The Tom Petty Project

Latest Episodes:

Hitting the Highway Feb 11, 2026

Show notes

There’s a languidity that floats through a lot of this record; Square One, Night Driver, Turn this Car Around, This Old Down, and The Golden Rose... These are songs to cruise to. They’re songs to be chewed on and savoured rather than hastily gulped down. You can feel the evening sun warming your skin as you drive, with the top down, listening to this album before arriving at a house in the woods, where you the songs become much more a cellar aged cognac in front of the fire than they are a light beer on the patio. There’s a depth and colour to the album overall that ties the whole together sonically rather than thematically.

Check out the "Eat the Pudding" Podcast here!

Acast: https://shows.acast.com/eat-the-pudding-a-simpsons-podcast

Apple: https://tinyurl.com/ymbu2asm

Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/3hun8j36

Don't forget to follow me on social media, like, subscribe, and please, leave a rating if you like the show.

Follow: https://linktr.ee/tompettyproject

Listen: https://pod.link/1580769475

All music, including the theme song, provided by my very best friend Randy Woods. Check him out at https://www.randywoodsband.com

A special thanks to Paul Zollo. Without his book, "Conversations with Tom Petty", this podcast wouldn't be nearly as much fun to research.

The Tom Petty Project is not affiliated with the Tom Petty estate in any way.

Producer: Kevin Brown

Executive Producers: Paul Roberts, Steve Ursell

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-tom-petty-project.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Last DJ (with John Paulsen) Feb 04, 2026

Show notes

The wonderful John Paulsen is back to talk all things Last DJ! John actually saw one of the two dates at the Olympic, so I get to ask him about that, we dive into the potential reasons why we've never had any previously unreleased tracks surface from this album (including the mysterious Maggie song!), and why half a concept album might not have landed with a wider listening audience. As always, this was an incredibly enjoyable chat and I hope you dig it as much as I did!

If you want to find John, you can catch him over on Bluesky at: https://bsky.app/profile/4for4-john.bsky.social

Don't forget to follow me on social media, like, subscribe, and please, leave a rating if you like the show.

Follow: https://linktr.ee/tompettyproject

Listen: https://pod.link/1580769475

All music, including the theme song, provided by my very best friend Randy Woods. Check him out at https://www.randywoodsband.com

A special thanks to Paul Zollo. Without his book, "Conversations with Tom Petty", this podcast wouldn't be nearly as much fun to research.

The Tom Petty Project is not affiliated with the Tom Petty estate in any way.

Producer: Kevin Brown

Executive Producers: Paul Roberts, Steve Ursell

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-tom-petty-project.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Can't Stop the Sun Jan 28, 2026

Show notes

Everything about this song appeals to me. The soft-loud dynamic of the verse and chorus, coupled with the 4/4 3/4 switch from verse to chorus, along with the minor to major switch. It’s just perfectly internally oppositional. The bridge is one of my very favourites that we have in the entire catalogue with that swinging half funk groove and that outro is just absolutely fire. Can’t Stop the Sun brings in all the conflict and anger that Tom has projected through parts of this album and turns it against itself by becoming a final statement of resolve and indestructible self-reliance. It’s a perfect end to a perfect album.

Song and links:

Song : https://youtu.be/QAOfT6M2VtI

Live at the Olympic : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=095uVo507r4

Shawshank : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKjiD3LBGPo

Judge Timbers : https://youtu.be/gtLxu7unPpU

Don't forget to follow me on social media, like, subscribe, and please, leave a rating if you like the show.

Follow: https://linktr.ee/tompettyproject

Listen: https://pod.link/1580769475

All music, including the theme song, provided by my very best friend Randy Woods. Check him out at https://www.randywoodsband.com

A special thanks to Paul Zollo. Without his book, "Conversations with Tom Petty", this podcast wouldn't be nearly as much fun to research.

The Tom Petty Project is not affiliated with the Tom Petty estate in any way.

Producer: Kevin Brown

Executive Producers: Paul Roberts, Steve Ursell

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-tom-petty-project.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Vinyl Review 2025 Jan 14, 2026

Show notes

It’s that time of year for me to look back at what I was listening to in the past twelve months and give you some recommendations! I’ve listened to a ton of music in the past year, plenty of which was new to me. Gainesville exposed me to a ton of new indie artists, some of whom I’ve had the good fortune to speak to. I did decide to limit this to only vinyl albums I bought this year, rather than being albums that were released this year. Also, I should call out the Live Anthology RSD release which I picked up but, I’ll most likely be talking about that record as part of a review of the Live Anthology somewhere down the road, so I haven’t included it in this year’s list! Plus, you already know it!

