Running Down Runnin’ Down A Dream
A while back I received an e-mail from Tom (Watson, not Petty) suggesting I review the Tom Petty documentary Runnin’ Down A Dream by Peter Bogdanovich that was being broadcast by the Sundance Channel. Absolutely, I replied.
Then life made its own demands. Running a recording studio is not conducive to any kind of regular television viewing. I missed it, missed it again, asked a friend to record it, and then The Legal Diva brought the DVD home. It was like Christmas.
I make no apologies for my unabashed gushing fandom. I love Tom Petty. I believe that he is the greatest American rock artist, and his band, which is very much a band in the truest sense, is the greatest American rock band.
So, what kind of review can I give? Certainly it wont be very objective concerning the subject, but I can be objective about the way the subject is presented, and that is what I’ll try to do…..when I’m not gushing.
Apparently Peter Bogdanovich was supplied with an enormous amount of archival footage, for which I’m truly thankful. As a fan, the first thing on my wish list for this movie was Mudcrutch footage.
Mudcrutch was the Gainesville Florida bar band that contained the nucleus of the Heartbreakers; Tom Petty, Mike Campbell, and Benmont Tench.
I was not disappointed, and was impressed by the editing job done to synch up live footage with studio tracks, a task usually bungled by non-musician editors.
The film tells Tom’s story from his humble roots in Gainesville to the present. It’s a film that could have easily been titled I Wont Back Down (after another single from the record that produced Runnin’ Down A Dream)), because that title sums up Tom’s career better than any other.
Tom possesses a number of talents, but without his single minded determination, his utter commitment to himself, there would be no career to document. From his naïve but successful ‘pack up the van’ approach to conquering Los Angeles, to his not one, but two legal battles with RCA, through his Heartbreaker trying solo album period, Tom managed to always do it on his terms, and managed to churn out the hits. He never compromised, and his results are timeless.
And oh, the stories they can tell. Every question I had was answered, and countless incredible anecdotes are delivered, many by Tom himself with the endearing candor that is such a part of the Petty appeal.
Everybody involved, with the exception of some grudge holding record execs, shows up to tell the tale. Is there bitterness? Yep. Is there drama? Yep. Joy? Uh-huh. Tales of excess and debauchery? Sure. But most of all, there’s greatness.
Four hours is a lot of movie, usually too much – see Branagh’s Hamlet, actually don’t, anyway, as previously stated, I’m a fan; I want as much as I can get. I do think that Tom is one of a small group of his peers that warrants such a lengthy run time, but the casual rock fan who enjoys concise VH1 type rockumentary fare might not want to watch it all in one sitting like I did.
The Legal Diva found the DVD on line at Best Buy for somewhere around thirty bucks. If it was simply a two disc documentary I would have considered it slightly over-priced, but I would have bought it anyway. Pete and Tom thought the same, and they gave us a third DVD disc of the 30th Anniversary Concert in Gainesville (about two hours), and a CD of the soundtrack to the film which is comprised of unreleased rarities and alternate performances.
I listened to the CD in the Mustang on the way to the studio so I could watch the concert DVD and hear it on the Event 20/20 monitors.
Damn……….
The CD is cool, there’s a nice take of Southern Accents on it, but the concert…..
Shit……..
Playing live is what the Heartbreakers have always been about. It’s about making that sound. Tom’s songs are just the vehicle – nice vehicle, but the sound is the thing. The sound comes from the Heartbreakers.
The set list is a very satisfying gamut running well paced seemingly effortless romp through the Petty canon. Surprising omission: The Waiting. Surprising gem: Handle With Care. Added value: three songs with Stevie Nicks. Most stupefying moment: It’s Good To Be King.
It’s all about the Heartbreakers.
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January 28, 2008 at 9:19 pm
[...] If forced to pick, I would have to select Tom Petty’s “Runnin’ Down a Dream†(well covered here at ...