- 10 minutes ago
Stan Lynch from the Heartbreakers join us to talk about the 50th anniversary of the band and the comprehensive new box set, 'Origins 1971-1978,' out November 6.
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00:00Even when Tom phoned it in, we were jamming and he'd come up with, on the fly, he'd come up
00:06with 105 degrees or some song.
00:09We're just crapping in our pants.
00:12Where'd that come from? Yeah.
00:14And we're just making up, you know, we're just kind of boom-schmecking and having fun, making a joyful noise.
00:19Yeah.
00:20And Tom's at the microphone, and that's where the song is written.
00:23Remember, the song is written at the microphone, not on the guitar.
00:28Look, all that is contributing factors, but the rubber hits the road when the guy's lips open up and the
00:34microphone goes, there's your song.
00:38I am super stoked to talk to Stan Lynch today.
00:41You have always been my favorite, most rock and roll character in Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, and I appreciate
00:48that about you.
00:50Well, thank you very much. That's very kind. I appreciate that.
00:54First off, I want to offer my condolences. I know it's going to be 10 years next year already, but
00:59over your loss, over our loss, I know that there's a reason we're rapping, and we'll get to that soon.
01:05I know that your relationship was splintered and fractured toward the end of 94 when you left, but I would
01:11imagine your feelings have changed involving everything and morphed over these last 32 years about how that went down and
01:20about your feelings about Tom.
01:24Tom Petty Well, I'm not sure that was a question, but the answer is yes.
01:29It's, I think I know what you're, let me, let me, I'll try to, I'll try to expand.
01:35It's, yes, it was, with any band, you're going to get conflict and drama and over time.
01:46Tom Petty But the, the overarching experience for all of us, I believe, and I can certainly speak for myself,
01:52was tremendous joy and admiration and love, respect.
01:57I mean, without those guys, for me, forget it.
02:03You know, I don't even know where I'd be.
02:04I'm possibly, my backup plan was to live under a bridge, seriously.
02:09You know, and I've been there, I know what you mean.
02:11Tom Petty Yeah, I wanted to be a drummer, and I didn't want to be anybody's drummer.
02:15I wanted to be the drummer in that band, specifically.
02:19You know, Ben Mont, it called me and said, like, look, I want to put together some sessions.
02:27And, and I loved Ben, you know, I loved all those guys, but Ben and I were the closest in
02:31age, and we were the best of friends and still are.
02:33And so he is the, the catalyst that put that all together.
02:39I called Ron Blair, because I had always dreamt of playing with him, because he was just a bad mofo,
02:45man.
02:45Yeah.
02:46And then Ben called Mike.
02:48So really, that, that was how the band formed from old brotherhood, from old guy, you know, we all, all
02:55from Gainesville.
02:56Sure.
02:58So when my tenure with the band was over, I can't say I was happy about it, but at the
03:06same time, it was time for me.
03:08And I got a whole second act after that.
03:12Yeah.
03:12Writing and producing would have never happened if I just sat in that seat.
03:16You know, it would have never happened.
03:18And I was really not making the noise on the drums that they were looking for at that time.
03:24So what are you doing?
03:26I mean, what are you doing?
03:27Yeah, exactly.
03:28It's like, you know, right place, right time is just as important as wrong place, right time.
03:35You know what I mean?
03:36Yeah, I do.
03:37Or whatever.
03:38I mean, so, and then of course, when Tom died, I mean, gobsmacked, you know, and Ben's the one, you
03:44know, who called me.
03:45You know, because my, I still carry a flip phone and it was blowing up with messages.
03:49I heard about that.
03:50You don't text or anything, do you?
03:52You're not really a tech guy.
03:53I can honestly tell you, I've never sent one text.
03:57Now that's impressive.
03:58Yeah.
03:59I dig that.
03:59I wouldn't even know how to do it.
04:01Yeah.
04:02Proof.
04:03Flip phone.
04:05Nice, man.
04:05I dig that.
04:06No, I'm a Luddite by nature.
04:09I mean, I do, I'm a pretty, you know, I'm a journeyman engineer now with Pro Tools.
04:14And, you know, how everybody's had to, especially during COVID, we all got.
04:19But, yeah, Benmont gave me the word.
04:22He called me, you know, are you sitting down?
04:23You know, and it was like, yeah, man.
04:26So, I mean, I hit the deck just with all the memories.
04:30And then I sort of, it's hard to describe when you moved on.
04:35You know, I had literally moved on.
