irrespective of whether or not one enjoys or once enjoyed the huey lewis band's output.. ( i enjoyed the sunset strip pastiche/parody of "heart of rock and roll" video clip as seen back then on mtv - ad nauseam ). but really. how could anyone argue with tom petty's assessment? lewis was an "ok" singer for what "they" were doing. but petty and his comment? - he's completely unambiguously correct.
I am a fan of Tom Petty's music, but he was not someone who should have ever been critiquing someone else's singing, if we can be honest. Feels like a cheap shot at Huey, but that's rock and roll, I guess.
In the 80’s, at the record store where I worked, Huey Lewis and the News were considered lightweight entertainment: music that suburban moms and dads were into and thought was ‘cool’ music. Nowadays I look at his music as lightweight entertainment and a decent Top 40 band. I don’t think Tom was off base at all.
i think of huey's "if this is it" as if pat boone tried to cover elvin bishop's "fooled around and fell in love" white bucks, and all.
This is the very definition of a 'tempest in a teapot', so I'm surprised it hasn't gotten more traction here.
So we use Tom's opinion as an opportunity to debate Huey... Love the music of both but suspect I would find their opinions pretty uninteresting - whether about music or something else. A bit of respect all round would not go astray.
I question the sanity of anyone who doesn't like Huey... innocuous, fun, feel-good music doesn't get much better than than HL&TN.
Was this an actual interview or some comment 'captured' while doing something else (photo session)? It makes a difference.
I know it shatters the belief system of music snobs (generally speaking, not calling you a music snob) who think their opinion matters the most, but suburban moms and dads are allowed to like music as well, and what they like is no less important than anyone else.
Tom certainly, and quite honestly lets ya know how he feels about things when asked. I don't think for a minute that Tom was trying to 'enlighten' anyone to the horrors of Huey, and how it can negatively affect one's sensory perceptions. No need to go burn any Huey cd's over it. I enjoyed many Huey Lewis and The News cuts in the past, without purchasing a single record. Music taken in it's necessary context helps a lot.
