Ask a Part-Time Pettyologist -- THE SECOND TRY

[_random_]

I'm worried the signature turned invisible.

I can see it fine. The best way to ensure that it stay visible is not to make spam bumps.

 

[aimeeandbeatles]

I dunno. If I cant talk about Petty in A&E I might as well just leave this place. I dunno.

 

[_random_]

I dunno. If I cant talk about Petty in A&E I might as well just leave this place. I dunno.

You can still talk about Tom Petty in other relevant threads and you're free to answer any questions that are actually asked here.

 

[aimeeandbeatles]

But then the threads get locked. And nobody will ask me any questions

 

[sophie]

This works under the assumption that people will care enough about TPATH to ask these "specialty questions" (hint: they won't). Face it, Tom Petty was not "interesting enough of a character" (as in he didn't drive cars into pools, like Led Zeppelin did), nor did he have enough of a weird cult following to warrant interest in specialization (like the Grateful Dead, whose sheer content of concert output makes studying/archiving the Grateful Dead an actually legit profession).

In summation, Tom Petty is not interesting enough of a band to warrant a thread like this. Go become a Beatles or Eric Clapton expert, then come back here, and maybe we'll talk.

It may be relevant to bring this post back up at this time.

 

[aimeeandbeatles]

Theres enough experts on them already Id think. Petty is MY specialty.

P.S. How does driving cars into pools make one a better musician? Just makes you look like a fool.

P.P.S. I dont know what cult following means (that doesnt sound good) but Im actually studying TP&HB concerts. Interesting findings here. "The Best Of Everything" has an extra verse.

 

[sophie]

Theres enough experts on them already Id think. Petty is MY specialty.

P.S. How does driving cars into pools make one a better musician? Just makes you look like a fool.

P.P.S. I dont know what cult following means (that doesnt sound good) but Im actually studying TP&HB concerts. Interesting findings here. "The Best Of Everything" has an extra verse.

You missed the point. The point is that there is enough interest in those artists to warrant experts that people will actually want to listen to. Aside from you, aimee, no one on these boards is really interested enough in Tom Petty to care about your articles and research.

It doesn't. This has less to do with music and more to do with persona. Having artists which to crazy and interesting things, such as Led Zeppelin trashing hotels, or Keith Moon doing...Keith Moon-like things is more interesting, and therefore more compelling to hear about when people write about it.

Cult means essentially substantial non-mainstream following. An example would be the Grateful Dead, who were never mainstream in popularity, but had a very large following. As I said, artists like that have enough of a following, and not only that, but were such a monumental band in terms of influence, and show record, that doing research on culture and change over time is interesting enough to be a legitimate profession.

I'm not telling you to give up on Tom Petty altogether, no, what I'm saying is that if you want post about your research, and actually want people to pay attention and read it, you're going to have have to pick something more mainstream; a band that people are overwhelmingly interested enough in to read about. For example, if you posted an article about the relationship between Paul McCartney and John Lennon in the formative years of the Beatles, I'd actually read that, and I'm sure many others here would as well.

If you're dead set on talking about Tom Petty, I'd recommend you go broader. To give you an example, to specialize in just QSMS or Jefferson Airplane would probably wind up in a similar vein as this; they are not overwhelmingly beloved enough for people to care. Now if I, rather, wrote articles and did research on the psychedelic rock movement in San Francisco in the late-60s, mentioning the influence of Jefferson Airplane and QSMS in this movement, this might be something people would be more interested in reading.

You can apply this to Tom Petty. How about instead of talking exclusively about TPATH, you write some articles/post some research about TPATH in the context of the music scene in general in the mid-seventies. What else was out there at the time? What was happening? Who were the big bands? Who were the up and coming stars? Who were the groundbreakers? the underground bands? That kind of stuff would be infinitely more interesting, and would probably be something I'd be much more interested in reading.

 

[Plotinus]

On signatures - if you're really worried that your signature has disappeared, sign out and then look at the site as a guest, and you'll see what other people see.

On this thread - just posting "Does no-one have a question?" is spam, so please don't do it. The purpose of an "Ask a..." thread is to provide information to people who want it. If people don't want it, there's not much to be done.

On the issue of discussing Tom Petty in general - Aimee, as people have already said, most people aren't very interested in him. So they're unlikely to have many questions. You just have to accept that. You also have to accept that, while you're welcome to talk about Tom Petty in A&E (within reason, i.e. where he's relevant, and among other topics), you shouldn't base your entire interaction with other people here on that one subject. You say that if you can't talk about Tom Petty here, then there's no point talking at all; but why not? Why is Tom Petty the only subject worthy of your time? He's not. And I'm sure he wouldn't want to be either. I understand that Tom Petty himself got into music after watching Elvis Presley and the Beatles - but he didn't spend his time just talking about them or imitating them, he did something different. Isn't that a better way to respond to an artist you love? Music is supposed to be something that you listen to and enjoy; it's not supposed to be about obsessively collecting vast storehouses of facts that you then throw at other people. And I know that might be a bit rich coming from me as a blues enthusiast, but it's still true.

