The Tom Petty Project

Kevin Brown

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This is the weekly podcast that digs into the entire Tom Petty catalog song by song, album by album and includes conversations with musicians, fans, and people connected with Tom along the way.Follow me on social media:Twitter: https://twitter.com/TomPettyProjectFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/thetompettyprojectInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetompettyproject/Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@thetompettyprojectThreads: https://www.threads.net/@thetompettyproject(This podcast is in no way affiliated with the Tom Petty estate.)Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-tom-petty-project. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Walls (No. 3)

I don’t think I’ve ever hidden or tried to hide the fact that Walls is one of my very favourite Tom Petty compositions. I think it’s essentially a perfect song. And this version is, as I say, an exercise in showing how to simplify and condense an arrangement to be as tight as you can make it without losing an ounce of its beauty. Long time listeners will know that when I wrote one of my ten questions; which version of Walls do you prefer, I was astounded to find that most people picked Circus.

Feb 26, • 19:05

Hope on Board

I would love to know if an extended version of this arrangement exists anywhere on the cutting room floor. I know that there was only one violinist, Lili Haydn, who I’m hoping to have on the podcast as it happens, and two cellists, Gerri Stutyak and Michael Severens. But I think if you kept building this into a full orchestral string arrangement with some timpani or other percussion added, it could have been a pretty amazing piece of music in its own right. As it stands, it’s an absolutely perfe

Feb 19, • 18:20

Bad Monkey + Petty Country

John and I got together to discuss the Petty Country and Bad Monkey Soundtrack releases and built a 16 track playlist that gives you a good idea of what to expect from each disc. We discussed what makes a good cover version, which contemporay artists are doing the best job of interpereting Tom's work and we also talk about covers not on either album that are worth checking out!You can find our final playlist here: https://tinyurl.com/55fyfw6tOur additional list of covers not on these two albums

Feb 14, • 1:17:25

California

There’s a quality to this song that I’ve only really experienced once before. It makes me homesick for a place I’ve never lived in. The other time this has happened to me was, coincidentally, also California. If any of you are Van Halen fans or even just rock n roll fans with an interest in the Pasadena scene in the 70s, you have to read the superb book Van Halen Rising. Easily the best rock biog I’ve ever read, written by an exceptional journalist and author and a wildly knowledgeable rock hist

Feb 12, • 22:58

Supernatural Radio

This one begins with piano as the main melodic focus, with Benmont Tench playing a lounge player style lick over top of a sumptuously dark and foreboding rhythm section. The drums are dry and present and Howie Epstein’s bass guitar adds the bottom end colour to a scene that feels like a dimly lit hotel bar.If you want to check out the song ahead of the episode, you can find it here: https://youtu.be/P8qB--d6q3A To listen to the Fillmore 97 version go here: https://tinyurl.com/23fuush8 Check out

Feb 5, • 20:09

Asshole

Beck’s Asshole is quite tender in places with a certain rustic charm and it’s not something you’d expect a middle aged rocker to want to explore. But when you really delve into it and rummage around in there, you discover its hidden depths and while at first it can come across as unappealing, a close inspection reveals a rather time-worn vulnerability that draws you into its warm embrace. If you want to check out the song ahead of the episode, you can find it here: https://youtu.be/i-2A20W5X3Y T

Jan 29, • 21:38

Hope You Never

Hope You Never is a fairly dark, bleak cut from a difficult album for Tom. It fits the timbre of the movie in places and you can see why it was chosen as one of the songs to transfer over to this release. The production is, as always, absolutely superb. The parts are all expertly crafted and arranged and Tom’s vocal delivery has that quiet confidence that marked his transition from brash young rock star to middle aged songwriter. If you want to check out the song ahead of the episode, you can fi

Jan 22, • 18:11

Angel Dream

“I dreamed you, I saw your face. Caught my lifeline, went drifting through space”. What an incredible way to say “I fell in love with you the moment I saw you and my life would never be the same again”. I was talking with my pal Corey on our show The Ultimate Catalogue Clash about lyrics a couple of episodes ago and we’ve had an ongoing discussion since about how to appraise lyrics. Well, one of the ways that you can say a lyric is “strong” or “good” is if it immediately evokes an emotion in you

Jan 15, • 22:51

2024 In Review + Favourite Albums

I wanted to say a quick (well, not that quick!) goodbye to 2024 before kicking off the new year and figured I'd follow the lead of a great many music podcasters by telling you about some of the albums that I discovered this year that I've been enjoying a lot! I own 7 of the 8 on vinyl and have a very close relationship the one I don't through slightly unusual circumstances. I hope you enjoy this brief sojourn into non-Petty territory!The albums I'm talking about are: Tom Petty and the Heartbreak

Jan 8, • 1:00:54

Christmas All Over Again

It’s a wonderful little piece of fluffy Christmas fare. There’s no big message here, it’s just a nostalgic, whimsical throwback type song and I’m almost surprised that it wasn’t a co-write with Jeff Lynne because it has a bigger ELO feel to it than it does a Heartbreakers feel! And with the addition of all those additional musicians, I do wonder if the rest of the band played on it. One to ask a Heartbreaker if I ever get to speak to one I guess!If you want to check out the song ahead of the epi

Dec 25, 2024 • 17:11

Matt Jaffe (Gone Enough To Miss)

The second installment of my Artist Conversation Series sees Matt Jaffe return to the show to talk about his fantastic new album, Gone Enough To Miss. It was a joy to nerd out over broad aspects as well as details of the album and our conversation took in some excellent diversions regarding Tik Tok, superstition (not the Stevie Wonder song!) and how to release an album in the Gen-Z era! Matt was incredibly articulate, thoughtful and completely open and generous with his time and insights as alwa

Dec 18, 2024 • 1:19:14

Change the Locks

First of all, Changed The Locks by Lucinda Williams is a fantastic song and her delivery of it is sublime and very intimate - a tone that is enhanced by the arrangement that is used on that recording. The Heartbreakers amp up the anger by speeding  the track up slightly, making the guitar tones heavier, and adding in that extra guitar phrase. So you have an interesting original song with a cool, atypical song structure, interpreted in a raucous, noisy way by members of the opposite sex, in a dif

Dec 11, 2024 • 20:24

Climb That Hill

This song was a little bit of a grower for me and it’s one that’s definitely gone up a little since I sat down to pull it apart to see what secrets it’s hiding. The fact that, yet again, there is a density to the guitars on this song along with a real simplicity to the parts themselves all accentuated by Tom’s excellent, at times forceful at times tentative delivery make for a song that com res together to be greater than the sum of its parts. It has a very specific mood and vibe to it that I re

Dec 4, 2024 • 21:00

Zero From Outer Space

“You think that you're above me. You think that you're so big. Well, I saw you kick that dog. When the wind blew off your wig” This is Tom’s brilliant whimsy, channeled through Dylan’s cynicism to fantastic effect. It really means nothing at all, just a very broad way of saying “you’re kind of a dick!” Again I’d love to have notes on this one from Tom because I wonder how much of this was written and how much of it was spontaneous. I could see there being about 7 or 8 more variations on these ve

Nov 27, 2024 • 19:35

Grew Up Fast

“We grew up fast and no-one seemed to notice. We grew up fast and we grew up alone”. All of us latch key kids can relate very easily to what he’s communicating here. Even though our parents loved and supported us, quite often we were just left to our own devices. During school holidays, once I was 9 or 10 years old we were just left at home, left to sort out our own lunches, let ourselves in and out of the house responsibly and hopefully not burn the place down trying to cook a Christmas pudding

Nov 20, 2024 • 23:39

Walls (Circus)

“Half of me is ocean. Half of me is sky”. There’s something so brilliantly grand and epic about that line. The ocean and the sky are both vast and hint at the complexity of being human. You also have the contrast between something that is heavy, and anchored to a point in the ocean and the wide open, limitless possibilities of the sky. We’ve all said it before, but this is why Tom is a cut above most writers; his ability to express an idea that complex and that rich in such a seemingly simple y

Nov 13, 2024 • 25:54

The Heartwood Soundstage Crew (Live from Gainesville with Pete Nester)

Pete Nester is down in Gainesville at the Tom Petty Weekend, subbing in for me as I can't be there. He's been doing a fantastic job of connecting me with the weekend via messages, video clips, and photos and he's even gone the extra mile and interviewed a few folks down there! As well as some of the artists, he caught up with some of the amazing crew that make this weekend one of the best festival experiences of the year; Lynne Ellison, Dan Spiess, and Brandon Leavitt.Sit back, relax and enjoy P

Nov 10, 2024 • 21:19

Jake Thistle + Jared Hart (Live from Gainesville with Pete Nester)

Another roving report from our man on the ground out at the Tom Petty Weekend in Gainesville. This time, my pal Pete Nester catches up with the main man, Jake Thistle, and also chats to Jared Hart, singer and guitarist with the best-named band you're gonna hear in the next ten years; Lowly Worm and the Fantastic Beverages!Sit back, relax and enjoy Pete Nester's conversation with Jake and Jared!Check out Jake's website here: https://jakethistle.com/homeCheck out Lowly Worm and the Fantastic Bever

Nov 10, 2024 • 26:06

MADWOMAN (Live from Gainesville with Pete Nester)

Surprise! Here's a special episode for you. My pal and roving reporter Pete Nester, from the Honest and Unmerciful Record Review Podcast, is down in Gainesville and grabbed some time with the brilliant MADWOMAN, who blew him away. The conversation talks focuses heavily on artistry, community, and collaboration. This is a fun, breezy, enjoyable chat!Sit back, relax and enjoy Pete Nester's conversation with MADWOMAN!Check out MADWOMAN's website here: https://www.madwomanband.comAnd please go follo

Nov 9, 2024 • 25:25

10 Questions with Shawn Murphy

Today’s bonus episode is the second part of my conversation with the wonderful Shawn Murphy. We dug down into which opening act he'd like to see at a Heartbreakers show and his choice for which artist to cover which of Tom's songs is an absolute firecracker!Sit back, relax and enjoy my ten questions with Shawn Murphy.Check out the Tom Petty Trail website here: https://tompettytrail.comAnd please follow Shawn on social media here:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61564939387545Ins

Nov 9, 2024 • 16:48

Shawn Murphy

Today’s special episode is part of a fantastic conversation I had with the brilliant Shawn Murphy, a lifelong Pettyhead who built and maintains the amazing Tom Petty Trail.com website. Shawn and I chatted about being an outsider growing up and how music can help us through those difficult formative years as well as his recent battle with cancer and how it sharpened his focus on pulling together the amazing resource that he has. If you’re traveling down to Gainesville this week for the Tom Petty

Nov 6, 2024 • 1:01:13

Ten Questions - Walls (Circus or No 3)

Before we kick off the season proper, let's listen to which version of Walls my guests so far have picked! When I wrote the question, "Which do you prefer, Walls (Circus) or Walls (No. 3), I assumed everyone would pick that latter. It didn't turn out that way!"The Tom Petty Project is a proud member of The Deep Dive Podcast Network, which you can find on Twitter: https://twitter.com/deepdivepodnetDon't forget to follow me on social media, like, subscribe, and please, leave a rating if you like t

Oct 23, 2024 • 37:28

Season 11 Intro - Songs and Music from the Motion Picture "She's The One"

I enjoyed previewing season ten and talking about Wildflowers before we started digging into the songs and figured, “you know what, let’s do that for each season moving forward!” So I’m going to split this episode into two halves. The first half is a little bit of an intro to this album, in case you’re not familiar or you’re less familiar with it. The second half will be my comments on the movie, which I’ve never seen and am watching for the first time so that I can give you my thoughts for the

Oct 16, 2024 • 17:53

The Petty 8ight with Ian Winick

This week's episode is the fourth installment The Petty 8ight!I love talking to Pettyheads, musicians, and other people who have been influenced by Tom or his music in myriad ways, but I thought it would be neat to see what non-fans, or non-hardcore fans think of Tom's music if I threw deeper cuts at them.My latest #Petty8ight guest is the wonderful Ian Winick, who has been an incredibly supportive and engaged listener of one of my other podcasts, Seaside Pod Review. We share a love of Queen, Ma

Oct 9, 2024 • 1:41:21

10 Questions with Eric Senich

As the fall leaves come in, Eric Senich starts thinking about listening to his favourite Tom Petty album! Eric is also a fellow drummer so the song he picked to perform with the Heartbreakers is a Stan Lynch part!It's 10 Questions time again and Eric didn't disappoint with his answers!Don't forget to check out Eric's website here, where you can find links to all the episodes: https://www.bookedonrock.comIf you want to catch my appearance on Booked On Rock, you can find that here: https://tinyurl

Oct 4, 2024 • 21:00

Eric Senich

Today’s episode is a wonderful, sprawling conversation that I had with the inimitable host of the Booked on Rock podcast, Eric Senich. Eric and I met through the Van Halen show, And the Podcast Will Rock, which is hosted by my good pal and Ultimate Catalogue Clash co-host Corey Morrissette. Eric’s knowledge of rock n roll is staggering - and at times quite intimidating - as his insatiable thirst for knowledge is coupled with an excellent memory for facts and timelines. On top of this, he’s just

