Dan and Kev talk about Tom Waits’ 1999 release Mule Variations, in all its dusty, grimey, bluesy glory. We discuss Tom Waits’ background as a singer-songwriter, and how he managed to remain simultaneously relevant yet obscure enough to evade Dan’s boomer parents’ awareness. What sets apart Waits’s late-career release from his 70s and 80s material? Is this Waits at his earthiest? What the hell is a Filipino Boxspring Hog? Is Mule Variations underrated? We’ll find out, but first you gotta get behind the mule