In 1979, a cartoon version of crooner Tom Waits walked the streets with a seductive lady while performing "The One That Got Away."
The rotoscope film, titled Tom Waits For No One, has been a favorite for fans and animators alike, and as Consequence of Sound points out, the short featured work from people who have gone on to careers with Disney and The Simpsons. Waits was filmed in real time, and the movements were transferred to animation. As director John Lamb notes in a press release, this was two years before MTV.
To honor the film's 35th anniversary, Lamb will launch a Kickstarter campaign to restore the video. For an exhibition to be held in Los Angeles in March, the money raised will go toward the transfer of "the original live action footage of Tom Waits and the video pencil test to a contemporary format to be projected throughout the gallery; restoration and framing of original animation cels for display; and restoration of the Lyon Lamb Video Rotoscope used in the film's production."
Waits, who doesn't perform live very often nowadays, played at Neil Young's Bridge School Benefit last October. Before that, Waits joined The Rolling Stones onstage to perform the band's cover of "Little Red Rooster."
"The One That Got Away" first appeared on 1976's Small Change, the singer's fourth release. Waits released his 17th studio album, Bad As Me, in 2011 and has remained relatively quiet ever since. However, Waits signed to the William Morris Endeavor booking agency earlier this year, which could mean he's planning to make a few more appearances in the coming months.
Check out the original Tom Waits For No One below.