04:37Sure.
04:37But literally, I came home and turned on the TV.
04:41And it was like my old age.
04:43Just inundated.
04:44Exactly.
04:45It was so bizarre.
04:46And I'm watching the tube.
04:49And there he is, there we are, there I is.
04:53Yeah.
04:54And I'm just going like, holy shit.
04:56Wow.
04:57Heavy.
04:58It was.
04:59To say the least.
04:59Yeah.
05:00It still is.
05:01Sure.
05:01And when I get around the four surviving members, and then I still kind of lose it.
05:10Like, I just go, don't you guys realize that you're my Mount Rushmore, man?
05:15You're my, man.
05:17Right.
05:17And I felt the same way about Howie.
05:19You know, he was just a great.
05:21Yep.
05:21Came and talked about right place, right time.
05:24Yeah.
05:24And, but yeah.
05:25Such a loss for him as well.
05:27You know.
05:28For all of us.
05:29Did I just babble?
05:29Did you get it?
05:30Did I get it to you?
05:32Like, your question, whatever it was.
05:34Yeah, man.
05:35Of course you did.
05:36Yes.
05:36And so I would imagine when you say you get together with the four original guys, it's
05:40going to be quite emotional at the Americana Awards.
05:43You guys are kicking off the show, playing with Chris Stapleton singing.
05:49Yes.
05:49Wow.
05:51Yeah.
05:51I mean, look.
05:54The thing about rock and roll is it's always.
05:57You're, if it's good, you're working without a net.
06:01There's never.
06:02I mean.
06:03That's always the thing to be your style, too.
06:05You know what I mean?
06:05Oh, yeah.
06:07I'm way into it.
06:08I mean, I don't get me wrong.
06:10I do practice.
06:11I do the homework.
06:14I don't come like, you know, I'm not loaded, just hoping it's going to be great.
06:19Sure.
06:19Of course.
06:20But when I get there, I feel like the preparation, I've already done all that.
06:26You know, I it's like I have a gym, essentially.
06:29Like, and this is.
06:29Yeah, I see it right behind you.
06:31This is where I work out.
06:32This is where I do my thing.
06:34And so when I show up, I'm ready to let, let the, let it go.
06:40I just want to see where it's going to go.
06:41And I love.
06:44Being around those particular guys, because my impression of them is they are receivers and transmitters that, you know,
06:52like Ben Montage is transmitting, but nothing's getting past him.
06:57Yeah, nothing.
06:58I do.
06:59I mean, if I one little chirp or if I even like lay out for a second, he's on it.
07:06And I'm and the same with Mike and Ron.
07:09Those are so perceptive.
07:11And that's a lost art in musicians today because they, you know, they conform to the click.
07:18They do the, they kick ass, quote unquote, but they don't, it's like, I mean,
07:25it was best described to me as when the drummer counts for it's one, two, here we go, not one,
07:32two, here I go.
07:33Like, so to me, it's always been here we go, take that hill.
07:40It's very histrionic feeling to me, even to play ballad with guys this good.
07:45But I feel like it's really glorious to hear that noise.
07:49So I'm looking forward to it.
07:50It'd be great.
07:51I'm hoping that'll be a lot of fun.
07:54It's going to be killer, man.
07:55I mean, it's a reunion, a long time in the making.
07:58And it's to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.
08:01You guys are going to be doing the song, kicking off the show.
08:03And it's all leading up to this huge Mondo box set coming in November.
08:09Origins 1971, 1978.
08:12The first two albums, three more included, 88-page fanzine.
08:17And the first song off of this thing, I have, it's been on repeat here at the MaxiPad.
08:23Parade of Loons, killer title to begin with.
08:26And man, from 1970, the end of 77, 78 is when you recorded this, right?
08:31Okay.
08:32Look, I haven't seen the box.
08:34I haven't seen it.
08:34You haven't?
08:35No.
08:36Okay.
08:36Look, I'm like, you know, the musicians are always the last to know.
08:42Right.
08:42The people responsible are, yeah, I get it.
08:45Well, look, they've had, that's their, they've got a gig.
08:48I mean, they've got to assemble this thing.
08:49And, you know, there's a lot of, it takes a village to make a rock and roll band look worth
08:54a shit.
08:55I mean, it takes, I mean, it takes a lot of people doing a lot of work, engineers, crew, you
09:03know, managers.
09:04And they all are in lockstep and everybody is first class, they're a world-class group of people.
