Why I Love Tom Petty … and You Should, Too
February 1st, 2008One of my favorite Christmas gifts this year, from Stevel, was the DVD “Runnin’ Down a Dream,” the documentary of the career of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. I’m not exaggerating when I say watching this DVD brought me GREAT ROCK JOY. Not only is it extremely well put-together so as to be entertaining in that way that makes it hard for me not to tell you everything that happens in the story of this most talented and focused group, and not only is it a nice history of rock n’ roll itself, it’s also about TOM PETTY AND THE HEARTBREAKERS!
Now, I do love John Mellencamp, and I adore the great bands of my earlier youth—the Cars, the Bangles, Pretenders, Seger, come to mind, snob me if you must, Indie Lovers, but the radio-rock moved me, OK—as well as some of the great bands of now; it’s a good time for rock yet, with the White Stripes, Spoon, the Shins, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and so many others. But no one—NO ONE—has had my fandom in the palm of his scrawny, Southern paw since SECOND GRADE like Tom Petty has.
It all started with Mrs. Bleyer, my second-grade teacher (she was old, so I’m going to assume a “God rest her soul” is due here, for the great woman she was). Mrs. Bleyer was a kind, wonderful woman. She had a cardboard refrigerator box in the back of the classroom with a door and windows cut into it. There was a desk inside. On your birthday, you got to sit in there all day.
On your birthday, you also got to pick something from the Treasure Chest. This was a large cardboard box in the shape of, well, a treasure chest. The aging Mrs. Bleyer had to lift it down carefully from above the coat rack to give you a view of the delights inside. In retrospect, these were likely things she got for free at McDonald’s or curbside on summer evenings after her neighbors’ garage sales had ended. But to a second-grader on her birthday (or, for a summer baby, his or her pseudo-birthday), it was the raddest collection ever. EVER.
September 27, 1982. From the treasures I selected: A folder. The kind you put your papers in. But this folder was cut in the shape of an LP coming out of its record-case. And on the record cover was a picture of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. I don’t think it was one of the actual albums. Just a publicity thing? Don’t know, don’t care. LOVED IT. I doubt I had ever heard of these guys. I have no idea if I even heard them soon thereafter, or if years passed or what. All I know is, an entire chamber of my heart was forever thereafter devoted to these pale and lanky men holding guitars and looking so very, very rebellious.
I know the sexiness of Tom Petty is debated. Some call him snaggly, some call him dopey. To me, he is the epitome of sex appeal. And it all goes back to the Treasure Chest. Something was determined in a developmental part of my impressionable, little brain. It was fandom. I was digging my My Little Ponies. I was digging 3-2-1 Contact. And I was now destined to dig—DIG!—The Heartbreakers and their soulful leader.
Do yourself a favor and get ahold of this DVD. Borrow it from us if you are local, list it on your Netflix. I guarantee your enjoyment. And listen to some Petty today. Appreciate the awesomeness of that art form so often forgotten in our admiration-at-large of the finest arts of humanity: ROCK.
February 1st, 2008 at 10:53 am
Tom Petty is a sexy MoFo indeed.
Oh, if I makes you feel any better, I TOTALLY loved New Kids on the Block. No. Joke.
February 1st, 2008 at 6:36 pm
Dude. Did you just liken my love of the greatest rocker of all time with your teenage affection for the NEW KIDS? No, that does not make me feel better! I did not feel BAD!
Who else liked these New Kids? Come on, out yourselves.
February 1st, 2008 at 7:31 pm
Wildflowers is one of my favorite albums.
February 1st, 2008 at 11:09 pm
I was referring to this statement: Now, I do love John Mellencamp, and I adore the great bands of my earlier youth—the Cars, the Bangles, Pretenders, Seger, come to mind, snob me if you must, Indie Lovers, but the radio-rock moved me.
I just meant we all have our weaknesses and Jordan Knight’s rat tail totally did it for me back in the day.
February 2nd, 2008 at 1:15 am
Ah, OK. Thanks for clarifying.
February 4th, 2008 at 11:00 pm
To my own surprise I completely ROCKED out to the Super Bowl half-time show! The entire party went into full blown sing-along mode! It’s still nice to see that Tom Petty can rock da’house!
February 5th, 2008 at 9:42 am
I am going to his concert in June! Are you TOTALLY jealous?!? Dani was shocked that I knew the words to the half-time show. She does not picture me as liking anything other than the music she likes, i.e. High School Musical and Hannah Montana. New Kids on the Block got nothin’ on today’s bubble gum pop!
February 5th, 2008 at 1:27 pm
AHHH! Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers…you ALL have Old Souls. This is good..it bodes well for generational commonality. And Mellencamp is one of the greatest Rockers of all time. A legend with my generation and still going strong.
Keep on Rocking!
July 24th, 2009 at 5:31 pm
Very useful information. I think it is useful for many people. Thank you for your blogs.
July 26th, 2009 at 2:16 pm
This is absolutely perfect. Thanks a lot, I’ve been looking for something like this for a long time.
March 4th, 2010 at 8:04 am
I don’t think it is possible for anyone to love Tom, the way I do. I have too much respect for him and his wife to be all about–”Oh, I want to do him”. I just love his writings and emotions. I love the person he is, he has proven time and time again that he definatly, “Won’t back down”. The songs that the radio plays really do no justice to him. The ‘real’ Tom is often overlooked and under appreicated. I saw him in ‘o8 and cried when he took the stage–hell I cried and sang my heart out the whole time. He is my God!!
May 5th, 2010 at 7:06 pm
?It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity.? – Albert Einstein