Here's the big truth: I'm not much of a Tom Petty follower, at least not since Damn the Torpedoes back in 1979, and even then, what attracted my attention to the virtual exclusion of the man and band was a pressing need for self-pity.
"This old town just seems so hopeless" strikes me as resonant right now, at the age of 54, but at the improbably prehistoric period when I was 19, I had "my" girl -- very briefly, as it turns out, because she had a far better notion of her place in the cosmos than I did mine, and so be it. At some point amid the haze of drinking Wiedemann for breakfast with a fake ID while listening to Quadrophenia over and over on cassette deck, Petty's song became symbolic. In fact, the album's release almost exactly coincided with the breakup.
Now my Petty embrace strikes me as a borderline embarrassment, but then again many years have passed, and as I was recently tagged by a swollen head, I'm guilty of labored disillusionment in my old age.
Judging from Petty's 2014 release, he's gotten craggy, too, and quite frankly, I love it. It's a truism of sorts, but what's true about musicianship and every other artistic endeavor, as well as some others ("craft" beer?) that aren't -- there's that disillusionment again -- is that one cannot forget what he's learned. As observers, we like to go from "ragged but real" to "the lion in winter" while ignoring the decades in between. This is why the elder is praised for being old and wise, omitting the snarkier thought bubble: "But not as exciting."
This is why Petty's latest release is so interesting to me. Rarely do we encounter veterans capable of being weary old coots while at the same time conjuring some of that youthful verve. There is very little gloss, and lots of grit. "American Dream Plan B" might even be "Here Comes My Girl II: Still Don't Know Shit":
I’m gonna make my way through this world someday
I don’t care what nobody say
American dream, political scheme
I’m gonna find out for myself someday
But I’m half-lit, I can’t dance for shit
But I see what I want, I go after it
And my girl’s alright, treats me nice
Sayin’ nothin’ but a woman puts out that light
I got a dream I’m gonna fight til I get it
I got a dream I’m gonna fight til I get it right
Til I get it right
Oh well, my baby no doubt dreams further out
Makin’ moves to get us someway someday
Well my honey don’t trip, shoots from the hip
Tell me everything gonna be OK
Well, my mama so sad
Daddy’s just mad
‘Cause I ain't gonna have the chance he had
My success is anybody’s guess
But like a fool, I’m bettin’ on happiness
Yep. Still bettin' on it ... and still can't dance for shit. Rock on, Tom.
No comments:
Post a Comment