A review of Jon Scott’s “Tom Petty and Me”

Scott’s book provides a behind-the-scenes look at the music industry and a 40-year friendship.

One thing to know about me is that when I get really interested in a topic, I head down a serious wormhole in which I try to learn as much about the subject as I possibly can.

Such has been the case this summer with my deep dive into the music of Tom Petty, a journey that began by reading Mike Campbell’s Heartbreaker. (Find my review here.)

Jon Scott’s Tom Petty and Me provides the reader with an insider’s look both at Tom Petty and his rise to rock and roll stardom as well as the behind-the-scenes workings of the music industry — at least as it was prior to the 1990s.

A native of Memphis, Tennessee, Scott began his career in music as a DJ in 1967; in 1974, he went to work for MCA as a promo man, which is where he began promoting Mudcrutch, the first iteration of The Heartbreakers. MCA, however, was less impressed with Mudcrutch than Scott was and dropped them, which freed him up to promote a wide range of well known artists, including Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Who, Elton John, and John Mellencamp, who wrote the forward to Scott’s book.

Eventually, Scott moved on to ABC Records where he again crossed paths with Petty, this time as the front man for the Heartbreakers. You can read here about the accident that found Scott stumbling unto an unmarked and discarded copy of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.

He then proceeded through sheer guile and determination to get Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers on the radio, a move that seemed impossible given that the album had failed to launch eight months earlier. (The album cover made Petty look like a punk rocker, you see — the leather jacket, bullets, and smirk — so radio stations wrote it off without listening.)

It is not an exaggeration to say that without Jon Scott’s persistence, fans might never have heard the music of one of America’s great rock-and-roll bands.

From there, Scott’s and Petty’s lives intersected as the two became not only co-workers but also friends.

The book works on a number of levels.

First, it gives the reader a sense of what it took to break through in the 1970s music industry, including a look at the lengths record companies — and promo men — went to in a effort to get their artists on the air.

Second, Scott chronicles one of America’s premier rock-and-roll bands as he describes both the triumphs and challenges that went with being famous.

He is also careful to sprinkle in Petty snippets that make the book especially compelling: audio of Christmas ads Petty cut for radio stations; a clip of Petty acknowledging Scott prior to performing “I Won’t Back Down” at the Heartbreakers’ final concert at The Hollywood Bowl; and extensive readings from faxes Petty and Scott sent to each other back when faxes were cutting-edge technology. (Apparently, the faxes are reproduced in the print copy though since I listened to the audiobook, I did not have access.)

Such artifacts serve several purposes: They humanize Petty and allow fans to experience a different side of the musician; they give the book material that no other text has; and they establish Scott’s credibility as a narrator telling his version of Petty’s story.

That Scott is neither a professional writer nor a seasoned audiobook narrator is clear. However, as I’ve written before, I like authors to read their own books because I appreciate the intimacy that comes with a writer sharing their own story. On that front, Scott’s book delivers in spades.

As Scott writes, “This book is my way of saying thanks to Tom.” That point is always clear and, indeed, a strength of the story.

It’s not the kind of critical biography Warren Zanes has written in Petty: The Biography, but that was never Scott’s point. Rather this is about archiving a particular relationship at a particular time in the history of the music industry.

I found that Tom Petty and Me provided a new perspective on a musician I have long admired. In the process, I was reminded of the time when radio was the best technology for millions of listeners to hear new music.

If you want to know more about Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers from someone who believed in them even when most of the music industry didn’t, Scott’s book has you covered.

As always, thanks for reading —

307Renee

PS: This blog won’t always be about Tom Petty, but right now, he’s on my mind.

Revisiting Vinyl is an occasional blog that explores various topics related to music.