"Chocolate Jesus"
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What’s the first thing you notice when Tom starts singing “Chocolate Jesus” on David Letterman’s show?
Yes, that’s right: He’s singing through a bullhorn.
If you’ve ever seen Tom live, you know this is a fairly standard mode of delivery for him. The two times I saw him, in 2008, I remember large portions of the show being delivered this way. I probably remember more bullhorn than there actually was. That’s the thing with the bullhorn: as the theatrically-minded Waits surely knows, the image looms large.
It’s not just for stage effect though. He’s recorded songs on his albums, including the original “Chocolate Jesus,” singing through this megaphone. He started using it in the ‘80s and, like much of his turn towards weirdness then, it was influenced by his wife Kathleen Brennan. In 1996, a few years before Mule Variations, Tom wrote the following in the liner notes to a compilation of oddball instruments:
Around 1982, my wife Kathleen encouraged me to try singing through a police bullhorn to make my voice stand out in relief when incorporated with instruments of the same color. Of course, it's possible to do the same thing with an equalizer, but nothing beats the drama of a bullhorn. My engineer Biff Dawes purchased me my first, and it was love at first sight -- I never record or tour without it. I also try to buy a new one every year, because they continue to "improve" upon them. I find the older 80s models (the Falon is available at Radio Shack for about $29.95) superior; they're warmer to the ear. Also interesting to explore are the ones made for children, that can change a voice from monster to spaceman to robot. I found humming through them can give you a sound much like Blue Cheer's guitar sound on "Summertime Blues." In addition to these I also own a 1944 electric megaphone, issued by the Navy Bureau of Ships and made by the Guided Radio Corps of New York. The bell is 24 inches in diameter and it's battleship gray. If you want to feel "Federal", it's the one for you.
Want a few more Tom-on-bullhorn videos? Dumb question – of course you do!
Here’s “Hang On St. Christopher” and “Gun Street Girl” from Big Time, where it’s used sparingly but effectively, as well as a later live “Make It Rain” and “Heigh Ho.” I love the huge audience cheer when he picks up his “instrument” in that last one.