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Tom Waits on the Simpsons, January 6th

Jason Weisberger at 9:04 am Thu, Jan 3, 2013

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One of my favorite artists of all time, the incomparable Tom Waits, will be appearing this Sunday, January the 6th, on the Simpsons!

Jason Weisberger is Boing Boing's publisher. He often does what he ought, instead of what he should. On instagram and twitter he is @jlw

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  • Nash Rambler

    “The Simpson’s” longevity surprises me as much as Waits’.  I figured he would’ve died in a small plane crash by now. . .

    • http://boingboing.net/ Jason Weisberger

      ty

    • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1659256014 Dean Rohs

      Tom would never die like that. More likely of liver sclerosis in the arms of a cheap hooker in a seedy motel. 

      • http://twitter.com/gths Ǥɍǡḩḁᶆ Ӻᴙᴇᴇᴍᴀᴎ

         Or fighting a bear.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=9610511 Ryan Hannay

    Tom Waits and Captain Beefheart are two artists I can live without. #shittyvoices

    • GawainLavers

      I think Tom Waits has a great voice, but the whole “dirge for the funeral of an unemployed Parisian clown played by drunks with alzheimers” schtick of all of his songs is a shame.

    • http://twitter.com/chrisjimson chris jimson

      I’ll see you after school by the bike racks, punk, ’cause them is fightin words.

    • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1659256014 Dean Rohs

      Your taste in music is obviously fueled by the media hype that a good singer must also have a quality voice. Sad. Too bad you can’t appreciate the amazing songwriter and storyteller that Tom Waits is. Try listening to the words instead of just hearing the voice.

      • Nash Rambler

        “good singer must also have a quality voice. . ” Holy cow, can’t believe those words dropped onto a page.  There’s no “good” or “bad” singers, there’s just people who can sing, and people who cannot.  If you can’t fly a plane, you’re not a pilot.  If you can’t dance, you’re not a dancer.  If you can’t sing, you’re not a singer.  I don’t think I fall into the media hype because Britney Spears can sing but doesn’t do a thing for me.

        So I like Tom Waits.  I like Bob Dylan.  I like Neil Young.  I like Patti Smith.  But don’t try and tell me they’re just singers who don’t sing well.  They are great songwriters and artists who, quite frankly, sound terrible but overcome through the quality of their songwriting and passion.  They are not good singers.

    • http://twitter.com/Dracnoiseperson Drac Noise Person

       Good, I’ll have your share. #brilliantArtists

    • http://profile.yahoo.com/FZ56HAMI7D7IVKKK4BHBIFT4TU RoyL

      I’m with ya Ryan, Waits voice is very abrasive and crass.

  • GawainLavers

    I presume, from the picture, that he’s not playing himself?

    Homer joins the “Springfield Preppers,” an off-the-grid survivalist group whose leader (guest voice Waits) has set up a top-secret retreat outside of town to prepare for the end of the world. But Marge grows skeptical of the group’s alarmist shenanigans.

    Whoa. Timely.

    • http://twitter.com/Simpsonology Karma and Denise

      No, he is not playing himself.

    • http://www.markcrummett.com crummett

      “Alarmist Shenanigans” would be a good band name.

    • http://www.nothinginside.net mindysan33

      This is sort of like the role Waits played in that movie Wristcutters: A Love Story (not a survivalist group, but kind of in an afterlife kind of way) which is a great, weird little movie.  Probably the only movie I’ve ever seen that included a Christian Death song in the soundtrack.

    • Halloween_Jack

       Obviously not–the hat’s not there.

  • bluest_one

    If that’s supposed to be Tom in the picture, I have only one thing to say…

    Worst. Caricature. Ever.

  • Chentzilla

    Note how the author doesn’t call The Simpsons “one of his favorite shows of all time”.

  • http://www.nothinginside.net mindysan33

    Squee!  Someone remember my birthday this year!

  • echolocate chocolate

    Woah, they’re still making The Simpsons?

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100003673644202 Monty Jones

    I’m proud to say I have never watched one episode of the Simpsons. Since Tom isn’t playing himself, I don’t have to start now. 

    • showme

      Man, you just ooze coolness. I wish I was as cool as you. I bet you don’t even own a TV set and tell everyone at parties that. Oh, wait, you’re probably too cool to go to parties too. Do you wear turtleneck sweaters?

    • http://www.facebook.com/toddinspace Todd Fagan

       Why would ignorance of something be something to be proud of? If you had watched it and decided you didn’t like it, fine, I would understand…

      But I suppose this way you have something to cling on to as the precious individual you are.

      • RJ

         You don’t have to step in shit to know you don’t want to step in shit.

        • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1380040204 Rob Grondahl

          Actually you would.

  • birdmanicx

    The people who leave comments here are so effing NASTY to each other, like it’s the Shit’s Club or something.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Stephen-Mojoboy/100001516420420 Stephen Mojoboy

    The Preppers are bunch of dumb dodo dorks who don’t deserve to survive ! No civilization need such grotesque people ! You don’t know who is worst , those quantum criminals who got tickets to Ozarks or these fat field freaks known as The Preppers .So the fact that a great bohemian boy like Tom will play the leader of these dorks sounds very wrong to me.