It's good to have an enthusiasm, but if that becomes an exclusive obsession it's not interesting to other people and it's not healthy for yourself. You should use that interest as a basis for branching out and learning about related things, as Owen says. For example, why not spend some time listening to the artists who inspired Tom Petty, and seeing where he got some of his ideas from?

I am probably as big a fan of Blind Willie McTell as you are of Tom Petty (well, possibly) but I'm aware that most other people aren't interested in him, so I don't bring him up all the time. What would be the point? A forum like this is a place to share ideas, and that means listening to other people's as well as presenting your own. People have posted lots of great music videos and other things that they enjoy and that others might not have heard of. Try following some of these links. If you expect other people to be interested in what you have to say about Tom Petty, it's only courtesy to show an interest in what they have to say about their own interests.

 

[Valka D'Ur]

And on that note, Aimee (sorry, no pun intended), I am directing you to stop bumping this thread. People are becoming annoyed and the bickering is putting this thread in danger of being closed.

I suggest you think carefully about what Owen Glyndwr and Plotinus say in their last posts here: Tom Petty may be interesting in and of himself, but he is part of the wider world of music. If you do some research on some aspect of that and write up an essay for us to read, you will not only teach us something, but you will benefit yourself as well. Think of it as an extra-curricular suggestion, if you like (yes, I did used to be a teacher ).

Everybody else: Knock off the sniping and complaining, or there may be infractions handed out. All of us are entitled to our various interests, and I daresay there isn't a single person here who hasn't gotten into something that they find fascinating that the people around them do not find fascinating.

The next post in this thread had better be somebody asking a legitimate question that is on-topic...

 

[aimeeandbeatles]

Right now I'm compiling a list of covers (songs by other artists) that TP&HB have done. Nowhere near done yet. If there's any interest I may post it later, but it's not ready.

If anyone wants to see the work-in-progress, make a post. Some interesting finds, to say the least.

Currently at 73 covers, still have to do some passes through albums, concert reviews, etc. And figure out all the original artists.

EDIT: Well, maybe 72. Still debating on whether "Handle With Care" should be counted as a cover.

 

[_random_]

EDIT: Well, maybe 72. Still debating on whether "Handle With Care" should be counted as a cover.

Why is that in dispute?

 

[aimeeandbeatles]

Why is that in dispute?

Well TP was a member of the Wilburys. But I guess it is a cover.

I think they (the HBs) also did "End of the Line" at some point. But Im not 100% sure.

I'd post the list now but I'd rather not embarrass myself if theres any mistakes on it.

A bit of trivia: Unless you count the Official Live 'Leg, they actually didn't release any covers until Pack Up The Plantation -- Live! (a live album ). After that ... there was one on Full Moon Fever, one on Greatest Hits, a few on Playback and a few others sprinkled throughout the other studio albums. Studio covers aren't very common with TP&HB.

 

[sophie]

Well TP was a member of the Wilburys. But I guess it is a cover.

I think they (the HBs) also did "End of the Line" at some point. But Im not 100% sure.

I'd post the list now but I'd rather not embarrass myself if theres any mistakes on it.

A bit of trivia: Unless you count the Official Live 'Leg, they actually didn't release any covers until Pack Up The Plantation -- Live! (a live album ). After that ... there was one on Full Moon Fever, one on Greatest Hits, a few on Playback and a few others sprinkled throughout the other studio albums. Studio covers aren't very common with TP&HB.

End of the line is in Traveling Wilburys, vol. 1 dawg, and TP doesn't even sing it, it's George Harrison on lead vocals.

 

[aimeeandbeatles]

End of the line is in Traveling Wilburys, vol. 1 dawg, and TP doesn't even sing it, it's George Harrison on lead vocals.

I know that. I meant in concert.

EDIT: And I completely missed the Live Anthology. That was dumb of me.

 

[aimeeandbeatles]

Just hit 100 covers. Including "Happy Birthday." It was on some of the Fillmore set lists to various Heartbreakers.

Decided the Wilburys songs should be counted as covers.

 

[sophie]

For Wilbury songs and covers, I think the key is looking at a.) Who wrote the song, and b.) who sings lead vocals.

For example, I wouldn't consider songs Jerry Garcia wrote and played on his solo albums, and then later played at Grateful Dead concerts (The Wheel, Deal, They Love Each Other, Comes a Time, etc) to be covers.

 

[aimeeandbeatles]

Well, Petty does sing some verses on "End of the Line." And the Heartbreakers did do it at concert. So there's another one cleared up.

 

[sophie]

Well, Petty does sing some verses on "End of the Line." And the Heartbreakers did do it at concert. So there's another one cleared up.

But I don't think he's attributed to writing it, and he doesn't sing lead in the original. George Harrison does.

 

[aimeeandbeatles]

Actually, all the Wilburys songs were attributed to them all. And he sings at least two verses, memory's a little shaky at the moment.

 

[sophie]

Actually, all the Wilburys songs were attributed to them all. And he sings at least two verses, memory's a little shaky at the moment.

Bob Dylan sings a few verses, as does Orbison. Harrison sings the lead though, just as he does with Handle With Care.