TS: Tom Petty vs. Adam Ant

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

I exercised and it put me in a weird mood.

― LaRue (rockist_scientist), Monday, 29 November 2004 00:53 (twenty-one years ago)

I vote for Adam Ant, although I'm sure there's lots of Tom Petty I haven't heard.

― LaRue (rockist_scientist), Monday, 29 November 2004 00:54 (twenty-one years ago)

Tom Petty, because I can name most if not all of the members of his band.

Hopefully this thread, puts the Smiths vs. Pixies thread out of business.

― Ken L (Ken L), Monday, 29 November 2004 01:01 (twenty-one years ago)

Adam Fucking Ant any day of the week. I am sorry but I will brook no argument (in my brain at least). Also, these days I actually wish him well when it comes to his current travails, while Tom Petty's only travail is recording songs about how DJs won't play him anymore. My sympathy level is low.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Monday, 29 November 2004 01:05 (twenty-one years ago)

Tom Petty by a light year.

― Roger Fidelity (Roger Fidelity), Monday, 29 November 2004 01:09 (twenty-one years ago)

I loathe Tom Petty. I find him a prick.

― Sonny, Ah!!1 (Sonny A.), Monday, 29 November 2004 01:09 (twenty-one years ago)

Adam Ant

― Leelee, Monday, 29 November 2004 01:10 (twenty-one years ago)

after hearing 12 tom petty albums and liking 3 songs i'd prefer adam ant - his soloca reer peaked with the brilliant "manners an phtsique- the album had brilliant lyrics and every tune was istenable including room at the top,USSR,manners and physique,every song could be a single,adam and the nats had great singles too including the album track "Picasso and the Planet of the apes"

― antmusic, Monday, 29 November 2004 01:15 (twenty-one years ago)

Adam Ant didn't (and doesn't) sound derivative of anyone or anything. Plus he wins the fuckability contest by twenty country miles. Lastly, "Desperate But Not Serious" had the best trumpet riff of the whole damn decade. Antmusic wins by KO.

― Joseph McCombs (Joseph McCombs), Monday, 29 November 2004 01:19 (twenty-one years ago)

Oh please. Adam Ant by light years and light years. Tom Petty has NEVER been cool and his music has NEVER been particularly interesting.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 29 November 2004 01:21 (twenty-one years ago)

Lastly, "Desperate But Not Serious" had the best trumpet riff of the whole damn decade.

I agree, if you add "outside of Latin music."

― LaRue (rockist_scientist), Monday, 29 November 2004 01:22 (twenty-one years ago)

i don't dislike tom petty. but i gotta go w/ adam ant, too!

― Eisbär (llamasfur), Monday, 29 November 2004 01:25 (twenty-one years ago)

" Tom Petty has NEVER been cool "

you know, its not all about trying to be something we all weren't in high school. id love to see adam fucking ant try to write a song as good as "walls"

― JD from CDepot, Monday, 29 November 2004 02:15 (twenty-one years ago)

He did! Many times over!

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Monday, 29 November 2004 02:21 (twenty-one years ago)

This one is going to be fought block by block.

― Ken L (Ken L), Monday, 29 November 2004 02:24 (twenty-one years ago)

id love to see adam fucking ant try to write a song as good as "walls"

The entirety of Kings of the Wild Frontier is so vastly superior to everything Petty has ever attempted that it's an abject travesty that Ant's work has to suffer the unspeakable indignity of being sold in the same shops as the tepid offal that is Petty's.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 29 November 2004 03:05 (twenty-one years ago)

Gentlemen, gentlemen. I'll have to ask you to step outside with all of that. Yes Tom Petty sucks, but there are worse. We can behave like adults.

Also yes this is much better than the Pixies vs. Smiths.

― Bimble (bimble), Monday, 29 November 2004 03:53 (twenty-one years ago)

Also, did Tom Petty ever wear eyeliner? I really need to know this.

― Bimble (bimble), Monday, 29 November 2004 03:54 (twenty-one years ago)

Tom Petty. Sure he never wore makeup or came up with anything schnazzy. But for the most part I would claim his output is consistently enjoyable. Not great, not bad, but enjoyable.

I can't stand more than 50% of Adam Ant's work.

― Mike Salmo (salmo), Monday, 29 November 2004 04:28 (twenty-one years ago)

Tom Petty is a great songwriter. Adam Ant hardly wrote any songs at all, but at least had a cool image.

Tom Petty wins, of course.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Monday, 29 November 2004 13:01 (twenty-one years ago)

http://www.vh1.com/shared/media/news/images/a/Adam_Ant/sq-press-80sish-sony.jpg

― Mr Noodles (Mr Noodles), Monday, 29 November 2004 13:21 (twenty-one years ago)

Adam Ant may have had terrible troubles and demons in his life of late, but at least he doesn't look like a rabbit.

― Marcello Carlin, Monday, 29 November 2004 13:34 (twenty-one years ago)

Except sometimes when he's crossing the road late at night and unexpectantly gets caught in the headlights of an oncoming car.

http://www.attracco.it/immaginiascolt2/adamandtheants.jpg

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Monday, 29 November 2004 13:46 (twenty-one years ago)

For a relatively minor character, Adam Ant managed to change his sound three or four times, which I find kind of impressive.

