First, I just want to get across my excitement about the feature documentary I'm currently developing--I'm fucking ecstatic. This may seem odd, but for the first time I truly feel like I want to make this documentary. I mean, I've been wanting to make it for a long time now, but for some reason the passion hasn't always been there.
However, today - even though I had a lot on my plate (like working on finding a job...) - I got a strong urge to work on my initial proposal for the documentary. Three hours later, the proposal was finished, and an amazing thing happened: as I walked home, I felt an incredible energy just flowing through me. I knew at that moment I really wanted to dedicate myself fully to this project.
Of course, the timing is a bit bad considering the poor state of my finances and my chronically frustrating work situation--oh how I'd love if this film was my job! Regardless, it's an amazing feeling just to know that the thing I want to focus on over the next three years is something I'm truly passionate about. If it wasn't there before, it's definitely there now.
Now on to that other bit of business...
I've been a fan of Tom Waits for a few years now, but anyone familiar with the artist (and the man) knows his discography (and he himself) can be a bit intimidating. I can thank my brother Craig and my friend Andrew for infusing me with "sonic-Waits", which lead me to download his entire discography a couple months ago. And to be honest, it's so intimidating that I've barely brushed the surface since that time.While many with knowledge of Waits will point to a few seminal albums such as "Rain Dogs"and "Swordfishtrombones", I've realized recently that it's hard to completely appreciate him until you step back and look at his evolution as a musician and as a person.
Sooo...I've decided to undertake a musical odyssey into the world of Waits! My current knowledge of Tom Waits extends to a few albums ("Real Gone", "Alice", "Rain Dogs") and various scattered songs from here and there (thanks again to Craig and Andrew). However, I want to change this.
Over the next few months, I will listen to the entire Tom Waits discography in chronological order. Now, I'm not just talking about playing each album a couple times on my morning commute. No, I intend to delve into each album as I would with any new, highly anticipated CD I might buy (*/download*). And the best part...after I get through each album I'm going to report my thoughts here, on this very blog!
Why am I doing this? Well, I look at it as a kind of musical experiment. I feel like one of the big factors that scares a lot of people (including myself) away from certain artists is their prolific output and/or extensive catalog. "Best Of" compilations help with this, but they are only a small snapshot of the artist they attempt to accurately depict. Could you capture the essence of a city in a single photograph? Or twelve?
Van Morrison, Elvis Costello, Dennis Brown (!), Leonard Cohen...these are just a few of the artists I'm incredibly attracted to but have largely avoided delving into simply because of their incredible output (or in the case of Cohen, just not knowing where to start). Should that be an excuse though? I don't think so, and since Tom Waits tops everyone on this list for me, I intend to suck it up and run the gamete.
First up, 1973's "Closing Time"....
*Note: Due to the sheer epicness (not a word) and unpredictable time-table for this experiment (as opposed to the systematic approach of my "Top 25 Films of the Decade" series), the length between updates for this blog series may be anywhere from a few days to several weeks. Basically, don't hold your breath. Not to worry though (if there are actually people who regularly read this blog) - due to this irregularity I will still continue on with unrelated entries in the gaps between Tom Waits updates. In fact, watch out for that "Avatar" post I mentioned in my last entry. Fitting I think, considering Cameron's ode to the Smerfs just passed his own "Titanic" for the highest grossing film of all time ($1.84 billion)....in seven. fucking. weeks. Unbelievable. Titantic? Try 40.
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