4 thoughts on “Rare Photo: Bette Midler and Tom Waits, Troubadour, Los Angeles, CA, 1977”
That picture reminded me of a new YouTube video that was uploaded this past weekend concerning Mr. Waits and his refusal to let his music be used in advertising. In particular, it delves into an 1988 case where the ad company for Frito Lay decided to use someone who sounded like him for an ad after Tom refused their offer.
The first thing that popped into mind upon hearing that was “Didn’t these guys know what happened when Ford’s ad company did the same thing to Bette Midler?!?” Ironically, about a few seconds after that the narrator actually did bring up that case. 🙂
As you can guess, Frito Lay’s ad company ended up in the same legal hot water as Ford’s ad company.
Hilariously, the excuse the ad company’s legal team gave for their actions was that while Bette Midler was a famous celebrity, Tom Waits was not, so the company thought they could get away with it…
The Troubadour is the same club, I believe, where Bette made her L.A. debut in 1972. I remember a picture of her on the cover of the L.A. Times entertainment section, dressed in a slip and belting out one of her tunes. She got a great review with ‘big things’ being predicted for her. I thought to myself, I have to catch her act! And I did a year later when she toured with Barry Manilow and played the Universal Amphitheatre.
That picture reminded me of a new YouTube video that was uploaded this past weekend concerning Mr. Waits and his refusal to let his music be used in advertising. In particular, it delves into an 1988 case where the ad company for Frito Lay decided to use someone who sounded like him for an ad after Tom refused their offer.
The first thing that popped into mind upon hearing that was “Didn’t these guys know what happened when Ford’s ad company did the same thing to Bette Midler?!?” Ironically, about a few seconds after that the narrator actually did bring up that case. 🙂
As you can guess, Frito Lay’s ad company ended up in the same legal hot water as Ford’s ad company.
Hilariously, the excuse the ad company’s legal team gave for their actions was that while Bette Midler was a famous celebrity, Tom Waits was not, so the company thought they could get away with it…
Here is the link to the video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6y1kc8Equk&t=0s
YES…I even remember that case when it originally came out…lol
The Troubadour is the same club, I believe, where Bette made her L.A. debut in 1972. I remember a picture of her on the cover of the L.A. Times entertainment section, dressed in a slip and belting out one of her tunes. She got a great review with ‘big things’ being predicted for her. I thought to myself, I have to catch her act! And I did a year later when she toured with Barry Manilow and played the Universal Amphitheatre.
I wouldn’t be surprised if she did. Thanks for the info.