Oct 2, 2024 • 1:50:37

Wildflowers (with John Paulsen)

Another excellent conversation with John about an album that we both obviously adore. We both talked a little about how the album lands differently for people of a certain age and particularly the way certain songs resonate with parents. We also get into drumming styles, Spotify stats, and for the first time, we don't run through the producer-for-a-day segment as we agreed heading into this one that you just don't need to change Wildflowers. Or do you.......?Do check out www.4for4.com if you're

Sep 25, 2024 • 1:19:04

Wake Up Time

Every story needs an ending and this song gives us that final scene of the hero walking away into the sunset to begin the next chapter of their life. It’s an ending that starts a new beginning. It’s a line drawn under the statement that the entire album makes. The statement that pain doesn’t define us. Our reaction to it does. It brings us back to that thread of redemption that pervades Tom’s entire catalogue. It speaks of the future, rather than the past, as its final word. Today’s guest conver

Sep 18, 2024 • 54:50

Wildflowers (& some of the rest) with Jeff Slate + Jake Thistle

This episode is a fairly hastily organized chat that I had with Jeff Slate and Jake Thistle about the upcoming Wildflowers and Some of the Rest mini-tour that they’re embarking on which kicks off at the Tom Petty Weekend in Gainesville. It was fun digging into the dynamic between the two of them. We recognized that Jake has been performing with Jeff for pretty much a third of his life, that they haven’t yet nailed out exactly who is singing which songs, and that the name of their supporting band

Sep 16, 2024 • 48:27

Amelia McLean

I’m expanding the non-Petty aspect of the podcast just a little by looking for conversations with artists who might not be strongly or directly influenced by Tom’s music but share some characteristic or characteristics with his writing or approach to the art of songwriting. This week’s guest, Amelia McLean, is a Nashville-based songwriter who is preparing to release her debut album, possibly later this year. We chatted for a little over two hours and listened to parts of some of the songs from

Sep 13, 2024 • 1:52:37

Crawling Back to You

Tom explains to author Paul Zollo in “Conversations with Tom Petty” that “I remember us tracking it all night and being really frustrated that it wasn’t working. Then they came on the idea of having us all walk out, and “Play this like we’ve never heard it before. I’m just gonna start playing, and whatever we fall in on, we’ll go that way.” And that was the take. It worked. I started to diddle on guitar, we went around a couple of times, Ferrone dropped in on that beat, and bang, we had it. But

Sep 11, 2024 • 1:23:54

10 Questions with Nora Hayward Olsen

Today’s episode is part two of my wonderful conversation I had with Nora Hayward Olsen; her answers to my ten questions. Nora hit me with a new artist I'd never heard of and was most apologetic about her decision in the choice between Mudcrutch and The Traveling Wilburys! Don't forget to follow me on social media, like, subscribe, and please, leave a rating if you like the show.Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thetompettyprojectTwitter: https://twitter.com/TomPettyProjectInstagram: https://www

Sep 7, 2024 • 29:56

Nora Hayward Olsen

Today’s episode is an excellent conversation I had with Tom Petty superfan Nora Hayward Olsen. Nora comments frequently on the podcast socials and was every bit is personable, warm, and funny in person as she is online. Nora was at one of the Fillmore show where the band played Heartbreakers Beach Party which ended up on live album release. That song was only ever performed six times live, so it’s super cool that Nora was there for that one! We chatted about that and about how Tom’s music has ch

Sep 4, 2024 • 46:13

Dan Durkin Returns

Today’s episode is a non-Petty episode with Dan Durkin, of among other bands, Petty Theft, the sensational Tom Petty tribute band from San Francisco. Dan has a new single out, which I love, and I asked him if he’d want to come back on the show to talk about it. There’s a definite Petty influence in his first release as a solo artist and we dive into the song itself, as well as his route into playing and writing music. Dan was such a blast to hang with and I know you’re gonna enjoy this one! Ther

Aug 28, 2024 • 1:04:39

House in the Woods

In the liner notes for Wildflowers and all the Rest, Producer Rick Rubin says “So many of these songs have a sloppy soulful groove that really defined this album. The goal was not to make a perfect album but to capture the sound of a band on a really good night recorded quickly with all of the quirks and imperfections that come with it. It took us about two years to get that spontaneous sound!” Today’s guest conversation is the second half of the chat I had with the brilliant and incredibly love

Aug 21, 2024 • 1:12:54

Ivan Anderson Returns

Today’s bonus episode is a truly awesome conversation I had with Ivan Anderson, the genius mind behind @CyberattackWorld . We talked about his new collaboration EP with @teddigoldmusic  that is out now and chatted about his next Cyberattack album too.Then we got into a really free-wheeling conversation about music and creativity that ventured into all kinds of areas, from Van Halen, to Queen, to Guns n Roses and the enigmatic contradiction that is Axl Rose. Any chance to fanboy to Ivan I grab w

Aug 16, 2024 • 1:21:38

A Higher Place

I always consider this one of Tom’s great ambiguous lyrics. Jaan Uhelzski writes that “Petty seems to be nervously taking stock, weighing options, reminiscing, trying to keep his incipient anxiety at bay and trying to hold on to a few last remnants of his former life.” and Benmont Tench says “It's another song that sounds like it's all about whoever, but these songs were about him." and whatever meaning you layer on afterwards, I do love that Mike Campbell makes the following observation on this

Aug 14, 2024 • 1:01:13

10 Questions with Tim Bulman

Today's episode is my ten questions with Tim Bulman. We talk about sick parts, Tim is playing and singing a song from Wildflowers as his pick, and yet another guest finds a way to describe Tom Petty in three words that is unique, personal, and wonderfully eloquent. There's plenty of Beatles chat in this one too, which never upsets me as I'm a huge fan, with Tim comparing Wildflowers, in a very specific way, to the White Album.Check out Tim's excellent YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.co

Aug 11, 2024 • 26:13

Tim Bulman

Today’s episode is part of a fantastic conversation I had with Tom Petty fan Tim Bulman, who also publishes the marvelous Judge Timbers YouTube channel where he covers the Beatles and solo Beatle catalogues as well as, of course, Tom Petty. Tim breaks down the chords with easy tips on how to learn . We talk lots about being enthusiastic amateurs and how we love connecting with other people through the power of music. I also dig a little bit into Tim’s extensive and eclectic body of original work

Aug 7, 2024 • 57:48

To Find a Friend

One of my very favourite virtuoso pianists is a Canadian/German guy named Michael Kaeshammer. The guy absolutely tears the roof off every time I’ve seen him live and what Benmont does here really reminds me of his playing. It’s technically superb, rhythmically perfect, and so, so, so melodic! As much as I love hearing a perfectly-crafted Mike Campbell guitar solo, it makes my heart sing possibly even more when we get something like this from Benmont, probably because the instances of his solos a

Jul 31, 2024 • 1:03:24

Cabin Down Below

OK, so is this the most complex and musically challenging song that Tom ever wrote? OF course not. Is it have emotional weight or narrative clarity? No and not really? Does it rock, make you want to move your feet, and make you smile? Yes, yes, and yes. The economy and simplicity of the song is what defines its almost sleazy vibe. And I don’t mean sleazy in the creepy sense, more in that horny teen kind of way.Today’s guest conversation sees the return of my good pal and co-host on the Ultimate

Jul 24, 2024 • 45:14

Hard On Me

With his ex-wife Jane in a really bad emotional and psychological state, Tom knew that a lot of emphasis was falling on him to keep things together at home for the sake of his youngest daughter, Annakim, and it’s all betrayed in that opening line. “It's all I can do to keep that little girl smiling and keep my faith alive”. With his ex-wife Jane in a really bad emotional and psychological state, Tom knew that a lot of emphasis was falling on him to keep things together at home for the sake of hi

Jul 10, 2024 • 1:18:08

10 Questions with Mary Beth Donnelly

Today's episode is my ten questions with the wonderful Mary Beth Donnelly, who very kindly joined me on the kick off episode of season ten to talk about the title track from Wildflowers. We chatted about Paul Simon, Jeff Lynne, and everything in between as we went through my ten questions to find out which of Tom's songs she'd like to hear one of CSNY sing and which her favourite other band member is!Also, rather than a lot of links to Mary Beth on social media, I asked her to give me three book

Jul 3, 2024 • 20:09

Tommy Edwin Returns

Today's episode is another conversation I had with the wonderful Tommy Edwin. We discussed Travis picking and talked about putting set lists together and whether choose the songs you think the crowd should hear, not the songs you think they want to hear. Tommy was wonderfully warm, engaging, and just generally a wonderful hang and I hope you enjoy our conversation about his music as much as I did!Please check out Tommy's (brilliant) website here: https://www.tommyedwinmusic.com The song at the e

Jun 26, 2024 • 57:28

Don't Fade On Me

When I think about the solo in this song, it has a gravity to it that makes it feel centuries old. You could almost imagine that it has been living underground in some secret grotto since time began, just waiting for the right song to come along and feed it. It feels like a primal life force all its own, as if Mike is possessed by it rather than being its architect and its master. And I know that isn’t the case and the reality is that Mike Campbell just has such complete mastery over his instrum

Jun 19, 2024 • 1:02:12

Honey Bee

In the liner notes for Wildflowers and all the Rest, engineer Jim Scott remarks that “Tom would write a song like ‘Honey Bee’ on the spot and the band would just follow him. There are dozens of recordings just starting a song and making it up from top to bottom, coming up with funny lyrics.” Of course, there are plenty of deep cut or inside examples of this that are well known to the hard core fans, such as Juju Beads and the more widely loved Girl on LSD, but immediately Honey Bee is different.

Jun 12, 2024 • 1:10:20

Only a Broken Heart

As journalist Jaan Uhelski writes in the Wildflowers and All the Rest liner notes, “If Wildflowers is an album about taking stock of one’s life, “Only a Broken Heart” is a watershed moment on that excavation of self.” Everything about the way the final album version of this song is arranged and produced caters toward that excavation. The busyness of the piano and bass in the alternative version is stripped out and the harmonica lead from the demo is also abandoned in favour of allowing those dou

Jun 5, 2024 • 52:32

It's Good to Be King

“It's good to be king and have your own way. Get a feeling of peace at the end of the day” There’s security in success, but there’s an ominous cautionary tone that creeps into the next line, “And when your bulldog barks and your canary sings, You're out there with winners, it's good to be king”. When your bulldog barks and your canary sings. Dogs usually bark as a warning. Canaries were used in coal mines to detect poisonous gasses and act as a grim, sacrificial alarm to miners. With that porten

May 29, 2024 • 50:01

You Wreck Me

Legendary Nashville songwriter, Harlan Howard is purported to have coined the expression “three chords and the truth” and friend and colleague Bob Dylan is also remembered for the great line “All I need is my red guitar, three chords and the truth”. Well that’s all this riff is. Three chords. No passing chords, no fancy inversions or suspended notes. Just three chords - D A E. Mike Campbell was and is famously prolific in his writing and brought all of that work to Tom in case there was somethin

May 22, 2024 • 46:03

Time to Move On

On certain days, I think “Time to Move On” is the best song on Wildflowers, on other days, other songs take that honour. It’s a song that resonates with so many people because it gives us that glimpse into someone finding freedom, if not exactly peace.Despite being the fourth most streamed song from Wildflowers on Spotify, "Time to Move On" was not played live very many times. In fact, on setlist.fm, it comes in tied with Swingin as the 58th most played song in Tom’s catalogue, behind tracks suc

May 15, 2024 • 51:07

You Don't Know How It Feels

We’re all quick to judge people, whether they cut us off in the fast lane, or don’t hold a door open for us as we’re heading out of the grocery store. But we don’t know what that person is going through, emotionally, psychologically, physically. That disconnect is amplified a hundredfold when it’s in the context of a famous person. Wealth and stardom and all the trappings of comfort don’t mean much if your marriage is falling apart. So “You don’t know how it feels to be me” shouldn’t be viewed a

May 8, 2024 • 55:26

Wildflowers

Everything about the way this song is crafted sneaks up on you. It’s a masterclass in how you take an idea and flesh it out into a fully-fledged tour de force piece of art. And that’s not to say that this song isn’t wonderful when played just on an acoustic guitar, or on piano with just the vocal accompaniment. It’s a great song in its bones, but it’s dressed in such elegant musical finery that it becomes this dazzling, breathtaking thing of beauty.This episode includes a conversation about Wild

May 1, 2024 • 39:14

Approaching Wildflowers

When climbers finally decide to take on the holy grail of all ascents, Everest, they first face a nine day journey to base camp, which includes two full rest days. This journey alone weeds out about thirty of explorers. Those who are lucky enough to make the arduous trek to the first staging post are then faced with Mount Everest growing ever upwards into the clouds before them. Well my fine friends, I finally made it to basecamp and I’m staring up at my own personal Everest, relishing the chall

Apr 24, 2024 • 14:39

Russell Mark Returns (Swing and a Miss)

