Tom Petty's music was a major part of the soundtrack to my high school days. The older guys on the football team always seemed to have either a TP album playing somewhere in the background. His music always throws me back to to that time. He'll be missed.
My first recollections of TP was in the Spring of 1989 when he released Full Moon Fever. I was finishing up 8th grade and can distinctly recall particular activities and hearing I Won’t Back Down. The same can be said for The Great Wide Open in 1991 while I was between my sophomore and junior HS years. I actually remember driving down a road in the suburbs of my hometown, Richmond, and hearing the radio playing Learning to Fly. Throughout all of the happiest and toughest periods of my life, his music was in my memory - not as my favorite band per se, but a distinct melody in the background.Originally Posted by Crawls
It was not until the past decade when I really began to appreciate the man as a song writer and positive influence on my favorite bands. I suppose the internet made it easy to learn about the guy and all he accomplished. I’m so very glad that I got to see him live a couple of times over the past 8 years; both times outdoors in Charlotte, NC. The guy attracts all generations and comes across as truely appreciative of his fans. I’ll miss him, but his influence on rock lives on...
I like my rifles like my women - short, light, fast, brown, and suppressed.
Toxicology report is in and the final Coroner’s determination is that Petty died of an accidental overdose involving multiple opiates and benzodiazepines. The family is trying to put a positive spin on the circumstances by stating that he was not an addict, and was prescribed the meds for chronic hip pain. I describe this as spin because Petty had a previous stent in rehab for heroin and at least one of the drugs in his system, acetyfentanyl, is a Scheduel 1 substance (i.e. not approved for medical use).
A more honest assessment of the circumstances is that Petty suffered from opiate addiction and died as a result his polysubstance abuse.
I like my rifles like my women - short, light, fast, brown, and suppressed.
Drugs do that.
Semper Gumby, Always Flexible
@Sensei: way to make me feel old doc. I remember buying "Damn the Torpedoes". On vinyl. When it came out. And I was in high school. "Even the losers" is probably my favorite track on that album.
Sucks about the cause of death. Unfortunately, drugs seem to be an occupational hazard for musicians, and have been for a long time. Too bad they can't seem to find a better way to fill whatever void they attempt to fill with that poison.
My brain is forcing me to consider, do musicians wind up with substance abuse problems because it's the "lifestyle", or is there some consideration given to the physicality some if not many put into their performances.
I'm reminded that, by way of example, Price's accidental overdose was due to him self-managing pain caused by performing. I'm also aware of Phil Collins' multiple ailments, allegedly due to his multiple decades of playing the drums. Are musicians, nay high energy performers in general, perhaps turning to chemical support, both "legal" and "illegal", to help them "play through the pain", with the statistical result that some overdo it?
^^^In a word, yes. Of course, some may also be trying to smooth over a long-seated mental pain, and turning to opiates to remove the emotional valence from their lives, but yeah, the long-term repetitive stress fucks up pro’s bodies. No doubt about it.
I was in highschool when MTV became a thing. I think they played Refugee every thirty minutes for a year. I was a fan from that point on. Too many of the truly original voices are leaving us, all too often for similar reasons. Soon, all we'll be left with are Taylor Swift and Nickleback.
We may lose and we may win, but we will never be here again.......
Shudder at the thought.
I used to like Nickleback but for the last few years even I can't defend them. Taylor Swift is nice to look at and I won't deny I think some of her songs are catchy. I don't know what the heck is going on with her latest songs though. Neither holds a candle to Tom Petty. My nieces were lamenting about their favorite whiny rock band breaking up last year, while we were watching Metallica performing on one of the late night talk shows.
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