Tom Waits

I love this man. I’m impressed by everything he ever wrote. I have all the CDs. I can’t listen to him anymore, though.

When I was in college, I met my first love. He introduced me to Tom Waits. We went to see him one time — great seats. Our relationship was intense and not always in a good way. Shortly before graduation, we broke up. I listened to Tom Waits — especially a particular couple of songs — over and over and over until I was done crying.

That was 30 years ago. I married someone else, had kids, and divorced 25 years later. Since then, I’ve talked to my first love, and everything is cool. I still have the Tom Waits CDs.

Every few years, I test myself. I still can’t listen to that music without completely breaking down, crumbling into tiny fragments of the person I usually am.

Tom Waits is the best artist I will never listen to again.