Tom Waits Collection on Letterman, 1983-2015
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Published 2019-04-20
The Bird Network Years:
1. December 21, 1983. Tom performs "Frank's Wild Years," chats with Dave, then performs another song, "The Nickel."
2. February 6, 1986. "Tango Til They're Sore," chat, and "Time."
3. October 16, 1987. Chat, then "More Than Rain."
4. October 5, 1988. "Straight to the Top" and chat.
Late Show:
5. September 27, 1999. "Chocolate Jesus" and chat.
6. May 8, 2002. "All the World Is Green" and chat.
7. September 28, 2004. Chat, then "Make It Rain."
8. November 27, 2006. Chat, then "Lie to Me."
9. July 9, 2012. Chat, then "Chicago."
10. May 14, 2015. Chat, then "Take One Last Look at the Place That You Are Leaving."
Note: The graphic card date that had Tom' first LNwDL appearance as "February 21, 1983," is incorrect; that was actually the date when Sly Stone appeared on the show. The date as I have above, December 21, 1983, was Tom's debut appearance. Notice the Christmas decorations in the studio.
What probably happened was that someone wrote down "12-21-83," but the person who typed in the date didn't see the "1" in front of the "2," thus the month February ("2") instead of December ("12").
All Comments (21)
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Tom Waits has the best sense of humour. Not only a brilliant singer, musician, poet, storyteller, actor but also comedian. Legend!
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Two kinds of folks in the world. Those who love Waits, and those who will learn…
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"I'll tell you all my secrets but I lie about my past." HA! Great line.
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"Frank came to me in a dream... We spoke, well, of many things..." Audience cracks up and Tom looks at them like "did I say something funny?" Love that moment.
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Tom waits is such a badass. So very original .so strange and refreshingly wierd! This man is a genius!
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Lots of mutual respect between Waits and Letterman.Letterman seems to appreciate and understand Waits and his genius.
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Tom Waits is so refreshingly out of his mind! He has always been one of my all time favorites! A true original American out of his flipping mind musical and creative genius.
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This man must be protected! He is one of life's magnificent mysteries.
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I love that Dave seems to genuinely like Tom, and treats him with a lot of respect.
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The nickel song made me tear up, the way he sang it was really something man
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Letterman is the only person who can ACTUALLY interview Tom.
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Dave: "how would you describe the city?" Tom: "It's like a big ship, ...and the water's on fire!"
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Tom waits, Bob Dylan, Leonardo cohen are all up the league in poetic song writing, but what sets Tom apart from the rest is the emotional dimension that he radiates through his voice, performance and perpetual creativity. What a legend!
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Tom waits is my all time favorite American songwriter. What an absolute genius
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i love his sense of humour, such a genius and rare personality!
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A genuine story-teller, the way he paints pictures with his lyrics. Tom Waits but always on the move...☕
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Tom Waits is a national treasure..thanks so much for the music Tom!
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Toms' humor is surreal, an extra Taco on the combo plate of life. Dave is kinda just along for the ride, and he's no slouch himself.
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Tom had some great hair days
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I never knew this man existed and I am happy that I found him
