Installment Vol.6 Page 3
One of the greatest pleasures was when MCA records asked us to showcase this new band whose record they had just released. “Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers”-- not to confuse them with Johnny Thunder’s “Heartbreakers”. They had come all the way up from Florida, and though they were not yet as known here in the north, they received quite an enthusiastic reception even among the punk crowd. Tom Petty had a fresh new sound with exceptional songs and an “in your face style” that produced big energy. There were many artists who influenced the 70’s scene at CBGB’s. Iggy Pop, The MC5, and of course The N.Y. Dolls. Poetry and fine art were also contributing factors. Rauschenberg, Lichtenstein, and Warhol were neighbors. Young artists settled in and around the east village such as Jamie Dalglish, Elizabeth Peyton, Jean Michel Basquiat had their feet planted in both new rock music and fine art. Allen Ginsberg, John Giorno and Jim Carroll were frequent visitors at CBGB. Rushdie, Havel, Sontag, Millet were habituates and many lived close by. The east village in the 60's and 70's was a nurturing ground for the arts just as the west village was in the 20's,and 30's.
Tom Petty photo © Dennis Callahan
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