Normally, I'd put some catchy rap lyrics in here to grab your attention. But with all the shit that's occurred in the past 24 hours, I figured I'd keep it a bit more solemn.
I got the news a few hours ago that the great Tom Petty had passed away. I immediately felt numb and I couldn't believe it. Instantly, I went to Spotify and loaded up a Tom Petty playlist for my drive to visit a client. Driving down the freeway on a beautiful day, listening to some of my favorite songs was cathartic. But it also brought a flood of emotions - some good, some not so good, but all precise in the memory evoked by all those years celebrating a man and his talent.
When I was around 10, my parents got divorced. As a young boy does, I desperately longed for my dad's approval and constantly searched for something that would bond us. He wasn't into sports, so that didn't work. I didn't like cars and wasn't old enough to drink, so that was out of the question. The one thing we found was music.
It started with Michael Jackson, Bruce Springsteen and Prince. After that, I discovered the classic rock of Boston, The Rolling Stones and Eric Clapton. But the one that stands out to me was Tom Petty.
My dad was an audiophile - he had a turntable with all kinds of vinyl, tape decks, reel to reel, CD changer and huge wall-rattling speakers. We always had music on in the house (it was a bachelor pad, after all).
My introduction to Tom Petty was Full Moon Fever. "Free Fallin'", "I Won't Back Down", "Runnin' Down A Dream"...it was so new for me. His nasal, Floridian twang, the blistering guitar, the rock star blond hair and that "I'm the coolest motherfucker here" swagger.
In high school, we had a projector in our football locker room to watch game film. At lunch, I would go in there to watch videos on MTV. I distinctly remember watching the video for "You Don't Know How It Feels" and thinking, "This guy even makes a harmonica sound badass." The Wildflowers album is etched on my brain - it's beautiful, diverse and perfect.
One of my favorite directors, Cameron Crowe, had the brilliant idea to feature his music in some of his notable films. Elizabethtown featured "Learning to Fly", which always lifts me up when I feel shitty. The scene in Jerry Maguire where Tom Cruise is driving his rental car while listening to "Free Fallin'" sums up Tom Petty songs for me. Jubilance, joy, being carefree and living in the moment. "You Wreck Me" is my favorite road trip, windows down, driving down the highway song to this day.
Needless to say, this, combined with the horrific shootings in Las Vegas last night, has made this a shitty day. Tom Petty's music will live on, so there's solace in that. I know there will be imitators and duplicators, but there will never be another original. I never saw him in concert, I never met him. But Tom was a friend.
I'll end with some lyrics to one of my favorite songs, "Wildflowers". They sum up how I'm feeling right now. Rest easy.
"You belong among the wildflowers. You belong in a boat out at sea. Sail away, kill off the hours. You belong somewhere you feel free."
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