# I think Tom Petty (RIP) is overrated **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 14, 2017, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-tom-petty-rip-is-overrated/798783 "2017-10-14T04:22:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2017, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-tom-petty-rip-is-overrated/798783/61 "2017-10-15T21:52:35Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > **drad dog** , you’re welcome to come to the Pit: [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=839025](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=839025) > > Anything I have to say about you and Tom Petty is better said there. Maybe someday if you can title it civilly and within the rules here. Did you ever read your own posts and think that you might come across as “needy”? Is your identity that wrapped up in being the “music” guy on SDMB? This is your desiderata? If you knew everything you thought you did about music it still would come across as a very small ambition. You get offended when tom petty is disrespected? And prince? Who are you anyway? Big Brother? You’re going to make sure this town is clear for people of good intent who play ball and don’t say the wrong things when you don’t want to hear them? ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2017, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-tom-petty-rip-is-overrated/798783/62 "2017-10-15T22:13:28Z")
> [@drad\_dog](#): > > Maybe someday if you can title it civilly and within the rules here. > > Did you ever read your own posts and think that you might come across as “needy”? > > Is your identity that wrapped up in being the “music” guy on SDMB? This is your desiderata? If you knew everything you thought you did about music it still would come across as a very small ambition. > > You get offended when tom petty is disrespected? And prince? Who are you anyway? Big Brother? You’re going to make sure this town is clear for people of good intent who play ball and don’t say the wrong things when you don’t want to hear them? Yep, that’s me. The Little Music Guy on the SDMB. Protector of rockstars from big bad posters. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2017, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-tom-petty-rip-is-overrated/798783/63 "2017-10-15T22:53:51Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > But, as pointed out, his reputation was “Consistently popular and widely known rock guy”. Which he was both, selling out large shows throughout his career and having a catalog where most people could say “Yeah, I know that song”. Your argument, such as it is, seems to be “I don’t think he should have been popular because I don’t care for much of his music”. That’s nice. Doesn’t mean he’s overrated though. People rating him on the fact that he was in fact popular and widely known are doing so correctly. > > You’re seemingly fighting against a reputation that doesn’t exist. No one here was saying that he was the most technically brilliant performer or pushed the boundaries of rock or was a Noble prize worthy poet. People are saying “Yeah, he was good and I really liked his stuff”. My argument was this is what people are saying and this is what he has done. They didn’t do it so much here. But I heard it about. You heard me say something else? People rating him on his popularity doesn’t sound like it makes sense. Why would they do that? It sounds like a circular reasoning. I only want to talk about the music. There is a lot of room for rock stars to get overvalued. It’s not like it’s a rarity or a black swan. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2017, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-tom-petty-rip-is-overrated/798783/64 "2017-10-15T23:02:35Z")
> [@drad\_dog](#): > > My argument was this is what people are saying and this is what he has done. They didn’t do it so much here. But I heard it about. So no one here was making these claims but you want people to argue by proxy for people you maybe heard somewhere else who no one else here was aware of? Well, ok then! Good luck with that! ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2017, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-tom-petty-rip-is-overrated/798783/65 "2017-10-15T23:12:49Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > So no one here was making these claims but you want people to argue by proxy for people you maybe heard somewhere else who no one else here was aware of? > > Well, ok then! Good luck with that! I wasn’t soliciting anything. You need to stop with the scenarios. It’s not working out well. ---
**Author:** ![JackieLikesVariety](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackielikesvariety/32/296_2.png) [@JackieLikesVariety](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JackieLikesVariety)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2017, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-tom-petty-rip-is-overrated/798783/66 "2017-10-15T23:27:51Z")
:dubious: as an actor, at least, I suspect he was underrated. > [@](#): > > And the great stuff is so simple it wears less well as time goes on, for me anyway. for me, the simple stuff is so great it wears well. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2017, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-tom-petty-rip-is-overrated/798783/67 "2017-10-15T23:28:33Z")
> [@drad\_dog](#): > > I wasn’t soliciting anything. So you just wanted to whine about Tom Petty. Cool. ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2017, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-tom-petty-rip-is-overrated/798783/68 "2017-10-15T23:32:48Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > He also had the respect of his peers. That should count as much as his popularity with his audiences. Do you know what logrolling is? Just saying. My feeling about it is that they loved his ability to use a hash of 60s styles to make big hit records. And they were friends. Why would Bob Dylan not want to be in the wilburys with tom? This has nothing to do with the fact that tom did not bring an A songwriting ability to the table. He was still a great guy to have in the wilburys. ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2017, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-tom-petty-rip-is-overrated/798783/69 "2017-10-15T23:36:35Z")
