Speaking of surreal situations, around this time, I had a brush with Tom, who was hailing a yellow Checker cab. As Tom was getting into the cab, I said, "Howahyah, Tom?" He looked at me, smiled and said in his signature raspy voice, "I'm swingin' sweetheart....swingin'!" and with that got in the cab, slammed the door and winked at me.
'Rain Dogs' was Tom's ninth studio album, and features Keith Richards, on the songs, "Big Black Mariah", "Union Square" and "Blind Love". It was also guitarist Marc Ribot's major recording debut, and the first of many recordings with Tom.
This is the Tom Waits album I play the most, and the 'freeload' is the Japanese limited edition, remastered SHM-CD, reissued in 2008. If you already have 'Rain Dogs', you should upgrade to this version, cuz it sounds sweet!
To get this, tell us about the different cities, towns and countries you've lived in, or if you've always lived in the same place.
I'll get the ball rolling, here's where I've lived
ReplyDelete1947–1965 Brooklyn Heights, New York
1965–1968 Pasadena, California
1969–1970 Hermosa Beach, California
1970–1973 Boston, Massachusetts
1973–1974 Bristol, England
1974–1990 Greenwich Village section of Manhattan
1990 - present Tribeca, section of Manhattan
Babs, you grew up on Pierrepont Street in Brooklyn Heights, correct? This IOF factoid got stuck in my mind because my best friend from college (a physics quant who worked on Wall Street) had an apartment at 61 Pierrepont in the 90's and early 2000's.
DeleteAlmost forgot: MA, WI, GA, FL, GA.
Small world. Growing up, I had two friends who lived at 61, which is a very nice apartment block. Back in the 50s and 60s, Pierrepont Street was more of a family situation, with kids playing outside, and everybody knew everybody. I grew up a block and a half from 61, at No. 9, near the Brooklyn Heights Promenade. When I lived there it was a single family townhouse, after my mother sold it, it was turned it into apartments and a doctor’s office.
DeleteNew Orleans, Baton Rouge, Orange Beach (Al), Seville. I once lived in an apartment that Waits and Rickie Lee had called home, and was featured (briefly) in Down By Law.
ReplyDeleteI’ve always lived in the same town, however I did a bit of traveling during my 20’s in Europe and Rhode Island in my 30’s. Trouble is I don’t like flying, I’m not frightened, just don’t like it. Not having flown anywhere this century, I imagine it’s even worse now. Fortunately I live near a lot of beautiful countryside here in Dorset on the south coast of England and have explored locally a lot.
ReplyDeleteRain Dogs was the first Tom Waits I bought, and still find him fascinating whenever I’m in the right frame of mind.
Thanks Babs, I really like to pop in here, and see many familiar faces dropping by on a regular basis too.
Thank you, Bambi.
DeleteIt's always a pleasure to see the Th' Four Or Five Guys©, for whom I started this blog.
I'm also very happy to see lots of new "faces".
Always in Buenos Aires (Argentina)!
ReplyDeleteRain Dogs Link
ReplyDeletehttps://we.tl/t-RwSLK0WsUe
I've lived in Boston most of my life but spent part of 1979 living In (at?) Venice Beach in LA, California. Speaking of surreal.......
ReplyDeleteExcept for having to walk across Harvard Bridge twice a day during the winter, I liked living in Boston.
DeleteGrowing up, my local beach was Coney Island, which is pretty surreal in its own right, but pales into comparison to SoCal beaches.
South London, South East London, Kent Coast, Central Kent, Leicester, Central Kent, Central London, South West London, South London, Nottingham, East London, South London, West London, Central Kent
ReplyDeleteBorn in Honolulu before it was a state, no memory of it. (I've got old tiny photos from mom). Junction City KS, Santa Fe NM, St. Pete Beach FL, back to SF, Massillon OH.
ReplyDeleteHa I forgot about Essex (probably for the best) in between South West London and South London. Such are the trials of living in the UK's capital!
