he's fucking brilliant. he's who i want to be when i grow up, except that i'm 60 and don't have a chance in hell of being him, being like him, or growing up.
he has pushed every edge he's ever met.
he's gone places, artistically, musically, that a mere mortal like me can't begin to figure
out how he got there, much less how he got back. no, wait, he didn't come back, he just kept on going. over the edge and through the woods.
not that i would take the same trip. aw, shit, who am i kidding? of course i would.
i think he's one of the most creative people on the planet.
even when i don't like his stuff, i like his stuff.
he's married to kathleen brennan, a brilliant, creative woman. dammit.
he has kids. can you imagine having tom waits as a father?
that's like having frank zappa as a father.
and we thought our parents were weird.
i'm saying all this because i watched this ted talk by elizabeth gilbert. (she wrote "eat, pray, love", of which i am not particularly fond.) she is speaking about creativity, and mentions tom waits, whom she has interviewed. that made me think better of her. plus, she's kinda funny. i've had experiences similar to that which she describes, especially of late during this poem-a-day quagmire i find myself hip deep in. her resolution (and tom's) has relieved me of an onerous burden. for that i am grateful.
so when you get stuck, mired in the morass of mediocrity, remember this:
