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Sightings and Stories
- When Tom was in Dublin on the FWY tour in 1987 I met him in a pub.
I say "met" when, in truth, I more or less followed him and his
entourage there from the theatre. I didn't want to hassle him, but,
at the same time, I didn't want to let the opportunity pass unmarked
either, so I went over to him and mumbled a few words along the
usual lines: You are God, etc.
I had brought with me to the gig a copy of Flann O'Brien's
collected/selected journalism - "The Best of Myles." [Flann O'Brien
was actually one of several nom-de-plumes of writer Brian O'Nolan.
"Myles na gCopaleen" was another - that of his journalistic self].
My thinking was that I'd present it to Tom as a gift (if I happened
to meet him that is; if I happened to stalk him well enough, that
is). Anyway. So when I went up to him in this pub, I dug the book
(not wrapped, you understand, and a little dog-eared, too, if truth
be told) out of my bag, and made to offer it to him. He took it from
me long enough to examine it front and back, and then he handed it
back to me. He already had it, he said. He had all this guy's
stuff.
I think, I'm sure, I was red-faced by this stage. I mumbled a few
inanities about Flann O'Brien. Tom listened, or pretended to, and
mumbled himself a bit. I have no idea what he said.
In any event, I wouldn't for a moment term it a conversation. The
whole thing was over in like 30 seconds. That said, throughout, Tom
was polite and patient. I did ask him, though, to sign my programme
from the concert to which he replied "Whaddia want that for?" (the
signature, not the programme). Of course, I had no intelligent or
sensible response. I shrugged my shoulders and smiled (winningly, I
guess I thought): I just wanted it. He did sign the programme
though, despite his reservations, albeit making a point of signing
the back of it so as "not to ruin it." Like, yeah, Tom.
Anyway, redfaced, excited and curiously sheepish, I went back to my
own seat and when Tom and his party were leaving - about
half-an-hour later - he came over, said goodbye, and, while shaking
my hand, put four English pound coins into it.
That's it. That's my story.
- I have quite a number of friends up in the bay area and so have all
sorts of second-hand tom sightings. the latest one was on dec. 7th, when
a friend's buddy who works as a parking valet saw him go into a
restaurant, and yelled, "hey tom!!"; tom turned around sort of
resignedly and the guy said, "happy birthday, man!", and tom gave him
the thumbs-up. i think, were it me, i could then die happy.
- Meetings with Tom
Best friend's brother stumbled upon Tom one day downtown near the Village
in NYC. Tom was getting a cab. My friend's brother, being a major fan,
goes up to Tom to tell him how much his work has meant to him and how much
he loves it, etc. After politely listening to the praise for a few
minutes, and just before getting into the cab, Tom finally speaks, turning
to the young man, pointing just below the left side of the young man's
collar and saying, "You got some ketchup on your shirt there." With that,
he is into the cab and off...leaving a Waits moment behind him like a cloud
of dust.
True story. --John
- Hi to all!! I'm not english speaking, but i'll do my very best:
On his Rain Dogs tour in '85 Tom went to Oslo, Norway to do a gig. A woman from
the company which distrubute his records in Norway were to host him that day
before the concert. Tom wanted to see some of the city and they went for a
drive. During the sight-seeing Tom mentioned for her that he needed a new suit
for the show and they went to find some clothing. They drove around for some
time, visiting different exclusive stores, but Tom didn't find what he was
looking for.
Finally he saw something he liked in a window they passed. Tom asked her to
stop the car and they went inside. Tom put on the suit and was very pleased.
But when he was to pay for the clothes, the girl at the counter looked down and
apologized; The Salvation Army's store for second-hand clothes could not
accept his American Express Gold card!
I don't know if Tom got his suit or not, but the story fits well into his old
manifest not to buy a meal more expensive than $2 or a suit more expensive than
$7. Take care, Frode
- I'm sure you've all shared your Tom Waits stories already, but I've been
collecting them from friends for a while, and everyone seems to have 'em.
The only requisite for truly enjoying them is imagining the teller pulling
off a great Waits imitation in the appropriate spots...
-I heard through the grapevine of Those Who Know, that Tom Waits was on the
guestlist to the Village Music party at the Sweetwater, so I (of course)
hung around the back on the old sofa, ("simply sketching"), listening to
people clatter up the stairs behind me, keeping a weather eye out for
Himself, when I hear a couple people go up the stairs into the Sweetwater,
which was NonSmoking for one night only (I believe at John Lee Hooker's
request), when I hear this gravelly voice say "Christ, at least they got a
SMOKin' Deck..." Casually I leapt to my feet and turned around, but I just
saw the door swing shut...
-My friend's friend (uh-huh) was a production shlump on a film Tom was in,
and she was riding in the back of a limo with Tom and his young son. Tom is
showing his cardigan to his kid; "Feel that. Feel that. Know what that is?
Feel it. CASHMERE. Say it: CASHMERE. Cashmere. Best fabric there is." He
turns to the friend and says "Never too young to learn about fine fabrics."