One last non-Petty episode before we being digging into Wildflowers! This time, Russell Mark, from The Nextdoors is back to talk about their new single "Swing and a Miss". We talk about perfection in art and whether it's worth striving for, we nerd out over specific production choices and songwriting form, and of course, we talk about Gary Carter, and America's pastime. It was a lot of fun chatting to Russell again and I hope you enjoy our chat as much as we did!You can listen to or buy Swing an

Apr 17, 2024 • 33:24

Jake Thistle Returns (The Half Left Out)

This is another special non-Petty episode of the podcast with the fantastic Jake Thistle, who found time in his insanely busy schedule to sit down with me to discuss his label debut, The Half Left Out. We chatted a little about Gainesville and Tom of course, but mainly we dug into the weeds around his full debut release, with topics ranging from album sequencing, how different producers bring different perspectives to songs, and how to avoid cliche: Jake has a fairly direct way of dealing with t

Apr 10, 2024 • 1:32:35

Greatest Hits (with John Paulsen)

A really fun one today folks. John and Kevin dig deep into inclusions and ommissions from 1993's Greatest Hits. We have a conversation about formats (CD vs vinyl), chronological ordering vs sequencing, and whether ballads belong on Greatest Hits compilations. Both John and Kevin have one song that the other feels simply doesn't belong on the Greatest Hits album and have a fulsome conversation about their reasoning!Do check out www.4for4.com if you're into fantasy football and follow John on Twit

Apr 3, 2024 • 1:10:04

The Petty 8ight with Sean and Todd McGinity

Today’s episode is the third installment in my Petty 8ight series, where I bring in musicians who aren’t Pettyheads, give them eight deeper cuts that they likely haven’t heard before, and get their thoughts on them. In this episode, my willing newbies are Sean and Todd McGinity. The brothers are based in Winnipeg and have a long history of writing, recording and playing shows both together in bands as well as in other projects. They’re also both seasoned podcasters, with their show The SeanGeek

Mar 27, 2024 • 1:46:16

Something in the Air

A major change in this cover version is the format of the lyrics. Something in the Air is a fairly ominous call to arms. The original was released in May of 1969 when the Vietnam War was still raging at its most furious. Speedy Keen said that told ZigZag magazine in 1975 of the song "It was a reflection of what I was seeing at the time". But rather than using the overtly observational third verse and the line “Hand out the arms and ammo. We're gonna blast our way through here”, Tom repeats the f

Mar 20, 2024 • 21:27

Mary Jane's Last Dance

When author Paul Zollo asks Tom about the song in his book Conversations With Tom Petty, and mentions that the song had been partially written some years previously, Tom confirms this, saying, “That was one I wrote during the Full Moon Fever sessions. I wrote all but the chorus. I just had the loop going around and around and really had most of the words and everything. And I played the tape for Rick Rubin and he liked it a lot and suggested I write a chorus. There were maybe five years between

Mar 13, 2024 • 27:34

Peace in L.A.

In March and April of 1992, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers were wrapping up the European final leg of their Into The Great Wide Open tour. This leg saw them play dates in Germany, the UK, Ireland, Belgium, Switzerland, France, Norway, and on April 3rd, they closed out the tour in Malmo, Sweden, playing an extended set of 28 songs to 6000 Swedish fans, closing out with Learning to Fly, Making Some Noise, and then serene lullaby, Alright For Now. Tom couldn’t have anticipated that on his return t

Mar 6, 2024 • 24:59

10 Questions with Peter Nester

Today's episode is my ten questions with the brilliant Peter Nester. I usually put these out as bonus episodes in the same week as my chat with that guest, but Pete's answers to these questions were so thorough, considered, and beautifully expounded, that I felt this needed to be a regular release. I guarantee you'll hear which artist he wants to cover which Tom Petty song and go "Oh, damn, yeh I need to hear that!" and our discussion about which is his favourite album was a particular highlight

Feb 28, 2024 • 46:39

Jeff Slate Returns

This is a special non-Petty episode of the podcast. I haven’t recorded one in ages, but when former guest Jeff Slate reached out to me to ask if I’d be interested in talking to him about his new single which is out now and the album it’s from which will drop in May, it wasn’t a hard sell for me as I'm a fan of both his music and his writing. We had a great chat about throwaway lyrics, production differences when you bring in outside voices, and recording an album with people in remote locations

Feb 23, 2024 • 1:19:19

Peter Nester

I have two words for you: Yogi Berra. But what does the Yankees catcher have to do with my conversation with Pete Nester? Tune in to find out!Today's episode is a sprawling, hugely enjoyable conversation I had with a fellow music podcaster who I've been listening to for a couple and a half years now. Pete was very supportive of this show right from the getgo and offered me some valuable advice when I was starting up around issues of music usage/rights etc. He's also just a damn fine human being

Feb 21, 2024 • 1:31:33

Into the Great Wide Open (with John Paulsen)

Another long one this season folks! But again there's so much to talk about with this album and we felt we needed to talk about each individual track. John and I had a good discussion about the background to the recording of this album and where this sits in the evolution of Tom's songwriting. We also didn't have a "producer for the day" discussion because we agreed that the album is sequenced pretty much flawlessly. Do check out www.4for4.com if you're into fantasy football and follow John on T

Feb 14, 2024 • 1:36:43

Built To Last

The lyrics in Built to Last are unambiguously hopeful and quietly resilience. Perhaps it’s Tom’s last attempt to build a creative buttress around his failing marriage. Perhaps its an equal attempt to put up a wall around a band that had gone through a major friction point and were probably still unsure what direction they would be taking. The lyric feels, in some ways, like a more introspective complement to I Won’t Back Down. The sentiment is the same really, but the perspective and the forcefu

Feb 7, 2024 • 24:05

Makin' Some Noise

I know that, because you’re listening to this podcast that you must love rock n roll music. And when you hear the crackle of a cable being plugged into an amp, or that low buzz from the speaker, there’s just something primal and irresistible that happens to you if you love this type of music. Your whole body responds to it in both a physical and emotional way. It’s not “just” music. It becomes like oxygen for your soul. Makin’ Some Noise just captures that rapturous feeling of delight that we al

Jan 31, 2024 • 23:32

You and I Will Meet Again

Another simple song, another catchy hook, another memorable idea that Tom puts into our heads and leaves there as a treat. I’m 100% sold on Into The Great Wide Open these days, where I didn’t listen to it front to back very often before. This song is another little forgotten deep cut that does so much with so little, very economically. The core idea is a fairly profound one but it’s wrapped up in a breezy, light little piece of music. Just marvellous. There’s a ton to love about this song, both

Jan 24, 2024 • 26:03

10 Questions with Mark Lindsey

Today's episode is my ten questions with the amazing Mark Lindsey. As a veteran of over 40 Heartbreakers shows and as a guy who has seen Mudcrutch, Bob Dylan, ELO, and Bob Dylan live, my questions about opening acts, shows Mark would like to see, and Mudcrutch or the Wilburys became all the more interesting. His picks for people to cover Tom Petty songs were also on the money!Don't forget that Mark runs the Sight and Sound Care charity that provides free vision care, including examinations, cont

Jan 10, 2024 • 23:44

Out in the Cold

In Conversations With Tom Petty, Tom says “I struggled with the lyrics quite a bit. It was one of those things where you struggle and you always wonder if you got everything out of it that you could.” He does go on to say that during a rehearsal for the song he found that he enjoyed the lyrics, but I think the way they’re crafted belies any notion of uncertainty on his part. I love that alternating point of view in the two halves of each verse and then the two halves of this relationship, in som

Jan 3, 2024 • 20:30

Mark Lindsey

Today's episode is my wonderful conversation with one of the finest human beings you're going to find anywhere on the planet. As well as being a lifelong superfan of Tom Petty and a veteran of over 40 of his shows, Mark also runs the Sight and Sound Care charity that provides free vision care, including examinations, contact lenses and glasses to musicians and music industry workers all across the US. If you want to find out more about Sight and Sound Care and even make a donation, please visit:

Dec 29, 2023 • 52:19

Trapper Schoepp

Today's episode is a conversation I had with Milwaukee-based musician Trapper Schoepp. We discussed his love of Tom's music, the background behind his cover of Free Fallin' which you can find on all streaming platforms, his co-write with Bob Dylan (yes, you read that right!) and he rapid-fire answered my ten questions, which is why they aren't being broked out into a separate episiode. We were also joined by his wonderful pup, Leroy, who did his best to derail Trapper's tender story!Go find Trap

Dec 27, 2023 • 50:11

10 Questions with Doc Wiley & Chris Gillette

Today's episode is Doc Wiley and Chris Gillette's answers to my ten questions. Doc found a good hack to my question "Which Tom Petty concert from history would you like to have seen" and Chris talked wonderfully about Walls and mentioned that The Waiting played it during their PBS special, which will be airing in January next year.For more info, videos, and performance dates, please check out their website here: https://www.thewaitingmontana.comNOTE: This episode contains a small amount of profa

Dec 24, 2023 • 36:30

Doc Wiley & Chris Gillette

Today's episode is the fourth installment of my #Guestember series of conversations. This one is with the wonderfully funny and insightful Doc Wiley and Chris Gillette, who are the bass player and singer/rhythm guitarist in Montana-based tribute band, The Waiting. Like my previous tribute band guests, The Waiting don't put on wigs and costumes and play the songs note for note, but instead apply their exceptional musicianship to lovingly interpret Tom's catalogue. Their debut PBS special performa

Dec 22, 2023 • 1:04:58

Too Good To Be True

Maybe she’s the girl who is gonna be picked up in King’s Highway. Maybe the thing she’s finally managed to break free from is a relationship with a self-obsessed movie star who has been pulled into a world of glamour and glitz. Maybe, just maybe, I’m massively overthinking this, but it sure is fun to connect dots and build out the narrative in your own mind!Today’s episode covers the second song on side two of "Into The Great Wide Open", "Too Good To Be True'".You can listen to the song here: ht

Dec 20, 2023 • 22:51

10 Questions with Will Porteous

Today's episode covers the Ten Questions part of my conversation with Will Porteous.It's no surprise which album Will chose as his favourite, but our conversation about which song we'd give to someone who didn't know Tom's music saw us talking about a few deep cuts that don't often get a shout out on that question.If you want to check out Will's amazing podcast, The Limehouse Podcast, click here; https://soundcloud.com/user-434215118, If you want to check out his Tom Petty covers, you can find t

Dec 16, 2023 • 32:30

Will Porteous

Today's episode is a conversation I had with powerhouse multi-disciplinarian and resident of Diss, Will Porteous. As a quick warning, there's a bit of profanity in this episode, but when you get two Englishmen in a room (even virtual) the langauge will change on a dime! I've been looking forward to this chat for somewhere around two years now because Will has been a very generous supporter of the podcast and a super nice guy to chat with offline! I really hope you enjoy our conversation which to

Dec 15, 2023 • 1:13:30

All The Wrong Reasons

There are, again, some very big ideas packed into this very simple almost-four-minute pop song and as always, Tom isn’t preaching or judging, just observing. As my wonderful guest Matt Jaffe said during our Ten Questions episode, Tom is never didactic. He’s not saying that celebrity is bad, he’s not judging the family’s luck or the girl’s choices, and importantly he’s not prescribing an antidote, he’s just making the observation and letting it stand alone. It’s up to us to decide what we think a

Dec 13, 2023 • 25:50

10 Questions with Russell Mark

Today's episode covers the Ten Questions part of my conversation with Russell Mark of The Nextdoors.Russell took a completely unique approach to the question about which artist he'd like to hear cover Tom's music and which song they'd perform. It's a really cool take on preserving Tom's musical legacy with a new audience.Please check out The Nextdoor's website here: https://nextdoorsmusic.com. You can find out his brilliant project The Title Trackers here: https://www.thetitletrackers.com and ma

Dec 9, 2023 • 33:35

Russell Mark of The Nextdoors

Today's episode is a conversation I had with the wonderful Russell Mark, of the Pasadena-based husband and wife duo, The Nextdoors. Russell is also a long time performer, composer, sound engineer, producer, music camp director and was a very easy person to sit and talk to for just over an hour and a half!I sat down with Russell on November 13 of this year and we talked about how to craft songs around a cello instead of a bass, how inspiration can often come from unexpected places, the sights and

Dec 8, 2023 • 1:09:41

All or Nothin'

“You could almost take Mike [Campbell] for granted, because anything you asked him to do, he did it. And more. I don’t remember ever throwing anything his way that he couldn’t do. He could do it, and do it better than you thought. He will give you back your idea better than you had it in the first place. THAT’S a great musician.” - Tom PettyThe implication I’ve always taken from the abrupt ending is that in this conversation about all or nothing, this final act of musical vandalism is the protag

Dec 6, 2023 • 24:26

10 Questions with Matt Jaffe

Today's episode covers the Ten Questions part of my conversation with Matt Jaffe. We had a great conversation about Walls (Circus) vs Walls (No 3), Matt surprised me with who he would have cover a Tom Petty song, but since he's said it, it's been stuck in my brain. He also gave a superb answer to my final question and described Tom Petty in 3 words absolutely brilliantly! Please check out Matt's website here: mattjaffemusic.com and go check out his Youtube channel here: @MattJaffeMusicDon't forg

