Tom Petty talks about Huey Lewis' music

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Murat, Jun 2, 2021.

  1. Oatsdad

    Oatsdad Oat, Biscuits, Abbie & Mitzi: Best Dogs Ever

    Location:
    Alexandria VA
    Been a lot of "Huey was fun and great - Petty was overrated - who was he to criticize???" comments...
     
    Bluesman Mark likes this.
  2. windfall

    windfall Senior Member

    Location:
    UK
    Well.

    Huey Lewis probably not in line to have a 4 hour documentary made about him by a well-respected film director.

    I'm not sure how many takers there would be for a book called "Conversations with Huey Lewis" where the vast proportion of the pages are dedicated to the craft of songwriting.

    I am not sure how many obituaries will mourn the passing of an American Great when Huey Lewis dies.

    I am not convinced that there will be dozens of artists regularly performing covers of his songs in their shows in the wake of his death.

    But I could be wrong.

    Long may he live, by the way.
     
  3. BornBeforeTheWind

    BornBeforeTheWind Forum Resident

    Location:
    Boston
    Of course, Huey supposedly has a 10 inch hog. So he has that going for him, which is nice.
     
    ARK, UHLawdog and The Elephant Man like this.
  4. windfall

    windfall Senior Member

    Location:
    UK
    Consolations.
     
  5. jbmcb

    jbmcb Forum Resident

    Location:
    Troy, MI, USA
    Tom is entirely free to have his own opinion. However, I think anyone in a position like that should realize that someone is going to call him mainstream sell-out over-produced garbage. And someone is going to call *that* musician inauthentic. And someone is going to call *that* musician artistically compromised. Once you go down that rabbit hole, you can never be "pure" enough, in the eyes of one group or another.

    Personally, I'll listen to Huey Lewis. It's catchy. I'll listen to Tom Petty. I'll listen to Johnny Cash. I'll listen to Metal Machine Music. I'll listen to whatever I like. I don't really care what anyone else likes.
     
  6. spherical

    spherical Forum Resident

    Location:
    America
    I always thought Tom Petty was a poor man's Mcguinn/Springsteen/Dylan wannabe. Nothing special, really. Typical "rock format" stuff. Had a handful of good songs, but one of the most over-rated acts ever. So, it's fun to hear him speak about "production line" music. But, who knows, he could have been a nice guy, too. But it all comes around, doesn't it? He was very, very successful and housewives and dads and teenagers bought it like he was something great. Still do. And that is what makes the world go 'round. Personally, I find it kind of fun when musicians talk negatively about others in their field of work. Then we all get to choose our sides and circle the wagons. If the music moves ya in a good way, that's all that matters.
     
  7. The Elephant Man

    The Elephant Man Forum Resident

    Yeah, Huey and Tom Jones.

    What's funny is that if Tom Petty were still alive, he wouldn't even remember saying that about Huey Lewis. It was one of a hundred thousand questions that he had to answer.
    There are threads about what Lennon said about ____ and what Keith Richards said about ____ and really who gives a flying $%#^?
    One thing I"ve noticed on the forum is that music and musicians that I've considered garbage all of my life and revered here by many people.
    So it just goes to show ya, one man's garbage is another man's treasure!
     
    ARK, Ryan Lux and BornBeforeTheWind like this.
  8. spherical

    spherical Forum Resident

    Location:
    America
    TP was NEVER perceived as punk, by anyone who knew what punk was, anyway.
     
    misterdecibel and Bluesman Mark like this.
  9. Kevin j

    Kevin j The 5th 99

    Location:
    Seattle Area
    Tom Petty is an all time great. Huey Lewis is a footnote. Not sure why this is even up for debate...as with everything, people have their opinions, but this has already been decided.
     
  10. Bluesman Mark

    Bluesman Mark I'm supposed to put something witty here....

    Location:
    Iowa
    True. However they did kinda market him that way a bit at 1st. Likely due to a few factors; the 1st 2 album covers had a slight New Wave/Punk appearance, & since he was influenced by the Byrds/Roger McGuinn, there was a jangle pop sound to his albums, so that fit in with the New Wave marketing at the time.

    Record companies will try anything to sell records.
     
    carlwm and jbmcb like this.
  11. jbmcb

    jbmcb Forum Resident

    Location:
    Troy, MI, USA
    You're Gonna Get It had more than a *slight* new wave appearance :)

    [​IMG]
     
    dee, Fullbug, carlwm and 1 other person like this.
  12. radickeyfan

    radickeyfan Forum Resident

    TP thinks the Monkees are one of the greatest American Bands in popular music history.(And yes, they are an American Band w/ Jones). So his opinion has my ultimate respect.
     
    olsen likes this.
  13. If I Can Dream_23

    If I Can Dream_23 Forum Resident

    Location:
    United States
    This is neither here nor there, as I respect both artists, but I own more (and would much rather listen to) Huey Lewis records than Petty's. So I'm not sure why Petty's opinion should be taken more seriously than anyone else's.

