thunderbolt

Tom Petty's music touched every facet of my life. From discovering rock n' roll and through my formative years, to college and becoming an adult, meeting Julie, moving to CA and the birth of my kids. Petty was always there. Even more than Springsteen, Petty was always there. I can name any Petty song and pinpoint the moment in my life when it first transformed me. This summer, I finally read Warren Zanes' warts and all biography of Tom Petty. It's fantastic, and Petty, who was interviewed and gave his blessing to the book, is brutally honest about the harrowing details of his life. This was a man who endured and persevered. He was far from perfect, but he did hia best.  If you have an opportunity, pick it up. It's the perfect companion to Peter Bogdanovich's epic documentary, "Runnin Down a Dream." I may not have loved the most recent Heartbreakers albums, but that was okay. The Mudcrutch records contained the ramshackle looseness that I loved about so

Last night I saw Martin Scorsese's new motion picture, SILENCE. It's a profound and deeply moving story about one man's struggle with his faith and the power of forgiveness. The cast, led by Andrew Garfield, features Adam Driver, Tadanobu Asano, Yosuke Kubozuka, Shinya Tsukamoto, Issey Ogata and Liam Neeson. Every performance is exceptional and the film is a technical wonder. This may be Scorsese's most restrained movie in his storied career; it is also his most personal. Do not shy away from it because it's rated R. I've seen more violence and senseless death in the Marvel super hero adventures. Likewise, the 2 hour 41 min running time doesn't feel like a slog. The plot and pacing are perfect.

"When machines and computers, profit motives and property rights, are considered more important than people, the giant triplets of racism, extreme materialism and militarism are incapable of being conquered." -- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.