A celebrated collaboration between a singular American songsmith and a Dutch visual auteur is back in print, this time in a more compact package. Originally released in 2013, Waits/Corbijn ’77-’11 has been re-issued in an 8.1 x 11.4 inch format, bringing Anton Corbijn’s stark portraits of Tom Waits, and Waits’ own photographs collected under the title “Curiosities,” to a new generation of fans and collectors.
Scheduled For Release On December 9 In The US, And October 21 In Europe, The New Edition distills over three decades of collaboration into 272 pages, featuring 226 colour and duotone plates, and a first published collection of over 50 pages of Waits’ own images. The limited edition run of 6,600 with slipcase maintains the book’s collectible pedigree, ISBN 978-3-7913-9325-4, and the publisher has made pre-orders available HERE.
Spanning 1977 to 2011, The Book Chronicles The Evolving Chemistry Between A Chameleonic Performer And A Photographer Whose Visual Language Came to define whole eras of music photography. Corbijn’s first black and white images of a young Tom Waits in Holland in 1977 contain the seeds of two careers, feeding off each other, and they set the tone for portraits that feel cinematic, narrative, and shot mid-drama. Through Corbijn’s lens Waits appears as troubadour, poet, raconteur and chancer, each photograph a moment that feels both posed and lived-in.
Waits’ Own Photographs, Collected Here As “Curiosities,” Offer Another Side To The Artist Fans Know Primarily Through His Music. The Juxtaposition Of Corbijn’s Stark, Evocative Imagery With Waits’ Personal Visual Notes Gives Readers A Rare Double-View Into An Artist’s Public Persona And Private Eye.
Introductions By Filmmaker Jim Jarmusch And Critic Robert Christgau Add Context, With Jarmusch Calling The Collection “Something Special, Some Kind Of Vortex, An Axis Of Evil Geniuses.” Corbijn Reflects On The Rarity Of A Thirty-Plus Year Photographic Relationship, Saying The Work Developed Organically, And That The Partnership Was Liberating, “A Much-Needed Legal Drug.” Waits Himself Summed Up The Dynamic With Characteristic Wit, “Anton Picks Up A Small Black Box, Points It At You And All The Leaves Fall From The Trees,” He Said, “I Love Working With Anton, He’s Someone With A Real Point Of View.”
The Book Also Serves As An Entry Point To Corbijn’s Wider Oeuvre. Born 20 May 1955, Corbijn Began Photographing Musicians In The Mid-1970s, Rising To Prominence With Work For The NME And The Face, And Building Longstanding Visual Partnerships With Depeche Mode And U2. Beyond Stills, Corbijn Has Directed Iconic Music Videos Including Depeche Mode’s “Enjoy The Silence,” Nirvana’s “Heart-Shaped Box,” And U2’s “One” Version 1, And He Has Transitioned To Film, With Features Including Control, The American, A Most Wanted Man, And Life.
Waits/Corbijn ’77-’11 Records 226 Images That Mark One Of The Longest And Most Fruitful Collaborations In Modern Music Culture. For Fans Of Tom Waits, Photography Enthusiasts, And Anyone Curious About How Two Artists Can Mutually Shape Each Other’s Mythologies, This Re-Issue Offers A Concentrated And Beautifully Designed Volume To Explore.
Waits/Corbijn ’77-’11
Photographs By Anton Corbijn
Curiosities By Tom Waits
Texts By Jim Jarmusch And Robert Christgau
Limited Edition Of 6,600 With Slipcase
272 Pages, 226 Colour And Duotone Plates
20.5 X 29 Cm, 8.1 X 11.4 In
ISBN 978-3-7913-9325-4
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