Last night, after a day of interviews, he sat alone in his hotel room, pensive and moody, until sunrise. 'Cause I mean, an artistic life is a pretty bizarre life anyway, a lot of artists don't ever get paid till they're dead, they're not even noticed - and even then! The entire band was displeased by those decisions, but Stan was the most vocal. But we dont mind our heroes being human. You can actually remain on the pedestal that youve earned as an artist. Ad Choices. It's two immovable objects that hit each other at 100 miles an hour, what is gonna happen? I don't know, I can only speak from my own experience. With $100 in his pocket, Stan Lynch drove his dad's VW bus from Florida across country to L.A. in 1974. The list goes on, but this'll get you started! Ive known him since I was 15. You have to make an honest statement like "I'm trying to sell! He didnt want it to be authorized because he felt like authorized meant bull-, says Warren Zanes, whose Petty: The Biography arrives next month. Other guys, it looks like they went to business school to be rock stars. Yet, you've actually taken better care of yourself and remained healthier mentally and physically than many of your contemporaries.For me it was always - I really wanted to live! Send us a tip using our anonymous form. Lynch reflecting on his time in Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: There were many things that were not said that should have been said. Just think of Breakdowns slinky pulse, the graceful fills that usher in the heavenly chorus in Here Comes My Girl, or the swamp-funk groove of his 1993 Heartbreakers swan song Mary Janes Last Dance.. And so when they became, quote, rock stars they thought they were better than other people. How do you think you can keep that going?Discipline. Show Reviews. Lynch joined his former bandmates during their induction ceremony for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002. Therefore I should do a duet with N'Sync!" Rolling Stone is a part of Penske Media Corporation. Stan Lynch Heartbreaking Rhythm. Im really proud of the legacy. 2023 Rolling Stone, LLC. I wish somebody had told me that. But a lot of that has calmed down. The coolest thing about this is that I get to put a bookend on a really, really long book of life, he says. I think he was invested in being caught in that cycle in part because there was so much movement in it all that the trouble from his past was kept at bay. Stan Lynch: Drumming in the Music BizInsights on how to stay sane in a crazy business. That is the fuckin' ride. They held on trying to keep that band together. For Zanes, the tour should have been heaven on earth. Great attitude, he knows how funny this shit is, he knows it's all Spinal Tap. It was like, "Well that'sinteresting Stan, what are you gonna do to support yourself?" There was a time when they were so glib and articulate, it really was like being around the Marx Brothers or something. He now resides in St. Augustine, Florida, not far from his and his former bandmates' home town of Gainesville. Pettys also addicted, and he gets to work his way out of his. The last tour that they had Howie on, in the days prior to the tour, he was stopped by police in a stolen car with Carlene Carter with black tar heroin. Merrill Lynch CEO Stan O'Neal, shown in a 2003 file photo, is a numbers person in what is, at its heart, a people business. But it got untenable. Heres the important point. And I was poised to do that. I think, like Michael Jordan always says, that the fundamentals are what make people great. And he hasnt ever spoken about this before.The first thing he said to me on the subject is I am very concerned that talking about this is putting a bad example out there for young people. You don't need to try so hard - boy, you wasted a lot of energy trying to be loved by everybody, and the bottom line is that wasn't what was important. MD: And it was Don Henley who helped you on that path, right? But other people will drag things out of you and it's beautiful if you let it happen. Receive updates & special offers from Modern Drummer and our advertising partners. Well, if your ego gets in the way and that's what's dominating your thinkingThat would be so sad! Paper, rock, scissors!". But we had a quiet moment at the rehearsals. Such as Lynchs understated work on those Petty classics. We never even tried one of my songs., When the tour ended, Zanes left the band and went back to New England, drifted around, and ended up in New Orleans, where he became a bike mechanic. Confirmed guests include Jim Keltner, JR Robinson, Rick Marotta, Stan Lynch, Gregg Bissonette, Lenny Castro, Luis Conte, David Garfield, Rich Mangicaro, Ross Garfield (aka Drum Doctor), Harry McCarthy . But at the same time, that's why I sorta go back to my original assessment, some bands that last 10 minutes, it's 10 minutes too long. He told me the story of a marriage that wasnt working, but hes was trying as hard as he could to keep it together. There are things I could have handled better, specifically with Mike. He decided whatever I was doing he wasnt digging. