The Other Smoke Monster
May 25, 2010 2:59 PM   Subscribe

Tom Waits and Kool Keith collaborated on a song called "Spacious Thoughts" in 2009. Here's the video.

The video was done by a design group called Fluorescent Hill, who have done wonderful animation for other artists and commercial interests.

Waits and Keith were brought together by the independent hip hop collective known as N.A.S.A (previously).
posted by aftermarketradio (37 comments total) 29 users marked this as a favorite
 
I strongly urge those of you who enjoy this song to download the whole album. It's fucking awesome on every level. Yes.
posted by fight or flight at 3:03 PM on May 25, 2010


WHAT?!
posted by shmegegge at 3:15 PM on May 25, 2010


I'm sorry, let me be a little clearer:

WHAT?!
posted by shmegegge at 3:15 PM on May 25, 2010 [1 favorite]


hell yes
posted by jammy at 3:16 PM on May 25, 2010


This was outstanding. I wish more elder statesdudes of white rock and roll would do stuff like this, Dylan in particular.
posted by sy at 3:18 PM on May 25, 2010


Wow! Thanks, aftermarketradio. Two great tastes that taste great together!
posted by Fuzzy Monster at 3:22 PM on May 25, 2010 [1 favorite]


There's just too much ego in most hip-hop - I rarely feel the soul come through the badass. It was interesting to listen to, though. I liked the animation.
posted by uraniumwilly at 3:23 PM on May 25, 2010


holy fuck that song is awesome and that video is also awesome. I am going to go buy this album.

that is some fucking badass shit.
posted by shmegegge at 3:27 PM on May 25, 2010


I love Kool Keith and Tom Waits, but they are two people I would never expect to work together under any circumstances. I was shocked to find out that this exists.

The song, which I kinda liked, wasn't really much of a collaboration. It sounds like they basically just mashed up a Tom Waits song with a Kool Keith song. There's a cool beat and then Keith raps over it and then Tom Waits does Tom Waits Stuff over it. It doesn't sound like they were ever in the same room, which I realize isn't necessary these days, but it would have made for a better collaboration.

I'm still glad to have heard it and imagined what it would be like if they hung out.
posted by swellingitchingbrain at 3:47 PM on May 25, 2010 [1 favorite]


My eyes got all the way to the end of "Tom Waits and Kool Keith collaborated on a song" and then my brain started making that sheet-metal "wibble wibble wibble" noise.
posted by mhoye at 4:00 PM on May 25, 2010 [8 favorites]


Oh man, that just blew me away.
posted by gallois at 4:28 PM on May 25, 2010


And I'll be frank with you - when clicked that link, and saw "NASA feat. Kool Keith and Tom Waits", I thought for a minute that we were talking about NASA the shuttle people, and I think I peed a little.
posted by mhoye at 4:45 PM on May 25, 2010 [6 favorites]


Definitely awesome.
posted by rosswald at 5:05 PM on May 25, 2010


mind... blown... awesome

mhoye: the exact same thing happened to me. Including the peeing.
posted by Hairy Lobster at 5:19 PM on May 25, 2010


uraniumwilly: “There's just too much ego in most hip-hop - I rarely feel the soul come through the badass. It was interesting to listen to, though. I liked the animation.”

I... well, maybe you're hearing something different than I am. It seems to me that Kool Keith has many, many strange qualities, but "ego" and "badass" are not really high on the list. Maybe you should give Dr Octagonecologyst a listen or two. Seriously, it's worth hearing. The man is frankly a bit nuts (not like Lil Wayne "oh look at me I'm being a bit unconventional in order to sell records" nuts, but this person must be sincerely demented nuts) but he can be brilliant. And he's not really about ego or badassness at all.

In a weird way, I think this matchup makes perfect sense. Kool Keith – the collaborator, the maker of strange and arcane concept albums, the guy who's great half the time because he's pursuing odd corners of the hip hop world that nobody else is. In a crazy way, Keith is sort of the Tom Waits of hip hop.
posted by koeselitz at 5:43 PM on May 25, 2010 [3 favorites]


Also, as great as this is, it's still not quite as fantastic as my own personal favorite Tom Waits collaboration.
posted by koeselitz at 5:46 PM on May 25, 2010 [1 favorite]


I've heard of Kook Keith, but who's the other dude?

(BTW, Chali 2na, Gift of Gab and David Byrne on NASA's "The People Tree" is also excellently excellent.)
posted by eyeballkid at 5:48 PM on May 25, 2010 [1 favorite]


You know, Tom Waits as an angry shouty cloud and Kool Keith as a ball of pure mouthy id wearing cowboy boots... makes a whole lot of sense.