Dec 2, 2023 • 33:55

Matt Jaffe

Today's episode is a conversation I had with the wonderful Matt Jaffe. After cutting his teeth on open mics around the Bay Area, San Francisco songwriter Matt Jaffe was discovered by Jerry Harrison of Talking Heads. Together, they produced his first album at the age of 16, cementing Matt's dedication to music. Soon, he formed a band, dropped out of college, and has not looked back. Since then, Matt has cowritten with Chuck Prophet and Tom Higgenson of Plain White T’s, crisscr

Dec 1, 2023 • 1:07:58

The Dark of the Sun

In 2004/2005 when Paul Zollo is interviewing Tom for his seminal book, Conversations With Tom Petty. Tom bemoans to Paul that The Dark of the Sun was never played live. He says “It got lost in the shuffle of that album. There were so many songs on it. I thought it was a good little song.”This is another one of those tracks that I sometimes forget about and then when I hear it think, “man, that’s a great song!” and then when I hear Mike’s solo, I think “Man, that’s a REALLY good song!” It’s slick

Nov 29, 2023 • 23:51

Two Gunslingers

In Conversations With Tom Petty, when Tom tells author Paul Zollo that the band were allowed to pick some of their favourites for the Anthology, Paul asks “So Two Gunslingers is one of your favourites?” Tom Responds “Oh definitely. I love that song. I was really proud of that when it got done.” When Paul comments “It’s a funny song, but meaningful.” Tom responds, “Yeh, it’s a really good anti-war song”.Today’s episode covers "Two Gunslingers", the fourth track on "Into The Great Wide Open". You

Nov 22, 2023 • 32:43

Into The Great Wide Open

Where Tom’s vocal on a song like Refugee or Rebels is like a sharpened steel, his voice here sits more in that butterscotch place that he could employ when he wanted to dial the energy back. Even in the chorus, he doesn’t lean into any vibrato, doesn’t crack or pinch his voice and just lets the melody wash over you. And it’s a song that doesn’t need vocal pyrotechnics because all the explosions in this song come from that wonderful turnaround, the tonal shift in the chorus, and one of the best n

Nov 15, 2023 • 36:08

Kings Highway

Like Learning To Fly, it’s a song that the band would change the arrangement of and when Paul Zollo mentions the acoustic version on the Playback boxset, Tom responds that “It’ll work just about any way you want to play it.” He also goes on to say “It was a tricky one to record. We went through a few changes trying to get the track to sound the way we wanted.”I think that “the Kings Highway” here isn’t at all a reference to the road that runs through Brooklyn, New York. If I had to guess, that w

Nov 8, 2023 • 21:22

Petty Live - Recap!

Another recap episode for you this week folks as I try to wrangle guest schedules! This week we're looking back at which live shows my guests wish they could have seen. Winterland? The Fillmore? The True Confessions tour with Bob? The Superbowl half time show? The Gainesville homecoming show on the 30th anniversary tour... There are so many to choose from and some of my guests picked the same shows for similar reasons!In order, the people answering the questions are; Dallas Heliker, Gwen Jo

Nov 1, 2023 • 27:49

Learning To Fly

When Paul asks Tom to confirm that the origin of the song is him hearing a pilot say that learning to fly is easy, but coming down’s the hard part, Tom replies “True. That was the inspiration and I took it from there. Jeff and I wrote that together.” He also comments that it was written pretty quickly, saying “I think we wrote it in an evening. It came quickly because I had written most of the words and I had gotten a tune in my head. We sat down and spent a whole evening on it. But that’s fairl

Oct 25, 2023 • 27:55

The Petty 8ight with Randy Woods

This week's episode is the second installment The Petty 8ight!I love talking to Pettyheads, musicians, and other people who have been influenced by Tom or his music in myriad ways, but I thought it would be neat to see what non-fans, or non-hardcore fans think of Tom's music if I threw deeper cuts at them.My second #Petty8ight guest is my best friend and musical mentor, Randy Woods. Randy is the guy who does all the little musical interludes. He's also a songwriter, singer, guitarist, all round

Oct 18, 2023 • 1:32:06

Full Moon Fever (with John Paulsen)

It's a long one this season folks! But there's so much to talk about with this album and we felt we needed to talk about each individual track. Which song does John think that Kevin rated too low? Which songs made it onto Kevin and John's resqeuenced discs and which songs do they think could have been left off, if any? Check out the playlists below to find out!Please note, there is one small piece of profanity in this episode when Kevin quotes Ringo Starr.Kevin's sequence: https://open.spotify.c

Oct 11, 2023 • 1:27:47

Cover Versions - Recap!

Another recap episode for you this week folks as I try to wrangle guest schedules! This week we're looking back at the songs of Tom's that my guests would love to hear covered by other artists. This is a question I always look forward to discussing and it's thrown up some brilliant ideas!In order, the people answering the questions are; Dallas Heliker, Gwen Jones, Nic Apostoleris, Janet Lovell, Jeff Slate, Megan Volpert, Dan Spiess, Corey Morrissette, Katie Moulton, Ivan Anderson, Tommy Edwin, D

Oct 4, 2023 • 25:45

Zombie Zoo

In Conversations With Tom Petty, when author Paul Zollo asks about the origins of the song, Tom explains “It was when Jeff and George (Jeff Lynne and George Harrison obviously), went out to Anaheim to ask Roy Orbison to be in the band (the Traveling Wilburys, again obviously). We were writing everything we saw. One line I remember that we saw on a billboard was “every day is judgment day”. That later turned up in “End of the Line”, the Wilburys song.” He goes on to explain that “We stopped at a

Sep 27, 2023 • 20:26

A Mind With a Heart of Its Own

I do wonder whether the friend who’s treehouse he’s slept in is the same girl from the opening verse. There’s almost a Forrest and Jenny vibe to it if you link those two verses. “She never looked different but something would change” is later in the timeline, and the later treehouse reference snaps you back to a more innocent time.  I know that this isn’t the case because the third verse is ad-libbed, but hey, it’s fun to paint your own pictures on the canvas that Tom provides sometimes so I’m g

Sep 19, 2023 • 19:28

Dan Spiess (Tom Petty Weekend 2023)

This week's episode sees Dan Spiess return to the podcast to fill us in on what we can expect at this year's Tom Petty Weekend in Gainesville. There are so many cool things to do, from the Wildflowers exhibit at the Cade Museum, to the Gainesville tour bus, to the Heartwood Soundstage Storytellers sessions! The lineup is insanely good, the beer lineup is equally impressive and I'm looking forward to hearing about all the fun that's going to be had at this year's event!If you're attending this ye

Sep 16, 2023 • 1:00:40

Alright For Now

Everything is alright. For now at least. And that’s where I think this song becomes much more interesting. Despite the light fluffiness of the verse progression and the sincere expression of adoration in the lyrics, that caveat on the title line, we’re alright “for now” belies a slight tension in Tom’s state of mind. Now, it just could that no other words fit as well as “for now”, but given that Tom was very rarely glib about word choice, I would say that this deliberate inclusion of doubt eithe

Sep 13, 2023 • 14:30

The Apartment Song

The lyrics in this one are again, really direct and simple. Tom reminisces about his two room apartment and that he’s glad he doesn’t live there any more, but there’s a fondness in the tone. In the second verse, we hear that there’s a similar nostalgia for a former relationship that he sometimes remembers wistfully. The chorus underscores all this by giving his current state. “Oh yeah, I’m alright, I just feel a little lonely tonight. I’m okay most of the time, I just feel a little lonely tonigh

Sep 6, 2023 • 24:46

10 Questions with Petty Theft

Today we hear what Django and Dan would pick as their favourite album, who they'd love to see open for the Heartbreakers and which song they'd love to have joined the band on stage to perform.Petty Theft is currently in the middle of their 20th Anniversary Tour (so you know they have to be good, because you simply don't last that long if you aren't!) and you can check out tour dates, find out more about the band, and even go support them by buying some merch at their fabulous website, here: http

Sep 3, 2023 • 23:57

10 Questions with Tommy Edwin

Another half hour with Tommy today folks. Wait til you hear who he would like to see open for Tom Petty and which artist he wants to hear cover a Tom Petty song!Please check out Tommy's (brilliant) website here: https://www.tommyedwinmusic.com. Also, check out his song Empty Chair, from the album "Fade To Memory": https://youtu.be/MGAfmr4Y54U?si=jBEiJQpB3u39412PDon't forget to follow me on social media, like, subscribe, and please, leave a rating if you like the show:Facebook: https://www.facebo

Sep 2, 2023 • 34:23

Petty Theft

Today's special bonus episode is a conversation I had with San Francisco-based tribute band Petty Theft. I chatted for just about an hour and a half with bassist Django Bayless and lead singer/rhythm guitarist Dan Durkin, the two founding members of the band about how the band came together, how they choose songs to cover, and of course, their love of Tom's music. As I said to the boys during the call, their sense of fun and their love of playing Tom's music shines through both in conversation a

Sep 1, 2023 • 50:46

Tommy Edwin

Today's episode is a conversation I had with the wonderful Tommy Edwin. Tommy and I connect over on Twitter months ago and I've been a fan of his music (and his personality) ever since. I love having conversations about Tom Petty's music with other musicians because, even when we're not talking directly about Tom. the ways in which he influenced people always shines through. Tommy Edwin is not exception. His feel for song structure and clarity always ring true for me. This was a fantastic hour a

Aug 30, 2023 • 51:38

Depending On You

Something that my season seven guest Ivan Anderson said that stuck with me, was that “Listen to Her Heart” is a 'little' song. And by that, he wasn’t being dismissive. He was saying that it wasn’t covering a weighty topic and it was compact and accessible. I’d say exactly the same thing about this one. It’s neat and compact. It has a superb hook in the pre-chorus and the whole thing is imminently hummable. It’s a pretty perfect little pop song. Today’s episode covers the third track from side tw

Aug 23, 2023 • 21:33

Yer So Bad

Yer So Bad could almost be the most important song in the entire Tom Petty canon. Almost. Probably not the most important, but it was the first song that Tom showed to Jeff Lynne and from there, the rest of Full Moon Fever and then The Traveling Wilburys dropped effortlessly into place. You have to think there was a little magic in the air that night. Tom tells Paul Zollo, “It was around this time that I showed Jeff one night that I had written the song ‘Yer So Bad’. But there was one little bit

Aug 16, 2023 • 19:27

Feel a Whole Lot Better

Every hardcore Tom Petty fan knows that when Tom took the record to the execs at MCA, they didn’t like it at all. When Paul Zollo asks Tom why in Conversations with Tom Petty, Tom replies “They didn’t hear a single!” One of the other issues with the record that it was only nine tracks long. So while Jeff Lynne, who coproduced the record, was out of town, Tom and Mike recorded the lullaby, Alright For Now, but they still needed more tracks, as the late 80s was the era of the CD and you could make

Aug 9, 2023 • 18:15

Runnin' Down a Dream

In his fantastic memoir, Tom Petty and Me, Jon Scott calls Runnin Down a Dream “One of the greatest driving songs I’ve ever heard” and you get his point completely. It’s a juggernaut of a rock n roll song but isn’t overpowering sonically. Again Jeff Lynne leaves enough space for the song to breath but adds in enough flare to keep you interested all the way through. It’s an urgent and riveting song; almost as if it’s an hour and a half action movie packed into for glorious minutes of pop rock per

Aug 2, 2023 • 20:47

A Face in the Crowd

“I do like that song. I think it’s a really sweet song. A nice sentiment. Very simple. Extremely simple. It’s not complex in any way”One thing I always find interesting in reading Paul Zollo's book is the way that Tom often seems to be looking at his own songs from the outside. The book came out in 2005 and in preceding decade, Tom had only played the song six times, so you can see why some of these songs he would have to go back to to think about. But I also get the sense sometimes that like a

Jul 26, 2023 • 22:30

Love Is a Long Road

Love is a Long Road is a really durable song and though I pointed out that it has a few rock tropes in it, they’re not overdone and not dated and I think this song really holds up well in its original recorded form. It’s another song with a very simple structure but with a couple of nice twists and turns in it.Listen to the song here: https://youtu.be/2AilA-M6N5UCheck out this great live Sounstage version here: https://youtu.be/IZKXHkx_kecGo watch Barnyard! But also, listen to Sam Elliott's ver

Jul 19, 2023 • 23:10

I Won't Back Down

As it does with so many people, this song resonates with me in many different ways and has become part of my general outlook on life. For me, it’s less a combative thing and more about holding firm to certain principles. Loyalty. Decency. Humility. All big words and and big ideas generally, but they are important and they’re important to me. Maybe this is not a unique association that I’m making, but it’s one I feel keenly and one that I think is expressed more concisely than in any other song I

Jul 12, 2023 • 21:50

Free Fallin'

“I'm gonna free fall out into nothin'. Gonna leave this world for awhile.” This is exactly what great music does to me. It takes me out of my body and out into the creative ether. It helps me let go of anxiety or sadness or anger or grief and just soar on the music. I know that not everyone has that experience with music but it’s like a drug in a lot of ways. It alters your mood, changes your perception and allows you to truly escape to a place that no-one and nothing else matters.Today's episo

Jul 5, 2023 • 22:27

Favourite Albums - Recap!

