Tom Pettys progressive politics wont be forgotten
Tom Petty was the soundtrack to my childhood. His unique voice, with that nasal quality and a distinctive Florida twang, always sounded like it was searching for something, but that it was also resigned to never finding it. It was perfect for long family car trips in my dad’s black pickup truck. Sometimes the trip itself — sitting silently and letting the music wash over us — was more fun than the hiking or fishing plans we made. That seemed appropriate, since Petty’s music allowed us to sit in our pain for a moment, to fully feel it.
The stories and themes of his music were often vague enough that it could apply to a wide variety of people and experiences. But his music is still often considered “dad rock,” which I suppose is appropriate given the fact that every dad I know, including my own, loves him. I texted my dad the moment I learned Petty was hospitalized for cardiac arrest. But the idea that his music is only for white middle class dads, which suggests that it is never politically charged, doesn’t acknowledge Petty’s own progressive political views, which he never hid for the sake of making more money, or his willingness to learn from mistakes instead of bemoaning “political correctness.” It also misses some of the main messages of his songs and the ways his songs can be interpreted for a younger generation.
Tom Petty himself was open about his political views. Petty did not constantly speak about his politics or use his politics to sell his music, but he never hid his fairly progressive political views. In his recent tour for the 40th anniversary of his band, Petty showed a number of photos of a diverse group of women while he sang the song, “American Girl.” And whether he intended to or not, Petty sent a message of support to transgender people by showing a photo of late transgender actress Alexis Arquette hours after Trump sent out a tweet about banning transgender people on the military.
https://thinkprogress.org/tom-petty-05f4792a5d99/
