Conversations With Tom Petty [Hardcover]

Paul Zollo (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2005

OFFICIAL AND AUTHORIZED! The first book to focus solely on the life and work of the man responsible for some of the most memorable rock anthems of our generation. Tom and Paul conducted a series of in-depth discussions about Tom’s career, with special focus on his songwriting. The conversations are reprinted here with little or no editorial comment and represent a unique perspective on Tom’s entire career.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This lengthy but highly readable compilation of interviews with rock star Petty covers every aspect of his four-decades-long career, from his first success in the 1970s blending the sound of the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and the Byrds ("I think we kind of invented the New Wave"), to his controversial stance on 2002's The Last DJ as a critic of the greed and homogeneity in the current rock establishment ("I wanted to write an album about what everybody thought but wouldn't say"). While too many of journalist and musician Zollo's questions to Petty about his songwriting contain phrases like "It's got a beautiful chorus," overall the book is successful because the notoriously media-wary Petty responds to Zollo's almost obsessive knowledge about his life, career and craft with articulate and intelligent answers that even nonfans can enjoy. Petty also provides insights into his various side projects, including backing Bob Dylan on tour ("It's a little like playing with a jazz artist") and playing in the Traveling Wilburys with George Harrison ("He wanted to be in a band, but he wanted to avoid all those pitfalls that a band has"). Photos. (Nov.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Zollo's far-reaching inquiry into rocker Tom Petty's motivations and memories achieves an intimacy that the publicity-shy Petty usually doesn't allow. It's a deeply satisfying career assessment, accompanied by an authoritative discography, harking all the way back to the early-seventies heyday of Mudcrutch. Thereafter came the prolific output of the Heartbreakers, the two Traveling Wilburys albums, and Petty's solo stuff. Petty speaks candidly about collaborating with George Harrison, Roy Orbison, et alia in the Wilburys; touring with Bob Dylan; and the exigencies of sustained pop-music success. Zollo seems to know as much about Petty's career as TP himself and, even if he's not guilty of downright softball questions, gushes appreciation. Yet, given the depth of coverage he plumbs, a little uncritical admiration seems a minor sin. Zollo--and Petty--have created a vital book about a pop-music star of the first magnitude. Mike Tribby
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Omnibus Press (November 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1844498158
• ISBN-13: 978-1844498154
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.4 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #286,430 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Insightful and informing look at Petty and The Heartbreakers, April 22, 2006

By 

DukesFan01 (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Conversations With Tom Petty (Hardcover)

I have been a fan of Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers since I first saw their video for "You Got Lucky" on MTV way back in the early '80s. I feel as if I grew up with the band, and it's great to find them today still going strong. This book merely reinforced my opinion of the Heartbreakers and its music, and more importantly, in the way they have conducted themselves over their long career.

What I enjoyed most about this book is that I was able to learn two different things: more about Petty personally, and more importantly, detail after detail regarding each major period in his musical career, along with the songs and albums that highlighted those periods. Each musical period is broken down, whether it is the Damn The Torpedoes period, or Full Moon Fever or Echo, and Petty specifically talks about what was going on during those times in the band, in the business and in his life. It was also nice to learn so many details on the usually quiet Heartbreakers and the politics within the band. Highly enjoyable were the sections on The Traveling Wilburys, which will make you want to join such a band after reading about it, and then the tragic look at the last years of Howie Epstein, bassist for the Heartbreakers who died in 2003. It was also interesting to get Petty's take on former Heartbreakers drummer Stan Lynch, who left in 1994, and who was a lightning rod in the band for many years, and hear how pleased he was (despite the circumstances) to have original bassist Ron Blair return to the band after Epstein's death.

The last part of the book runs through each album and allows Petty to discuss some songs in detail, which is highly fascinating. Above and beyond these touches, there are excellent photographs, many in color, and most of which I had never seen previously.

Conversations with Tom Petty is a highly enjoyable read because Petty seems to have been pretty weary of the media in the past, and as a result, has avoided long interactions with the press. Here it is clear that Petty is comfortable with author Paul Zollo, and that comes through while you are reading the book. The book is written in conversational style (it reads like a long interview), and as a result, you will find yourself unable to put the book down as it is easy to read and highly addictive.

This is a band that has never embarrassed themselves in the press or in public, and it's great to see their legacy celebrated with this publication. I appreciated the layout of the book as it gets right to the point: it's about the music and the business of being in a band, through all the high points and low points. Petty is neither egotistical nor boring, and it's refreshing to get his perspective on things.

Highly recommended for fans of the Heartbreakers or music in general.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very enjoyable read !!!, November 8, 2005

By 

Mr. Richard A. Nielson - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Conversations With Tom Petty (Hardcover)

I have always been a big fan of Tom Petty's music. This book follows the course of Petty's carrer and his evolution as a songwriter and musician using Petty's own words. The author (who acts more as an interviewer) has a knack for asking the questions that I wanted answered as well. I came away with the impression that Petty is a very sincere artist who, above all else, cares about the music. A fun and fascinating trip through a great career. Highly recommended.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars 5 Stars for a Hard Core Fan or a Musician, May 21, 2006

By 

Timothy Haugh (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Conversations With Tom Petty (Hardcover)

I am a dabbler in popular music. I like what I like but I by no means consider myself an expert. My knowledge of artists is also rather limited because I don't want my opinion of someone's personal life to play a role in what I think of their art. To wit, I tend to stay away from biographies of popular artists. On the other hand, I make an exception for autobiographies. I'm often interested in what an artist has to say about himself.

Of course, technically this is not an autobiography. But it is only Paul Zollo's book in the sense that he asked the questions. This entire book is a compilation of the author's interviews of Tom Petty and contains nothing but those interviews--no analysis, judgement, etc. Therefore, as a long time Heartbreakers fan, I decided to give this book a try. I'm glad I did because it is a fun and interesting read.

Admittedly, I enjoyed the first part of the book more than the second. I knew very little about Petty's life and hearing about his growing up and his first bands, his trip out to record his first record, was great. It was also fun to hear his opinions on his own fame and the people he met because of it. I always liked the persona he created in his music and I began to get a sense of where that came from.

The second part of the book had its pleasures too but, as a very amateur musician only, there was only so much I could get from the detailed discussions of the music, songs and albums. A true musician would probably have found this much more interesting. Still, it was interesting to get some of his feelings about his own work.

In the end, I'm glad I read this. I really felt I got an insight into Petty, his life and work (not always the case with musician's books). I'd highly recommend it to anyone with a real interest in popular music and for the Tom Petty fan, it is a must-read, of course.