Skip to main content

Tom Petty is Somewhere in Heaven

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 much of his music. That's what being a Petty fan is about: You love most of the art, but aren't afraid to voice your opinion because, let's face it, Petty was pretty opinionated himself.

Today has been a shock. With Vegas and now Petty, I'm a little numb. I just came home from Tucson where I spent the weekend with my parents. I feel blessed because I can still call them tonight and tell them I love them. 

It's strange: When I heard the news about Petty, I didn't rush to listen to his tunes. That's what we do when an artist dies, right? We spend hours digging through their catalogue, paying honor to them. Well, that was pretty much every week for me, so turning on "The Waiting" or "No Second Thoughts" or "It'll All Work Out" or "Dogs on the Run" or "Crawling Back to You" or "Mary Jane's Last Dance" or "Keeping Me Alive" or "Room at the Top" or "Free Fallin" is no different today than it was a couple of days ago. 

Except that it is. 

Tom Petty is somewhere in heaven right now, singing harmony with Howie Epstein, trading licks with George Harrison, and being reunited with his beloved mother, Kitty.

"Over mountains I floated away 
Across an ocean I dreamed her name 
I followed an angel down through the gates 
I can only thank God it was not too late"

RIP Mr. Petty




Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

MARATHON FOOTNOTES (for those who didn't think I would really footnote a stream of consciousness thought): Footnote #1 Academy Award Winning Best Picture Films from 1969 to the Present: Midnight Cowboy, Patton, The French Connection, The Godfather, The Sting, The Godfather II, One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, Rocky, Annie Hall, The Deer Hunter, Kramer Vs. Kramer, Ordinary People, Chariots of Fire, Gandhi, Terms of Endearment, Amadeus, Out of Africa, Platoon, The Last Emperor, Rain Man, Driving Miss Daisy, Dances With Wolves, The Silence of the Lambs, Unforgiven, Schindler’s List, Forrest Gump, Braveheart, The English Patient, Titanic, Shakespeare in Love, American Beauty, Gladiator, A Beautiful Mind, Chicago, Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. Footnote #2 Members of the band YES, from 1969 to the present: In 1969, Yes is formed with Jon Anderson on vocals Peter Banks on guitar, Bill Bruford on drums, Tony Kaye on keyboards and Chris Squire playing bass. This group records...
42 comments
Read more

A Trip Through the "My 90's Tapes" Collection Pt. 9: Mötley Crüe, "Girls, Girls, Girls"

Column 3, Row 13: Mötley Crüe , Girls Girls Girls. I was never a big fan of Mötley Crüe. I liked their radio hits, but I never listened to one of their albums in their entirety until 1989’s Dr. Feelgood , which was orchestrated in a way to dominate radio stations and suck in casual fans, like me, who had trouble getting past the Crüe’s purposeful sleaziness. That said I always admired them more than the other Sunset Strip bands. Bassist Nikki Sixx and drummer Tommy Lee were such a formidable rhythm section and laid down a solid groove to all their music. Guitarist Mick Mars had a knack for making his guitar hiss sinister, matching his perpetual scowl. Vince Neil was nothing to write home about as a vocalist, which made his unpolished singing just a little more intriguing than most of the other front then who dominated mainstream rock in the mid-late 80’s. Girls Girls Girls was released in May of 1987, just in time for a long summer of Mötley Crüe taking over the mi...
1 comment
Read more

The EPIC Playlist Update

We made it through the holidays and the Southern California fires, and the Epic Playlist is still going. Super Dave and I had planned to take December off, but we both missed the daily ritual of adding something new to this crazy list that we love. Inspired by Nic Harcourt on L.A.'s 88.5, the SoCal Sound, we opted for a "Pick of the Day" approach midway through December and have carried on that way ever since. That has slowed down the progress of reaching our ultimate goal of 168 hours of music (i.e. one complete week's worth of music), however, it's allowed us to slow down and give a little more appreciation to the tracks we've placed on the list. Where are we at now? 1,814 Songs and 124 hours (unless you're looking on my phone and it's 123 hours and 49 minutes. Weird). I got obsessed with the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at the end of January and now I'm making an effort to include all of the performer inductees. I don't know why; it gives me ...
Post a Comment
Read more