This is the best thing I've seen and heard in a long time.
Including the peeing
[looks down] Oh f*&k
posted by Fiasco da Gama at 5:49 PM on May 25, 2010


If I understand, you're saying that Tom Waits plus boring hip-hop crap equals Tom Waits that's less likely offend mainstream ears? Fair enough, he'd probably produce an interesting collaboration with say Arch Enemy too.
posted by jeffburdges at 5:52 PM on May 25, 2010


daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaymn. Very, very cool.
posted by Wuggie Norple at 5:54 PM on May 25, 2010


koeselitz: I'm commenting on what I hear in the form itself. Rap is, generally speaking a voice with attitude that, as I hear it, is over-emphasized with ego. [shoulder shrug]

I think it's interesting to contemplate that ego/voice is needed to overcome the obstacles presented in a rap artists life. But still, it's not my bag because of that over-cool style.

I don't hear it in Waits voice, fwiw.
posted by uraniumwilly at 6:01 PM on May 25, 2010


I strongly urge those of you who enjoy this song to download the whole album. It's fucking awesome on every level. Yes.

I got the album just about immediately after hearing this song. And as someone who doesn't listen to a whole lot of hip hop, I have to say the whole album is amazing. I'd be interested in checking out some more collaborations of this nature.
posted by aftermarketradio at 6:31 PM on May 25, 2010


That is pretty damn good. I think I enjoyed almost every aspect of it. And I say that as someone who likes a limited amount of Hip Hop, but the stuff I do like, I like a lot.
posted by edgeways at 6:31 PM on May 25, 2010


I've heard of Kook Keith, but who's the other dude?

Pretty much my reaction in reverse. Very cool. I like.
posted by Durn Bronzefist at 6:42 PM on May 25, 2010


Yes, you have met the dangerous 208 year-old Uncle of Dr. Octagon.
I, myself, Mr. Gerbik. Half-shark, half-man, skin like alligator.
Carrying a dead walrus. Check it.
posted by horsemuth at 6:42 PM on May 25, 2010 [5 favorites]


Tom Waits plus boring hip-hop crap equals

Must... shit... in... thread... about... rap...

With that out of the way - this is awesome. Cool song, cool visuals.
posted by tantrumthecat at 6:50 PM on May 25, 2010


This video just morphs into that fucking booming thing. In an interesting way.
posted by ovvl at 6:53 PM on May 25, 2010


i am a huge fan of both artists but i dont like this at all. fuck it ill say it - - kool keith has fallen the f**k off.

its 2010. not sure why there is this need to take rappers and put them over rock/duos/trance/drum and bass/solo basoon or whatever. there's so little room for real flexibility with mc's these combos are always so weak and disposable. give me another prince paul prince amongst thieves and i'd be happy. that's the only place hiphop can go that is worth the effort. otherwise...this whole project seems like a vain exercise in who has the coolest studio rolodex.
posted by lslelel at 7:43 PM on May 25, 2010 [1 favorite]


My head a splode.
posted by e.e. coli at 8:01 PM on May 25, 2010


Tom Waits plus boring hip-hop crap equals ...

Must... shit... in... thread... about... rap... ...

that's the only place hiphop can go that is worth the effort ...


"If you want a vision of the future, imagine a kid's sneaker stamping on your front lawn - forever", George Orwell did not quite say.
posted by mhoye at 8:07 PM on May 25, 2010 [2 favorites]


I enter New York, no problem with my dick out
California porno star, my ass you can lick out
Saying "What?" with sperm dripping down your partner's butt.
posted by shmegegge at 8:31 PM on May 25, 2010


lslelel: “give me another prince paul prince amongst thieves and i'd be happy. that's the only place hiphop can go that is worth the effort. otherwise...this whole project seems like a vain exercise in who has the coolest studio rolodex.”

Oh, come on. You want every single album to be as good as the second-greatest hip hop album of all time? That's the furthest thing from fair, especially considering that there are plenty of really great things happening in and around hip hop nowadays that deserve listening to.
posted by koeselitz at 8:34 PM on May 25, 2010 [1 favorite]


That was freakin sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet.
posted by Uncle at 9:24 PM on May 25, 2010


Swell visuals. I like Tom Waits an awful lot. Dunno who the other guy was, because, you know, I'm a bit of an elderly rock and roll casualty, but he sounded a bit generic to me.

But, still, swell.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 10:33 PM on May 25, 2010


HD Youtube version of the video, since Vimeo never agrees with me.
posted by Evilspork at 5:15 AM on May 26, 2010


I love both Tom Waits and Kool Keith, so I was very excited to hear about this, but I don't think much of it. It doesn't sound like they actually collaborated; to me it sounds like a producer-driven project where they recorded separate vocals and put them over the same backing in a studio. It lacks personality (something both Tom Waits and Kool Keith have in spades). I like the video though.
posted by Emanuel at 6:03 AM on May 26, 2010


I love the graphics, and it's always fun to listen to Tom Waits. I wish you could scrub that lame rap crap out though.
posted by sidereal at 1:37 PM on May 26, 2010 [1 favorite]


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