3 thoughts on “Sunday Morning Video: VH1 Does Tom Petty”

  1. I had the good fortune to meet Tom many years ago. I had a scheduled interview as a music journo, but our talk ended up going all the way until showtime (I still feel bad for the 5 other writers whose opportunity was lost that day).

    Remember thinking to myself afterwards: that might have been the most normal human I’ll ever meet in this business.

    He had issues, could be a bit of a dick sometimes, wasn’t just a bit particular about his work, and was someone easily called a music nerd. At the end of the day, he had a good heart and wanted to be a good person.

    Damned if that doesn’t describe a whole lot of people both I and everyone else knows. The one in question just happened to be in a band that sold a lot of records.

    More importantly, I got the impression he saw himself as no more than that, despite all those years in the spotlight.

    And this, I liked even more than his music.

    1. Thanks for sharing your experiences with TP. Confirms what I’ve heard from other people who met him.

  2. I’m still obsessed, too. I’ve been listening to TP Radio on Sirius XM every night after I go to bed. (It’s always on in my car.) Last night was really good – dj’d by two guys you probably heard of (a Rolling Stone writer and some music producer) – a tribute on his BD. Call ins from fans & other musicians (Lucinda Williams had some good stories). They aired his speech from an award he received earlier this year from his peers. It’s was a wild and rambling thing, so great to hear. And, of course, the music. They played “Swingin'” from Jazz Fest this year, it’s become a big fave of mine since I heard it played shortly after his death. I’ve looked for it online but no go so I guess we can only hear it on XM. Anyway, I’m astounded at myself at taking his death so hard.

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