Rock & Roll: Howie Epstein
By Tom Petty
Rolling Stone #919 - April 3, 2003
Tom Petty remembers the Heartbreakers' bassist, who died February 23rd of a suspected heroin overdose at forty-seven.
The first time I saw Howie, he was in Del Shannon's band. He looked like a young pirate -- this cowboy-pirate from Milwaukee. He played the bass, and that was really great, but then he sang and just knocked me out. From that moment I was forever a fan, because Howie could sing that nice, clear, high harmony. When I asked Howie to join the Heartbreakers in 1982, Del was pissed off with me. Bless Del's soul, he said, "Wow, you can't take Howie." I said, "Del, I love you, but I'm taking Howie."
Howie always fit in with the Heartbreakers. Around the time we were playing with Bob Dylan, Howie really started to blossom. He felt more a part of us by then. Yet he told me not too long ago, "You know, I've never been hired. Nobody ever said, 'You're in the band.'"
Around Town: Music
Atlanta - August 2003
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (Aug. 13). Okay, so cheap wines age better than some long-in-tooth rockers. But with three decades of exceptional music-making under his belt, Petty is a rare exception. Arena at Gwinnett Center, 6400 Sugarloaf Parkway, Duluth; for tickets, call Ticketmaster at (404) 249-6400.
The Last Word: A Q&A With Rick Rubin
By Wes Orshoski
Billboard - November 29, 2003
'THE WORK WITH JOHNNY CASH REALLY CHANGED MY LIFE'
Say the name "Rick Rubin," and a lot comes to mind: his groundbreaking pairing of Run-D.M.C. and Aerosmith on the former's remake of "Walk This Way." His historic revival of Johnny Cash's career. His signature "Grizzly Adams" beard.
But more than anything else, the name recalls some of the most successful and important albums of the past two decades. Thanks to an impressive track record that includes hit albums by Beastie Boys, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Tom Petty, the words "produced by Rick Rubin" imply an extra level of quality.
Editor's Note: This is part of R.S.'s 500 greatest albums of all-time.
313: Damn the Torpedoes | Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers | MCA 1979
Rolling Stone #937 - December 11, 2003
With hair like Jagger, and a voice like Dylan in tune, Petty de-frilled classic rock and cranked up his bar band. In 1979, he filed for bankruptcy, then Torpedoes took off, mostly because "Here Comes My Girl" seemed to keep the promises those rock gods forgot they'd made.
R.I.P.
Rolling Stone #938 - December 25, 2003
Howie Epstein, the bassist for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, died on February 23rd of a suspected heroin overdose at age forty-seven. Epstein, who joined the Heartbreakers in 1982, had struggled with drugs for years. "You'd get angry," Petty wrote in Rolling Stone, "you'd get sad, you'd get indifference, you'd get passionately involved, but none of it was enough, and I don't know why."
Random Notes: You Got Lucky, Babe
By Austin Scaggs and Rob Sheffield
Rolling Stone #952 - July 8, 2004
While he takes the year off to write and return to the studio, Tom Petty is moonlighting -- he's taped four episodes for the next season of King of the Hill, which begins in September. Petty voices a character named Lucky, who earned his nickname when he won a $53,000 settlement -- enough to retire on -- after slipping on urine in a Wal-Mart. "Lucky is sort of a philosophical idiot," says Petty, who summons voices from his Florida childhood to get into character. "He used to work at a corn-chip factory, and there's an episode coming up about how Lucky won't eat a corn chip from a bag, because once you've had one right off the line, there's no going back." Also, "Lucky has now become Luanne's love interest," says Petty. "And Luanne is hot!"
The Rolling Stone Hall Of Fame: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers| Damn the Torpedoes | MCA, 1979 | ★★★★★
By Warren Zanes
Rolling Stone #957 --September 16, 2004
When punk rock arrived as a combative answer to the bloating and fatigue of 1970s rock, an odd thing happened: Bands that were interested only in plugging in and channeling Chuck Berry were cast in with Britain's latest rabble. It meant that the likes of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers found themselves the unsuspecting, amused ambassadors of a "new" music that, from their vantage point, hardly seemed new. They were just doing what they'd done down in Florida when gigging with Skynyrd.
Editor's Note: I only have an image of the cover; if someone would like to contribute images of the inside that would be appreciated.
Faces & Places: Former Heartbreaker rocks on
By Dave Schlenker
Gainesville Magazine - December 2004
Stan Lynch seems more than relaxed in his Melrose-area home.
On many occasions, the shoes are off and he's savoring one of the best waterfront views in these parts. The former drummer for TOM PETTY AND THE HEARTBREAKERS lives mostly in St. Augustine, but he is no stranger to the Melrose-area home he has owned — off and on — since 1979, when "Damn the Torpedoes" gave the Gainesville musicians their first taste of success.
At 49, his hair is much shorter now, and there's even a bit of pepper mixed in the former mane. But the sharp features that graced MTV and stages worldwide are still unmistakable.
The 500 Greatest Songs Of All Time
Rolling Stone #983 - December 9, 2004
177. Free Fallin' | Tom Petty
21 weeks; No. 7 | Written by Petty, Jeff Lynne | Produced by Jeff Lynne | June '89 on MCA
Petty and Lynne wrote and recorded "Free Fallin'" in just two days, the first song completed for Petty's solo LP Full Moon Fever. "We had a multitude of acoustic guitars," Petty said of the single's Byrds-y feel. "So it made this incredibly dreamy sound." The label initially rejected the album because of a lack of hits. "So I waited six months and brought the same record back," Petty said. "And they loved it."
Appears on: Full Moon Fever (MCA)