Author:Mike Campbell
The story of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers has been told before, notably in Peter Bogdanovich’s lengthy Running Down a Dream film, and in writing in Warren Zanes’ biography of Petty, and Paul Zollo’s Conversations with Tom Petty. The story has never been written down by a member of the band though, and as Mike Campbell states at the beginning of his excellent new autobiography he never expected he would be the one to tell it.
From the introduction onwards it becomes clear that this is going to be a highly enjoyable and well written book. Campbell starts with the night of the band’s last ever performance at the Hollywood Bowl, the culmination of their 40th anniversary tour. With the sounds of ‘American Girl’ still ringing in his ears, Campbell searches for Petty to tell him how much it has all meant to him to be a part of this band for 40 years. But Petty, suffering with intense hip pain, had already gone home. A few days later he would be dead and Campbell would never get the chance to say what he wanted to say to him. “I’ll tell you instead”, he says.
Written with the assistance of Ari Surdoval, Heartbreaker is a compelling story that does not fight shy of revealing Campbell’s humble and poverty stricken beginnings. Some 200 of its 445 pages focus on those early years, meeting with Petty, the formation of Mudcrutch and the endless gigging in sleazy bars surrounded by strippers and prostitutes, playing for peanuts and constantly living on the breadline while other bands seemed to be hitting it big. The hardships and struggles of those years have clearly never left Campbell. He refers back to them throughout his book with a humility and gratitude for everything that followed that is rare and itself humbling. Campbell’s generosity of spirit and sense of wonderment at his own luck is matched only by a shyness and crippling fear of his own lack of talent. He has a tendency to blame himself for every setback and lives permanently in the shadow of Petty. Petty himself does not always come across as a particularly likeable figure. His stony faced response to Campbell’s plea for a greater share of the financial pie is a deadpan and dismissive “but I’m Tom Petty”, while Petty’s withering verdict on Campbell’s early efforts at a side project with The Dirty Knobs is a breathtaking “you sound like a bad imitation of me…..no one is gonna pay to hear this shit”.
And yet Campbell remains loyal to Petty and in awe of his talent through thick and thin, and clearly loves him as a brother. There are many wonderful passages in the book – his first meeting with his wife, the birth of his first daughter, the purchase of a rare Fender Broadcaster guitar, a meeting with manager Elliot Roberts in which Campbell and the other Heartbreakers are told they are nothing but sidemen to Petty, and their financial reward will be commensurate with their lowly status. Throughout it all Campbell writes music which he gives to Petty to weave his lyrics onto, obsessively pursuing perfection, constantly deferring to others, seemingly unable to believe that someone from his humble beginnings can possibly be playing in the same room as the likes of Bob Dylan and George Harrison.
The most recent 20 years of the band’s history, the death of Tom Petty, joining Fleetwood Mac and finally plucking up the courage to sing in his own right and releasing albums with The Dirty Knobs is dealt with fairly briefly in the book’s last 50 pages or so, but by then Campbell has said all he needs to say. This is an exceptionally well-written and highly readable book, even for those who aren’t particularly fans of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers. Mike Campbell comes across as a thoroughly likeable bloke whose feet have remained firmly on the ground throughout years of rock’n’roll excess. I’d go so far as to say it is one of the best music autobiographies I have ever read – and I’ve read dozens – if not the best of the lot.
Highly recommended.
Length of Read:Medium
Might appeal to people who enjoyed…
Mudcrutch, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Mike Campbell & The Dirty Knobs
One thing you’ve learned
The meek sometimes do inherit the earth.
Thanks for this review. For once, I might even buy a music autobiography in hardback as I can usually wait for the paperback, but Mike Campbell is different. He’s one of my very favourite guitarists , the epitome of a team player who can ‘shred’ but very, very rarely does – he plays for the song every time. Just writing the music for The Boys of Summer should guarantee his immortality but even there it’s telling that it was Petty who suggested he go to the major chord for the chorus.
Maybe he’ll always be in Tom’s shadow, but Mike’s how every rock guitarist should be. I joined an Americana band recently as a lead guitarist for the first time and I’m quite out of my depth. My starting point for every new song is ‘what would Mike Campbell do?’
I only saw Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers live twice and I was pretty disappointed. Felt they were phoning it in both times. However I saw Campbell with F Mac and his playing was excellent, very impressive.
Very good review
The review matches my expectations of this book exactly. I’ve listened to a number of interviews with MC and watched his excellent YouTube clips and he always comes across as a thoroughly decent bloke, modest and generous to a fault. Unlike most guitarists he’s probably a whole lot better than he thinks he is. His song writing contributions have always been excellent and TP always expressed his admiration for Mike – bourne out by his first decision in making his Heartbreaker free solo alarm being too get Mike in, even if he was too selfish to follow through with a fairer deal.
Every since seeing American Girl on OGWT back in the 70s I’ve been, and remain, a huge fan of his playing. That guitar part and outro. Just perfect. I wrote a positive review of the Dirty Knobs here a couple of years ago and they’re well with investigating.
From about 2’27”
Well your review has made my mind up. Book now on order – was very tempted earlier in week and you have pushed me over the edge.
Saw TP and the Heartbreakers on their very first tour of the UK and their very last gig at Hyde Park – his death was a massive shock.
Great band but it does saddens me that TP didn’t give the band the deal they deserved.
More than any other group I always thought they were a band of brothers.
Clue is in the name Tom Petty AND….
Yeah but Bruce Springsteen and the E Street is rumoured to have given each of the band the ticket receipts from a different venue each on their last tour.
Also understand that Costello is equally generous with his band members when he tours.
Just surprised is all.
Also TP says on the long documentary they did that when the record label only gave him the deal he just didn’t want to be a solo act, and that he needed the band. That band, not any band.
Mike Campbell makes that point in his book too. TP knew that only the Heartbreakers could read him well enough, and he wanted no one else to be his band, all of which makes his treatment of them at best surprising.
Springsteen’s recording contract was always as a solo act. E St Band are on most albums but mostly credited in small print somewhere. They don’t have any songwriting royalties either in general, so only fair they get a decent whack from touring. Bruce knows his appeal is more selective when he goes out without them
* They get full credit on live albums
Lovely review.
I recall him being very modest on the Rockonteurs. If I was him, I’d be telling everybody, “I co-wrote Boys of Summer, you know! Yes!” He was just “Oh, yeah, no big deal.”
Good for him. He sounds like a really decent bloke.
Saw them play (Friday, June 24, 1977) on the UK tour following the release of the first album – blown away by how good they were. Followed them ever since. I’ll look forward to reading this – thanks for a great review.