Skip to Content
News

Tom Waits Presents SFFILM Award To Nicolas Cage, Discusses Lil Mama’s “Lip Gloss” With Iggy Pop

NEW YORK, NY – MARCH 14: Inductee Tom Waits speaks onstage at the 26th annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at The Waldorf=Astoria on March 14, 2011 in New York City. (Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images)

|Michael Loccisano/Getty Images

Tom Waits made a rare public appearance at the SFFILM Awards on Monday evening, presenting a lifetime achievement award to Nicolas Cage. Waits and Cage go way back -- they appeared in 1983's Rumble Fish together (directed by Cage's uncle Francis Ford Coppola) and before that Cage worked as Waits' driver for a time.

"He was the same as a teenager. It was troublesome for his family and other people around him," Waits said during his speech, per The San Francisco Chronicle. "He needed some kind of a swimming pool to put that (talent) all in, and I’m sure glad that he has that now."

Waits has been out and about a bit more than usual this past week. He also appeared on an episode of Iggy Pop's BBC Radio 6 show, where they talked about Lil Mama's "Lip Gloss," which led to a recitation of its chorus. The full episode is here, and that clip is below.

More photos of Tom, Kathleen and Nic Cage
byu/Disadattato intomwaits

GET THE STEREOGUM DIGEST

The week's most important music stories and least important music memes.