Hi folks. Technical difficulties and scheduling have prevented me from recording episode one for season eight, so I have compiled the first Twelve answers to my first quick fire question. It's interesting that there were so many different answers to what I imagined would be a pretty straight arm wrestle between Damn The Torpedoes, Wallflowers, and Full Moon Fever! But that's the beauty of Tom's cataloguel; there's something for everyone!In order, the people answering the questions are; Dallas He

Jun 28, 2023 • 19:51

Let Me Up (I've Had Enough) (with John Paulsen)

In this special episode Kevin is joined, once again, by co-host John Paulsen to wrap up Let Me Up (I've Had Enough). Lots to talk about on this album and the "Producer for a Day" segment throws up a plethora of additional tracks to consider for inclusion! If you want to check out Kevin's alternate track listing for the album you can find it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eZDzlGl84o&list=PL9JRklgBG7Nyp1g8JwDiFJDHnBkZ96JlD and if you want to listen to John's take on it, you can check that

Jun 21, 2023 • 57:34

The Petty 8ight with Scott Haskin

This episode is the first installment in a new feature for the podcast; The Petty 8ight!I love talking to Pettyheads, musicians, and other people who have been influenced by Tom or his music in myriad ways, but I thought it would be neat to see what non-fans thought of Tom's music if I threw some songs at them.My first guest is the creative hurricane, Scott Haskin, who aside from podcasting himself, is also a novelist, a humourist, a musician, a producer, a film composer, and an all round gem of

Jun 14, 2023 • 1:22:44

Let Me Up (I've Had Enough)

The song was never played live and really, you have two Stones-y blues rock tracks on this album. The track we’re talking about today and Think About Me. The latter is superior in every way. It’s mixed better, it is way catchier, it moves more, it definitely swings more and basically, it renders Let Me Up I’ve Had Enough a little redundant. Another rare example of a genuine filler track on a Heartbreakers record and one where the title is most definitely the best thing about itCheck out the song

Jun 7, 2023 • 17:18

10 Questions with Ivan Anderson

Ivan gives me his answers to my formulaic 10 questions. This is almost always a highlight of every conversation as it reveals so much about the person I'm talking to and where their brain takes them. Ivan's answer to "If you could pick any artist to cover any Tom Petty song, who would it be and what song would they cover?" is brilliantly aligned with his own off-kilter way of creating music. He also eschews the easy response to question 5!Quick note - there is some profanity in this episode, but

May 31, 2023 • 20:14

How Many More Days

In Conversations with Tom Petty, Tom tells Paul Zollo that this is another song that was another one that was completely ad-libbed in the studio. He then relays a wonderful little anecdote about the Heartbreakers wardrobe lady, Queenie. Tom says “she’s been with us, God knows, since the early eighties. She always requests that one. We’ll always be back there in the hall, waiting for the encore and Queenie will run up and go, “How many more days! How many more day!” But we never do it. We don’t k

May 24, 2023 • 15:35

Ivan Anderson

Today's episode features a wide ranging chat with the uniquely brilliant Ivan Anderson, the genius behind the Glitch Rock band Cyberattack and an all round wonderful fella. On his debut album under the Cyberattack monicker, Ivan covered Listen to Her Heart, which is how his work circled into my orbit. Not only does he find an incredibly angle on the song, but he also created a beautifully chaotic and inventive music video to go along with it, which I've linked in the episode notes. My main hope

May 17, 2023 • 43:45

Episode 100 (with John Paulsen)

John Paulsen takes the reigns on this week's very special 100th episode as Kevin becomes a guest on his own podcast! The boys talk about Kevin's background with Tom Petty, how the format of the show, and John makes Kevin play his own game and answer some Petty Trivia questions. Kevin then reveals his answers to the Ten Quickfire Questions that he throws at his guests and gets a little carried away with one particular question!If you are able to donate financially to humanitarian aid relief effor

May 10, 2023 • 43:58

Ain't Love Strange

Ain’t Love Strange is short, punchy, and has a really catchy, hummable chorus. I adore Benmont’s piano tone in this one and I think it’s one of those really lean, enjoyable pop songs that doesn’t ask a lot of you in the way of listening and doesn’t overstay its welcome.Check out the song here: https://youtu.be/NXysGNwC0w4 If you are able to donate financially to humanitarian aid relief efforts in Ukraine, the Red Cross is coordinating a large-scale effort which you can contribute to by visiting

May 3, 2023 • 14:05

A Self-Made Man

There’s an awful lot going on in this simple, short little song. So much so that I’ll be honest, I missed almost all of it before I sat down to really analyze it. I don’t know if I’d ever caught that odd, missing-a-bar timing between the verse sections, or the switch back to more conventional counting in the chorus.Check out the song here: https://youtu.be/E8kNnb08l7Q If you are able to donate financially to humanitarian aid relief efforts in Ukraine, the Red Cross is coordinating a large-scale

Apr 26, 2023 • 15:45

All Mixed Up

This is essentially an R&B song that would have benefited so much from a full, real horn section. While I’ve said previously that I don’t love horns and Tom Petty, for some reason, I think the synth in this track really pulls it down and makes it sound terribly dated. I also think this could really have worked as a song given to another artist and I could absolutely hear someone like Cyndi Lauper doing this one.Check out the song here: https://youtu.be/4m7-pt7bcDYIf you are able to donate financ

Apr 19, 2023 • 12:46

Think About Me

This is a very simple, very straight ahead rock n roll song. It’s not meant to do anything other than get your feet moving and your face smiling and it knocks that out of the park. It’s almost like the older, cooler cousin, of Anything That’s Rock n Roll. The cousin with the leather jacket and the hotrod car. It has bags of swagger and personality and some excellent off the cuff work from the entire band, but in particular Mike and Benmont.Check out the song here: https://youtu.be/5eZDzlGl84o Yo

Apr 12, 2023 • 14:25

My Life/Your World

The song for this week's episide, My Life/Your World, has always reminded me a lot of Stop Draggin My Heart Around. It’s got the same tempo, same basic groove and the instrumentation sounds similar in a lot of places. The lyrics are a little disjointed but have good moments. Mike’s guitar work is pretty great and he chooses some good tones. The little segue into the song with that short instrumental pre-track is very cool but overall, there’s something missing in this song.Check out the song her

Apr 5, 2023 • 16:43

It'll All Work Out

In Conversations With Tom Petty, Paul Zollo quotes Tom saying that this is one of his favourites and that it’s a “durable” song. He tells Paul, ‘I was going through a crisis at the time with my marriage. My first marriage was on the rocks. I was separated, though it was later reconciled. So I had more on my plate than I could handle. I had written ‘It’ll All Work Out” and sang it into a cassette. And I brought it to Mike’s house, giving him the cassette. He had a studio at his house and I said “

Mar 29, 2023 • 13:42

The Damage You've Done

"There’s nothing wrong with a solid album track. It’s like the gravy at Christmas dinner. You wouldn’t want it as the main course, but the meat would probably be a little dry without it. The Damage You’ve Done is a fairly unremarkable track in the Heartbreakers catalogue and it doesn’t stand out much on this album, but it’s a fun little number and again, is one of the best-sounding songs on the record sonically, at least for me.”Today's episode covers the third track from Let Me Up (I've Had Eno

Mar 22, 2023 • 18:26

Runaway Trains

"After passing on what would become Boys of Summer during the Southern Accents sessions, Tom was clearly ready to try to use a less typical Heartbreakers groove brought to him by Mike Campbell. One of five co-writes on the album, this song shares a definite mood with Boys of Summer, with it’s minor key verse and major key chorus and the healthy dose of 80s synth. As with Boys of Summer, we can probably safely assume that Mike had the whole song demo-d and brought it to Tom almost fully formed, j

Mar 15, 2023 • 16:06

Jammin' Me

Season seven is here and season six is but a faded memory! Today's episode covers the lead track from Let me Up (I've Had Enough!), Jammin' Me.When Paul asks Tom, “When you write with Bob, is that something where you’re exchanging lines?”, his response is “Yeah, just like you’d think. I remember we would write a lot more verses than we needed. We did that in the Wilburys too. It’s a great honour to work with someone so great. And more than an honour; it was fun, because he’s really good at it.”C

Mar 8, 2023 • 16:55

Pack Up the Plantation: Live! (with John Paulsen)

Another surprise bonus episode for you today. John and Kevin take a look at 1985's Pack Up the Plantation: Live! which was recorded mostly at the Wiltern Theatre in Los Angeles on August 7, 1985 as a part of the Southern Accents tour. The usual "Producer for a Day" segment is geared more toward the boys compiling their favourite live songs up to 1985 that were included on official releases.You can find Kevin's playlist here: https://spoti.fi/3mcz04e and John's here: https://spoti.fi/3ELfJgGIf yo

Mar 1, 2023 • 1:05:38

Southern Accents (with John Paulsen)

In this special episode Kevin is joined, once again, by co-host John Paulsen to wrap up the Heartbreakers' sixth studio album, Southern Accents. Lots to talk about on this album and the "Producer for a Day" segment throws up very different approaches to the remix by both chaps! If you want to check out Kevin's alternate track listing for the album you can find it here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9JRklgBG7Nxb5VzMN_ZMM1p7WkIdHKm7 and if you want to listen to John's take on it, you can che

Feb 22, 2023 • 1:05:56

10 Questions with Michael Washburn

Hey folks! Another bonus episode for ya today. It's the latest in the "10 questions with..." series and this week it's not just another author, but another musician! What song is Michael gonna play with the Heartbreakers? Well, he threw me a little curveball! Don't worry though, I threw one right back when I asked him which song he'd pick to give to a casual or non-Petty fan! Hope you enjoy!If you are able to donate financially to humanitarian aid relief efforts in Ukraine, the Red Cross is coor

Feb 17, 2023 • 20:51

Michael Washburn

Today's episode is another guest interview and another author and fan. This time I'm chatting with the fiercely brilliant Michael Washburn, who tackled this season's album, Southern Accents, in his 2019 book in the 33 1/3rd series. The book talks about the songs on the album and the story behind how it came together, it talks about Tom's transition from Southern gentleman to Southern Californian, and critically, it also talks about the failure of the album both in artistic and social contexts. T

Feb 15, 2023 • 1:03:10

The Best of Everything

"Lyrically this one is basically a story song. Another brilliant Tom Petty opener; “She probably works in a restaurant. That's what her momma did.” So it’s that faraway dreamy recollection that we’re dropped into where the picture is just very slightly out of focus and we can’t quite make out what’s happening. No matter, whatever the deal is for this girl, the chorus shows that the narrator really hopes that it all works out. “Wherever you are tonight. I wish you the best of everything in the wo

Feb 8, 2023 • 18:59

Mary's New Car

"A pretty short episode this week, but really, there’s not a ton of meat to scrape off the bones of this song. For me, Mary may have a new car, but it simply never gets out of second gear. In fact, it barely makes it off the driveway. I think it’s one of the only times that Tom got anywhere near an act of hubris in including this song on the album at the expense of some of the songs that were left off. I love the sentiment of writing a song for a deservedly-beloved member of the Heartbreakers fa

Feb 1, 2023 • 13:54

10 Questions with Dan Spiess

Due to not be able ro record because of covid brainfog, I'm putting out this "10 Questions with" bonus episode pulled from my talk last fall with the wonderful Dan Spiess, the producer of the 2022 Tom Petty Weekend in Gainesville. Hope you enjoy it!If you are able to donate financially to humanitarian aid relief efforts in Ukraine, the Red Cross is coordinating a large-scale effort which you can contribute to by visiting their website here: https://donate.redcross.ca/page/100227/donate/1The Tom

Jan 25, 2023 • 28:31

Dogs on the Run

"Rebels, Southern Accents, Spike, and Dogs on the Run all feel connected by a sonic thread that sits slightly outside the dynamics of each of those four tracks. In its nostalgic wistfulness, it shares part of its soul with Southern Accents. In terms of tempo and feel, it shares its it’s skin and bones with Rebels, and in terms of its narrative form, it dovetails with the preceding Spike nicely and yet it rings with a sort of Kerouac-infused wanderlust that never lets you settle into one snapshot

Jan 18, 2023 • 20:03

Spike

"It’s brilliant in that it’s a character song, but the character isn’t Spike. We never learn whether Spike is a good guy or a bad guy. We don’t know his age, any of his characteristics, where he’s from, or what he’s doing there. He just doesn’t belong he’s just there for caricature of unwelcoming yokels to contrast with. It’s a very clever way to write a lyric."Check out the song here: https://youtu.be/t7ALjBfVn9I Here's the live version from Farm Aid in '86: https://youtu.be/a4HVtB7CIBo Here's