I have a couple of other friend-of-a-friend stories, but I'm starting to
feel like some kind of weirdo...I think I'd laugh my head off at human
silliness if there was a newsgroup devoted to MY bad self...
- As a journalism student, Tom W. was the first really famous person I
interviewed. This was about 1977 - Dallas. He was performing with Janis Ian.
I noticed him backstage and asked if he had a few minutes. He said sure
and we went into his dressing room and I started to ask a few questions.
He said he could tell I was new at this and if I'd just writie, he'd
just talk and I'd have plenty of matereial and that's what we did.
All that year, I'd read every TW interview I could find and every one of
them was a variation on the one I got.
The man is very professional and in control. A giant in our time.
I'll never forget: Janice was signin a woman's chest backstage as TW
observed from beneath a metel, circular stairway ...eery.
- Saturday at the free tibet show i met tom waits. he's a super nice
guy. this was the first time that i can remember being truly start
struck.
i was backstage watching a tribe called quest, and i turned around to
leave and tom waits was standing behind me with his youngest kid on his
shoulders. i thought to myself, "oh my god, that's tom waits."
i walked over to him and said something like,
mr. waits, i just wanted to tell you that i think that you are
one of the most legitimate and influential musicians of our
time.
he thanked me, shaked my hand, and gave me one of the most genuine smiles
that i've ever seen. as i walked away i turned back and he was still
smiling at me.
it was a good day.
Wil :-(|)
p.s. i never realized how small he is.
- Another friend of mine has a friend who says Tom Waits comes into his cafe
every morning, says "Ya got any decaf?"
The guy says "If you hang on I can make some...",
And Tom says "Never mind, I'll take regular."Every morning.
I wonder who's fooling whom...
- Just thought I'd mention that after nearly 5 years of whining about how
everybody I know in Sonoma County had seen Tom in public someplace but not
me, I *finally* saw him. It was a couple days before Christmas, and he
came rushing down the escalator of the local mall with his two kids in
tow. He brushed right by me, and I almost didn't recognize him at first
(he was wearing an odd-looking pair of horn-rimmed glasses). After doing
my expected double-take, I followed him a few yards just to make sure it
was really him, and yup.. it was Tom, in the flesh.
I would've gone up and said something to him, but the mall was crowded and
he looked like he was in a hurry. Plus, I don't know what the hell I'd
have said that wouldn't have made me look and feel like a dork. Maybe next
time...- Billy
- I met Waits twice at O'Hare Airport. I work there and once I saw him
walking through the terminal by himself. I thought, "Hey! I know that
guy! Who the hell is that?" As he got closer I realized it was old
Golden Throat himself.
I was just as cool as cheese. "Hey Tom," I said, "Love Raindogs!" (It
was fairly new at the time.) He nodded, smiled and kept on keepin' on.
The second time he was with his wife, Kathleen. Unfortunately I wasn't
nearly as cool. Kinda did the rabid fan thing. "Hey Tom! Tom! Wow!
I'm like your biggest fan! Got all your albums! Could I have your
autograph . . . etc." Not my most shining moment in front of a god.
He was cool. Introduced his wife to me as if he and I were old friends.
She seemed to be slightly annoyed. Probably goes through this kind of
stuff all the time. Who can blame her? Tom's a pretty cool guy.
- September 1995
The other day on the radio here in Denmark, somebody had
written a letter to the DJ, concerning a rumour that Mathilda from 'Tom
Traubert's Blues (Four Sheets to the Wind in Copenhagen)' was actually
this danish pop-folk singer. The DJ tried to phone her but couldn't get
through. A couple of days later he announced that he'd been in contact
with her, and she CONFIRMED the story. She had met Tom and joined him for
a nights boozing around. Sadly enough though, she refused to give details,
but said that Tom was "a very nice guy".
- 1978+
Back in about '78 or so, Asylum distributed a life-size cardboard standup
of Tom Waits. I saw it once at a little record shop in Bellingham,
Washington, where I was going to school. I was ready to kill for it, but
I never could get the owner of the store to sell it to me or anything.
Years later, I stopped back in the store to see if he was willing to
part with it yet. The owner told me that one day, someone drove up in a
convertible car, left the engine running, ran in and grabbed the standup
from a counter and drove off. I have never seen another one of those
since.
- Spent 5 years
living in San Diego where the wife and I often wined, dined,
sipped and supped at Napoleon's in National City (nope, not Mexico).
Sal--as in Joe and Sal--always had a good Tom story to tell. And just for
the record, the place serves up great pizza pies at circa 1973 prices.
Heck, the ambience ...nasty naughahyde booths and wood paneling...make the
place a gem.
Among some of Sal's claims is that TW's middle name is not Alan, but
something far more obscure...
NOTICE: All additions should be as honest as possible, but readers should take some stories with a grain of salt. Please please email new encounters to us by clicking on the addresses below.
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