For a week or so, Tom Waits has teased us with mysterious emails showing pictures of himself surrounded by sharks or wearing an eye patch, and the ‘Coming August 7’ notice, but without any explanation about what the malicious songwriter was cooking… Although some people, who had guessed it would be the announcement of a national tour, may be disappointed, the video released on August 7 for Waits' song ‘Hell Broke Luce’ off his last album ‘Bad As Me’, is without any doubt some great cinematography.
When I listened to this song when the album was released, I thought it was already fantastically cinematic, Waits is raising hell a few times during the song, and we were transported right away into World War II trenches. But now, these visions of war become real and damn powerful, and Waits is pulling his house all over this apocalypse.
With a surrealist imagery, mid-cartoonish mid-Magritte’s paintings – just look at Magritte’s ‘Black Flag’ (the painting not the band!) or ‘Golconde’ – the video manages to evoke the most terrifying and nightmarish visions while Waits’ guttural yell translates his horror for war.
The video was directed by Matt Mahurin, and this is what Tom Waits had to say about it:
‘As most of you guessed, it's a tour… a tour de force!
‘Matt Mahurin has created an apocalyptic war dream to accompany the song 'Hell Broke Luce.' Kathleen [Brennan] and I envisioned it as an enlightened drill sergeant yelling the hard truths of war to a brand new batch of recruits. The video grew from the gnawing image of a soldier pulling his home, through a battlefield, at the end of a rope.
I think you will agree, it's uplifting and fun.’ As always Tom!