> [@JackieLikesVariety](#): > > :dubious: as an actor, at least, I suspect he was underrated. > > for me, the simple stuff is so great it wears well. To me Gloria, Sister Ray, and Sugar Sugar are great. But when I go back to the TPHB LPs it just sounds like he was putting one over on us. **Hurt**'s to say it. Somehow it’s more than simplicity to me. It’s a little calculated. ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2017, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-tom-petty-rip-is-overrated/798783/70 "2017-10-15T23:37:42Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > So you just wanted to whine about Tom Petty. Cool. Do you have somebody else? ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2017, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-tom-petty-rip-is-overrated/798783/71 "2017-10-15T23:40:46Z")
> [@drad\_dog](#): > > He has an RIP thread. This is a different thread. The subject is his music, and not him as a person. And his music is well-known and reasonably well-liked. > [@](#): > > I have heard immense love for Petty in quarters where I wouldn’t expect it. Like freeform radio stations and college stations etc. It surprises me. I’ts not meant to hurt TP to point it out. It’s just notable. I do not understand why you consider it surprising or notable that people would say nice things about Tom Petty in the days immediately following his death. ---
**Author:** ![JackieLikesVariety](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackielikesvariety/32/296_2.png) [@JackieLikesVariety](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JackieLikesVariety)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2017, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-tom-petty-rip-is-overrated/798783/72 "2017-10-15T23:55:33Z")
> [@](#): > > But when I go back to the TPHB LPs it just sounds like he was putting one over on us. Hurt 's to say it. Somehow it’s more than simplicity to me. It’s a little calculated. you are just wrong, that’s all. ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2017, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-tom-petty-rip-is-overrated/798783/73 "2017-10-16T00:11:49Z")
> [@Lamia](#): > > And his music is well-known and reasonably well-liked. > I do not understand why you consider it surprising or notable that people would say nice things about Tom Petty in the days immediately following his death. Do you think that because his music is “well-known and reasonably well-liked” that I shouldn’t talk about him? I was talking about college and indie radio broadcasters comments , radio play, and the media, not people I overheard in a club. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2017, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-tom-petty-rip-is-overrated/798783/74 "2017-10-16T00:21:25Z")
Why don’t you go have this conversation with them? No one here can answer for your college and indie radio hosts. I bet they’d love nothing more than to have you call in with your insightful thoughts on the musical value of Tom Petty. ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2017, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-tom-petty-rip-is-overrated/798783/75 "2017-10-16T00:22:57Z")
> [@JackieLikesVariety](#): > > you are just wrong, that’s all. My current rave heroes in 79 were tom petty the cars, the talking heads. I don’t enjoy saying it, but Tom just seemed to burrow into the woodwork into the 80s, and not make the kind of hot shit rock records that he always talked about loving. YMMV I can recall many times hearing a TP song for the first time and going “here we go”… You just knew how the thing was going to sound in a few seconds. the teases and pastiches just make you think you’re at Woodstock or london or something, in the better ones. It’s not like he didn’t have the chops or the opportunity to compose under the best circumstances. So his mediocrity is notable. He could do whatever the fuck he wanted. And that was the best he could do. That is part of my claim of overrated. ---
**Author:** ![Biffster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biffster/32/339_2.png) [@Biffster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffster)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2017, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-tom-petty-rip-is-overrated/798783/76 "2017-10-16T00:23:10Z")
drad dog: what puzzles me is your need to knock him down a notch. Lots of people like Toby Keith, and though he’s not my cup of tea, I can respect why others like him. Tom Petty had a big influence on popular music, whether you like him or not, so I’m not sure exactly what it is you’re criticizing and why. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2017, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-tom-petty-rip-is-overrated/798783/77 "2017-10-16T00:23:58Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > Why don’t you go have this conversation with them? No one here can answer for your college and indie radio hosts. I bet they’d love nothing more than to have you call in with your insightful thoughts on the musical value of Tom Petty. You are the author of your conversation dude, remember? ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2017, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-tom-petty-rip-is-overrated/798783/78 "2017-10-16T00:25:14Z")
> [@Biffster](#): > > drad dog: what puzzles me is your need to knock him down a notch. Lots of people like Toby Keith, and though he’s not my cup of tea, I can respect why others like him. Tom Petty had a big influence on popular music, whether you like him or not, so I’m not sure exactly what it is you’re criticizing and why. > Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk I thought it was a valid discussion up for debate, and was not covered elsewhere. I was doing my part to make it a more interesting place. Why are you here? ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2017, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-tom-petty-rip-is-overrated/798783/79 "2017-10-16T00:26:03Z")
> [@drad\_dog](#): > > You are the author of your conversation dude, remember? Remember that line for the radio host. They’ll be impressed with how profound it is. ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2017, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-tom-petty-rip-is-overrated/798783/80 "2017-10-16T00:26:35Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > Why don’t you go have this conversation with them? No one here can answer for your college and indie radio hosts. I bet they’d love nothing more than to have you call in with your insightful thoughts on the musical value of Tom Petty. What would you be doing if you weren’t here? You ever think to invite me? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-tom-petty-rip-is-overrated/798783.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-tom-petty-rip-is-overrated/798783.md?page=5)