Tom Petty once called himself someone who was “not into idols.” He surely has inspirations, but he rarely held them to that level of esteem. In fact, there are only two artists that Petty idolized. Find out which pair of classic rock icons got Petty’s stamp of approval, below.
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The Two Classic Rock Icons Tom Petty Idolized
You’d be hard pressed to find a rocker that doesn’t put Elvis Presley or John Lennon on a pedestal. Both artists did wonders for the world of rock–albeit in different generations.
Presley helped define what rock would be for the masses. Though he borrowed a lot of his sound from previously established acts, he helped bring the sound of rock into the mainstream–and there it has stayed since. Lennon similarly was era-defining. His work with the Beatles was seminal and his solo pursuits equally so. We’d venture to guess this pairing is on many people’s “best of rock” list.
When discussing who his inspirations were, Petty talked about the day that Lennon died in 1980. He was recording at the time and was just shy of getting a chance to meet his idol.
“His death hurt real bad, still hurts,” Petty once said. “Each time I see his picture or hear him sing, I immediately get pissed off that some fucking jerk could just blow him away. In fact, the only two people I have ever looked up to, idolized — Lennon and Elvis — are both dead. And I’m not someone into idols.”
“I was in the studio when Lennon died,” he continued. “My producer, Jimmy Iovine, had worked on a few of John’s albums, and Ringo was recording just down the hall from me. The day before John died, we heard that he was planning to come out and so something with Ringo, and I thought, Great! He’ll be right next door. When he got shot, Jimmy got a call with the news. We went on working for a while, then stopped. The spark was gone. It hurt for so long, it f***ed me up.”
Yes, the world continues to mourn the loss of Presley and Lennon–no matter how long it has been since their deaths. Their loss is still felt in the world of rock, but those that take inspiration from them help to keep their spirit alive.
(Photo by Jerod Harris/Getty Images)
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