Yes, PEHDTSCKJMBA. It’s pronounced "pesskah-jumbah," roughly, and, as Tom Waits explains in the transfixing press-conference clip below, it’s an acronym for the cities he’ll be playing on this summer’s "Glitter and Doom" tour: Phoenix, El Paso, Houston, Dallas… PEHDTSCKJMBA can also stand for "People Envy Happiness; Dogs, Though, Sense Courage, Knowing Jubilation Means Better Assets," Waits informs us.
Really, you should just watch the whole thing as soon as possible. (Make positively sure to stay through the end — it’s only 4 minutes long.) Waits deconstructs the meet-the-press ritual with his typical oddball panache, leading to a Q&A session that’s about as surreal as any of Dylan’s in Don’t Look Back.
So what do you think of this bit of performance art? Does it make you any more interested in Waits’ tour? And perhaps most importantly, as a friend of mine asked after seeing this clip, which is stranger: This stunt or the fact that Scarlett Johansson is actually releasing an album of Waits covers in a couple weeks? PEHDTSCKJMBA!
Ah, yes. Tom Waits is more than a little eccentric, but the man’s a genius, and I love him. He has no equal.
all bow to mirror ball derby hat the man is truly a genious iconoclast
i’m soo depressed he’s not coming to where i am.
I am soooo excited!! I found out about this a couple of days ago. Never thought I’d ever get the chance to see him live but I’m in Phoenix- 2 shows there! So so excited. They are $100 tickets though…
I love this man. Wish he was playing somewhere near me but I guess I shouldn’t complain…I got to see him at the Beacon years ago and I saw Elvis Costello and Liam Neeson amongst the crowd. It was awesome.
Pretty much anything Tom touches is genius… Again, too bad he’s not hitting Chicago this time around.
Pure genius with a pointer.
Bueno. I have experienced TW twice. But not in a while. Long while.