When guys like Lou Reed and Leonard Cohen slid away from us, I’d always fear the day Tom Petty would go, too. As a kid, Tom Petty was my obsession. His particular noise was the nexus that served as the jumping off point for a bunch of other noise appreciation. His gifts were many but probably most importantly he always seemed to remain grounded, honest, and sympathetic. Most remarkably his music was the one thing you could put on the radio in the car or at a party and everyone there would nod in agreement… this was the music to listen to right now… and belt out the words we all almost instinctively knew. As a kid I never stopped listening. I can’t imagine stopping anytime soon. Thanks for everything, man… it’s a debt I’ll never be able to repay.
“And you may think it’s all over/ but there’ll be more just like me/ who won’t give in/ who’ll rise again/ can’t stop a man from dreaming.”