ReplyDeleteMostly Texas (love the land, hate the current politics). San Antonio, New Braunfels, San Marcos, Houston, Fischer (my favorite), MacDonna & Spring. And a month is Newport News Virginia.
ReplyDeleteBTW--first Tom Waits I heard & bought was Nighthawks At The Diner. & thanx for Rain Dogs!
In no particular order:
ReplyDelete1. Lake Tahoe, CA
2. Atlanta, GA
3. Stockton, CA
4. Houston, TX (downtown + suburbs)
5. Fresno, CA
6. Bakersfield, CA
7. Long Island, NY (north shore)
Coventry, Bath, Oxford, Geneva, Aix-en-Provence, London, L.A., Paris, Bangkok, th' Isle O' Foam©.
ReplyDeleteI forgot "nowhere" - the Year Without Keys (or a phone) when I travelled around South East Asia. Some of this is in "Baddha" (Elson Quick).
Delete"Baddha" is a wonderful read!
DeleteChicago, Long Island, Ann Arbor, Boston, Connecticut, NYC, NJ, North Carolina y'all --Muzak McMusics
ReplyDeleteLove Tom Waits, even saw him live in Utrecht, during Heartattack and Vine. After traveling through Asia the first time I swore to stop buying vinyl in order to save money for my next trip. I kept that promise until I heard Tom's Swordfishtrombones... That one is still my favorite! Places I have lived: Loosdrecht, Hilversum, Bussum, Bangkok, Nonthaburi...
ReplyDeleteKansas, Texas, Kansas, Louisiana, Kansas, Missouri, Kansas, Missouri, Texas, Missouri. Almost seems like an endless loop in retrospect. Favorite TW lp. Great place here Babs. Looking forward to learning something.
ReplyDeleteManchester, UK 1946-1949
ReplyDeleteBenoni, South Africa 1949-1950
Orange Grove (Johannesburg suburb) 1950-1956
Durban, South Africa 1956-1957
Los Angeles, California 1957-1958
Culver City. California 1958-1959
La Puente, California 1959-1965
West Covina, California 1966
El Monte, California 1967-1968
San Francisco 1968-1970
Altadena, California 1971-1978
Burkittsville, Maryland 1978-1982
Shepherdstown, West Virginia, 1982-2000
Medford, Oregon 2000-2001
Jacksonville, Oregon 2001 to the present with several episodes of no fixed abode in Asia, Latin America, and Europe along the way.
My Dad was a spook (mom was too but retired) so we moved around a lot but not nearly as much as apauling!
ReplyDeletePalos Verdes, CA 1965-1969
Las Vegas, NV 1969-1971 (Dad was Base Commander of Area 51!)
Montgomery, AL 1971-1972 (Air War College)
McLean, VA 1972-1976 (i.e. Langley, VA)
Palos Verdes, CA 1976-1984
Isla Vista, CA 1984-1990 (UC Santa Barbara)
North Hadley, MA 1990-1995 (UMass Amherst)
Plymouth, MA 1995-2003
Longwood, FL 2003-Present (Orlando area, worst of the bunch)
You attended UMass, MrDave? In 1988, I spent a semester in the Happy Valley as a "domestic exchange student" (it's a real thing, or was). I got to take classes at Amherst, Hampshire, and Smith as well as UMass. Saw the Lyres, Alex Chilton and the Meat Puppets while I was there.
DeleteYes! The Happy Valley is friggin' awesome with the five colleges there. I was in the Sociology doctorate program at UMass Amherst and lived in the Happy Valley for four years before moving down by the Cape Cod Canal. Great music, food, book & record stores, and events there. Got to see Sun Ra, Yo La Tengo, Pavement, Pixies, Sonic Youth, Cecil Taylor, Roy Haines, Stan Getz, Kronos Quartet, Cop Shoot Cop, Dewey Redman, Max Roach, Rocket From the Crypt, and some others I'm forgetting. I miss it!!
DeleteOh yeah, saw some guy named Bob Dylan play an outdoor concert on the UMass campus too but honestly that was the least memorable performance of the bunch as he was just phoning it in.
Delete