― LaRue (rockist_scientist), Monday, 29 November 2004 13:49 (twenty-one years ago)

Petty has always traded in yawnsomely traditional, same'ol same'ol snoozey Yank rock'n'roll ala Springsteen and Mellencamp et al. Ant has at least tried different things in his day.

Seriously, there is simply no comparison here.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 29 November 2004 14:32 (twenty-one years ago)

Hey now, Petty's sound has very little in common with Springsteen/Mellencamp (even though I like those guys too). His basic template is Byrds+Stones. I like Adam Ant, but Petty's written way more great songs. Made better videos, too.

― gypsy mothra (gypsy mothra), Monday, 29 November 2004 16:50 (twenty-one years ago)

I was citing Springsteen and Mellencamp as his peers, not his influences/mentors. Petty's Rickenbacker/Byrds fixation is obvious.

The "better video" point is one I'd quibble with. With the exception of "You Got Lucky" (Petty and Co. as post-apocalyptic road warriors before the idea became horrendously cliched), I think his clips are pretty bog-standard. They have a higher production value than Ant's, but they're pretty banal in the idea department, I'd say.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 29 November 2004 16:59 (twenty-one years ago)

Whaaa? B-b-b-but "Don't Come Around Here No More"!

― Daniel_Rf (Daniel_Rf), Monday, 29 November 2004 17:04 (twenty-one years ago)

I don't want them to fight, actually. I want them to be friends.

― Daniel_Rf (Daniel_Rf), Monday, 29 November 2004 17:05 (twenty-one years ago)

Dear lord! I believe Roger Fidelity and I agreed on this point on another thread, but...Tom Petty was terrific, for two-and-a-half albums, and then occasionally--with rapidly-decreasing frequency--for a while after that. Adam Ant was...fucking Adam Ant, redundant and a little bit silly (neither of these things quite, or only, as pejorative as they seem) from square one. Ned, I'm semi-surprised at you, admirer of your opinions as I tend to be. Alex, I know Adam Ant is a lot closer to Killing Joke than TP has ever been, but I defy almost anyone except the most ardent anti-rockist not to dig those first few Tom Petty records, or at least not to admit "I Need To Know" or "When The Time Comes" or "Listen To Her Heart" aren't great songs. I'm not sure I'd say as much about--though I enjoy--"Antmusic," or "Dog Eat Dog." Seriously, although I feel the comparison itself is inherently (desperate-but-) UNserious:

Tom Petty.

― Dark Horse, Monday, 29 November 2004 17:14 (twenty-one years ago)

. Alex, I know Adam Ant is a lot closer to Killing Joke than TP has ever been,

Oh give me a break. In actuallity, my initial answer had less to do with my appreciation for Ant (which is considerable) versus the slackjawed ennui brought on by Petty's work. It's not that his music is necessarily bad, per se....it's just dull. Dull as dishwater. Firmly in the middle of the long road to boredom. Has Ant made his fair share of shitty music? Hell yeah, but even at his very worst (say, "Room at the Top" off of Manners & Physique...his entirely lamentable New Jack Swing attempt), he's never been so ceaselessly predictable as Petty.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 29 November 2004 17:23 (twenty-one years ago)

You mean in their extended cameo appearances in post-apocalyptic science fiction films?

Adam Ant as the villian battling Bruce Dern in WORLD GONE WILD totally kills Tom Petty as...himself ("I know you, you were famous before"/"yeah, that was before") chumming it up alongside Kevin Costner in THE POSTMAN.

Why beat around the bush? Adam Ant is a genius, Tom Petty is a clone.

― Ian Christe (Ian Christe), Monday, 29 November 2004 17:28 (twenty-one years ago)

Ned, I'm semi-surprised at you, admirer of your opinions as I tend to be.

Semi-surprised? For what reason? I'm not as vicious on the point as Alex is but I agree with him completely as to how Petty bores me, generally. His finest song/video moment was "Don't Come Around Here No More," which I do honestly like and always did when I heard it on the radio way back when. Otherwise, *shrug.*

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Monday, 29 November 2004 17:28 (twenty-one years ago)

Yeah, I was about to say, why would anyone be surprised that Ned prefers a quirky New Wave guy to a roots rockin' Classic Rock d00d?

― Daniel_Rf (Daniel_Rf), Monday, 29 November 2004 17:37 (twenty-one years ago)

The talking drum rhythms (I guess that's what they are) weren't his invention, but successfully building pop songs on top of them was pretty good. Even though the rhythmic playfulness stands out more, I don't think his best songs are weak melodically. (I'm not saying they are masterpieces of complexity, but they have some decent melodies going through them.)

― La_Rue, Monday, 29 November 2004 17:38 (twenty-one years ago)

Yeah, some of the Ant rhythms are pretty cool, and him and the boys were a lot of fun at their peak. But (for the purposes of this rather odd comparison), he's not a patch on Petty as a songwriter or singer. Petty got boring over time, but his first several albums all have great bits, and even as late as Wildflowers he was writing some good songs (cf. "You Wreck Me"). But if you don't have a thing for aching melodies, racing rock'n'roll and ring-ring-ringing guitars, I can see where Petty wouldn't register.