09:13And so, but yeah, but like, I mean, mostly all I can say when everybody tells me things are happening
09:18is like, go.
09:20Right.
09:21Hey, that's why we're talking right now to talk all about this.
09:24Yes.
09:25There's a bunch of unreleased songs, never been heard before.
09:28Parade of Loons, one of them.
09:29Another one, Depot Street.
09:30I think that's off the, the cutout, Ben.
09:33Now this album, I think it's from 77, 78.
09:38I'm not sure, but I know that everything started in Gainesville.
09:41You ended up in Tulsa working.
09:43Were you part of those Leon Russell sessions?
09:45Oh, you weren't.
09:45Okay.
09:46No, I knew Mudcrutch, but I wasn't in Mudcrutch.
09:48Okay.
09:49Right.
09:49They were friends of mine and we had played, you know, a few times together and I'd, I'd
09:57sat in with their band a couple of times and we all seemed to get along, you know, it wasn't
10:03like, but we all had separate working bands when we were kids.
10:08We were all, you know, it wasn't like these were hobbies.
10:11Even by the time I was 16, this wasn't really a hobby.
10:14It was my life.
10:15Yeah.
10:16And so.
10:16You're a lifer.
10:17It's what it is, man.
10:18It's, I had no choice.
10:20I had no, I had one trick and now it's it.
10:26And you wrote that pony till the end and you still ride it, you know.
10:29Apparently I'm still going to ride it next week.
10:32Dust it off and saddle it up.
10:34Right.
10:34I love that.
10:35So the band really came together in LA, but it's so weird because you were all from Gainesville
10:40and then it gelled in Los Angeles.
10:43That is correct.
10:44The first two albums.
10:45Yeah.
10:46True.
10:46Those are remastered, remixed.
10:48And there's even an old gray whistle test from, it's on a DVD as well.
10:55There's a DVD included.
10:56It's five LP, four CD DVD.
10:58And I think Bob Harris, who had hosted that night said, it's one of the greatest things
11:03they've ever witnessed ever to this day, you know.
11:05Whispering Bob Harris.
11:08That's how he was.
11:09Yeah.
11:10Described to us in London.
11:12Yeah.
11:12All that's great.
11:13I mean, it's, it's very out of body after this many decades go by, you know, but as soon
11:19as it's very tactile, once you, if I sit down and see this and I haven't, we did sit down
11:25and listen to a few of the remasters and it, it does bring a lot home and it's, see, I,
11:32I'm a people watcher.
11:33So I'm watching the guys in the band.
11:36Watching their reactions.
11:37Yes.
11:37And I'm watching Ron Blair going, wow.
11:40How did I, you know, like he's kind of.
11:42How did I come up with that one?
11:43Well, it's more like I got away with it.
11:46It's great.
11:47You know, it's like, and, you know, and Ben's sort of like everybody's air playing their parts
11:53because we don't, you know, look, you rarely sit down and listen.
11:58Do I listen to a, I don't, I don't, I can't tell you the last time I spun a Tom
12:02Petty
12:02in the Heartbreakers record.
12:03Sure.
12:03Probably in 1980 when Torpedoes came out, I, I played it for a couple of my friends.
12:10Yeah.
12:10I said, wow, you know, is, is, is, is this as good as I think?
12:14Yeah.
12:15It was probably the last time I actually had a, one of our records on my turntable, but
12:19you, it's ubiquitous.
12:20I get it though.
12:21I mean, you did it.
12:22You, you know, you, you want, you want to keep moving ahead.
12:24You don't want to relive it.
12:25I understand that, you know.
12:27Oh, but that doesn't diminish my pride.
12:29No, of course not.
12:30My, or even my, look, there's times certain songs will come on the radio and I'll just
12:36flat turn them up.
12:37Yeah.
12:38You have to.
12:39That's so fucking good.
12:41I'll just go like, you know, and she's kind of like, oh, is that you?
12:45You know, it's like, I'm like, yes.
12:48Yeah, that's me.
12:49That's me.
12:49You know, it's like, we're killing it.
12:51And listen, listen to Ben.
12:52Listen to, you know, it's like.
12:53Right.
12:54And I'm, you know, the truck, the windows are flying out of it.
12:57You know, it's, it's, it's fun, man.
13:01You can't go into a store now without hearing a Tom Petty and the Heartbreaker song.
13:05You know what I mean?
13:06Well, it's a very interesting.
13:08Yeah.
13:09Like it's.
