ANDREA ROTONDO
Tom Petty: Rock ‘n’ Roll Guardian
Omnibus Press

www.omnibuspress.com
 

I’ve been a fan of Petty’s since his Southern Accents album, a work that really showcased his stellar songwriting. He’s a rocker with connections to folk music, doing collaborations with Bob Dylan and Roger McGuinn; he was also a member of rootsy all-star band The Traveling Wilburys. So, it was with great anticipation that I started this book. While it has some interesting stories, I was disappointed. It reads like something cobbled together with an Internet search and a week or two in a good library. It would have been more compelling had it been written by someone who worked with Petty or even just met him, but Rotondo has never even interviewed him, his bandmates, friends or crew members. All the same, this might be a book worth getting if you’re the Petty fan who must have everything.

Petty’s humble beginnings in Gainesville, Florida, are chronicled, as well as early bands the Epics and Mudcrutch. Things started to take off for him when he formed The Heartbreakers and did his first album with them in 1976. Damn the Torpedoes was the breakout album, with “Refugee” and “Don’t Do Me Like That” propelling it to international acclaim. The songs and band line-up are discussed for each album, often quoting from reviews in prominent publications. There’s a thorough discography, as well as lots of photos, thirty-plus pages of tour dates and strangely, over forty pages listing songs he’s played on his radio show. I can understand why a big fan might want the tour dates. However, the radio song listings feel like filler.

There’s little of that you-are-there feeling that comes with most other biographies, like Say No to the Devil, the recently published book about the Reverend Gary Davis. Davis wasn’t interviewed either (because he passed away in 1972), but the author talked with countless fans, students and others who knew him. If you’re writing about a musician, tell us about late-night jam sessions, the grit of the road and lonely time away from families. Tell us the exciting process of writing the songs we know and love, something deeper than quotes Petty gave to Rolling Stone.

Petty’s always been a private man who’d rather talk to the press about his music rather than about his wife and kids, so there’s little about his personal life here. A few big events, like the arson fire that destroyed his house in 1987 are covered, but in a fairly straight-forward way; we’re never told crucial information like who might have set it or if they were ever caught.

There are a few fascinating stories, like the one about his record label disliking the album Full Moon Fever and telling him there were no singles on it. When he took the same tracks back to them six months later, the new people at the helm loved it. This was the album that produced hits like “Free Fallin’.”

Petty’s not a guy to shy away from issues. He wrote “Peace in LA” after the riots following the Rodney King verdict. The Last DJ is a collection of songs about American greed. Some thought it was about the music industry. Petty’s a long-time supporter of an organization that helps people with addictions. A few years ago, he and his wife showed up at an LGBT rally; they aren’t queer, they just wanted to show their support.

If you really must have everything about this phenomenal musician, get this book. The rest of us should wait for an authorized biography or at least, one by someone who really knew the man.

— Jamie Anderson