The divisive genre Tom Petty criticised as “bad rock”
The late Tom Petty was one of the most enlightened men in rock music. His heart fueled his captivating brand of Americana, which resonated so deeply that it appealed to listeners from all walks of life, bridging even the socio-political divide in his country.
Whether it was his groundbreaking decision to sue his record label MCA in 1979—a historic moment for artists challenging the economic might of the industry—or his more philosophical musings, from the moment Tom Petty broke out with The Heartbreakers in the late 1970s, he remained a significant and influential force until his passing in 2017.
It’s a testament to Petty’s impact as both a human being and songwriter that one of the most acclaimed figures in popular culture was struck by him. The late Beatles guitarist George Harrison, who played alongside Petty in the supergroup The Traveling Wilburys—which also featured the indomitable Roy Orbison, Jeff Lynne, and Bob Dylan—noted the tremendous spirit of his flaxen-haired peer.
Harrison held great respect for the ‘Refugee’ songwriter for never veering from his beliefs. He not only championed his friend’s “great sound” but lauded him as “one of the nicest people because he’s not full of shit, as they say”.
The shrewd Harrison proved many times how perceptive he was, and for the many of us unlucky enough to have never met Petty, we have to take his word on the matter. A true cultural behemoth who championed righteous reasons in music and outside of it, he led by example.
It is no surprise that ensuing men of the people, such as Dave Grohl and Eddie Vedder, have shared their love for him. You might go one step further, too. It’s not outrageous to posit that the humanistic slant of grunge’s most prominent figures can be partially attributed to the example Petty set from the summit of rock, despite the punk ethos being their original driving force.
One area that Petty made it clear he was well-versed in was the proliferation of music. He was fearless in trashing genres he thought brought nothing to the cultural conversation or, worse, were cheap knock-offs of something once so gilded. Although one of his most intriguing takedowns was of Sex Pistols frontman John Lydon, which saw him question the integrity of punk, there was another genre that he hated with a passion for its lack of heart.
He revealed this in the 2007 documentary Runnin’ Down a Dream. When recounting his and The Heartbreakers’ work as the backing band for country legend Johnny Cash on 1996’s Unchained, he took a potshot at modern country, a divisive form he is often connected to. Petty maintained that, of course, he and his band are interested in an array of Americana, but he was not one for contemporary country, which he described as “bad rock groups with a fiddle”. Clearly, Petty had the era’s superstars, such as Toby Keith, in mind when making this statement.
He explained: “We’re kind of interested in all kinds of American music. Pure forms of it. Not what they would call country today. Most of what they would call country today is just bad rock groups with a fiddle. The stuff that we liked was late 1950s early 1960s stuff. We’re a rock and roll band, but a lot of the roots of rock and roll comes from country.”
