Tom Petty on Past Confederate Flag Use: 'It Was Downright Stupid'

[pokerfan]

The Confederate flag was the wallpaper of the South when I was a kid growing up in Gainesville, Florida. I always knew it had to do with the Civil War, but the South had adopted it as its logo. I was pretty ignorant of what it actually meant. It was on a flagpole in front of the courthouse and I often saw it in Western movies. I just honestly didn't give it much thought, though I should have.

In 1985, I released an album called Southern Accents. It began as a concept record about the South, but the concept part slipped away probably 70 percent or so into the album. I just let it go, but the Confederate flag became part of the marketing for the tour. I wish I had given it more thought. It was a downright stupid thing to do.

It happened because I had one song on the album called "Rebels." It's spoken from the point of view of the character, who talks about the traditions that have been handed down from family to family for so long that he almost feels guilty about the war. He still blames the North for the discomfort of his life, so my thought was the best way to illustrate this character was to use the Confederate flag.

I used it onstage during that song, and I regretted it pretty quickly. When we toured two years later, I noticed people in the audience wearing Confederate flag bandanas and things like that. One night, someone threw one onstage. I stopped everything and gave a speech about it. I said, "Look, this was to illustrate a character. This is not who we are. Having gone through this, I would prefer it if no one would ever bring a Confederate flag to our shows again because this isn't who we are."

More: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/tom-petty-on-past-confederate-flag-use-it-was-downright-stupid-20150714

[Eliot Rosewater]

1. Tom was a man, men can admit when they are wrong.

Not many men in the GOP

[pokerfan]

6. Yep

[SCantiGOP]

18. The inability to admit when one is wrong

is one of the textbook symptoms of a psychotic personality. Remind you of anybody?

[spanone]

2. Loved him and his Music.

[MontanaMama]

3. He was a flat out good person.

I'm so damned sad today. What a loss.

[malaise]

7. +1,000

a good person

[Honeycombe8]

11. Yep. A good person. And a big loss. So young to have a heart attack. The drugs? Genetics? nt

[MontanaMama]

12. Who knows.

I’ve known two people, healthy, fit had regular physicals who died in their 50’s from “widow maker” heart attacks. I hope he felt no pain.

[Honeycombe8]

13. I hope he felt no pain, too. What a loss. nt

[Ligyron]

15. Cigarette smoke a more likely culprit

[Honeycombe8]

16. That'll do it. nt

[SergeStorms]

21. Again, I think that has a lot to do with genetics as well.

I have two Aunts (Mom's side of the family) who are over 90 years old, and both still smoke over a pack a day. My Mom used to smoke, but two bouts with pneumonia stopped that. She just turned 91.

My Dad never smoked, seldom drank, was fit.....and he died at 69 of a massive heart attack. There was no history of heart disease on his side of the family.

I can't figure it out. I think if you're genetically disposed to having cancer and heart attacks, then your chances are much greater than others.

Just enjoy life while you're still on the planet, and don't worry about things you can't control. It doesn't help.

[Mariana]

20. The average age for a first heart attack in men is 66. nt.

[Honeycombe8]

22. Is it? Oh, dear. My brother is 66. nt

[50 Shades Of Blue]

4. K & R

[Tommy_Carcetti]

5. He was such a cool, chill guy.

For example, even after it was pointed out that singer Sam Smith's song "Stay with Me" contained a bar that was virtually identical with the refrain in Petty's "I Won't Back Down," instead of threatening a plagiarism lawsuit (as many other artists have done in the past), Petty's response was literally, "No hard feelings. These things happen."

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/tom-petty-on-sam-smith-settlement-no-hard-feelings-these-things-happen-20150129

[notdarkyet]

8. Today is Tom Petty day at my house. I'm playing Tom Petty, Tom Petty, Tom Petty

And on....I have a lot of Tom Petty. Very cool person. Sad he's gone but he lives on in his music.

[MontanaMama]

9. Me too!

Listening to his channel on XM and tearing up here and there. My 12 year old son and I are both wearing our Tom Petty t-shirts today. My husband, son and I flew down to Denver to see Tom in concert at Red Rocks earlier this year. I remember feeling uneasy about spending the money plus taking the kiddo out of school for the trip but looking back I am SO glad we did it. What a wonderful shared memory.

[mountain grammy]

10. I'll always regret not going to see him at Red Rocks.

So glad you did it.

[FakeNoose]

17. Awesome story! and great memory for your son too

When I find my Tom Petty gif I will post it. But for now, there's another one of my favorites:

[FakeNoose]

19. This is for Montana Mama

Tom Petty and Axl Rose singing Free Fallin' and it's from about 20 years ago.
(Sorry I don't know how to post videos, so gifs are all I have.)

[Honeycombe8]

14. +1. My heart hurts. A good guy gone too soon. nt