Jan 11, 2023 • 16:11

10 Questions with Katie Moulton

"What song would you perform on stage with the Heartbreakers"? Katie told me she's sing The Waiting and went on to deliver this incredible, succinct reason why. "It's so good. It's got this aphoristic chorus that is towing that wonderful Petty line; not joyful, not sorrowful, but that sort of tense, bright line that is the rest and most of our human experience." This is the second in my "10 Questions with" series as I've started breaking those out from the main episode (mainly to keep the episod

Jan 6, 2023 • 32:04

Katie Moulton

In this episode, I share the fantastic conversation that I had with writer, editor, music critic, and Tom Petty fan, Katie Moulton. In June of 2022, Katie released her memoir "Dead Dad Club: On Grief and Tom Petty" on Audible and forever changed the way most of us (or me at the very least) are going to want to listen to this type of story. Katie was incredibly easy to talk to and we quickly dropped into a very natural conversation about her book, how she came to write and how it came to take on

Jan 4, 2023 • 58:39

Ghosted Road (Jake Thistle)

Welcome to the first "Non Petty" bonus episode folks. I think these episodes might focus on slightly-less or smaller artists who either I listen to and other people may not or are close to me in one way or another. The timing of Jake's first full studio-released single was perfect as I was thinking about doing this for the past few weeks. With Tom’s music, I have an invaluable resource in Paul Zollo’s superb book Conversations With Tom Petty, in which we hear Tom discuss his songs in his own wor

Jan 1, 2023 • 18:18

Make It Better (Forget About Me)

"It has lots of elements that I like but it definitely does feel a little cobbled together at times. The minor key changes and the sometimes awkward chord progression just feels very slightly off. And where Don’t Come Around Here No More and You’re Gonna Get It took the Heartbreakers into new territory in which they planted their flagged and owned the space, I just never feel like their living in the bones of this song, more wearing it like a light fall coat."Check out the song here: https://you

Dec 28, 2022 • 18:28

A Tribute to Gwen Jones

This episode is dedicated to Gwen and to her family, especially her daughter Patricia and her Granddaughter Leila, who she spoke of so fondly and with so much love and pride. It’s also dedicated to the community of decency and love that she built and that will go on in her memory as long as we stand by Gwen’s principles. My favourite author, Sir Terry Pratchett once wrote the following lines: “No one is dead until the ripples they cause in the world die away, until the clock wound up winds down,

Dec 25, 2022 • 25:09

Southern Accents

"There’s so little instrumentation to dig into that I was initially thinking that it would be a fairly short episode. But I’ve ended up realizing that the power of this song is in how you connect with it. Yes it’s brilliant in its arrangement and beautifully played, but the emotion of the song is what carries it, along with one of the most perfect vocal performances Tom ever put onto vinyl."Check out the song here: https://youtu.be/po8RCVlQZGcHere's the live version from the Gainesville concert

Dec 21, 2022 • 18:33

Don't Come Around Here No More

"Who would ever have thought that Dave Stewart’s underwear would be responsible for one of the highlights of one of the most iconic songs of the 80s? ... Yes it doesn’t really “fit” Southern Accents in the original concept that Tom had, but it soars as a piece of music, is elevated in video form, and perfected in one of the most brilliant live arrangements of all time."Check out the song here: https://youtu.be/WldDwR1UTYMHere's the music video, just in case you've been living under a rock for th

Dec 14, 2022 • 29:17

It Ain't Nothin' To Me

"It’s another radical left turn for the band sonically and obviously is the first Heartbreakers song to be co-written with someone other than Mike Campbell. The introduction of Dave Stewart into the Heartbreakers tight little circle definitely rocked the boat and was a precursor to the restlessness that culminated in Tom working with Jeff Lynne, thereby capping the first phase of the Tom’s career"Check out the song here: https://youtu.be/MKiaaPd5RLYAnd if you want to listen to the live version f

Dec 7, 2022 • 18:25

Rebels

"I suspect that it’s the last verse that is appropriated by Confederate sympathizers and used out of context of the rest of the song. The last three lines of this verse though are sheer poetry of the very highest calibre. “I can still feel the eyes of those blue-bellied devil. Yeah when I’m walking ‘round at night through the concrete and metal” And all over the world, there are parochial attitudes like this that like to churn up simmering resentment and use it justify all manner of behaviours."

Nov 30, 2022 • 25:05

Long After Dark (with John Paulsen)

In this special episode, Kevin is joined, once again, by co-host John Paulsen. Today's album wrap up episode covers the fifth studio album, Long After Dark. Lots to talk about on this album and a song that both guys picked out as a favourite, with some interesting differences in their alternate track listings. The EPs will be posted this week (Kev is sick and hasn't had a chance to finish all the admin for this ep!) but you can check out John's alternate take here: https://spoti.fi/3XrZIUI Kev'

Nov 23, 2022 • 59:50

10 Questions with Corey Morrissette

This bonus episode is my first "Ten Questions With" feature. I ask my guests ten questions ranging from who their favourite Heartbreaker is other than Tom, to which song would they love to perform onstage with the band. It's always surprising and Corey was fantastic with his answers! Look out for more bonus episodes featuring past guests trickling out over the next few weeks.Go find Corey on Twitter at @cdmorrissette and check out his shows here:And The Podcast Will Rock: https://podcastwillroc

Nov 19, 2022 • 22:55

Corey Morrissette

Today's episode is a fan chat I had with one of the best indie podcasters, and all round genuinely nice fella, Corey Morrissette. Yes, that's spelled correctly, Alanis doesn't spell her name properly! Corey is the host of the superb podcasts And The Podcast Will Rock (dedicated to breaking down the catalogue of Van Halen with his brilliant co-host Mark Camire), Back Tracks: Aerosmith Revisited (with the ever-sardonic John Mariano) and Back Tracks: Theme Music (again with JM). I'm a huge fan (and

Nov 16, 2022 • 53:22

A Wasted Life

"Completing the -Iovine Trilogy-, Long After Dark closes in a similar way to Hard Promises before it and Damn The Torpedoes before that. All three songs drop the tempo on each successive album but all three are more “mood”-oriented rather than really hanging on any of the band member’s virtuosity. I actually think this one might be the pick of the three closers. I would say that Louisiana Rain is probably a quote unquote better song, but this one feels just absolutely right closing out this at t

Nov 9, 2022 • 15:22

Between Two Worlds

"I’ve made no bones about the fact that I think Long After Dark is a better album than it often gets credit for and I think this is a deep cut that can have a tendency to be overlooked. Just a good groove, a great riff and given it was basically recorded live, a shining example of why this group of musicians formed such a brilliant band that was so much more than the sum of its already impressive parts."Check out the song here: https://youtu.be/4y3YGUy_KFQ If you are able to donate financially

Nov 2, 2022 • 16:39

The Same Old You

"The song opens with Mike’s crunchy blues riff and some percussion in the background, most likely a woodblock. One thing that’s slightly surprising is that it’s in C. Most blues riffs are in G or E as they’re way easier to play on guitar, but hey, this is Mike Campbell!"Today's episode is dedicated to the greasy, the sleazy, the Stonesy track from side two of Long After Dark; The Same Old You.You can listen to the song here: https://youtu.be/lGPxPxO111c Check out the live bootleg version here:

Oct 26, 2022 • 16:07

Straight Into Darkness

"Tom tells Paul Zollo that “Sometimes it takes a lot of work. Sometimes the songs won’t reveal themselves to you until you find the right sound and the right recording of it. And this one was like that. You couldn’t really get everybody grooving the same way until we went over to the piano, and then everybody instinctually found what to play. But that’s part of working with a group.”Today's episode is dedicated to the sublimely brilliant Straight Into Darkness; track two from side two of Long Af

Oct 19, 2022 • 19:23

We Stand a Chance

"We Stand a Chance is a fantastic way to open the second side of an album. Tom and the boys had a knack for starting side two strong. I Need to Know, Don’t Do Me Like That were side two openers and hey, those are pretty great songs! There’s more than enough going on here to make me really curious why this was never dusted off for a few outings on tour".Today, we’re talking about the first track on side two of the Heartbreakers fifth studio release; We Stand a ChanceYou can listen to the song her

Oct 12, 2022 • 16:29

Dan Spiess

This week's episode is my wonderful conversation with Dan Spiess. Dan is the Producer the Tom Petty Weekend, which has run in 2018, 2019, and again this year (and has its origins in an impromptue tribute show in 2017). Dan was very kind to spend a couple of hours online with me and share his experience of Gainesville and most importantly, the details of how this year's festival came together and what Tom Petty fans can expect.Dan also gave me an overview of his long term goal of creating a trul

Oct 5, 2022 • 1:04:03

Finding Out

There’s also another one of Tom’s clever lyrical twists in this one, in that first verse, when he sings “I must be looking over something” rather than “overlooking something”. A simple little bit of wordplay that subtly changes the impact of the line and changes the cadence of how it bounces along. Overall though, it’s definitely a hopeful, positive song and resolves in the bridge with the line “You have pulled me from this river of loneliness”If you want to listen to the track before we dig in,

Sep 28, 2022 • 13:41

Change Of Heart

Tom tells Paul Zollo that it’s “Not one of my great songs. But it’s a good rock song.” I think that simple doesn’t necessarily mean "not great". The beauty of this song is at least partially down to the economy of it: Let the riff drive the melody. Let the rhythm section keep the tempo high and danceable, and let the lyrics tell a story of disenfranchisement and loneliness. Today’s episode looks at Change of Heart, which is the fourth track from the album we’re currently listening to; Long After

Sep 21, 2022 • 17:22

Deliver me

"It’s one of those sneaky Tom Petty tracks that really burrows its way into your brain and sits there playing itself in the back of your mind. It definitely follows a trusted template and because of that I think it might be slightly overlooked in the catalog." Today’s episode looks at the third track from Long After Dark; Deliver Me.If you want to listen to the track before we dig in, check out the official video: https://youtu.be/4sXP17MbvBQIf you want to hear Tom singing on the Joni Mitchell s

Sep 14, 2022 • 17:48

Megan Volpert

Hello you lot! I mentioned on social media that this episode would be slightly delayed and that turns out to be correct, but thankfully I’m still getting it posted up on a Wednesday for you! I switched gears a little and decided to publish a conversation I had last week with Megan Volpert, whose new book, Straight Into Darkness, Tom Petty as Rock Mystic is available right now at fine retailers everywhere as well as online. You can find her book here (use 08STRAIGHT to receive a 30% discount!):

Sep 7, 2022 • 1:27:18

You Got Lucky

When I think about the arrangement of this song, with the synths leading, Mike filling in those gaps with artfully placed licks, and Tom soulfully ripping his heart out for the audience, I think he’s dead on with that assessment. Today’s episode looks at the second track from Long After Dark, You Got Lucky.If you want to listen to the track before we dig in, check out the official video: https://youtu.be/_QZixvUjNH4 If you haven't seen the fantastic video for this track (living under a rock???)

Aug 31, 2022 • 18:36

A One Story Town

Good morning, good afternoon, or good evening, my fine friends. Welcome to the first episode of the fifth season of the Tom Petty Project Podcast! I am your host, Kevin Brown. This is the podcast that digs into the entire Tom Petty catalog song by song, album by album and includes conversations with musicians, fans, and people connected with Tom along the way. The first song we’re digging into is the lead track from the album, A One Story Town. If you’re new to the podcast, first of all I’m glad

Aug 24, 2022 • 15:45

Jeff Slate

Today’s episode is the incredibly fun and wide-ranging conversation I had with Jeff Slate. Jeff is an ASCAP-award-winning singer songwriter from New York City who has fronted several bands including the 80’s mod punk band the Mindless Thinkers, has worked with musicians such as Earl Slick and Carlos Alomar, has opened for Sheryl Crow, toured Europe and has released numerous albums and singles both as part of different bands and as a solo artist. He’s also a prolific journalist, writing for publi

Aug 17, 2022 • 1:17:05

Hard Promises

In this special episode, Kevin is joined, once again, by co-host John Paulsen. Today's album wrap up episode covers the Heartbreakers' fourth album, Hard Promises.In the episode, the guys both picked their top three songs from the album and both (once again) picked the two heavyweight tracks from the album, but different third tracks. You can find a combined "EP" on Spotify here: https://spoti.fi/3QOgSI3. As with the other album wrap episodes, the boys chatted about the track listing and agreed

Aug 10, 2022 • 45:31

Janet Lovell

Today’s episode is a fantastic conversation I had with Janet Lovell back in early July. Janet will be well known to members of the Tom Petty Nation and it was great to spend a couple of hours in her (virtual) company and geek out over Tom and his music.If you are able to donate financially to humanitarian aid relief efforts in Ukraine, the Red Cross is coordinating a large-scale effort which you can contribute to by visiting their website here: https://donate.redcross.ca/page/100227/donate/1The

Aug 3, 2022 • 59:54

You Can Still Change Your Mind

Hello my fine friends! Today we're taking about the final track from 1981's Hard Promises, the beautiful You Can Still Change Your Mind.If you want to listen to the track before we dig in, check out the official video: https://youtu.be/k5XHrJ1A0WIIf you want to hear the 2018 remastered version that was included on the An American Treasure compilation, you can find that here: https://youtu.be/HNY2W54_QG8And if you want to hear Benmont's wonderful stripped back piano version, go check it out here:

