Tom Waits Biography

Fast Facts

• Was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2011
• His first job was at Napoleone Pizza House in National City, Calif․, a vocation that inspired several of his later songs including "The Ghosts of Saturday Night (After Hours at Napoleone's Pizza House)․"
• Quote: "The big print giveth and the small print taketh away․"
• His lyrics often descript grotesque or seedy characters and places, and he sings them in a gravelly voice
• His experimental compositions, which lean toward the industrial music genre, incorporate pre-rock music styles such as blues, jazz and vaudeville
• A series of photographs of Waits are featured in a coffee-table book by Anton Corbijn called "Waits/Corbijn '77-'11․"
• Converted a dumpster into a musical instrument by cutting a hole in the side and stretching piano strings across it