Who Are You: Tom Waits and ‘Lowside of the Road’ by Barney Hoskyns

By Robert Loss

Waits is a deconstructionist vaudevillian with a heart who rails against cynicism; a furious bluesman blaring unabashedly about the soul-- his words and music stretch into a bizarre land, where the light is slanted, eerie. [2 September 2009]

The Innovators

By PopMatters Staff

Sometimes changing the course of modern music can be surprisingly easy. Though their names may not be laced in the stars right next to Sinatra and Dylan, these mavericks will always be remembered for breaking boundaries, stretching the definitions of genres, and rewriting what the very notion of a "pop song" is. [30 July 2008]

Best Albums of 2006

By PopMatters Staff

At long last, the annual rite of passage, the "best of" list... Here's PopMatters picks for the best 60 records of 2006. Stay tuned tomorrow for the best re-issues, as well as ongoing genre top 10s the rest of this week, culminating in the year's best musical events on Friday. [23 December 2006]

Tom Waits: Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers and Bastards

By Jeff Vrabel

If you hear the phrases, 'The female praying mantis devours the male while they are mating. The male sometimes continues copulating even after the female has bitten off his head, and part of his upper torso,' you are listening to a Bastard. [6 December 2006]

Tom Waits

By Andrew Gilstrap

We're all as mad as hatters here... [1 August 2006]

Tom Waits: Real Gone

By Zeth Lundy

Tom Waits: Alice / Blood Money

By Andrew Clark

Mixed Media: Tom Waits - “Mule Variations” Video Collection (video)

The always-eccentric Tom Waits hopes you’ll adopt his ‘Orphans’ [17 November 2006]