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement and Your California Privacy Rights. If you, at 45 now, were to run into yourself at 20, what advice would you give to yourself?Whew! Books: * Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman (nonfiction picture book); illustrated by Ty Templeton . I'd be in a band with him tonight if he'd let me. That happens when the pain becomes too much and you live in a world, in a culture, where people have reached in the direction of heroin to stop the pain. . I've been extremely curious about what's gonna happen if? Basically, youre witnessing the birth of the Traveling Wilburys. It was still like.this is incredible, I don't want to die here, this is great! So, in some ways it's harder for the same reasons it's easier, if that makes any sense. So the core values are that I'm really comfortable with it, and I always was. My music life especially has always felt very cartoonish! Zanes also coaxed Stan Lynch, the ex-drummer of Petty's longtime backing band, The Heartbreakers, to talk unflinchingly about his falling-out with Petty. If you listen to the old records, Stan and I are pushing, were locked, and lot of times were driving the songs. Id rather hear the old songs with the real singer.. I havent been a drummer since I was in my thirties. Location. Saying, These are the things that feel incredibly good, that cant be duplicated. It made a big difference for me, and I believe my participation made a huge difference for them., Lynch has stayed on good terms with Heartbreakers keyboardist Benmont Tench during the past 30 years, and the drummer is very open to the idea of one day playing with all the surviving members of the group in some capacity. I never knew how it got there, but it sure wasnt left over from the night before. When we got back together for the Bridge School Benefit it was just misery. This is the birth of the Wilburys. To revisit this article, select My Account, thenView saved stories, To revisit this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories. Like God, I couldn't believe it, we'd get off a bus and people would be screaming and yelling and I couldn't fucking believe it! Tons of them. ', Related The musician revealed that he wishes he had handled the situation in the band in a more proper way regarding his departure. I take care of my life, I can cook, I can do other things, but music is everything that it always was - it's still the biggest goddamn thing in my life. . And he said, This is really good. He sounded just like Tom Petty when he said it. Joined Jun 3, 2013 Messages 1,601 Reaction score It's really nothing to have a record deal now, it doesn't mean anything. Stan Lynch, the band's longtime drummer, who eventually quit in 1994, is unsurprisingly the most critical of Petty. Combine that with a finely honed sense of dynamics, a big signature tone featuring huge toms and in-your-face snare, and an uncanny attentiveness to every moment of a performance, and you may as well have custom designed the ideal rock drummer. And when it happens, its certainly a big deal. He soon found himself in the middle of some conversations that the band was having through himconversations they had never had with themselves. He left the band in 1994 due to personal differences with Petty. That was probably part of the charm was that I didn't know, and I think the very thing that used to be charming became a burden to [the Heartbreakers]. I didnt talk to the Bogdanovich people, Lynch says. Now what? Also, I could never really close doors on people that were important in my past. 6,156. They get busy trying to control the story. Is it better to take time off, or work through it until it comes back, or?Call a friend. And if you need me to explain it to you any better than that, I will. There are a lot of producers and labels that actually do that.I'm sure they do! I remember having a really hard time once on some track. And whatever I was playing in didnt even feel like a band. Lynchs current shows with Campbell will end in June. Below Deck Sailing Yachts Daisy Kelliher Is the Best Chief Stew. So you never bought into the whole idea that rock'n'roll is just for rebellious kids?No, it wasn't a personal rebellion for meit was a joy and also a way for me to draw attention to myself [laughter], which was what I always wanted to do. It's not a weenie thing to do at all. And certainly in Pettys life, it was a big deal when he and George Harrison came together. But I havent seen him again since then.. I learn from them.. And that's what it's supposed to do, so she did her job. And I think to try to predict what a group of people will buy is sad and frightening [laughs]. If you're in it for the journey, if what you're making isn't selling, I don't know if that means that you are doing anything wrong; it just means that at this moment in time, your best work, the music that you most want to make, isn't being received by the widest possible audience. I don't think I have ever watched a drummer being interviewed that was so relatable. Margo Price Opens Up Like Never Before: It Feels Freeing We had recorded some of the songs with Stan (Lynch, the Heartbreakers' drummer through the mid-'90s) at Mike (Campbell)'s house. For now, though, this feature on one of rocks most tasteful timekeepersa true player of the songwill do, for theres plenty to discuss with Lynch. But usually, in all of those great bands, there's a lot of creative contribution by all of the musicians. I had to hit myself in the face with one of those lights; when you wake up, you wont remember you were ever in a band. I didnt know whether to say, Thank you or Fuck you. I only knew I was grateful to have had the experience of having all those men in my life. Drummer Talk 273 So you want to MD! When you've worked with bands like Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Aretha Franklin, Stevie Nicks and the Eagles, it's not a strange thing to be interviewed. [laughter]. And so I have regrets, but they dont hold me back. There's actually channels for this. Video unavailable So I'd say on the way to success: doubt. It's like, for me, "Thank God Tom sold a lot of records 'cause now I can enjoy making music!". I mean, to me the most rock'n'roll thing you can do is not give a shit! Zanes also had access to the Heartbreakers. The drummer looked back and opened up about his time with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers during a recent appearance. In light of your experience of being in a band for so long, what advice would you give to band leaders to help the chemistry; what do you think is the best possible way to bring out everybody's creativity in a band situation?The truth of the matter is the best bands, including the Beatles