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The True Godfathers of Punk Part 4: Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers
One label that made the rounds at the Mabuhay Gardens (and the Music Press) in San Francisco to describe posers was "Plastic Punks.” The term now has a modern meaning denoting a band or artist who attempts to emulate the 70s punks and falls short. Although, in fairness, it's not clear who has the authority or cachet to apply that label on others, particularly older Punk fans applying that term to younger bands. That sort of judgment smacks of old farts crabbing about the good old days.
The definition of what a punk was in dispute in 1977, though I should add that much of that debate was over points that now seem now elitist or quasi-religious. The Punk term was quickly superseded by "New Wave" probably because many of the First Wave felt the music was more about attitude (and the desire to distance themselves from the fashion craze that immediately sprung up, which included ripped t-shirts, safety pins, and spiked hair).
One of the Bands who identified as New Wave, although that's not mentioned in many of their later biographies (by writers, not them) was Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. They were never labeled as Plastic Punks because they were actually part of the first wave. In fact, they even played at CBGB's in New York along with Patti Smith and others. Also in interviews, Petty made no secret of his sympathy for Punk sensibilities. If you Google it, it's well documented.
Although Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers quickly moved towards the mainstream by their third album, their first album in 1976 was promoted as part of the New Wave and it's still my favorite Tom Petty album.
The record was important because it produced two of the first breakthrough hits for the new genre, which was of course, "Breakdown" and "American Girl." Both hardly need explanation, and we now live in an era where one can just check a cut out on a streaming service. So, if you don't know either song, definitely go and check the two cuts out (and I'll spare you the usual hosanna-wowza AI generated rock critic description gleaned from press releases).
They went on to mainstream success with their third album, "Damn the Torpedoes," but I still find the first the freshest. It brings up a lot of good memories because it's the Petty album I listened to most at the time.
My personal favorites are "Hometown Blues" and "Anything That's Rock and Roll." The former is a catchy, medium tempo, country rock song I still keep on my iPod and playlists. The latter is similar to Eric Carmen's "That's Rock and Roll," both being unpretentious stripped-down anthems that didn't need to be played at high volume to move the spirit (though, cranking it up adds to the experience).
A few decades down the line it's obvious that Punk evolved into several sub-genres. In other words, there is really no one single Punk image or sensibility that defines the movement. I think the best description is that "Every generation," as the Rock great Todd Rundgren once said, "rediscovers rock and roll." Punk was just part of the usual music cycle where the next younger generation discovers rock and roll and finds a way to blow past the Gatekeepers protecting the interests of the previous rebels who've become chonky cats.
The music business is once again centered around big stars, huge spectacles and expensive seats; it's about time for another Punk Movement.
- Al Handa
April 1, 2024
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