For those who have never been, the first question on everyone's lips has to be, "What is the Tom Waits Festival?"

There's a simple answer. It's a 24-hour long party that starts at 6 AM on a Saturday, and doesn't end until 6 AM the following Sunday. The 24 hours are infected with Waits, a virus sort of like Ebola, but instead of your insides melting down by an accid ental infection, this is something you do to yourself willingly. Sure, in the end, your guts still melt down, your brain turns into mush, but at least you get some good cocktails and good music on the way. Vomit optional.

Here's the way I think about it, though. The Festival is a party that gets you to a point most people first reached in high school. It's probably the fifth or sixth time you've ever gotten drunk. And ater the sixth beer or so, you suddenly realize you love everybody. You spend the next two hours tracking down all of your friends at the party, and telling them you love them, man. Then you spend the next hour trying not to throw up. Then the next hours after that telling everyone you love t hem. Repeat, rinse.

Here are some pictures from the 7th Annual Tom Waits Festival. They'll never capture what it was really like, but they may frighten some people, which is good enough, ain't it?

-- Morgan

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