The second Stewart D'Arrietta starts talking, it's easy to understand why his cabaret-style show paying tribute to the legendary Tom Waits has been so well-received around the world. The veteran Aussie muso shares Waits' distinctive been-around-the-block growl of a voice, with even the New York Times recognising their kinship. “[W]hen he's growling and howling his way through the three-decade Waits song catalog, Mr. D'Arrietta musters a gripping, uncanny imitation of Mr. Waits's trademark rasping roar,” read the newspaper's review of Belly Of A Drunken Piano, as the show was previously known (it's also been Tom Waits For No Man.)

Doing 25 Waits numbers over the course of the show is a pretty big ask, given Waits' lyricism leans towards the verbose. “It's not 'She loves you, yeah yeah yeah,'” he laughs before launching into a lengthy passage from a song from Waits' Swordfishtrombones album, a word-perfect rendition that D'Arrietta infuses with plenty of feeling. “It's one fucking hell of a tongue twister!” he chuckles.

D'Arrietta has been a fan of Waits since the 1970s and has performed his tribute show all over the world since 2005, including lauded stints in Edinburgh, London, Montreal and five acclaimed runs in New York City. But he admits his personal feelings about Waits are a bit mixed these days, especially since the man himself issued a 'cease and desist' order against the show. Waits and his legal team apparently viewed D'Arrietta's performance as an impersonation rather than an interpretation. Rather than fight it in court or boardrooms (“No fuckin' way”), D'Arrietta rejigged the show so the songs remain the same but his commentary about Waits' life and work between numbers are unscripted and more immediate and off the cuff.

When asked about his Waits songs of choice, On The Nickel from the Heartattack And Vine album rates a mention, as does Waits' version of Waltzing Matilda: “It should be our national fuckin' anthem!” But one song that clearly strikes a chord is Kentucky Avenue, from the album, Blue Valentine. “When I was a kid growing up, a mate of mine was in a wheelchair, and that song is about two kids getting up to mischief, and you realise at the end of the song that the guy wants to basically wave a wand over his friend so he can come out of his chair. There were many times when I and my mates felt the same way, so Tom Waits' lyrics really touched me.”

D'Arrietta is well-known for Looking Through A Glass Onion, his show with actor John Waters (the Offspring guy, not the Pink Flamingos guy) about the work of John Lennon. It's been an audience favourite for two decades and D'Arrietta and Waters are finally in the process of taking it to New York City after obtaining permission from Yoko Ono. “We've been after the rights for 20 years,” he smiles. “We've been doing the show for 22.”