Listen "California"
Episode Synopsis
There’s a quality to this song that I’ve only really experienced once before. It makes me homesick for a place I’ve never lived in. The other time this has happened to me was, coincidentally, also California. If any of you are Van Halen fans or even just rock n roll fans with an interest in the Pasadena scene in the 70s, you have to read the superb book Van Halen Rising. Easily the best rock biog I’ve ever read, written by an exceptional journalist and author and a wildly knowledgeable rock historian, Greg Renoff. Rather than being a gratuitous look at the excess of the hedonistic rock n roll lifestyle, Greg very deliberately builds a picture of Pasadena in the 70s in which the band was born and grew into the world famous act they became. Well, this song, in two minutes and thirty eight seconds leaves me with that strange sense of nostalgia and affection for a place that doesn’t shape any part of my life. You almost get that sense of promise and opportunity that California held for the early settlers seeping through the words and music that Tom delivers.If you want to check out the song ahead of the episode, you can find it here:To listen to the song, go here: hhttps://youtu.be/nhnDaykQls8If you want to watch Jack's video for Room at the Top, you'll find it here : https://youtu.be/uF9hyogNurUAnd if you're interested in checking out Greg's book, you can find previews of it here : https://tinyurl.com/mr26nxzyDon't forget to follow me on social media, like, subscribe, and please, leave a rating if you like the show.Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thetompettyprojectBluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/tompettyproject.bsky.socialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetompettyprojectYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thetompettyprojectThreads: https://www.threads.net/@thetompettyprojectAll music, including the theme song, provided by my very best friend Randy Woods. Check him out at https://www.randywoodsband.comThe Tom Petty Project is not affiliated with the Tom Petty estate in any way and when you’re looking for Tom’s music, please visit the official YouTube channel first and go to tompetty.com for official merchandise.A last very special thanks to Paul Zollo. Without his book, "Conversations with Tom Petty", this podcast wouldn't be nearly as much fun to research. And further thanks to Warren Zanes for his outstanding book "Petty, the Biography".Producer: Kevin BrownExecutive Producer: Paul RobertsSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-tom-petty-project. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
More episodes of the podcast The Tom Petty Project
10 Questions with Matt Burke
27/12/2025
Matt Burke (Have Gun, Will Travel)
26/12/2025
The Man Who Loves Women
24/12/2025
10 Questions with Sam Krishnan
20/12/2025
Sam Krishnan (Bye Lily)
19/12/2025
You and Me
17/12/2025
10 Questions with Shine
14/12/2025
Brian Ruskin aka Mental Health Consumer
12/12/2025
Shine
10/12/2025
Blue Sunday
03/12/2025
ZARZA We are Zarza, the prestigious firm behind major projects in information technology.