Warren Zanes holds a PhD in visual and cultural studies from the University of Rochester. He was a member of the Del Fuegos, and continues to record music. His work has appeared in The Oxford American, and he has served as a V.P. at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and is currently the Executive Director of Steven Van Zandt's Rock and Roll Forever Foundation.
Petty and Zanes have decided to tell the unvarnished truth, and
the result is not only the definitive account of Petty's life, but
one of the best rock biographies in recent memory. --Rolling
Stone "Imagine a long ride on the tour bus with Tom and the
Heartbreakers where everyone was feeling loose enough to tell all
their stories. What a historic night that would be. This book is
that." --Eddie Vedder This fascinating biography of Tom Petty
was written by someone who deeply understands the rock n roll life
and the creative personalities it takes to create this classic
music. I wish Warren Zanes could write a biography about everyone I
admire. --Judd Apatow "Warren Zanes' writing is definitive
and thrilling, filled with hidden corners and inspiring truths...
as soaring and soulful as the great journey of Petty himself."
--Cameron Crowe "Tom Petty is a human-sized rock star, an
ordinary guy from Florida who quietly amassed an indelible body of
work, and created one of rock and roll's greatest and most durable
bands along the way . In this deeply engaging and highly readable
biography, Warren Zanes not only illuminates the enigmatic man
behind the songs, but he captures the human drama of being in a
rock band as well as anyone who's ever written on the subject."
--Tom Perrotta "This amazing book is a Tom Petty biography
(and it's great on that account) but it's far more than that. It's
an X-ray of the most fragile, most volatile, and most sublime
social unit ever invented: the rock-and-roll band. The alliances,
the distortions, the deep bruises and the absurd elations that can
never be explained to an outsider. Sure, Petty is a book about a
rock band but it's really a book about being human - how we meet
and collaborate, break up and make up, learn to trust (or not) and,
once in a lucky while, sing as loud as we can. It's a masterpiece."
--Stephen Dubner "Expertly researched and deeply felt, Petty
is also the first peer-to-peer biography: the life of one musician
through the eyes of a man who has prowled the same stages and
chased the same dream. Warren Zanes tells his tale in a voice that
is crisp and passionate, sympathetic, unsparing, and shot through
with hard experience." --Peter Ames Carlin "With insight and
rigor, Warren Zanes digs into the brilliance and ambition that have
driven Tom Petty's magnificent career. Zanes gets deep inside
Petty's life and songs, but perceptively, he pays special attention
to the fierce tenacity required to maintain the complex organism
known as a rock & roll band." --Alan Light, author of The
Holy or the Broken: Leonard Cohen, Jeff Buckley and the Unlikely
Ascent of Hallelujah If you're interested in the structure of a
band, in that world, this book is the Citizen Kane of rock and
roll. --Andrew Loog Oldham, manager and producer of The
Rolling Stones from 1963-1967 Marvelous, kinetic, funny, and if
you'll pardon me, heartbreaking...Zanes is never less than
entertainingly artful and sometimes breathtakingly graceful...The
author's most impressive feat may be the way he assiduously avoids
the salaciousness and grime that often accompany these kinds of
tales, and the candor he was able to elicit from his
subject...Electrifying but never flashy and always in service of
the song -- Zanes tells the story with artful brevity and a keen
sense of the necessary. --Boston Globe A thorough, well-written,
and expansive...look at the life and career of one of America's
most enduring and true post-'60s rock stars. More than any other
source, this book digs deep... Petty is likely to stand as the
definitive work. -Houston Press "A biography of a reticent
musician that will allow even his biggest fans to see him with
fresh eyes and hear him with fresh ears.... Zanes brings a depth
and empathy to the narrative that never veers toward
sensationalism... Though it attests to the artist's singularity,
this incisive, illuminating biography also serves as an elegy to
one of the golden eras of the classic rock band-of the days when 'a
band was everything, a shield and a shelter.'" --Kirkus (Starred
Review) "[A] balanced chronicle of Petty's career with the detached
delivery of a seasoned journalist combined with the intimacy of a
friend bold enough to dig deep beneath the surface of his own
personal musical hero...required reading for fans. Zanes's working
knowledge of band dynamics, in conjunction with his crisp and
concise writing, undeniably qualify him to tell this story of one
of rock's most reclusive superstars." --Publishers Weekly
(Starred Review)
Warren Zanes' exceptional rock-bio Petty is loaded with
compelling characters. Petty is the star of this book, obviously.
But the hustlers and disgruntled band members; hometown haters and
kinfolk; wives and ex-wives; famous friends and fiercely loyal
employees Zanes introduces us to all play a significant role in the
story of the man responsible for some of the most enduring music of
our time. -Salon "Zanes peels back the cool-guy exterior to
become the first person to delve into Petty's life story, making
for a marvelous read...so rich and thorough that it doesn't leave
much room for complaints or nitpicking ...It's a great piece of
writing by any measure, but as far as rock bios go, this is tops."
-Consequence of Sound "If you're into Petty, or the inner
workings of the life of any major talent who managed to get to the
top and influence the music of a generation, this book needs to be
on your winter reading list." -American Songwriter For Petty
fans who've wondered about the artist behind the music, this book
functions like a door being thrown open on the singer's musical and
personal lives. Expect eager readers from rock fans.
--Booklist
An intimate and insightful portrait
that can come only from a genuine insider. --Oakland Press Author
Zanes empathetically captures his subject's intertwined resilience
and frailty. --Austin Chronicle
[A] candid, compelling portrait...Zanes crafts a strong, studiously
detached narrative...It's intimate--interviews with Petty as well
as friends and family form a huge portion of the book's
substance--but Zanes keeps a careful editorial distance that helps
modulate his obvious worship of the man and his music...Beautifully
written, full of wisdom and reverence.--A.V. Club A rollicking,
reminiscent ride down memory lane. -Parade
Petty is not an authorized biography, though it is as
definitive as you can get. --Bergen Record "Petty: The
Biography reads less like a traditional rock bio and more like
a historically researched novel that chips away at brilliant and
flawed characters... Good music bios exist, but the concise tone of
Zanes' is unique... -Houston Chronicle Zanes is a terrific
writer and a thorough interviewer, and he manages to walk that fine
line between a "warts and all" biography and a compassionate
telling of the story of a man who dealt quietly with being in
charge while handling a series of personal challenges...An
entertaining book about a musician, producer and performer as well
as a portrait of the person behind the fame. --New Hampshire
Union-Leader Zanes elevates [Petty] from the usual rocker
biography...A powerful, riveting read, even for casual fans.
-Gainesville
Sun
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