Tom Waits made a surprise appearance at the SFFilm Awards in San Francisco to present his friend Nicolas Cage with a lifetime achievement award on Thursday, 6th December. The two have been pals and occasional creative partners for many years, with their collaboration dating back to the 1983 film Rumble Fish, directed by Cage’s uncle, Francis Ford Coppola.
During his speech, Waits shared tongue-in-cheek memories of the young Cage. “He was the same as a teenager. It was troublesome for his family and other people around him,” Waits said. “He needed some kind of a swimming pool to put that [talent] all in, and I’m sure glad that he has that now.”
Tom Waits Makes Rare Public Appearance to Honour Nicolas Cage
Cage and Waits’ friendship dates back even further than Rumble Fish – according to Waits, Cage once served as his driver. Later, when Cage became a star, Waits found inspiration for the song ‘Eyeball Kid’ (from 1999’s Mule Variations) from his conversations with Cage about their shared love for comic books. In a 2010 interview with NME, Cage named Waits his musical “hero.”
The SFFilm lifetime achievement award adds to Cage’s list of honours, recognising his contributions to the entertainment industry. Waits recently paid tribute to Shane MacGowan, the late frontperson of The Pogues, on Twitter, describing him as a “Bard’s bard” with a “torrid and mighty voice.”
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