# "Wild dog piano" in Tom Petty song?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wild-dog-piano-in-tom-petty-song/973637>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Tags:** music\
**Created:** [October 22, 2022, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wild-dog-piano-in-tom-petty-song/973637 "2022-10-22T17:44:41Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\
**Post date:** [October 22, 2022, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wild-dog-piano-in-tom-petty-song/973637/1 "2022-10-22T17:44:41Z")

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I was watching Petty’s “Don’t Come Around Here No More” and read the Wiki entry about it. In the personnel section it lists: Alan “Bugs” Weidel – wild dog piano.

Are they just having fun or does it actually mean something? I see it is also listed in the liner notes on the “Hard Promises” album referring to another song.

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**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\
**Post date:** [October 22, 2022, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wild-dog-piano-in-tom-petty-song/973637/2 "2022-10-22T17:53:21Z")

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Nothing definitive. From scraps I was able to google, I’m guessing Weidel was nicknamed “wild dog” and he played the piano.

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**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\
**Post date:** [October 22, 2022, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wild-dog-piano-in-tom-petty-song/973637/3 "2022-10-22T18:38:05Z")

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Sounds like it might be akin to the tongue-in-cheek “Stun Guitar” credit given to Eric Bloom on several Blue Oyster Cult albums.

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**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\
**Post date:** [October 22, 2022, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wild-dog-piano-in-tom-petty-song/973637/4 "2022-10-22T22:38:54Z")

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Weidel doesn’t play piano. He was Petty’s roadie. And he was nicknamed Bugs. “Wild dog piano” is just playing in a manner that even a wild dog could. From [Conversations With Tom Petty](https://www.amazon.ca/Conversations-Tom-Petty-Paul-Zollo/dp/1787601625)

> _On “Nightwatchman ” you thank Bugs for his “wild dog piano ” playing._
> 
> I think there’s a piano note in the middle. There’s a break, and a drum thing, right before the lick comes back. And there’s a piano note. I think Bugs hit that note because no-one else could. We were busy with other things, so we had him hit that note on piano.

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**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\
**Post date:** [October 23, 2022, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wild-dog-piano-in-tom-petty-song/973637/5 "2022-10-23T02:51:35Z")

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This could be a record! Attributed for a single note.