Tom Petty was an unexpectedly changed man when he made his debut in 1976. Although the genre he helped to pioneer, rock and roll was far from extinct, the punk movement was taking over as the dominant force. Tom Petty admitted he appreciated the raw energy of many rock and roll acts. However, he confessed the Sex Pistols’ brand of punk rock remained beyond his full grasp.
Even though Petty wasn’t as devoted to punk rock as his peers, he still possessed the desires of a young, famished child who wanted to always get even with the man. However, he also made some of his most significant career moves by penning classic rock songs in the style of The Byrds and The Beatles.
Petty wasn’t averse to getting heavy himself when the occasion demanded. Songs like ‘I Need to Know‘ and later standouts like ‘Makin’ Some Noise’ were released as incredibly entertaining barnburners. No matter how infrequently they performed with the lead, the Heartbreakers were first and foremost songwriters. John Lydon, on the other hand, was just a bunch of flash to Petty.
However, it’s not like that kind of story was wholly untrue. The whole point of Sex Pistols‘ initial rise to prominence was to mimic unprofessional musicians. They hammered away on their instruments, but that’s also exactly what made them so iconic. Steve Jones had more attitude than anyone else. He hammered those power chords in the opening to ‘Anarchy in the UK‘.
Petty told NME that after seeing their presentation, all he saw was a cheap band trying to capitalize on unsuspecting rock fans. “When we were here, people always approached us as punk, and we’d say ‘No, we’re a rock ‘n roll band,” he said. That wasn’t the case for us. After that, we were only exposed to punk rock and exclaimed, “Fuck punk!” To be honest, I’m glad we came here in 1977. I used to laugh so hard at The Sex Pistols’ antics that I got sick. You could purchase a paper every day, and outrageous events were occurring.
Even though Petty’s early jabs were all in good humor, there were moments when they became a little too intense. Petty even managed to get into a major altercation with Lydon during one of his first trips to England. The punk leader started calling him names for being a rock star. Petty almost got into a fistfight in the middle of the hotel lobby.
But that was always just a part of Petty’s identity. The Midwest rocker never said he was sorry for saying what he thought. Whether it was a punk or someone higher up trying to tell him what to do. In a business meeting, he prepared to take out his pocket knife and clean his nails to prove his point. No matter how strongly he felt about it.
Given all of the shenanigans the Sex Pistols engaged in at the height of their popularity, Petty resembled a true punk much more. “Punk rock royalty gained fame for expressing ire and engaging in outlandish behavior. Petty, however, was a burning fire amidst it all.”
