Petty: The Biography
4 Stars out of 5
With the untimely passing of Tom Petty, I have spent a lot of time revisiting one of my favorite musicians by way of music and that also means reading about his life story. And with Petty: The Biography, you get a really good picture of the what the man was in and out of the Rockstar life. Warren Zanes does a great job in telling Tom's story. As I've read in press releases, this is the only officially endorsed book from Petty himself. It's well written, making for a very fast read. As much as I wanted to hear about Tom's backstory, I wanted to hear more about the Heartbreakers. I've been following Tom and his band since Junior High School and the band itself has been a mystery to me to some extent. Sure, I knew some stuff about them...but what is laid out bare in the book was pretty eye opening. Obviously the biggest think that Petty fans are going to want to read about is his relationship to Stan Lynch (Original Drummer) and needless to say, there is a lot to unpack here. I always knew they were butting heads...I just didn't know how much of a colossal dick Stan was and still is to this day. The mind games he would play and pit other band members against each other just leaves me scratching my head. I don't get the animosity he had toward Tom and then later Mike Campbell. You have the best gig in the world and yet you choose to sabotage the band. It's cutting one nose off to spite your face situation. Anyway, a lot of great stories for everyone involved: Benmont, Ron, Mike and Howie all get their time in these pages. The revelation that Stevie Nicks would have left Fleetwood Mac to join the Heartbreakers was a shock to me. Definitely worth checking out from your Library.