and the Stones and the Who, have a core of creative fire to them that needs to be nurtured before the other people need to be nurtured. I first met you around 1978, and the thing that's really struck me is that basically you've remained the same person all that time. I really tried to put on the school tie, man, I tried like hell for the last five years. LikeEverclear - Art Alexakis is talented! Now, everybody has a CD. . Print Profile Email Profile View Stanford-only Profile Tab Menu . And then kind of pushed me in. Drummer Talk 272 State of the Union (So What IS Up? Work. And I thought, Okay well, youre being paid like its main gig. I had a feeling that the dough was the only reason he hadnt walked off yet.. At the end of the process, as was their agreement, Zanes sent Petty the book, and then flew out to California to hear his judgment in person. He referred to my old band as the Del Tacos. Pick up the May 2008 issue of Modern Drummer at music stores, book stores, and newsstands everywhere! But then, I know guys it didn't hurt. And what it basically translated to was, "Fuckin' have some fun with this, wouldya?". During a three-night stint at the Roxy in L.A., in the mid- eighties, Petty got in touch and invited the group to his place in Encino. They werent officially named the Heartbreakers until they came together in Los Angeles in 1976. In other words, he won't shut up! Copyright 2023 Modern Drummer Publications. But for many drummers, his playing defines the late rocker's greatest work. I mean, for me it's as pathetic as it sounds, and it's true: this is my social life, what I do for a living. Those that have done their homework and that are honest and humble, you can't stop 'em! Apart from the enduring work he crafted with the Heartbreakers, Lynch's stage and studio credits as a drummer also include the likes of Bob Dylan, Don Henley, Aretha Franklin, The Eurythmics, Roger McGuinn, Stevie Nicks, Del Shannon, T-Bone Burnett, and Warren Zevon. So - that's okay! That was probably cut more around the time of Greatest Hits in 1993, but it fits in. When the director of Goodfellas decided to make Personality Crisis, a documentary about David Johansen and his alter ego, Buster Poindexter, he wanted it to be a family affair. We're a rock band! I have a proposition for you, said Campbell, who was on the verge of kicking off his first-ever solo tour, but was going to be without regular drummer Matt Laug for a period in the spring and summer when he had commitments in Europe with Italian superstar Vasco Rossi. Im intrigued by your place in this story. The Heartbreakers are hardly a case study in intolerance. By virtue of his band staying together and the quality of the musicians, the Heartbreakers are a singular story in popular music. John needs Paul. [laughs] Like, to this day, 20-something years later. If you know right from wrong, you speak up. It must be tougher to hang onto the premise of artistic integrity in that situation.Well, conversely, it's a thrill to know that you've had some success. Last week, Stan Lynch was interviewed at the Matheson Museum in Gainesville, Florida. Sometimes I would hear stuff and it was just so sad. Stan Lynch . But then, when he left his marriage and moved into a house, by himself, things slowed just long enough that all of that past came right as hes coming into the pain of not being able to control the well-being of his kids and not being able to control a dialogue with his ex-wife. That's that old story, by the time you figure that out, they're on to something else anyway. Zaness visits to Pettys compound inMalibu began in 2012. It still blows my mind that that shit that I remember cutting like it was last week is still somehowviewed asREAL! I mean, some guys bat .310 one year and then the next year they bat .145. Like, if Jimi Hendrix had quit when the first 3 guys rejected himI'm just using Hendrix because he's such an icon to me. Huh? Yes. As were driving, hes making me haul ass, and he says, Stanley, driving a Ferrari fast, thats what a groove feels like. At the gig, Marley had the place hypnotized. I would sayyou have a lot of energy, young man! And I watched really excited people get more excited, and it was just a big amplifier. I knew that there was the capacity within that group to push boundaries, he says. 2023 Cond Nast. If you're the kind of person who's an addict, or if you know somebody who's an addict, get help! What do you think are the biggest pitfalls on the road to success, and after you become successful?The biggest pitfalls on the way to success: disillusionment and panic when you're so close. But it must be more difficult for the person who's been successful for a long time on their own terms, and then all of a sudden something fails.Yeah, you don't sell records. So it was no small surprise in late 2021 when Lynch picked up his phone one day and heard Campbells voice on the other end. He said, I want it to be yours. We grew up loving Tom Petty more than his contemporaries. But most musicians have no hobbies. The other night I looked down during that song and there was a woman in the front just sobbing, says Campbell. He takes a Sharpie and signs it for me for every Beatle and hands it back to me. Lynch talked to Zanes for two days straight about his long years of having to prove that he was the right drummer. No, I don't sign autographs," that kind of shit. The old, art commerce divide where people go, oh, its too commercial. The other thing, I was just talking to somebody who was watching a live Tom Petty concert on a computer, no between-song banter. And theres plenty more as Zanes, granted full access, reports on the creation of not just Pettys biggest records, Damn the Torpedoes, and Full Moon Fever, but his less appreciated gems, including 1999s Echo. Zanes is more than a fan: In 1987, his band, the Del Fuegos, opened gigs for their hero. 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