Q&A: Tom Waits War Songs

Musical tribute shows can be found at venues scattered across the Edinburgh Fringe, but LA-based actress, comedian, and singer, Michelle McGregor, is bringing something rather special and unique to the Edinburgh Fringe 2026 with Tom Waits War Songs.

Thanks for taking the time to chat with The Recs about your show, Michelle. Although the songs of Tom Waits and Kathleen Brennan are central to your show, this is much more than your regular ‘tribute’ show. There are a lot of elements to the show, aren’t there?

Absolutely. The idea for Tom Waits War Songs was born from a deep love of the music and a simple observation of a recurring theme throughout his career. But choosing to put it on stage makes it my responsibility as an artist. For a show centered on the subject of war, I couldn’t just say “well, I love Tom Waits, and I love these songs, so maybe an audience will too.” It seemed to call for something more. That’s where the animation and story structure came into the picture.

Let’s unpack the elements. First, Tom Waits. Were you always a fan? What drew you to his music?

The first time I heard Tom Waits, I was 19 years old, drinking illegally at a bar in Brooklyn, NY. It was just me and the bartender Joe at around 2 am and Tom Waits came on his playlist. “Who’s this?” I asked. “YOU DON’T KNOW TOM WAITS??!” Joe said-very accusatorially. The conversation ended there because a man then burst down the very thick wooden door of the bar, stood there seething and screaming nonsense, then disappeared. We think he was on PCP. Getting back to the Tom Waits convo didn’t happen that night, for understandable reasons. But luckily, a few years later, the piano book Tom Waits Beautiful Maladies came into my life and that’s where my love of his and Kathleen Brennan’s music began.

Then we have the war songs that run through both his back catalogue and indeed your show – but these are not just a themed collection of tracks. You’ve curated these songs to take your audience through a narrative based (loosely) on a true story. Can you tell us about this real-life inspiration – and what drew you to want to tell this story?

It’s commonly presumed that the song Hell Broke Luce off of Bad As Me is inspired by the story of Jeffrey Lucey, a US Marine Reservist who died by suicide after a severe struggle with PTSD following his time in Iraq. The story is devastating. Apparently, shortly before his suicide, he came to his father and asked him to hold him and rock him on his lap. They all knew he was not well. His family tried desperately to get him help, but the systems failed him miserably, and he ended up hanging himself with a garden hose in his parent’s basement. 23 years old. Waits’ song Hell Broke Luce- whether directly inspired by that story or not- so beautifully captures the anger, resentment, and disappointment of what the US government does to its soldiers. When putting together all of Waits’ war songs, that theme kept coming up, so that’s what I ran with.

While we were researching the show, there was a line we found that made us laugh: after deciding that there was a show that should be built around Waits / Brennan’s war songs, “Having grown up as a theatre actor who was told she couldn’t sing, she never imagined that someone would be her.” We’ve listened to clips – you can definitely sing. But also, Tom Waits’ vocals aren’t about pure melodic singing? There’s a theatrical storyteller in his rasp?

Hahaha. Absolutely. I know people who won’t listen to Tom Waits because of “that voice,” but the thing is, that man has stunningly perfect pitch! If the rasp in his voice isn’t your thing, fine, all I can tell you is you’re missing out on some of the most beautiful songs ever written. But I defy you to find me one moment where Tom Waits has ever sung off pitch. To me, it’s stunning. If I could perfect my pitch the way that man has, I feel I’d be unstoppable…

Looking at the songs that feature in the show, the selection features tracks from as early as Waits’ 1980 album, Heartattack and Vine, right up to the 2026 collaboration with Massive Attack, Boots on the Ground. That’s four years shy of a quarter of a century. Did you and your band have to rework these to make a coherent and cohesive whole?

Lyrically, no. There’s only one word we’ve changed in the whole piece: in Army Ants we changed “semester” to “week” because we do it as a drill sergeant rather than as a professor. But we have definitely made it our own with a few of the music arrangements to best serve the story. Sins of My Father will likely be the most surprising to fans. I love what we’ve done with that one. I described it to the band as going from a chain gang song, to a blues song, to a Who song, to an AC/DC song, to an almost metal-like chaotic climax. I think they nail it.