Jul 27, 2022 • 14:32

The Criminal Kind

Hello my fine friends! Today we're taking about the penultimate track from Hard Promises, The Criminal Kind.If you want to listen to the track before we dig in, check out the official video: https://youtu.be/qWjN4VVVxx4If you are able to donate financially to humanitarian aid relief efforts in Ukraine, the Red Cross is coordinating a large-scale effort which you can contribute to by visiting their website here: https://donate.redcross.ca/page/100227/donate/1The Tom Petty Project is a proud membe

Jul 20, 2022 • 12:50

Insider

Hello my fine friends! Today we're taking about the best song any band never released as a single; Insider.If you want to listen to the track before we dig in, check out the official video: https://youtu.be/x7bjXWzms5IIf you want to watch Tom play Insider on acoustic for the Heartbreakers, check out this great clip: https://youtu.be/JXaKYn8qHEQ?t=96If you want to watch Tom and Stevie perform the song live at the 30th anniversary show that was included as part of the Runnin Down a Dream documenta

Jul 13, 2022 • 18:37

A Thing About You

Hello my fine friends! Today we're continuing with side two of Hard Promises by talking about the second track from this side of the album, A Thing About You.If you want to listen to the track before we dig in, check out the official video: https://youtu.be/_ZquPbwmDa4I mentioned a great live version of this track where you can see the on-stage interaction between Mike and Tom. You can watch that here: https://youtu.be/I9ldwvMqHHgAnd if you want to watch a fresh-faced Jake Thistle perform this

Jul 6, 2022 • 16:18

Letting You Go

Hello my fine friends! Today we're getting back into Hard Promises by talking about the wonderful second track from side two of the album, Letting You Go.If you want to listen to the track before we dig in, check out the official video: https://youtu.be/UzIG1KYBTDsIf you want to see Tom laying down his actual vocals, check out this clip from the 1993 "Back Home" documentary: https://youtu.be/JXaKYn8qHEQIf you're also a Bowie fan, please go check out the episode I guested on from the Honest and U

Jun 29, 2022 • 14:24

You're Gonna Get It! (with John Paulsen)

In this special episode, Kevin is joined, once again, by co-host John Paulsen. Today's album wrap up episode covers Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers' second album, You're Gonna Get It!.In the episode, the guys both picked their top three songs from the album and both (once again) picked the two heavyweight tracks from the album, but different third tracks. You can find combined "EP" on Spotify here: https://spoti.fi/3HGMUCa. As with the other album wrap episodes, both Kevin and John also suggeste

Jun 22, 2022 • 35:49

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (with John Paulsen)

In this special episode, Kevin is joined, once again, by co-host John Paulsen. Today's album wrap up episode covers 1976's debut album, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. In the episode, the guys both picked their top three songs from the album and both picked the two heavyweight tracks from the album, but different third tracks. You can find combined "EP" on Spotify here: https://spoti.fi/3xRybkx. As with the Damn The Torpedoes episode, both Kevin and John also suggested an alternate track listin

Jun 15, 2022 • 33:05

Kings Road

Hello my fine friends! I spent a lot of time in my formative early 20s on the Kings Road in Chelsea/Fulham so this was a fun episode to record. I hope you'll forgive a little overindulgance on my part in giving you some personal background. Don't worry, there's still plenty of deep diving into the song!If you want to listen to the track before we dig in, check out the official video: https://youtu.be/f8nAdQQTJkMI talked about the live version from 1982 US Festival and you can find that version h

Jun 8, 2022 • 20:16

Something Big

Hello my fine friends! I hope you're ready for Something Big. I love this song and it's one I've really been looking forward to digging into. I wanted again to wish a very happy birthday to the founder and guiding hand of the Tom Petty Nation, which basically replaced the Tom Petty fanclub. Keith does a superb job steering the group and sharing his love of Tom and Tom's music. If you want to listen to the track before we dig in, check out the official video: https://youtu.be/iUZDwWOExcsI was tal

Jun 1, 2022 • 15:47

Nightwatchman

Hey folks, thanks for downloading this podcast. It means the world to me that people actually sit and listen to me ramble on about my favourite artist. Actually, it's a bit weird now that I come to think about it! What are you doing with your lives!!! Go outside! Smell a flower! High Five an Anglican minister (they could use cheering up)!!! But once you've done those things, come back and listen to me talk about Nightwatchman, which is one of my very favourite Tom Petty songs.If you want to list

May 25, 2022 • 15:57

A Woman In Love (It's Not Me)

Welcome back to Season Four of The Tom Petty Project podcast. Thanks so much for staying with my on this journey, or, if you're just finding this ridiculous vanity project, I welcome you with open arms! Today's episode covers the second track from Hard Promises; A Woman In Love (It's Not Me).If you want to listen to the track before we dig in, check out the official video: https://youtu.be/fKDYErlu5KcIf you want to watch Stan break the fourth wall, as I talked about in the episode, check it out

May 18, 2022 • 17:06

The Waiting

Welcome back to Season Four of The Tom Petty Project podcast. Thanks so much for staying with my on this journey, or, if you're just finding this ridiculous vanity project, I welcome you with open arms! Today's episode covers the sensational lead track from Hard Promises; The Waiting. If you want to listen to the track before we dig in, check out the official video: https://youtu.be/uMyCa35_mOgI talked about Linda Ronstadt's version in the episode and you can check that out here (it's pretty dam

May 11, 2022 • 16:27

Damn the Torpedoes (with John Paulsen)

In this special episode, Kevin chats to Tom Petty superfan, John Paulsen. The plan is to do a similar album wrap episode with John as often as his schedule allows and I hope you enjoy the chat as much as we did. There was lots of general Petty chat too as Kevin dug into John's background with Tom's music and there's a great story about the time John touched Tom Petty's actual cowboy boot.In the episode, the guys both picked their top three songs from the album and without knowing it ahead of tim

May 4, 2022 • 1:03:08

Nic Apostoleris

Today’s episode is another interview slash conversation episode and I’m joined today by a rhythm guitarist, songwriter, a clinical psychologist, and a huge Tom Petty fan, Nic Apostoleris. I didn’t edit this one down too much as I think you’ll enjoy our rambling extended discussion.You can check out Nic's music here and I'd recommend picking up the coloured vinyl, if you're into actual records as it's a nicely packaged disc packed with energy and some good old fashioned rock n roll! https://nicap

Apr 27, 2022 • 1:26:46

Louisiana Rain

Hey folks! Today's episode covers the gloriously mellow and slick Louisiana Rain.If you want to listen to the song before you crack open the episode, you can do that here: https://youtu.be/F6y4-Rtf0W0If you want to check out the alternate version from the An American Treasure compilation, you can find that one here: https://youtu.be/irElozIQEQ0And if you wanna listen to the live version from the Live Anthology box set, which was recorded on December 7th, 1982 at Wembley Arena in London, England,

Apr 20, 2022 • 15:33

What Are You Doin' in My Life

Hey folks! Today's episode covers the searingly upbeat What Are You Doin' In My Life.You can check out the song here before we get started: https://youtu.be/M24Lfii8O6k In the episode I talk about an alternate version, from 2018's An American Treasure, which has a slightly different ending and mix. If you want to listen to that, you can find it here: https://youtu.be/gnPH766ZP00I also mentioned a couple of times similarities that I hear between Mike's guitar tone and playing and that of Ronnie W

Apr 13, 2022 • 13:36

You Tell Me

Hey folks! Today's episode covers the the super bluesy/funky YouTell Me, which is the second track from side two of the immensely third Heartbreakers album, Damn The Torpedoes. You can check out the song here before we get started: https://youtu.be/lQ9n1NU_fwYIf you are able to donate to humanitarian aid relief efforts in Ukiraine, financially, the Red Cross is coordinating a large-scale effort which you can contribute to by visiting their website here: https://donate.redcross.ca/page/100227/don

Apr 6, 2022 • 13:48

Don't Do Me Like That

Hey folks! Today's episode covers the superb, Don't Do Me Like That, which is the first track from side two of Damn the Torpedoes. If you want to check out the song before we dig into it, you can find it here: https://youtu.be/EFkJ_BOz88E I start the episode by paying tribute to Taylor hawkins, one of the most brilliant and charismatic rock drummers of the past two decades, who we sadly lost this past week. Check out this fantastic video of him talking drums and music here: https://youtu.be/Pwj

Mar 30, 2022 • 16:38

Conversation with Paul Zollo

I'm so happy to share my conversation with Paul Zollo with you. I could talk with this guy for days. If you haven't read his book yet, go do that as a matter of some urgency! Chcek out his debut album, Orange Avenue here: https://open.spotify.com/album/1qi8r3T8bzkKUJrwy2kMXG ... and his 2014 effort, Universal Cure (which has a completely different vibe) here: https://open.spotify.com/album/7vWhldLifnPjRRJwVFXp9a?si=vothPgmZT8ODpJbBGPNpUAAlso, check out his writing here: https://bluerailroad.word

Mar 23, 2022 • 1:29:10

Jake Thistle - Interpretations

Hey all. Today is Jake Thistle's 18th birthday and I wanted to put out this edit which showcases the songs he played during the live stream that we did on February 2nd. There are six Tom Petty (and the Heartbreakers) songs, 1 Mudcrutch song and one of Jake's originals in this episode and hope you enjoy them all as much as I did. Don't forget to check out Jake's Youtube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/c/jakethistleYou should also support him by going to his website to pick up music and merc

Mar 19, 2022 • 32:57

Century City

Hey folks! Today's episode covers the all out rocker, Century City, which is the last track on side one of Damn the Torpedoes.I tell you in the episode to go and watch the Rock Band video game note chart for this song as it really gives you a sense of how much Ron is playing! You can find that here (Ron's bass is on the left): https://youtu.be/yhwP4V4OCh4 I also talked about a similarity with David Bowie's Sufragette City, which you can listen to here (I skipped forward to the part that you'll r

Mar 16, 2022 • 13:27

Shadow of a Doubt (A Complex Kid)

Hey folks. Today's episode covers track four from Damn The Torpedoes, Shadow of a Doubt (A Complex Kid).If you want to listen to the song before you listen to the episode, you can find it here: https://youtu.be/xPwHYkVnLCICheck out this fantastic live version, recorded on March 6th, 1980 at the legendary Hammersmith Odeon in London: https://youtu.be/_WW-1Fn7NZQIn the episode, I reminded you that you can donate to humanitarian aid relief efforts in Ukiraine. If you are able help, financially, the

Mar 9, 2022 • 13:24

Even The Losers

Hey folks. Today's episode covers the fantastic third track from Damn The Torpedoes, Even The Losers. If you want to listen to the song before you listen to the episode, you can find it here: https://youtu.be/5Ue4_MWwKY8Check out this fantastic live version, recorded on March 6th, 1980 at the legendary Hammersmith Odeon in London: https://youtu.be/_WW-1Fn7NZQIn the episode, I briefly talked about the current crisis in Ukraine. If you are able, financially, to help at all, the Red Cross is coordi

Mar 2, 2022 • 12:58

Here Comes My Girl

Heya peeps! Hope you're all well wherever in the world you are. Episode 2 of Season 3 is here for you and today we're talking about the marvellous Here Comes My Girl.If you want to listen to the song before you listen to the episode, you can find it here: https://youtu.be/n4nPa35CZPI If you're on Facebook, check out this fantastic video of Mike talking about how he put together the guitar parts for the song: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=202390328719537 And it you want to hear Stan talking a

Feb 23, 2022 • 13:55

Refugee

Season Three already? Seriously? I just started this thing as something to do! Why are you all still here??? Oh... you love Tom like I love Tom. K. All good. Let's keep going and sharing our appreciation!If you want to listen to the song before you listen to the episode, you can find it here: https://youtu.be/YbWDV72oQloDon't forget to follow us on social media, like, subscribe, and please, leave a rating if you like the show:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thetompettyprojectTwitter: https://

Feb 16, 2022 • 15:39

Gwen Jones

Welcome to the fourteenth and final episode of Season Two of the Tom Petty Project Podcast. Today’s episode is another interview slash conversation episode and I’m joined today by the extremely lovely and entertaining Gwen Jones. I managed to convince Gwen to jump on a Zoom call with me to discuss her love of Tom’s music and it wasn’t long before we were chatting like old friends. This episode will also be available on YouTube if you'd like to check that out. There's a special giveaway announcem

Feb 9, 2022 • 1:05:32

Jake Thistle (Part Two)

Part two of my conversation with Jake Thistle! Check him out on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnNAkiDIEBKnLWe1hc7GV3A Don't forget to follow us on social media, like, subscribe, and please, leave a rating if you like the show:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thetompettyprojectTwitter: https://twitter.com/TomPettyProjectInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetompettyproject/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCt6BLRWuuAR43zHpNKIirOwSupport this show http://supporter.acas

Feb 2, 2022 • 1:12:23

Jake Thistle (Part One)

Part one of my conversation with Jake Thistle! Check him out on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnNAkiDIEBKnLWe1hc7GV3A Don't forget to follow us on social media, like, subscribe, and please, leave a rating if you like the show:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thetompettyprojectTwitter: https://twitter.com/TomPettyProjectInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetompettyproject/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCt6BLRWuuAR43zHpNKIirOwSupport this show http://supporter.acas

Feb 2, 2022 • 1:00:03

Baby's a Rock 'n' Roller

Hello friends! Today's episode covers the final track from You're Gonna Get It!; Baby's a Rock 'n' Roller. This means we're done another album! 2 down, 16 to go!!!If you want to listen to the song before you listen to the episode, you can find it here: https://youtu.be/G9s5eAG5ks0I didn't include any other videos today so I'm going to share a song I recorded during lockdown in May of 2020 with my wife's cousin, the fabulously talented Cory Teale. We thought we'd take a crack a Foo Fighters song.