    We all are entitled to like what we like. Not just Tom.

    Best to not throw stones and instead just enjoy your own windows. For all of our windows are made of glass. :p
     
    Last edited: Jun 9, 2021
    ARK and BPMC like this.
  14. Kevin j

    Kevin j The 5th 99

    Location:
    Seattle Area
    it’s a Beck cover
     
    Fullbug, Bluesman Mark and windfall like this.
  15. Dave S

    Dave S Forum Resident

    Oops, I always forget Sonic Youth didn't have many hits (I think Sunday was their only one).
     
    Bluesman Mark likes this.
  16. Oatsdad

    Oatsdad Oat, Biscuits, Abbie & Mitzi: Best Dogs Ever

    Location:
    Alexandria VA
    I don't think anyone here claims the labeling of Petty as Punk or New Wave was accurate, and those classifications indeed look silly/bizarre 40+ years later.

    But that's where he occasionally got plopped back then!
     
    carlwm and Bluesman Mark like this.
  17. Oatsdad

    Oatsdad Oat, Biscuits, Abbie & Mitzi: Best Dogs Ever

    Location:
    Alexandria VA
    Sonic Youth had zero "Hot 100" chart hits in the US, though they had a handful on the Alternative chart.

    They did better in your neck of the woods, with 3 singles that cracked the top 30.

    I never realized they had any hits ANYWHERE - I always thought they were total "underground band" territory!

    Anyway, I remain pretty sure the "Hits Are For Squares" title meant to self-mock their lack of traditional chart success...
     
  18. drbryant

    drbryant Senior Member

    Location:
    Los Angeles, CA
    People say crap when they're young. Tom's gone, Huey Lewis suffers from hearing issues that prevent him from ever performing again. Let's let it go.
    Lots of people loved Huey Lewis. I don't have any of his albums, but I loved the use of "The Power of Love" in Back to the Future. So great.

     
    manco, ARK, Ryan Lux and 1 other person like this.
  19. Say It Right

    Say It Right Not for the Hearing Impaired

    Location:
    Niagara Falls
    Such disappointment when Lady Gaga wasn't on Pop2K. :shake:
     
  20. NightGoatToCairo

    NightGoatToCairo Forum Resident

    Location:
    .
    I'd rather be Huey, right now.
     
  21. spherical

    spherical Forum Resident

    Location:
    America
    You're right about that. The "new" stuff was either "punk" or "new wave".
     
    Bluesman Mark likes this.
  22. rkt88

    rkt88 The unknown soldier

    Location:
    malibu ca
    even at the time we referred to that as the "skinny tie syndrome". yes, marketing.

    so as i went about my business this AM i had a song echoing through my head that i had't heard in at least 25 years ( thankfully ).

    was it any of these gems i still remember and love?

    "Strangered in the Night - American Girl - I Need to know - Listen to Her Heart"??

    No!

    it was "Heart of Rock and Roll" by Huey Lewis and the News. ( DETROIT! ):pineapple:

    i hold each and every one of you personally responsible! irrespective of where you stand in this ( non ) debate. Ha!
     
    Bluesman Mark likes this.
  23. Dave S

    Dave S Forum Resident

    I've just bought the soundtrack.
     
    Fred1 likes this.
  24. Randall DeBouvre

    Randall DeBouvre forum resident

    Location:
    Illinois
    I hate to sir up the pot again, but I noticed something else. Bashing other musicians seems to be a largely male thing. Except for Joni Mitchell and a few gen xers, women don't seem to really participate in that kind of thing. Speaking of Joni Mitchell, while I don't approve of of her comments, she seems to get a lot more heat for her critical remarks then the men do.
     
    Last edited: Jun 10, 2021
    danasgoodstuff likes this.
  25. brinkeguthrie

    brinkeguthrie Forum Resident

    Location:
    SFO
    The hits that Phil and Huey cranked out in the 80s were prodigious. They tested great. Believe it or not, just because you're a big name doesn't mean you're popular. Michael Jackson and Madonna always tested poorly; their pop personas overrode the tunes. This was my station: wkrq.wordpress.com; that's my blog.
     

Share This Page

molar-endocrine