Promotional Information

Explores the ways in which Southern Accents is a fascinating multidimensional failure that unexpectedly mired Tom Petty in debates about American culture and history.

Table of Contents

Track Listing Introduction Down South Who Did You Expect to Meet? Southern Accents Rebels Born in the CSA Free Fallin' The Best of Everything Acknowledgements Endnotes

About the Author

Michael Washburn, Director of Programs at Humanities New York, has written about books, culture, and politics for a number of publications. Follow him on Twitter at @whalelines.

Reviews

Michael Washburn, in his first book, [Tom Petty’s Southern Accents] argues that we can glean significant cultural understanding from [Tom] Petty’s failure.
*LA Review of Books*

This is a great read that digs hard into the background of the making of the album … This is a book that every Tom Petty fan should read – but you don’t have to be a fan to appreciate it. Washburn has written an assessment of the creative process that anyone could appreciate. Creativity is not just about the great artistic successes; it’s often just as well served by the flawed visions as the realised masterpieces, something that Michael Washburn clearly understands and conveys through this book.
*Americana UK*

In Michael Washburn’s new book for the 33 1/3 project — a series of insightful, deep dives into albums — he confronts the conundrum that swirls around [Tom Petty’s] Southern Accents.
*Leo Weekly*