13:10I mean, even my nephews and, you know, they're half my age or less.
13:16We'll be sitting there eating lunch and a TP song will come on and they'll go like,
13:22are you getting punked, man?
13:24You know, like.
13:25Did somebody recognize you?
13:27Yeah.
13:27It's like, I'm going like, I don't know, man.
13:29I think it just kind of happens.
13:30I don't know.
13:31Like.
13:32It's inescapable, man.
13:33Seriously.
13:34I don't think it's like a Frank Sinatra thing where you walk in the room and they start playing
13:38Fly Me to the Moon or anything.
13:39But I think it's, it's, but it's great.
13:42Look, it's great.
13:43And 99.9% of the people that engage with me.
13:49And there's not that many anymore because obviously, you know, physically,
13:51I've changed so dramatically.
13:53No, you know, nobody.
13:54You still look like Stan Lynch to me.
13:56Seriously.
13:56Well, that's cool.
13:57But, you know, but occasionally I get the, somebody will come up and want to wrap it down.
14:02And like I said, there's almost every time it's something very positive.
14:09It's like, hey, man, I was, I saw you guys at Pimple Creek and, you know, in 1902 and it
14:16was amazing.
14:16And I, you know, it was like my girlfriend went nuts and it's like, it's really good.
14:22It's very, it's comforting to know that the music wasn't mean spirited.
14:29It wasn't, you know, it wasn't pedantic.
14:33It wasn't like, you better do this or you're going to fail.
14:36It's like, it was pretty joyful.
14:39And you can pick up on that, especially in the earlier records.
14:42When we were flying by the seat of our pants in the studio, it was still a live band being
14:46recorded.
14:47Yeah.
14:48Those are the first records that I, of course, obviously feel the strongest about because
14:54you can really hear everybody's grease in the pants.
14:57Right.
14:58You can just feel like, oh gosh, if that guy wasn't there, that would have not happened.
15:03Yeah.
15:04And so, and yeah, I know they were hard fought and I know there's some bitter memories connected
15:10to some of those early records, but the truth is, man, that's, that's what you fight about.
15:15That's what made it.
15:16Yeah.
15:16What it is.
15:17Yeah.
15:18You don't fight about who's, who got the girl.
15:20You don't fight about the money.
15:22You fight about the music.
15:23Yeah.
15:23And there's no denying that Tom Petty's got one of the most distinctive voices ever.
15:28A very unlikely pop star, if you will.
15:31I mean, nobody sounds like that since then.
15:33And they never will.
15:34No, man.
15:35He would have never made it on The Voice.
15:37No.
15:38They'd have laughed him out of the room, really.
15:40Yeah.
15:40Well, that's what I love.
15:41And neither would Jagger.
15:43And neither would Dylan.
15:44Yeah.
15:45Yeah.
15:45I mean, it's like, so Tom.
15:47And you know what?
15:48I was always very proud of him that he never shied from it.
15:53Like if we were in the studio and playing something back, Tom would go to his vocal fader and turn
15:59it up.
16:00Nice.
16:00Yeah.
16:01He'd go like, look.
16:02He knew.
16:02He knew what he had.
16:03Well, he also knew this is what, look, I just busted a nut to get this lyric.
16:08Yeah.
16:09And it's a good song by God.
16:12And if they don't hear me, they don't hear my song.
16:15I'm speaking for him from it.
16:17I love that.
16:18But that's what I picked up from him was like, because I remember struggling one day with making a record.
16:26I was fighting with something on the kit and he looked at me with a straight face and he, you
16:31know, in that cool, he went, hey, Lynch, I already did all the hard work, man.
16:35I had to write this son of a bitch.
16:37It's like, so it's like, you know, how hard can it be?
16:41You know, all the pressure off.
16:42Right.
16:42Yeah.
16:42But it was like, you know, look, man, I already spent three weeks in my kitchen.
16:47Yeah.
16:49Agonizing over the lyric to make sure that it really resonated for him and it was soulful.
16:56Yeah.
16:56I mean, this guy, you know, and I took and I one of the last things I ever said to
17:01Tom was I took it for granted that you would walk in the room.
17:05With another great song.
17:06Really?
17:07I just I took it for granted after, of course, after 10, 15, 20 years.
17:13Because it seemed like they were limitless.
17:15Like, where is this?
17:16It's the bottomless pit of creative genius, it seems, you know.
17:20Well, the highest compliment you'll ever give a man is you make it look easy.