Really it was my husband (and Tom Waits War Songs drummer) Nick Liberatore who helped me find the through-line. I had all the songs picked out- I’ve had them selected for years, but I was really struggling with how best to put them together. He was the one who suggested I put them in order of “leaving for war,” “at war,” and then “coming home from war.” When he said that my mind (and heart) exploded. It was exactly the curation the show needed. That changed everything. Loosely basing it off of Jeffrey Lucey’s story was the obvious next step.

Do you think that Waits and Brennan writing about war evolved over the years?

Probably, yeah. But I don’t think our country’s relationship to War has. When Boots on the Ground came out this year, this quote was put out supposedly from Waits: “One day many years ago, I accepted an invitation from Massive Attack to collaborate. Their long release delay never worried me. Today, as in all of mankind’s yesterdays, guarantees this type of song will never go out of style. Man’s folly of fiascos is a feast for the flies. Hence, the B-side of Massive Attack’s upcoming 12 inch “The Fly” features my appreciation for the winged nuisance.”

It seems to me that War evolves in uglier ways; artists evolve in wiser ones.

Let’s talk about the songs featured in the show: which ones are probably best known to audiences? Do you have a personal favourite – or one that is cathartic to sing?

Best known Waits war song? Hmmm.. great question. I think what comes to mind for fans when I tell them about the show is the song Day After Tomorrow. There’s been some beautiful covers of it, and everyone knows without a doubt that that’s a song about war. It’s an overtly “political” song, so people assume it’s in the show. For the die hard fans, I think Hell Broke Luce comes to mind, but that’s an almost impossible song to pull off live, so that’s been fun to surprise people with.

My personal favorite? Swordfishtrombone. I mean, you can’t beat a sexy marimba beat, am I right?

I’ll add that we open with Ruby‘s Arms, which I really don’t think Waits intended to be about war. Some people do think it’s about a soldier’s ghost coming back to visit Ruby. But I think it’s just a really beautiful breakup song.

However, with the Salvation Army band sounds that he put on that track and the use of the word soldier in the song convinced me to use it after all. If you look at it in the context of a soldier leaving for war, it’s really a heartbreaking tune.

But Tom Waits War Songs isn’t just a musical affair. Please could you tell our readers about Randall Kaplan’s striking contribution to the show?

Yeah man… Randall’s animation is just… wow. I mean, when deciding to finally put Tom Waits War Songs on its feet, I knew we needed a visual element, but I wasn’t sure which direction to go. I thought interpretive dance would be too obscure, and I really didn’t want to lean so theatrical that I was literally playing a soldier on stage. Maybe it’s because I’m such a fan of The Wall, but for some reason animation just seemed the best fit. When I put out feelers, Randall immediately reached out, and I was so glad he did. I knew his work already because a friend connected us years ago when he was looking for a voiceover actress for an animated feature he was making. I didn’t even have to think twice. As soon as he said he was interested I was like “let’s do it!”

He does everything by hand. It’s stunning, and I think it’s a crucial aspect of the show that allows the story and themes to wash over an audience.

Lastly about the show, would you say it’s something that will appeal to Tom Waits fans mostly, or will it still resonate with audiences who don’t necessarily know the songs?

We’ve been really stoked to learn that die hard fans and people who’ve never even heard of Waits are loving the show. True Waits fans seem to be moved by our appreciation and respect of the music, and many of them have come back to the show multiple times.

And newcomers are going home inspired to finally dive in. It’s great. My favorite is when people say things like “my husband’s been trying to get me into Waits for years, but I told him I only want to hear Michelle’s version.” Very flattering. But I’m genuinely excited to be inspiring more households to put Waits on their playlist.

And finally, can you let us know a little about what performing at the Edinburgh Fringe means to you?

It means so much. So much. It means opportunities. It means exposure. It means the potential of thousands of people experiencing Tom Waits War Songs. I’ve been dreaming about this show for almost 15 years, and to have it be so loved and supported has been an invaluable spark to me as an artist. I always knew I’d make this show happen one day. But I truly had no idea it would be so well received. I can’t wait to see what Ed Fringe thinks of us and opens up for us next!