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 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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