17:25True.
17:26That's the highest compliment.
17:28And Tom did that in spades.
17:32You never saw him struggle with us.
17:35And, you know, it wasn't until, and I told him this as well, until I actually had to try that
17:43job myself that I realized what a ball buster of a gig that is.
17:48Yeah.
17:49You know, here's your job, son.
17:52Empty sheet of your head.
17:54Yeah.
17:55Have at it.
17:56Fill it up with something amazing that we'll all remember forever.
18:00Wow.
18:01Good luck.
18:01That's a high cliff to climb.
18:04Well, that's Tom.
18:05And he did that 300 times right in front of me.
18:12I don't know.
18:12It's unbelievable.
18:14So, you know, like I said, I can only relate now down the line.
18:21I can go, okay, I've done that job.
18:25Of course, not to that degree, but I see what an incredible, I mean, boy, you got to show up
18:35when you do that job.
18:36You don't just phone that one.
18:37Mm-hmm.
18:38Can't phone it in.
18:39Yeah.
18:40No, it's, I mean, even when Tom phoned it in, we were jamming and he'd come up with, on the
18:46fly, he'd come up with 105 degrees or some song to be like, we're just crapping in our pants.
18:53And where'd that come from?
18:55Yeah.
18:55Well, and we're just making up, you know, we're just kind of boom-schmecking and having fun, making a joyful
19:00noise.
19:00Yeah.
19:01And Tom's at the microphone, and that's where the song is written.
19:05Remember, the song is written at the microphone, not on the guitar.
19:08It's, it, look, all that is contributing factors, but the rubber hits the road when the guy's lips open up
19:15and the microphone goes, there's your song.
19:18There's the part you're going to remember forever.
19:20Not knocking a good drum fill or a good guitar lick, but that's it.
19:27And when you just encompassed it all, that says it all, really.
19:29Well, it was wonderful to be in the studio and Tom would sing on those early records.
19:35If we took 60 takes, he sang 60 takes.
19:38No kidding.
19:39No kidding.
19:40Damn, man.
19:41Exactly.
19:42So he was, you know, I thought I was busting my nuts back there, you know, bloody hands.
19:49You know, he's got two little vocal cords and he's shredding to get the, and to get that passion.
19:57Yeah, the right performance.
19:58Well, the, he would, yes, he would perform a song in the studio.
20:02We wouldn't just make a record.
20:04Sure.
20:05That became, that came later, the art of making records and the producers had different approaches.
20:11But when he was in the studio and opened his mouth, you immediately knew the level of, of impact you
20:21needed to make on that song.
20:22Like if you needed to play loud, quiet, play a fill.
20:25Yeah.
20:27He, great.
20:28It was like, he was almost like an old school band leader.
20:32Yeah.
20:32It was almost like Duke Ellington, but it was all happening in this very organic level.
20:39And the fact that we knew each other and trusted each other so implicitly, nobody wanted, I mean, we'd give
20:44each other a lot of shit, but nobody wanted anybody to leave that room with their fly open.
20:48Yeah.
20:50Nobody.
20:50Right.
20:51Nobody wanted me to leave the studio and have a shitty drum track.
20:54Sure.
20:54Of course.
20:55There's a lot riding on this.
20:56I mean, you guys made it look effortless every time.
20:59Highest compliment you'll ever give us.
21:00Well, it's true, man.
21:01I mean, what a legacy, seriously.
21:03It's 50th anniversary coming of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.
21:07You're celebrating with that Origins 1971 to 78 box set, five LP, four CD, DVD, the Americana Awards, and that
21:16new song Parade of Loons out now.
21:18I can't tell you what a pleasure it's been talking to you, Stan.
21:21Appreciate this, man.
21:22Thanks for checking in, man.
21:23I appreciate all you do for us.
21:25Yeah.
21:25I've been a fan since the beginning.
21:26My dad turned me on to you guys way back when, and you were always his favorite member of the
21:30Heartbreakers as well.
21:33So cheers to you.
21:34Is he still around?
21:35No, he passed away seven years ago.
21:37Oh, man.
21:38I know that feeling.
21:39That's a bad day.
21:41I miss him.
21:42And Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers reminds me of him every time I hear it on the radio or play
21:47it on the radio, you know.
21:48Let him know we had a nice talk.
21:50Right on.
21:51I will do it, Stan Lynch.
21:52Thank you so much, man.
21:53Cool, man.
21:54Talk to you.
21:55All right, man.
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