A musical performer and songwriter as eclectic, far-reaching and unique as any that has ever walked the earth, Tom Waits quite simply remains the most interesting artist working today. Waits coming of age in the mid to late 1960s however was not lived out to a soundtrack of the usual hippy anthems and blues-picking white boys: Tom s Grateful Dead were the beat-writers, his Jimi Hendrix was Howlin Wolf and while making time for Dylan and the Stones his favourite pop singer was Frank Sinatra. This documentary film examines, dissects and all but lobotomises the wealth of music, literature, theatre and film that have assisted in creating Waits legendary genius and, results in hand, reviews the life and career of Tom Waits from this fascinating and rarely identified viewpoint. With exclusive interviews, rare and often previously unseen footage and contributions from; Tom s legendary producer Bones Howe; Moris Tepper and John French from Captain Beefheart s Magic Band; Jazz voice pioneer and occasional TW collaborator, Ken Nordine; Harry Partch associates David Dunn and Dean Drummond; BBC s head of music Chris Ingham; Beat-era scholar John Tytell plusTom Waits historians, music academics, and respected writers.