Heath Ledger’s performance as The Joker in The Dark Knight is legendary. So is Tom Waits.
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If these thoughts seem disconnected, you clearly need to watch this video.
The 1979 Australian TV interview with then 29-year-old Waits has been making the viral rounds on the Internet this weekend, and for good reason -- Waits' voice is virtually indistinguishable from Ledger's memorably creepy Joker. The only difference? Waits is speaking this way in real life.
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Also worth noting is interviewer Don Lane's impressive -- and presumably unintentional -- rendition of Phil Hartman's Frank Sinatra impression.
The two share a genuinely awkward (read: hilarious) conversation -- witness Waits struggling to sit up and Lane attempting to avoid second-hand smoke to no avail.
Ledger's extreme commitment to his role as The Joker has been a topic of interest for years, particularly after the actor's untimely death.
But it seems that a little credit may be due to Waits's unique voice -- and perhaps even his casually bizarre demeanor.
Do you see the similarity? Let us know in the comments.
This story originally published on Mashable here.

