myersei wrote: 
Much like a dead skunk in the middle of the road... best avoided.

 ri_shelton wrote: 
I don't think he's been waiting tables or working in a cubicle for the last forty years, so apparently he's been able to count on his voice for income.

from wikipedia;

Waits has a distinctive voice, described by critic Daniel Durchholz as sounding "like it was soaked in a vat of bourbon, left hanging in the smokehouse for a few months, and then taken outside and run over with a car."

That pretty much sums it up.

How about playing "Ol 55"?

Much better than the cover by the Eagles.

A slice of urban poetry.    And sorry but Tom's original still beats the covers (ie Rod Stewart).

Shite.

The word that comes to mind is cheesegrater. 

Excuse me, but this voice is ridiculous!

Was "Coffee and Cigarettes" scripted? If not, Waits is an a$#, and though I sometimes like his clever lyrics, he shouldn't count on his voice to make any money. Um, it is about money, isn't it?

 michaelc wrote: 
Just goes to show that being first counts for zilch

Tom was first ( Duh )
 
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Downtown_Train

I'm sorry just can get this guy, his voice is a real put off. Great lyricist, check out Holly Cole Temptation album, Waits song with a good voice.

Appropriate song for the HOBO (Tom Waits)

Tom Waits is good... BUT like many things, best in small quantities... Glad he's still around. I just can't stay thru a whole CD or concert... Just a good bit...in a small dose... Even at home, I'll have him on "random" so that It's a small dose.   OK-That's me... Your mileage may vary.

 januismer wrote: 

okay Bruce you have GOT to stop chain-smoking those Luckys... 

Thought it was Oscar The Grouch.

 deepwoodskev wrote: 
  Ha! Exactly.

Of course this version of the song is a million times better than Rod Stewarts, just cause it's Tom, however, if a man who sounded like this was creeping me on the downtown train, I think I'd be rather afraid.  Just sayin!!  (Love you Tom!)

My coworker just said "Sounds like Cookie Monster singing this.  Isn't the song Rod Stewart's or Bruce Springsteen's originally?"

I explained that this is the original Tom Waits version.

Suddenly I wish I were back in New York... *sigh*  I love the Mojave Desert... but sometimes it's just too sunny for days like this...

Okay - I've finally figured out why Tom Waits drives me crazy.  I love his music and his writing. Sometimes, I even love his gravelly voice, but that's also why I don't like him.  That voice is very similar to another voice in my past - attached to the hand that hit me when I didn't do something right.  Bruises were always prefaced by a husky, cigarette-shot voice raised in anger. Thank goodness I was given a chance to escape. 

Tom Waits can belt out a song, but sometimes I flash back to that time when I was married and trying so hard to be the best wife in the world... I'm fine now. I kinda wonder if my ex is even still alive - he had a knack for pissing people off. I can honestly say I wouldn't cry if I learned that he was dead.  So - Tom Waits is a double-edged sword for me. I love his perception and his words, but sometimes his voice makes me cringe inadvertently. Funny what sticks with us through time...

 evansdad wrote: 
Neither could Louis Armstrong, Leonard Cohen, Carla Bruni, Milli Vanilli and me. and your point is....?

An icon in the music business, but he really can't sing...

Superb 10

 craigf wrote: 
I can only pray that God does not talk or sing like this when I see Him in Heaven. Because then that will be Hell.

 midreaming wrote: 
wait.........huh?

 What planet are you from that a blues song has to be sung by a celine dion or Johnny mathis like voice?
Have you ever been downtown after a long night? ..almost everybody's gone home. You stand there looking for direction. And it's the buzz of a street light ready to burn out that makes your feet move. What's that sound like to you? What's the brightest color shining off the broken glass at your feet? Is it like any flower you've ever seen? Have you ever seen a flower on the city streets that late at night? What would you give for a cab ride with a friend or a cup of coffee right now? You and Celine and Johnny go check that out and come back with a song and we'll tell you what we think of it.