(Yes, I really did give this entry such a stupid title.)

Surprise!  I love Tom Waits.  Oh, wait– I think we already knew that, since I tell everyone I see once I get a single beer in me.  It’s okay, just roll your eyes at me.  I won’t go away, but we don’t have to pretend I’m not obnoxious or anything.

Through a string of Google searches sparked by a weekly curiousity involving Tom Waits lyrics, I stumbled across this cool website.  Alice is my favorite Waits album for a multitude of reasons (all of which I’ve probably told everyone already after having the aforementioned drink), but I haven’t heard or seen the play that the music was written for, so I’ve felt pretty left out.  It was cool to get to read the script or whatever you call this.  It seems like a pretty cool interpretation, and this is probably the closest I’ll ever get to seeing it.

The premise closely follows the general outline of what we all remember from Alice In Wonderland, but there’s a kind of creepy subplot about a grown man, a photographer named Charles Dodgeson, who is in love with and obsessed with Alice Liddell, the young girl for whom Alice In Wonderland was written.  Obviously Dodgeson is based on Lewis Carroll (although there’s no evidence that Lewis Carroll ever had “inappropriate” feelings for Alice Liddell, or thought of her as anything but a young friend).

The story in this version is pretty fascinating, and creepy in a way that no other interpretation has managed before, since it touches on pedaphilia.  If you like the album, I suggest giving it a read.  It’s pretty quick, and has a neat/sad twist at the end.

With a little more searching, I found that Waits is working on another play.  This would be his fourth collaboration with director Robert Wilson, following Alice, Blood Money (based on Woyzeck) and The Black Rider (based on Der Freischütz).  I’m not sure what this one will be, but here’s a bit of information.