Thanks to my old pal Jerry (aka secretdeadartist), we learn that the Vatican digs Tom Waits. OK, maybe not all the Vatican, but Jesuits, the mensa members of the Catholic Church, think Waits is the man.This stands in sharp contrast to the Pope who said he doesn't like this new-fangled rock music. He did, however, enjoy a polka or two with Cardinal Bernard Law of Boston. "He can cover the dance floor," Benedict said, "as smoothly as he covered up all those buggered altar boys. You got to give the man his props."
In the latest issue of Civilta Cattolica, the Jesuits said that Waits represents “the marginalised and misunderstood.”
I'm looking at you Mr. Banks.
According to the London Times, Father Antonio Spadaro normally writes about literature but is quickly becoming the Church authority on pop music. Spadora said that Waits had lived a youthful life of “drugs, alcohol and sex” and can understand the desperation of men and women who live on the fringe. But out of desperation, Waits finds “capacity for hope and instinct for happiness.”
Damn, I wish I had written that. Capacity for hope and instinct for happiness. I love that.
The article quotes Waits from a 2004 interview: “I don’t know what’s out there any more than anyone else, cause no one’s really come back to tell me. I think everyone believes in something. Even people who don’t believe in anything believe that.”
Contrast this enlightened attitude with the Holy Father's. When he was a Cardinal, Benedict condemned rock music as the work of the Devil. "Except for Fergie. She's fabulous," he said, casting doubts on the notion of infallibility.
Father Spadaro respectfully disagreed. Rock is “not the music of Satan but has great expressive power which reaches peoples’ souls.” It would be churlish of me to point out that this news is about 40 years too late, but hey, it took the Church a few centuries to admit they had that whole sun around the earth cosmology wrong, so there's hope for Mother Church and Benny of the Big Hat yet.
Well I've been faithful
And I've been so good
Except for drinking
But he knew that I would
I'm gonna leave this place better
Than the way I found it was
And Jesus gonna be here
Be here soon
Sing it, Mr. Waits. Sing it.
And thanks, Jerry, for the tip.
3 comments:
I'm expecting a Papal Bull on, "You know there ain't no devil, there's just god when he's drunk," any day now.
For your next band...
The Polk Popes and the Bonging Son
Such a shame to think that the last time Tom was down under was the year I was born. Not having a steady job, I couldn't afford tickets. I suppose now that he's been endorsed by the Vatican, I can rest assured I'll see him in heaven.
Time to get to work on getting saved.
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