…is a comment I so often hear about Tom Petty, that it is almost a universal sentiment. And it’s not just by Petty fans. Whenever Tom Petty comes up in conversation, it is almost always followed by someone lowering their shaking head and saying, “I just can’t believe he’s gone. I REFUSE to believe he’s gone”, even after so many years.
It’s a sentiment I not only share but embody. I refuse to accept a world in which Tom Petty doesn’t exist. Fortunately, in a very profound and specific way we don’t need to live in that world. Tom Petty did something that is so rare in this world: he left a timeless, indelible legacy of joy with his music that makes him immortal. We refuse to accept that he’s gone because he isn’t. That’s not delusion, that’s not wish-casting - that’s art in its purest sense. For one man to reach out into the chaos of this world, create something ex nihilo, and present it back to us in the form of his unique artistic expression is truly timeless.
I’m sure I’ll have more thoughts on this before our next Tom Petty show. But I wanted to express the gratitude I have for his art before I went back to trying to learn the lyrics for “End of the Line”. Hopefully we’ll see you tomorrow for our tribute to Tom Petty and we can all engage in what we know to be true beyond a shadow of a doubt: Tom Petty is not gone.
~ Eric Brown
