"Tom Petty’s Southern Accents (33 1/3)"/Michael Washburn [Episode 120]

Michael Washburn is our guest to talk about his book <i>Tom Petty’s Southern Accents</i>, part of the 33 1/3 series published by Bloomsbury Academic.<br /><br />Tom Petty’s album <i>Southern Accents</i> was released on this month back in 1985. This is my personal favorite Petty album but this book isn’t one that praises everything about this particular Petty recording. It’s an honest assessment of the music, which Michael says is "a mix of classic rock songs mixed with nearly unlistenable 80s music".<br /><br />Michael also gets into Petty’s use of the iconography of the American Confederacy, something Petty soon came to regret. But Michael also says <i>Southern Accents</i> is an important album for Petty; a pivot point in his career. I ask Michael about that and his examination of how the record both grew out of and reinforced enduring but flawed assumptions about Southern culture and the Lost Cause of the Confederacy. We also get into the songs recorded during the album sessions but left off, our favorite deep track from the album and more.<br /><br />Purchase a copy of <i>Tom Petty’s Southern Accents</i> through Bloomsbury <a href="https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/tom-pettys-southern-accents-9781501333446/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">HERE</a> <br /><br />Listen to all of Tom Petty &amp; The Heartbreakers' <i>Southern Accents</i> album <a href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5Uq6twLB32Xq4SYqkOXQFz?si=458ad75af89748bb" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">HERE</a> <br /><br />Find out what Michael Washburn's personal alternate tracklisting of <i>Southern Accents</i> is <a href="https://333sound.com/tom-petty-week-day-3-my-perfect-version-of-southern-accents/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">HERE</a><br /><br />Contact Michael Washburn at michael.a.washburn@gmail.com<br /><br />Visit the Booked On Rock Website HERE <a href="https://www.bookedonrock.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://www.bookedonrock.com</a> <br /><br />Watch exclusive video segments from the Booke