Tom Waits and "distortion."

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by babyblue, Oct 14, 2004.

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  1. babyblue

    babyblue Patches Pal! Thread Starter

    Location:
    Pacific NW
    Nice interview with Mr. Waits here:

    http://entertainment.signonsandiego.com/profile/273066

    where he addresses the "distortion" on his new album, which concerned some of you.

    Q: . . .the blues influence feels more pronounced on "Real Gone." For example, the way your microphone overloads as you sing on some tracks suggests Little Walter, only with him playing his voice instead of a harmonica. You even have a fleeting lyrical reference to Robert Johnson in the song "Baby Gonna Leave Me" in the line: "I'll get my 32/20 and it'll have to do." Are these coincidences, or are they intentional?

    Waits: Well, you know, I throw all that stuff in there because it's always going around in my head. If it seems appropriate, I'll stick it in.

    Overloading the mic is like, if you listen to all the records Little Richard did on Specialty, the mics were always being overloaded. No one had ever done anything like that before. There were probably people in the studio saying: "No, no, don't hurt the mic!"; and "Get that man off the piano!"; and "No playing (piano) with your feet!" He was un-containable ? he was talking in tongues! ? and the equipment hadn't caught up with the level of emotion coming from him.

    What happens with me is, I heard the needle being mashed down and those great mics being trashed, and it creates an energy in the music. It's like somebody wincing. It's like scratching off the linoleum or breaking a window, and you still feel it (now).

    Steve
     
  2. Sckott

    Sckott Hand Tighten Only.

    Location:
    South Plymouth, Ma
    First track of his new album made me wonder where the crackly sound was coming from (bad caps, crappy-made CD). It's not a nice, warm, HOT tube mic sound overloading, it's the sound of modern equipment being abused. BANG! CLIP! BANG!

    And this is just me, but the sound is hard to swallow. So be it. Art is art.
     
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