IMO Jim's just being Jim. He has nothing to prove to you or anyone else. The scene you found "cringeworthy" couldn't be the same one I saw, but as "they" say, there's no accounting for taste.
I'm only in Show Biz by injection

That particular scene in Ghost Dog is one of Jarmusch's biggest missteps as a filmmaker, in my opinion. I felt that one scene was really out of place and kinda threw the whole movie off. Should've probably stayed on the cutting room floor. Jarmusch actually set out to be a musician and film was something he tried his hand at on the side. After seeing some of Jarmusch's early work, Alexandre Rockwell encouraged him to drop music and focus on filmmaking. I love most of Jarmusch's work, but there are definitely some amateur elements to most of his work, from the filmmaking to the acting, and I can see why some people would find it off-putting or pretentious. For some people, these qualities are part of the charm. I enjoy the humor in his films, as well as the slow-paced observation of the characters.

StanleyVA, thank you for saying what I wanted to, and for doing it so much more eloquently than I would have. I freely admit having an unreasonably hostile, defensive attitude toward anybody who can't appreciate Jim Jarmusch.
I'm only in Show Biz by injection

There was nothing "pretentious" about the ice cream scene, it was simply a moment of amusement derived from the absurdity of the situation. There was nothing to "get" and yet it seems like you still didn't get it! Your suggestion that Tom Waits is pretentious is even more absurd and makes me suspect that you don't even know the meaning of the word.
I'll keep it simple for you, you're a total beep moron.

Bless you, forgeticus. Blatant ignorance deserves a buzzkill, at the very least.
I'm only in Show Biz by injection

I'm going to be a giant buzzkill, but isn't it Broken Flowers?
Charge 'em for the lice/Extra for the mice/2% for looking in the mirror twice.

Are you kidding? Paper Flowers has Bill Murray. It's probably the Jarmusch film seen by most people.
Plus it's more accessable than something like Dead Man which was too meandering for my tastes

"Paper Flowers" is a very secret film by Jarmusch. Only very pretentious and poseurish people can see it.
Please, visit my Hell Hole. Thank you!
http://prguauk.myminicity.com/

I'll have to check out this "Paper Flowers". Here I thought I'd seen all of his films.

Maybe. I've only seen two of his films. I don't remember much of Down By Law(which I saw when it first came out), but I recall thinking it was very pretentious. That "I Scream You Scream We All Scream For Ice Cream" bit was pretty forced. It had the usual suspects at the art-theater laughing real loud so everyone would know they were getting it.
Plus, Tom Waits always just screams pretentious to me. He's got this down-in-the-dirt persona he cultivates, but most of the people I know who like him would bolt across the street in a panic if they saw a someone who looks like him walking their way(I'm exaggerating, but you get the point).
That said, I saw Paper Flowers a few years back, and remember that I thought it was a cute movie. Wouldn't go out of my way to see it again, though.