Tom Waits joins Iggy Pop for a two-hour special on BBC Radio 6 Music

21 November 2023 - Press release

 

The Grammy Award-winning, American musician, composer, songwriter and actor, Tom Waits, co-hosts a special show with Iggy Pop on Sunday 3 December, 4pm-6pm.

Echoing their famous joint appearance in Jim Jarmusch’s Coffee and Cigarettes, the two-hour programme will see the pair pump the Confidential jukebox full of nickels and dimes and spin some of their favourite tracks to one another.

Songs include Bangkok by Alex Chiltern, Bye Bye Butterfly by Pauline Oliveros, Moon River by Frank Ocean and Colorado Kool-Aid by Johnny Paycheck, as well as the first spoken word song that Tom heard on the radio and a couple of 60s TV theme tunes to raise a smile. 

In between records, they’ll share stories, including how Tom hitched a ride towards Los Angeles with eden ahbez - the songwriter who composed “Nature Boy”, which became a No. 1 hit for eight weeks in 1948 for Nat King Cole - and how Iggy once came across Captain Beefheart eating breakfast in L.A. but was wise enough not to disturb him.

California born and raised Tom Waits is known for his albums including Blue Valentine (1978), Swordfishtrombones (1983), Rain Dogs (1985), Franks Wild Years (1987), Bone Machine (1992), The Black Rider (1993) and many more. He was inspired as a young man by the music of Bob Dylan and by the Beat movement and began his music career on the San Diego folk music scene, before moving to L.A. in the early 70s and signing his first recording contract. He has since gone on to become one of the most renowned and successful songwriters in musical history with a catalogue of music that spans several decades. He is also known for his acting work and has appeared in films including Down By Law (1986), Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1993), Coffee and Cigarettes (2003), Seven Psychopaths (2012) and The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018).