Preview Audio

Singer and Songwriter Tom Waits on this archive edition of Fresh Air. Since the 1973 release of his first album, Closing Time, Waits has won over fans with his original songwriting and distinctive, gravely vocal style. One reviewer calls Waits "the Ultimate hobo boho, a Jack-in-the-box cum storyteller." Musicians including Johnny Cash, Bruce Springsteen, and Rod Stewart have recorded covers of his songs. He has also acted in films, including Sylvester Stallone's Paradise Alley, Jim Jarmusch's Down By Law, and Robert Altman's Short Cuts. Waits has two new CDs: Alice and Blood Money, a pair of very different sounding albums, were written and produced by Tom Waits and his wife and long-time collaborator, Kathleen Brennan. (Original Broadcast Date: May 21, 2002)