33 Christmases ago, Tom Waits performed for an episode of Austin City Limits, honoring the holiday season with his trademark world-weary troubadour take on “Silent Night” alongside one of his own classics, “Christmas Card From a Hooker in Minneapolis.” Today, ACL shared this wonderful clip on the eve of Christmas Eve — a perfect time to reflect on both the holidays and the year that brought us yet another stunning Waits record, three decades later. Enjoy the 1978 clip above.
Tag Archives: Tom Waits
Video: Tom Waits, Fernwood Tonight, 1977
One of many memorable Tom Waits television appearances over the years was this funny performance and interview on Fernwood Tonight, aka Fernwood 2Nite, a short-lived parody talk show hosted by Martin Mull and Fred Willard set in the fictional town of Fernwood, Ohio. Watch Waits sing 1976 Small Change cut “The Piano Has Been Drinking (Not Me) (an Evening with Pete King)” before riffing with the hosts while smoking like a chimney above.
Classic Waits Pull-Quote: “I’d rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy.”
Video: Tom Waits on the Don Lane Show, 1981
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A glimpse at the great troubadour during a pivotal point in his career: right after he quit smoking (not for good), drinking (sorta), and married Kathleen Brennan (his wife and songwriting partner ever since).
Tom Waits, in his Rock Hall of Fame induction speech.
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They say that I have no hits and that I’m difficult to work with, and they say that like it’s a bad thing.