you know who I miss?

[ian]

Tom Petty.

Tom petty was fucking amazing. I was watching king of the hill tonight (As I often do) and Lucky and Luanne were on. I stopped watching (the fact both of them are now dead was depressing as fuck) so I listened to some Tom petty tracks for the first time since his death and got more depressed.
I then made the critical mistake of putting on the traveling wilburys and was reminded that less than 30 years ago music lost the best voice to ever grace the planet.. After all this I started drinking about half an hour ago... I don't particularly care if I don't wake up tomorrow... to quote myself 10 days ago: "What's the point of a world with no Tom Petty?"

[Big Boss Man]

Tom Petty was and still is great. Music has sadly lost so many great talents and legends this past few years - Lemmy, David Bowie, Prince, George Michael to name just a few. I think you need to take solace in the fact the music is like a soundtrack to life that will always remain as long as music is played and there's life on earth. It often sadly takes an artist to pass away before we fully appreciate how talented they were and their influence on not just their peers and new musicians but their fans and music in general. Every time a Tom Petty record is played his music and he still lives on. Same with Prince, David Bowie and also Elvis, Roy Orbison, John Lennon, Jimi, Marc Bolan, George Harrison, Miles Davis, Ray Charles, Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin again to name but a few their music lives on and so do they vicariously through their music.

[Calavera]

I thought you were going to say Ace

[ian]

It often sadly takes an artist to pass away before we fully appreciate how talented they were.

With Tom Petty I didn't need him to die to appreciate how talented he was... I knew from a VERY young age I liked his work. I remember hearing learning to fly A LOT in my first year of Primary school. (It came out in 1991, and I started School in 1992) What can I say, my dad had good taste (for the most part AHAHA)
But Tom Petty's death is something different from the other greats for me... Roy Orbison for example, was completely different. By the time I was old enough to appreciate what his music was all about, he was LONG GONE. Roy Orbison is the greatest artist (By artist I mean singer/songwriter) of ALL TIME in my eyes.. ABSOLUTE FUCKING GENIUS songwriter, and a voice that made the songs written seem not worthy!!! but he was dead before I was 2...

Tom Petty though, he kept putting out great albums while I was growing up.. And if it wasn't albums, he was in King of the hill and guest starring on the Simpsons making a horrible season great.
Basically, by that time all the greats were putting out best of after best of and coasting on past glory (the remainders of the beatles, the rolling stones, Dylan etc) Tom Petty was still putting out new, great music!!

And that's why I am more upset by Petty's death more than I will be from ANYONE else's death from that period... He remained active and RELEVANT for my ENTIRE life, he never settled into the greatest hits lifestyle.. Don't get me wrong, I'll be upset when Lynne, Dylan, McCartney, Starr, Jagger, Richards, Wonder, Osbourne, Springsteen, Clapton etc die.. BUT Tom Petty was different!

Petty was supposed to be the last Wilbury!!! He was supposed to be the one I could see at the stage entrance in 20 years from now and ask for an autograph...
I've always appreciated Tom Petty.. So I avoided the radio and conversations about him for a few weeks... I am sure some of you remember some of my posts where I'd rage on about how he was great... But I can't SAY he's great anymore!!! because he has died, every person on the FUCKING PLANET is now the biggest fan in the world...

HEY IAN, HAVE YOU HEARD "insert popular Tom Petty song"... Yeah, I have heard said song, but I think it's not as good as (or better than) a different song on said album... Oh, I don't know/Haven't heard that song.. FUCK OFF THEN!!!!

[Big Boss Man]

I can't stand it when an artist passes away and everyone's their biggest fan. When Prince passed everyone was saying Purple Rain was their favorite song etc. The worst which was so so hypocritical was when MJ passed away and everyone jumped on the bandwagon. Before to be an MJ fan was to be ridiculed etc yet soon as he died everyone said how great and iconic he was. Yet before he was like a punchline to a joke. That was really infuriating because MJ was at one time a pioneer and the first artist to get black music videos on MTV with Prince. Billie Jean at Motown 25 was like a musical shockwave that turned him for a star into a megastar.

So yea bandwagon jumpers, fair weather fans etc really suck. I think real music fans are genuine since most fall into the same orbit. Like if your a Bob fan you like Bruce, Tom etc. Another thing which is infuriating is the "fans" who put memorabilia up on eBay at super inflated prices or buy things to just sell them on at triple the prices.

[Calavera]

So you don't miss Ace then?

[ian]

So you don't miss Ace then?

Kind of...

But I still miss Tom Petty.
More than a year, and I still actively miss Tom Petty.

To quote myself a year ago: "What's the point of a world with no Tom Petty?"
Accidental overdose is more sad than suicide or heart problems...

[ian]

Random youtube playlist came up with learning to fly!

I'm sad now! I still miss Tom Petty.