Lowside of the Road: A Life of Tom Waits

Well, ooh... okay, here it is. It is not a gossip biography but a book on Tom Waits' work, as a song-writer, singer, musician, producer, on-and-off actor. It's a work full of paradox as Waits does not want a biography written, but if there is one written, this is at least the type of book he must accept, one that shows that he is sort of a meta-musician, a real master of songs and traditions. The writer is in a very difficult position because if he gets you to identify with Waits you will hate the writer. Actually, the book does give you some insight into Waits' life, as you learn that his father left the family when he was ten, Waits struggled with adapting to the communal freedom of the Sixties (he, in a way, did not participate), and that he finally found his role as both an intellectual (I mean thinking, and responsible) musician and very playful performer. With lots of "sweating" rockers around, many thought his show was fake, and Hoskyns makes several attempts to describe how difficult it was for Waits to demonstrate that his music was scenic, visual, related to more than songs, without making listeners think they would not have to listen. Waits has been fiercely protecting his private life, most of the time, and even more since he met Kathleen Brennan. Hoskyns, again, is in dire straits here as he thinks this is right, and he even gets the counter-point: how Waits, finally, does find his political voice fighting phonyness and being "private" in public - so close to Hollywood, sometimes getting a kick from it, but turning against the pornographic family show that has become the custom, pseudo-revealing your "intimate" life and thus killing your work. Because nobody needs your work if they think they know you. There are many non-readers, non-listeners, and they are being served. Waits is no part of that, and to some degree, Hoskyns is the loser here, because he is both a listener and a reader, and his book is not for the mainstream audience anyhow. As for Waits' big turn away from Elektra, away from swing, into rhythmic music and bizarre arrangements, Hoskyns gives much credit to Kathleen Brennan, too much I think, regarding the fact that he knows very little about her. He pictures Kathleen as saving Tom's life (he finally gets sober which might be the reason we still have him around), getting control of his musical production, and having a family with kids who actually play with him - on stage! - as they are beyond age 15. Which can mean a lot, and one might not like that too much, but then, it obviously means that Tom Waits is a rock star with a family, I mean ONE FAMILY and not five of them. Still, I think that Hoskyns is too generous with accepting all those credits for Brennan, and the trick is that when the book closes he confesses that he likes Waits' earlier work better! So he's all caught up in that paradox of life and music, interpreting both. Brennan gets all the credit but without her Waits' music was better? Still, it is a good

This is an admirably balanced and gracefully written biography by a writer who overcame more than a few obstacles--surmounted by the subject, of course--to give us the best biography one could hope for of such a cagey and prolific artist. As one devours the book (and if you're even somewhat of a fan, you will devour it), it becomes a sumptuous Waitsian feast, weaving fascinating arcana, anecdotes, and reminisces with fair-minded musical analysis. I remain truly grateful to writers like Hoskyns who work so hard to bring us that little bit closer to an artist's work. As far as the gag order that was extended to so many of Waits's friends and associates during the writing of this book, I have to say I'm more on the author's side on this one. Tom, Kathleen: you need to get over yourselves a bit. When you put your creative work into the public realm, you have to expect people to be at least a little curious about your world. I found their campaign to stymie a writer as respectful and intelligent as Hoskyns small-minded and more than a little pretentious. I'm sure the author would have agreed to some set of parameters with the duo, either in talking to them or their current associates. Hey, whatever. Ultmately it was their loss. Ours, too, but this book goes a wonderfully long way in satisfying our longing to actually live in the Waitsian universe for a while. Bravo!

We all know that Tom Waits didn't want to have anything to do with this book and went out of his to tell his friends to boycott this biographer. Still, Barney Hoskyns went ahead and wrote the best book that he could have written about a living legend who happens to be uncooperative. There are many things in this book that would only appeal to hard core fans such as song by song analysis of albums. Hoskyns is an excellent writer and I am left to wonder what this book could have been if Tom Waits had not asked his friends to not talk to Hoskyns. It is still the best book out there on the subject and who knows someday Tom Waits may soften his stance and talk to a biographer or at the very least let his friends talk. Waits reasons for not talking is obvious. There's a mystery attached to his persona and he wants to keep it that way. He walks a thin line of being real and putting on an act and he wants us to always guess what's real and what's a put on. I do think that's a minor detail. True Tom Waits fans don't care. They love the man and his music. Whether his wife is the second coming of Yoko Ono is irrelevant. That's their business. The album cover says Tom Waits and that's what I go by. Read this book.