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The Tom Petty Project

The Tom Petty Project

By: Kevin Brown
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About this listen

This is the weekly podcast that digs into the entire Tom Petty catalog song by song, album by album and includes conversations with musicians, fans, and people connected with Tom along the way.


Follow me on social media:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TomPettyProject

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thetompettyproject

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetompettyproject/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@thetompettyproject

Threads: https://www.threads.net/@thetompettyproject


(This podcast is in no way affiliated with the Tom Petty estate.)

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-tom-petty-project.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kevin Brown
Music
Episodes
  • Dreamville
    Oct 8 2025

    Tom is hugely proud of this song. In Conversations with Tom Petty, he tells author Paul Zollo, “Dreamville” is one of the best songs I ever wrote. That was about innocence.” And it’s this innocence that contrasts so starkly and so effectively with the corporate interference in The Last DJ, or the commodification of Johnny’s art in Money Becomes King. Without this contrast the more belligerent songs the album could easily take on a petulant tone but in Dreamville, Tom gives us that fleeting Utopian vision to measure cultural decline against. It gives us a baseline and a starting point in one melodic flashback scene, before we’re dragged back forward in time to devastating effect in track four.


    Check out the song here : https://youtu.be/ViczcWEHgaY

    And you can watch the live performance from the Olympic here : https://youtu.be/-JDlIKuDtvU


    Don't forget to follow me on social media, like, subscribe, and please, leave a rating if you like the show.


    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thetompettyproject

    Twitter: https://twitter.com/TomPettyProject

    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetompettyproject

    YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thetompettyproject

    Boneless Podcast Network : https://boneless-catalogue-player.lovable.app


    The theme song is provided by my very best friend Randy Woods. Check him out at https://www.randywoodsband.com


    The Tom Petty Project is not affiliated with the Tom Petty estate in any way and when you’re looking for Tom’s music, please visit the official YouTube channel first and go to tompetty.com for official merchandise.


    A last very special thanks to Paul Zollo. Without his book, "Conversations with Tom Petty", this podcast wouldn't be nearly as much fun to research. And further thanks to Warren Zanes for his outstanding book "Petty, the Biography".


    Producer: Kevin Brown

    Executive Producer: Paul Roberts

    Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-tom-petty-project.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Show More Show Less
    25 mins
  • Money Becomes King
    Oct 1 2025

    This disconnect between the artist and the audience is one of the subjects that Tom uses to explore the theme of greed that was the overarching construct behind the album. So this leads me to another quote from Tom in that 2002 interview that really does just get down to the nub of the matter. He asks; “How much money do you need?” And yes, I know that Tom was a multi-millionaire, but that was off the back of his creative work and performing for people. Can you imagine for one second him accepting the new model of dynamic pricing?


    Check out the song here : https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=I6Hzr3h9g0k

    And you can watch the stunning live performance from the Olympic here : https://youtu.be/o8_kNGRLPHE


    Don't forget to follow me on social media, like, subscribe, and please, leave a rating if you like the show.


    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thetompettyproject

    Twitter: https://twitter.com/TomPettyProject

    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetompettyproject

    YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thetompettyproject

    Boneless Podcast Network : https://boneless-catalogue-player.lovable.app


    The theme song is provided by my very best friend Randy Woods. Check him out at https://www.randywoodsband.com


    The Tom Petty Project is not affiliated with the Tom Petty estate in any way and when you’re looking for Tom’s music, please visit the official YouTube channel first and go to tompetty.com for official merchandise.


    A last very special thanks to Paul Zollo. Without his book, "Conversations with Tom Petty", this podcast wouldn't be nearly as much fun to research. And further thanks to Warren Zanes for his outstanding book "Petty, the Biography".


    Producer: Kevin Brown

    Executive Producer: Paul Roberts

    Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-tom-petty-project.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Show More Show Less
    30 mins
  • The Last DJ
    Sep 24 2025

    The specificity of the song got Tom into a little bit of trouble and the single was banned on a lot of stations who didn’t reach for the deeper meaning and saw it as a direct attack on radio itself. In 2010, Tom told Mojo UK, “Radio was just a metaphor. ‘The Last DJ’ was really about losing our moral compass, our moral centre. We don’t care who gets hurt any more in the quest for the dollar. That was what I was trying to say.”


    Check out the song here : https://youtu.be/6Knw_GxXPHg


    Don't forget to follow me on social media, like, subscribe, and please, leave a rating if you like the show.


    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thetompettyproject

    Twitter: https://twitter.com/TomPettyProject

    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetompettyproject

    YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thetompettyproject

    Boneless Podcast Network : https://boneless-catalogue-player.lovable.app


    The theme song is provided by my very best friend Randy Woods. Check him out at https://www.randywoodsband.com


    The Tom Petty Project is not affiliated with the Tom Petty estate in any way and when you’re looking for Tom’s music, please visit the official YouTube channel first and go to tompetty.com for official merchandise.


    A last very special thanks to Paul Zollo. Without his book, "Conversations with Tom Petty", this podcast wouldn't be nearly as much fun to research. And further thanks to Warren Zanes for his outstanding book "Petty, the Biography".


    Producer: Kevin Brown

    Executive Producer: Paul Roberts

    Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-tom-petty-project.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Show More Show Less
    24 mins
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