Late Show With David Letterman -

Title: The Late Show With David Letterman
Source: "The Late Show with David Letterman" (US TV show). �CBS Broadcasting Inc. Transcription from tape by "Pieter from Holland" as published on the Tom Waits Library
Date: Ed Sullivan Theater, New York/ USA. September 28, 2004
Keywords: Real Gone, cribbing

Accompanying pictures

Source: Screenshot from "The Late Show with David Letterman" (US TV show). Date: Ed Sullivan Theater, New York/ USA. September 28, 2004. Credits: CBS TV show/ �CBS Broadcasting Inc. Video file provided by Krup (http://krupsjustsayin.blogspot.com)

The Late Show With David Letterman

DL: Our next guest is truly one of the greats. He is a Grammy award winning singer songwriter, whose new CD, right here, will be in the stores October 5th. It's entitled Real Gone. Please welcome back to the Late Show⁽¹⁾ , Tom Waits! Tom, come on up!

(Waits comes up, shakes hands with Letterman, greets the audience and the band. Sits down)

DL: Nice to have you here Tom!
TW: Hey, thanks.
DL: Good to see you again, and as we asked John, "How are things with you? How is your family?"
TW: Oh, the family is good you know...
DL: How big is your family?
TW: Well, we have three kids and eh... You know, the other day, it's eh interesting you would ask that, because I overheard my older kids talking to my younger boy. And they were saying: "Don't ever! Don't ever... ask dad to help you with your homework!" (laughter)
DL: Wow! What's...
TW: It hurt!
DL: Yeah I can see that it would!
TW: It hurt me!
DL: What's it all about? What's...
TW: Well, you know I don't know, I eh... They said I made up a war once. (laughter) And eh I think I was just groping for the real name and I just substituted it for rhythm, you know?
DL: Just to keep the conversation going on... And eh, do you exaggerate stuff, or do you just lie. I mean is there a difference really?

TW: Well, there is really no difference. I was eh... it's interesting because... You have a boy right?
DL: Yes I do.
TW: So you know what "cribbing" is right?
DL:... well no... (laughter)
TW: Cribbing is... (to the audience). Ok folks, for those of you who have kids. When you have a crib and you have a child in the crib, you have eh... you have cribbing... And you have eh... they EAT the wood... around the edge of the crib.
DL: They actually are teething on the reel...
TW: But they are actually eating into the wood itself. In fact my boy ate straight through the wood... It just, it destroyed the resale value! (laughter)
DL: If it can't get you (...?...) out of a crib, then what's the deal!?

TW: Well here's the deal. Now, horses crib as well.
DL: I've heard that, yeah.
TW: Now they apparently, it releases some kind of a chemical in their brain and it gets them a little loaded. So they're aaalways cribbing. And I was, I was out at the track and I was going by a barn and there were several horses and I was looking at them as I walked by. And one just caught my eye because he'd been cribbing on a white piece of plywood that was the door to his stall. And he'd eaten away the wood and the picture that it created... I kid you not... it was a picture of a horse jumping over a fence! (laughter)
DL: Alright.
TW: And it had a lot of style, it looked like a Grecian urn.
DL: Yeah.
TW: Beautiful! Anyway...
DL: I thought you had a photograph, do you have a photograph of it?
TW: Do you wanna see the picture?
DL: Yes I DO wanna see the picture!
TW: Are you doubting me?
DL: NO I'm not doubting you! But I think it would just be eh..
TW: (takes picture out of his pocket) Okay, where do I put the picture?
DL: Well show it to me first! (laughter)
TW: Okay, (hands over picture and points) Now what's that a picture of?!
DL: My god, he's right....
TW: What is that a picture of?!
DL: Let me just show this, this is unbelievable (puts picture in front of camera)

TW: Now what's that a picture of!? And notice... notice how he worked around that hinge. And just so you don't think that every horse is a genius (takes out more pictures from his pocket). You know, here's a guy who just ain't worked it yet (shows picture).
DL: Got nothing happening there.
TW: Nothing happening there. Here's another one (shows next picture), if you think they can all do it. (laughter). Look at this. Nothing!
DL: Tom! That's unbelievable Tom!
TW: Ain't that unbelievable?
DL: Stunning!
TW: Anyway, the horse in the next stall... had written a script!

DL: Oh no, cut that out! (laughter). Now when we come back, you're going to do something from the new CD. Is that correct?
TW: Yeah, we...
DL: Tom Waits, Real Gone. Excellent!
TW: Oh...
DL: We'll be right back ladies and gentlemen with Tom Waits!

(Break)

Performs "Make It Rain"

Notes:

⁽¹⁾ Please welcome back to the Late Show: Waits has made several appearances on The Late Show: Late Night with David Letterman David Letterman TV Show. New York. December 21, 1983. Late Night with David Letterman David Letterman TV Show. New York. February, 1986. Late Night with David Letterman David Letterman TV Show. October 16, 1987. Late Night with David Letterman David Letterman TV Show. October 5, 1988. Late Show with David Letterman CBS TV show (USA). Ed Sullivan Theater. New York/ USA. September 27, 1999. Late Show With David Letterman CBS TV show (USA). Ed Sullivan Theater. New York/ USA. May 8, 2002.