Part 1: Tom Waits through the lens of Anton Corbijn as interpreted by NCC

Photgrapher Anton Corbijn has been taking pictures of the larger than life, but smaller and quieter than you'd believe character that is Tom Waits since 1977. This friendship and partnership has resulted in an amazing and diverse collection of images and curiosities, now being published as a limited edition book.

The photographs, often accompanied by prose poetry, are included in a sumptuous book entitled Waits/Corbijn: '77-'11, most of which is devoted to Anton Corbijn's many portraits of Waits over the past 35 years.  Corbijn's stylised photographs show Waits at work and play, growing steadily older. They are a testament to the merits of sustained collaboration between the photographer and his subject, but the most surprising portraits are the ones that catch Waits relaxed or off-guard, whether hunched over a typewriter or engrossed in a bound newspaper archive.

Corbijn's photographs are beautifully evocative, conjuring up in the words of music writer Robert Christgau's fine introduction, the "goateed imp brooding wearily".

The wary and watchful Waits eyes are a constant in the images, although occasionally the grin seems real and lightens the look of a man pondering life's uncertainties. The best photos don't look staged but even those that do are affecting.

Waits and Corbijn like their props. Having Waits hold a water pistol doesn't add much to the manic look he seems to carry at most times, but among the other props are a discarded air conditioner, a fielder's mitt, a gramophone horn and child's hands peeping over his shoulder.  

There are also pictures that show Waits holding an accordion, though this may have reflected his quip about the instrument (which features on some of his most touching songs) that "a gentleman is someone who can play the accordion, but doesn't."

Now the Art students at NCC are going to take work of Corbijn and his unlikely muse and put their own spin on some of this wonderful wacky and well composed imagery. Details to come!

"Believe me, I won't go jumping off rocks wearing only a dracula cape for just anyone," ~Waits