Jan 26, 2022 • 13:29

Restless

Hello friends! Today's episode covers the second-last track from You're Gonna Get It!; Restless.If you want to listen to the song before you listen to the episode, you can find it here: https://youtu.be/e5QKYC7yp3o Don't forget that I will be chatting to Jake Thistle, live, on Facebook today (Jan 19, 2022) at 7PM EST (5PM if your on the US West Coast, or midnight in UK). We're going to talk about all things Tom Petty including the opportunity Jake had to play with a couple of the Heartbreakers,

Jan 19, 2022 • 13:33

No Second Thoughts

Hello friends! Today's episode covers the 8th track from You're Gonna Get It!, No Second Thoughts.If you want to listen to the song before you listen to the episode, you can find it here: https://youtu.be/ZHOtRItCHXoI talked a little about the killer live version from 1981, recorded in Philadelphia, that was included on the Live Anthology boxset. You can find that here: https://youtu.be/T483OoprENYOne last link I wanted to give you is Bob Dylan's masterpiece, Not Dark Yet, from 1997's brilliant

Jan 12, 2022 • 12:16

Listen to Her Heart

Hey folks! Today we're covering the utterly iconic track Listen to Her Heart. As I say in the episode, in my opinion, simply one of the most perfectly-crafted pop songs of all time.If you want to listen to the song before you listen to the episode, you can find it here: https://youtu.be/pH7nUIHLIC0. You can also take a listen to Elvis Costello's cheeky appropriation of the ending on his 1978 track Radio Radio: https://youtu.be/eifljYPFW-E If you want to hear REO Speedwagon's cover of the song, w

Jan 5, 2022 • 12:38

I Need to Know

Hey folks! Today we're covering the epic opening to side two of You're Gonna Get It; I Need to Know. A great groove, a wonderful lyric, and a timeless staple of rock radio for the past four and a half decades!If you want to listen to the song before you listen to the episode, you can find it here: https://youtu.be/FJatokoNyg8 I talked about Tom's comment that the rhythm for the song was heavily inspired by Wilson Pickett's Land of 1000 Dances, a live performance of which you can watch here: http

Dec 29, 2021 • 14:17

Somewhere You Feel Free - The Making of Wildflowers

Merry Christmas friends! As a special treat, I thought I'd switch things up and dedicate an episode to talking about the things that I enjoyed most about the recent documentary, Somewhere You Feel Free; The Making of Wildflowers. I thought I’d switch things up for this ep and go off script for the most part, other than the intro and outro. So, I sat and watched the documentary again and jotted down notes in a notepad. So what I’m going to do is go through those in no particular order and talk ab

Dec 27, 2021 • 26:52

Too Much Ain't Enough

Hey folks! IN today's episode, we're talking about the last song on side one of the second album, Too Much Ain't Enough. If you want to listen to the song before you listen to the episode, you can find it here: https://youtu.be/FJatokoNyg8 Check out this killer live version from 1980 and watch how they really cut loose and just enjoy jamming around the main lick: https://youtu.be/FyCrUp1P-rQTom says that this song was musically inspired by the Fleetwood Mac song, Oh Well. If you don't know that

Dec 22, 2021 • 14:03

Magnolia

Hey folks! Today's episode focuses on the fourth track from the Heartbreaker's You're Gonna Get It! album; Magnolia.If you want to listen to the song before you listen to the episode, you can find it here: https://youtu.be/F6htoFxagOEI didn't talk about it in the episode as I only found it after I'd finished recording, but you check out this excellent acoustic version by an artists I only learned of tonight, named Margot Cotten; https://youtu.be/o4tyGMUTT1YI did talk about my upcoming chat with

Dec 15, 2021 • 11:08

Hurt

Hey folks! Today's episode focuses on the third track from the Heartbreaker's You're Gonna Get It! album, entitled "Hurt".If you want to listen to the song before you listen to the episode, you can find it here: https://youtu.be/ojlIbccEMxcAll musical interludes are provided by my very good friend Randy Woods, the leader of and creative force behind the Randy Woods Band. Check out their latest release, This is Your Time, here: https://youtu.be/YVDmrndbE74 I also mentioned a similarity between th

Dec 8, 2021 • 11:44

You're Gonna Get It

Hey folks! Today's episode focuses on the title track from the sophomore album You're Gonna Get It! which is the second track on side one.If you want to listen to the song before you listen to the episode, you can find it here: https://youtu.be/GzrEY9-uQd8The Alternate version that I discuss in the episode, which is from 2018's box set compilation, An American Treasure, can be found here: https://youtu.be/Lhs0cFpokU8 and the outstanding live version from The Old Grey Whistle Test, recorded on Ju

Dec 1, 2021 • 12:38

When the Time Comes

Hey folks! We're back for season two and I'm happy to be moving onto the second album, You're Gonna Get It. Today's episide looks at the lead track from that album, When the Time Comes.If you want to listen to the song before you listen to the episode, you can find it here: https://youtu.be/ykCmB_ZlI68 I mentioned a slight similarity that I hear to Eight Miles High by The Byrds, which you can find here: https://youtu.be/J74ttSR8lEg and also mentioned a live version from March 7th, 1980, recorded

Nov 24, 2021 • 12:32

Dog on the Run

I hope you enjoyed last week's chat with the marvellous Dallas Heliker! I'm looking forward to having more guests on the show but I know I'll be chatting to Dallas again at some point.If you want to listen to Dog on the Run before this episode, you can find it here: https://youtu.be/3KaZBwsSLqEToday's episode covers the live rarity, taken from 1977's Official Live 'Leg, recorded at the legendary Paul's Mall in Boston, Dog on the Run. An epic 10-minute experimental jam, this one features some ext

Nov 17, 2021 • 9:57

Dallas Heliker

Today's episode is a great conversation I had with superfan, Dallas Heliker. Dallas has seen Tom more than a couple of dozen times, been lucky enough to meet him twice, and also contributed a killer Last DJ set to Tom Petty Radio on SiriusXM! I can't overstate how much fun I had chatting to Dallas and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!Dallas has mixed a couple of incredible live performances that Tom and the Heartbreakers performed and you can find them here:Willin' (June 3rd at the Fonda) or

Nov 10, 2021 • 1:04:34

American Girl

I hope you enjoyed the last couple of episodes talking to Jon Scott. It was a real highlight of the year for me! We're back to the song reviews though and just in time to wrap up the debut album by talking about the iconic track, American Girl. One of my very favourite live versions of this song is from the 30th Anniversary tour concert in Tom's hometown of Gainesville, Florida that was included as part of Peter Bogdanovich's fantastic Runnin' Down a Dream documentary. If you haven't seen that y

Nov 3, 2021 • 14:05

Jon Scott (Part Two)

Today's episode is part two of the fantastic conversation I had with Jon Scott. This episode is much more conversational as we talk about Jon's relationship with Tom, Tom's relationship with his fans, and a wide range of topics that were fun to dig into, including Tom's generosity with both his friends and his fans, his quiet advocacy for certain causes, and his passion for making great music.Please note that there is some occasional miled profanity in this episode.Make sure you check out Jon's

Oct 27, 2021 • 1:11:35

Jon Scott (Part One)

Today's episode is a very special one for me. I threw a hail mary and contacted Jon Scott a few weeks ago to see if he'd be willing to jump on a call with me to discuss Tom Petty and dig into his Memoir, Tom Petty and Me (My Rock n Roll Adventures With Tom Petty). To my delight, he agreed, and we recorded a long, wide-ranging conversation on the 18th of October. Rather wonderfully, this means that I'm able to release the episode on Tom's birthday by way of a small tribute. The conversation has b

Oct 20, 2021 • 58:22

Luna

Today, we're talking about track 9 from the debut TPATH record, Luna. Kev is a little bit worse for wear so there are very few links in this podcast detail other than the following link to the song that you'll need! https://youtu.be/9fOKtWW8Xvo Don't forget to follow us on social media:FB: https://www.facebook.com/thetompettyprojectTW: https://twitter.com/TomPettyProjectIG: https://www.instagram.com/thetompettyproject/Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-tom-petty-project. Hosted on

Oct 13, 2021 • 11:01

Mystery Man

Today's track is number 8 from the debut TPATH record, Mystery Man. This one is a real favourite with people who are physically attracted to Tom Petty! If you're not familiar with the song, check out at the following link on the official Tom Petty YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/wPRSc6IBPtYIn the episode, I talk about two live versions of the song that are well worth checking out:A performance at the 1978 New Year's Eve bash in Santa Monica: https://youtu.be/JefjmSB27fwAnd a great version from

Oct 6, 2021 • 12:37

Fooled Again (I Don't Like it)

Today's song is the brilliant Fooled Again (I Don't Like It). Head over to the official Tom Petty youtube channel and go listen to the song: https://youtu.be/iIh3hMRIAbk. You should also check this super heavy live version of the song from 1977 which sees some intro shredding from Mike. https://youtu.be/u18JPFFFIS8In the episode I discuss some sonic similatiries I hear with an English band from around the same period called Sad Cafe. Here's probably my favourite track they released: https://yout

Sep 29, 2021 • 12:11

Strangered in the Night

Today's episode covers Strangered in the Night, which is a seminal moment in the history of the Heartbreakers as a band. Go listen to the track on the official Tom Petty YouTube Channel here https://youtu.be/gC9FDx3HISw and then come back and listen to the episode!Here's a link to the Dwight Twilley song that Tom plays bass on and appears in the video for (Looking for the Magic): https://youtu.be/l24DFbedbJ0And here's a live version of the song from way back in June 1977, in Köln, Germany! https

Sep 22, 2021 • 12:37

Anything That's Rock 'n' Roll

Today's song is the closing track from side one of the debut TPATH album; Anything That's Rock 'n' Roll. You know the drill by now, so go to the official Tom Petty youtube channel and go listen to the song: https://youtu.be/Vy6cMrXH09UOnce you're done listening, don't forget to check out the killer live version of the song, recorded on July 16, 1978 at the Paradise Rock Club in Boston. You can listen to that version here: https://youtu.be/7_Sy6mfULLoIn the Petty Trivia segment, I tell you to go

Sep 15, 2021 • 11:41

The Wild One, Forever

In today’s episode I’m talking about fan favourite; The Wild One, Forever. As always, if you haven’t done so already, go to the official Tom Petty youtube channel and go listen to the song: https://youtu.be/US-pEqevjvcHere's a link to the brilliant live version from the Live Anthology boxset: https://youtu.be/jjZwabyLWSs and here you can find the slowed-down acoustic version from the Bridge School Benefit that I mentioned: https://youtu.be/Wc2JKk-h-hUWhere words fail, music speaks. Lucy Rudman:

Sep 8, 2021 • 12:15

Hometown Blues

In today’s episode I’m talking about track three from the debut Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers album; Hometown Blues. As always, if you haven’t done so already, go to the official Tom Petty youtube channel and go listen to the song: https://youtu.be/nN_j_tu5nqoIn the episode, I talked about a cover of Hometown Blues by a young musician named Isabella Rosa. You can find that version here: https://youtu.be/-qJ-yFY9gMYYou can also check out the Tom Petty Nation Facebook group here: https://www.fac

Sep 1, 2021 • 10:52

Breakdown

Hey Pettyheads, members of the Tom Petty Nation, or casual fans! In today’s episode, I already get to talk about one of my favourite Tom Petty songs and one of the classics in his huge body of work; Breakdown. If you haven’t listened to it yet go fire it up, then come back once you’re done and listen to the episode.In Warren Zanes biography, Petty, he remarks that  "Breakdown had as much space as Green Onions. The Heartbreakers often revealed who they were in what they didn’t play. It set them a

Aug 25, 2021 • 11:35

Rockin' Around (With You)

Hey friends, we're now fully up and running and getting into the songs! First up is the lead track from the Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Rockin' Around (With You).Go listen to the song, then come back and listen to the episode. "The first few times I heard this song, it was never really one of my favourites, but sitting down and really digging into it has definitely given me a better appreciation for it! There’s some neat stuff in there when you pay attention."Don't forget to follow us on

Aug 18, 2021 • 12:30

Season 1 Trailer

To kick off the podcast, Kevin talks about how he came to love Tom Petty and what you can look forward to over the coming weeks.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-tom-petty-project. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Aug 11, 2021 • 12:31