Albums included in this episode:

Chris Rea - Auberge

Vangelis - 1492 - Conquest of Paradise

Lady Gaga - Mayhem

St Vincent - All Born Screaming

Clutch - Sunrise on Slaughter Beach

Margo Price - Hard Headed Woman

Jarvis Cocker - Further Complications

Dream Theatre - Metropolis Pt 2. Scenes from a Memory

Check out the playlist here : https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9JRklgBG7NwGGKiVU9RlbbwoZX2rlWC4

Mentioned in the episode:

Firing at the Sky (Kris Klyne's band) : https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9JRklgBG7NzA77rOX7NnJW7oEY4CVmvx

St Vincent - Big Time Nothing (live on Graham Norton) : https://youtu.be/oFr1vpF9_lY

Don't forget to follow me on social media, like, subscribe, and please, leave a rating if you like the show.

Follow: https://linktr.ee/tompettyproject

Listen: https://pod.link/1580769475

All music, including the theme song, provided by my very best friend Randy Woods. Check him out at https://www.randywoodsband.com

A special thanks to Paul Zollo. Without his book, "Conversations with Tom Petty", this podcast wouldn't be nearly as much fun to research.

The Tom Petty Project is not affiliated with the Tom Petty estate in any way.

Producer: Kevin Brown

Executive Producers: Paul Roberts, Steve Ursell

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-tom-petty-project.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

10 Questions with Steve Ursell Jan 09, 2026

Show notes

Steve Ursell is back to run through my ten questions and give me his thoughts on his favourite album, which version of Walls he prefers, and which song he'd want to cover with the Heartbreakers. Steve picks a fantastic British artist to cover a Tom Petty song, he picks a great gig to want to go back to see, and a certain autobiography may have coloured his choice for favourite Heartbreaker, other than Tom.

Don't forget to follow me on social media, like, subscribe, and please, leave a rating if you like the show.

Follow: https://linktr.ee/tompettyproject

Listen: https://pod.link/1580769475

All music, including the theme song, provided by my very best friend Randy Woods. Check him out at https://www.randywoodsband.com

A special thanks to Paul Zollo. Without his book, "Conversations with Tom Petty", this podcast wouldn't be nearly as much fun to research.

The Tom Petty Project is not affiliated with the Tom Petty estate in any way.

Producer: Kevin Brown

Executive Producers: Paul Roberts, Steve Ursell

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-tom-petty-project.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Steve Ursell Jan 07, 2026

Show notes

This week, before we wrap up the last song from The Last DJ, I’m sharing a conversation that I had with an English gent that I met through my Queen podcast and someone I’ve gotten to know a little over the last two or three years named Steve Ursell.

Steve has kinda been discovering Tom’s catalogue in real time through this podcast, so I thought it would be really interesting to talk to someone who wasn’t a Pettyhead three years ago but has come to love the Heartbreakers in a fairly short space of time. So, we get into that journey into Petty and how the podcast has played a part in that discovery. We chat about Pink Floyd, Rush, and Queen, and we ruminate on the decline of tastemakers in the world of rock and roll, and on whether we’re ever going to see a grunge or Britpop–style movement again in the years to come: especially with the decline of free-form radio and the rise of the all-powerful algorithm.

Don't forget to follow me on social media, like, subscribe, and please, leave a rating if you like the show.

Follow: https://linktr.ee/tompettyproject

Listen: https://pod.link/1580769475

All music, including the theme song, provided by my very best friend Randy Woods. Check him out at https://www.randywoodsband.com

A special thanks to Paul Zollo. Without his book, "Conversations with Tom Petty", this podcast wouldn't be nearly as much fun to research.

The Tom Petty Project is not affiliated with the Tom Petty estate in any way.

Producer: Kevin Brown

Executive Producers: Paul Roberts, Steve Ursell

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-tom-petty-project.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

10 Questions with Robin Vincent Jan 04, 2026

Show notes

Robin Vincent is back to give me her answers to my ten questions. You wouldn't necessarily think that World of Warcraft would play a significant role in defining Robin's favourite album, she drops a bombshell on me about a couple of singers she just doesn't jive with and her answer to my question about which song she'd join Tom and the boys on stage for is perhaps the best answer anyone's given yet to any question I've asked! Oh and Robin divulges a daring escapade which brought her in direct contact with one of Mike's Telecasters.

