But the revered filmmaker didnt enter the project with extensive knowledge.
I called up my wife at the time and said, Whos Tom Petty?'
Thats the story, I told him, Bogdanovich says.
Credit: L. Cohen/WireImage
I said, I want to have you tell it like you tell me.
He reminded me of [actor] Gary Cooper.
Hes very American that appealed to me, being a first-generation American.
Typically were very interested in Americana, and Tom seemed to be particularly American.
Hes very much in the American grain, Bogdanovich explains.
Hes what I would call an American original.
His music doesnt remind me of anybody it just reminds me of Tom Petty.
It doesnt sound like anybody else.
The director suggests that Pettys anthems had a slyly subversive quality that contributed to their success.
He was extremely smart and could be quite outspoken politically, Bogdanovich says.
Tom was very much against a lot of things in his time politically as well as emotionally.
He had a great understanding of and an enormous sympathy for women.
That resonates through all his songs.
Plus, Bogdanovich recounts, Pettys integrity blazed trails within the music industry that linger to this day.
He was tremendously important, Bogdanovich says.
That was a big argument.
That song, I Wont Back Down, thats Tom.
When he makes up his mind about something, he wont back down.
He had extraordinary integrity.
Money wasnt the issue.
But above his music and career, Bogdanovich most fondly recalls Pettys humor and humility.
He had a very dry wit, the director says, and he was the opposite of pretentious.
