I guess she's happier now that I'm married. I think she was a little bit worried about me for a while." Kathleen Brennan has been a major factor in his music and his life ever since.

And the rest of his story may be found somewhere on the Tom Waits Digest...

With help from Patrick Humphries' book 'Small Change: A Life of Tom Waits'