Hoskyns sued

Via Billboard:

Herb Cohen - former record executive and manager for Tom Waits - is sueing writer Barney Hoskyns and publisher Random House for libel. According to Cohen, the claims he 'nicked a lot of money' from Tom Waits and similar allegations in Hoskyns' biography Lowside of the Road, A Life of Tom Waits are false and defamatory. He is looking for over  $1 million in damages.

You can read the suit as it is filed over at courthousenews.com (pdf). 

Barney Hoskyns has declined to comment for the moment. 

Earle cancels Waiting for Waits

Steve Earle has cancelled his performance at the Mallorca festival Waiting for Waits. Earle was scheduled on September 17. There has not yet been announced a replacement for the main act.

Belgian tribute

Belgian Cultuurhuis Maison /Vox (situated in Maldegem) is celebrating Tom Waits' sixtieth birhtday with a tribute during the weekend of December 11-12-13. If you are an entertainer/musician/graphic artist or something of the kind, and you think you can contribute in any way, feel free to contact them by sending an e-mail to dieter@kindamuzik.net with 'WAITS 60' in the subject line or by leaving a message on their Facebook page. 

Waiting for Waits festival

Mallorca's Waiting for Waits festival has announced the names for its 2009 edition; Jolie Holland (June 11), Hot Club of Cowtown (August 8) and Steve Earle (17 September).

Endorsing 'How the Beatles destroyed rock 'n roll'

Looks like Tom Waits likes Elijah Wald's book How the Beatles Destroyed Rock n Roll: An Alternative History of American Popular Music; 

I couldn't put it down. It nailed me to the wall, not bad for a grand sweeping in-depth exploration of American music with not one mention of myself. Wald's book is suave, soulful, ebullient and will blow out your speakers.

(via Tim)

Romantic souls

According to GQ, your iPod can tell a woman everything she needs to know about you before you even so much as open your mouth. And if you believe that, you'll be happy to learn Tom Waits "signifies a romantic soul with requisite levels of sensitivity; however, such levels may only be revealed through profound drunkenness".

Or you might be more interested in a GQ interview with Waits about LA. 

Contributions to Dylan's TTRH

For those of you who don't read the comments, I'd like to point out Tom Waits' taped contributions to Bob Dylan's Theme Time Radio Hour are posted on the Carnival Saloon blog. 

Austin Big Time screening

Those of you in Austin, Tx. can catch Big Time at the Alamo Drafthouse cinema on Monday June 1st and 8th. 

UPDATE (June 1st): According to the comments, this screening has been cancelled, due to a badly damaged 35mm print...

Oil stain picture auction

Tom Waits has donated one of his rare photos — signed, framed and one-of-a-kind — from his “Oil Stain” series to a charity auction that will go to benefit the tuition assistance program at Summerfield School.

The opening bid is $800. The online auction will close June 5, 2009. More information here

(via ANTI-)