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Wild Years: The Music and Myth of Tom Waits Paperback – May 10, 2006

by Jay S. Jacobs (Author)

4.4 67 ratings

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Legend. Bum. Genius. Con Man. Devoted husband and father. Myth. Storyteller. Inspiration. Drunk. Visionary. Tom Waits is all of these things.Waits is the lifeline between the great Beat poets and today’s rock & roll heroes. He’s old enough to be your dad and cool enough to be your hero. One of the few truly original musicians recording today, he’s also the rare singer who can actually act, and he has put together a respectable body of work in movies.Wild Years: The Music and Myth of Tom Waits retraces the long road that Waits has traveled and explores the music that made him a legend. Jay S. Jacobs looks at the towering myth that Waits has created for himself.Jay S. Jacobs follows the fate of one of America’s pre-eminent artists, a very private man whose career embodies a quirky array of fulfillment and loss, beauty and strangeness.This revised and updated edition includes a new chapter, with insight on Waits’ career in the 21st century thus far, as well as the most complete discography available in print. Tom’s Wild Years ― a poignant, revealing celebration of the man and all his myths.

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Updated to include Tom Waits's most recent endeavors-albums Real Gone, Blood Money and Alice, and movies Coffee and Cigarettes and Domino-Jacobs's biography of the man with the gravely voice draws on a 30-year career, a lot of interviews and Waits's microphone banter to show "the irony of Tom Waits's career is that after he found happiness, love, and sobriety, his music became more and more experimental." Waits appears here with all the trappings of an iconic figure, including the self-mythologizing: Jacobs quotes Waits heavily, but warns that the musician's words are often of questionable accuracy. With over 30 images capturing Waits in his many different roles, a discography (including covers) and a list of Waits's guest appearances, Jacobs's biography will find a welcome audience in fans of Waits's music.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

"Jacobs' study isn't simply informative; it's a solid and entertaining read on its own." —Eric Waggoner, Phoenix New Times

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ ECW Press; 2nd edition (May 10, 2006)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 309 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1550227165
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1550227161
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.44 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.5 x 0.79 x 9.25 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,274,660 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,317 in Popular Music (Books)
- #3,089 in Music History & Criticism (Books)
- #3,942 in Rock Music (Books)

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4.4 67 ratings

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Jay S. Jacobs

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I am the author of the books "Wild Years: The Music and Myth of Tom Waits" and "Pretty Good Years: A Biography of Tori Amos." I am also an editor and writer for the pop culture web magazine www.popentertainment.com. I have also written hundreds of articles for magazines such as Creem, CD Review, Rockpile, Concert News, Underground Press, New Review and many others. I have written liner notes for CD projects from Warner Brothers and Universal Records. I have also written four motion picture screenplays which have been ignored or rejected by some of the biggest names in Hollywood.

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Melody

Great Read For Any Tom Waits Fan!

Reviewed in the United States on January 20, 2012

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Based on the other reviews of this book, I thought I'd take a stab at it. I'm not really one for biographies, but I'm a HUGE fan so why not?

Well researched, well written, interesting, and informative. Great job by the author. The only thing that disappoints me is that the book only goes to the year 2000, which is by NO means anyone's fault, as the book was published IN 2000.

Whether you're a new fan just discovering the unconventional genius behind the music or a hardcore fan from the day, this book will make for a great and interesting read.

3 people found this helpful

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Quinn

Book looks great, excited to read!

Reviewed in the United States on August 25, 2020

Verified Purchase

Book arrived in perfect condition and I can’t wait to read it! Tom Waits is such a private person so as a fan, it’s a struggle to find out his personal details and life’s story. Looking forward to learning more about one of my favorite musicians.
For the record, I’m 31 years old. For some reason Tom Waits is associated with an older fan base but wanted to share that I got hooked on his “Rain Dogs” album when I was in my 20’s. Mr. Waits music is for everyone and definitely not age specific.

2 people found this helpful

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D. Mannon

Good Tom Waits history

Reviewed in the United States on September 16, 2013

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This is a good Tom Waits history, but it seems like the author has never been in the same room with Waits. Rather, all his stories and vignettes seem to be drawn from second hand accounts or published Waits interviews. It's worth a look.

3 people found this helpful

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Michael Lifson

Great Book

Reviewed in the United States on May 31, 2009

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I am a hardcore Waits fan, and I'm very impressed with mr. Jacob's seriousness and respect for his subject. Considering Wait's known tendency to keep his life private, mr. Jacob's concentrates on the professional side of Waits career. It is a very earnest book, informative and well written. I liked it a lot.

2 people found this helpful

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James Cox

Three Stars

Reviewed in the United States on February 28, 2016

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The writer got it little caught up in dissecting Waits songs , It was OK .

Reviewed in the United States on July 14, 2021

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The author went into fantastic detail of Waits songs and history. It was a great read and I would recommend it to any fans of Tom.

Reviewed in the United States on May 15, 2012

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This was a really interesting book full of rich stories. The stories may not be 100% true, but it captures the signature flavor of Tom Waits. It's also a great gift for the Tom Waits fan in your life who already has all the music and a shirt or two.

Reviewed in the United States on January 22, 2017

Verified Purchase

Excellent read !!!!!!

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