Robin Shakedown links:

Floor Goddess EP at Bandcamp : https://robinshakedown.bandcamp.com/album/floor-goddess

Robin Shakedown on Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/robin.shakedown/

Shadows and Sun (Music Video) : https://youtu.be/-DQhRQRsvzM

Note: There is some very infrequent profanity in this episode.

Don't forget to follow me on social media, like, subscribe, and please, leave a rating if you like the show.

Follow: https://linktr.ee/tompettyproject

Listen: https://pod.link/1580769475

All music, including the theme song, provided by my very best friend Randy Woods. Check him out at https://www.randywoodsband.com

A special thanks to Paul Zollo. Without his book, "Conversations with Tom Petty", this podcast wouldn't be nearly as much fun to research.

The Tom Petty Project is not affiliated with the Tom Petty estate in any way.

Producer: Kevin Brown

Executive Producers: Paul Roberts, Steve Ursell

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-tom-petty-project.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Robin Vincent Jan 03, 2026

Show notes

Today’s bonus episode is a fantastic chat with another artist I was very fortunate to see perform down at the Tom Petty Weekend in Gainesville. Robin Vincent, whose band, Robin Shakedown was one of the most vibrant, energetic and very very cool acts from the weekend. I had to reach out to see if she’d be willing to talk to me about her love for Tom and his music and subsequently, found and fell in love with her latest EP, Floor Goddess, which is an epic roller coaster of melody, hooks, emotion, and righteous anger.

We talk about Robin's foundational love of Tom's music, how she constructs her setlists, and the way her band came together for the Tom Petty Weekend. I give Robin my interpretation of how she holds her guitar vs how Shine holds hers and we talk about identity and the pressure of having to play the game to fit in. Finally, we go deep into Floor Goddess; where the songs come from, where Robin drew her inspiration from and how she built the feel and sonic palate for the record.

Song and links mentioned in the episode:

Floor Goddess EP at Bandcamp : https://robinshakedown.bandcamp.com/album/floor-goddess

Robin Shakedown on Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/robin.shakedown/

Shadows and Sun (Music Video) : https://youtu.be/-DQhRQRsvzM

Note: There is some very infrequent profanity in this episode.

Don't forget to follow me on social media, like, subscribe, and please, leave a rating if you like the show.

Follow: https://linktr.ee/tompettyproject

Listen: https://pod.link/1580769475

All music, including the theme song, provided by my very best friend Randy Woods. Check him out at https://www.randywoodsband.com

A special thanks to Paul Zollo. Without his book, "Conversations with Tom Petty", this podcast wouldn't be nearly as much fun to research.

The Tom Petty Project is not affiliated with the Tom Petty estate in any way.

Producer: Kevin Brown

Executive Producers: Paul Roberts, Steve Ursell

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-tom-petty-project.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Have Love, Will Travel Dec 31, 2025

Show notes

The DJ comes back and the ditch he’s digging, to keep the flames from the temple, are the songs and the culture he’s trying to build around his freeform station to stop outside corporate influence from burning down his integrity and his artistic vision, which are his temple. He’s the Last DJ: he’s digging this ditch around rock and roll to protect it from the superficial and the formulaic and he’s digging this ditch for all of us!

Song and links:

Song : https://youtu.be/tMxLxPk97GA

Three Men in a Van : https://shows.acast.com/three-men-in-a-van

Don't forget to follow me on social media, like, subscribe, and please, leave a rating if you like the show.

Follow: https://linktr.ee/tompettyproject

Listen: https://pod.link/1580769475

All music, including the theme song, provided by my very best friend Randy Woods. Check him out at https://www.randywoodsband.com

A special thanks to Paul Zollo. Without his book, "Conversations with Tom Petty", this podcast wouldn't be nearly as much fun to research.

The Tom Petty Project is not affiliated with the Tom Petty estate in any way.

Producer: Kevin Brown

Executive Producers: Paul Roberts, Steve Ursell

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-tom-petty-project.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

10 Questions with Matt Burke Dec 27, 2025

Show notes

Ten questions, ten answers. Matt Burke is back to let me know which artists he'd most like to see open for Tom and the Heartbreakers and he throws a little love Joe Walsh's way while he's at it! His cover song is an interesting choice and he wonders if subconsciously he picked it because it's already happened and we sign off with three VERY good words to describe Tom Petty!

Don't forget to check out the new Voyager Golden EP from Have Gun, Will Travel and follow Matt and the boys all over social media!

Note: There is a little profanity in this episode as we discuss Tom's punk attitude when he was younger!

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