― gypsy mothra (gypsy mothra), Monday, 29 November 2004 17:54 (twenty-one years ago)

I think it's going to pretty hard to convince any of the Petty haters on this thread, as he is something of a journeyman rocker, even if he a journeyman par excellence.

― Ken L (Ken L), Monday, 29 November 2004 18:02 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm happily surprised that Petty has as many defenders here as he has (strictly because it makes the thread less boring).

― LaRue (rockist_scientist), Monday, 29 November 2004 18:08 (twenty-one years ago)

I guess part of the problem is how much you believe Petty. If you think he's just recycling choice chord changes and nasal twang, then I guess the journeyman tag sticks (although even at that he's got a good ear). If you hear his voice (and Mike Campbell's gorgeous guitar lines) as something more hurt and hurtful, then he gets more interesting.

― gypsy mothra (gypsy mothra), Monday, 29 November 2004 18:13 (twenty-one years ago)

Ned, I said *semi-* surprised for just that reason. (Though I've always felt Petty had slightly "new wave" roots, in the same sense the Ramones or early Cheap Trick did.) Likewise, Alex, I was kidding, y'know ("Oh, give me a break?" Are you people as snarky in life, sometimes? Please do not answer that question, and it too is asked light-heartedly.) Really, I get that Petty IS dull--I get that he always was dull, in a certain very-limited sense, in the sense that Byrds-fetishizing guys with guitars might always have been even then, but if by any chance one was drawing the conclusion he always therefore sucked, without having heard the not-FM-rotated-to-death portions of his first few records, well...a strong counter-argument exists is all I'm saying. And I happen to agree with it, is all.

― Dark Horse, Monday, 29 November 2004 18:18 (twenty-one years ago)

you know, its not all about trying to be something we all weren't in high school.

Speak for yourself, son.

(BTW: Adam Ant, not because he's "cooler" but because Tom Petty's sole contributions to my personal enjomyent of music are "Running Down a Dream" and a video where he turns a video-girl into a cake and eats her.)

― The Cool-Ass Ghost of Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Monday, 29 November 2004 18:19 (twenty-one years ago)

Right now, I am hearing "The Waiting" in my head right now. For whatever reason, I just love those guys in Petty's band. A friend of mine was in a guitar store one day and heard some guy in back in the drum section playing some relatively simple stuff, but he sounded "so good!" and it turned out to be Stan Lynch. Not a good enough argument for ILM, maybe, but good enough for me. Benmont Tench played on the first and Mike Campbell on the second of those Tift Merritt records that nobody at ILM but Chuck Eddy and seems to care about. Chuck Eddy to thread! If only to tell us that both acts have been bettered countless times over by dozens of acts we have neither heard nor heard off.

― Ken L (Ken L), Monday, 29 November 2004 18:26 (twenty-one years ago)

"Chuck Eddy and ME"

― Ken L (Ken L), Monday, 29 November 2004 18:27 (twenty-one years ago)

heard OF. The rest of my typos, you're on your own.

― Ken L (Ken L), Monday, 29 November 2004 18:28 (twenty-one years ago)

I should point out that Petty's cake-cannibalism is a huge fucking massive point for him in my book.

― The Ghost of Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Monday, 29 November 2004 18:30 (twenty-one years ago)

I suppose it would be churlish of me to point out that it was probably the director's idea and not his.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 29 November 2004 18:41 (twenty-one years ago)

Tom Petty's okay,
good songwriting early on
good sense of humor

but yo Adam Ant
was a new wave rebel child!
I saw him live! twice!

― Haibun (Begs2Differ), Monday, 29 November 2004 18:44 (twenty-one years ago)

How well would Tom Petty gone over in place of Adam Ant in "Jubilee"?

― Stephen Boyle (SBoyle), Monday, 29 November 2004 18:45 (twenty-one years ago)

Not to be too passionate about this, but I can count the number of Tom Petty songs I know and somewhat like on one hand, possibly two.

I can't even fathom compiling a 2-CD comp of Adam Ant songs I like... I'd have to weed out a lot of great tunes.

Adam (and the) Ant(s)

― donut christ (donut), Monday, 29 November 2004 18:59 (twenty-one years ago)

That said..

Taking sides: Adam Ant covering "Refugee" vs. Tom Petty covering "Strip"

― donut christ (donut), Monday, 29 November 2004 19:00 (twenty-one years ago)

(haha, simultaneous cascade of technicolour yawns over thought of Tom Petty stripping.)

― donut christ (donut), Monday, 29 November 2004 19:01 (twenty-one years ago)

The idea of Petty stripping is enough to put me right off my food for a fortnight.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 29 November 2004 19:02 (twenty-one years ago)

I haven't lisrened to either in ages.

When I first got MTV as a callow, po-faced youth, I spent days on end waiting to see the rare broadcast of 'Stand and Deliver' and would finally give up after the umpteenth viewing of 'You Got Lucky'.

Had lots more depraved teenage sex to Antmusic than anything Mr. Petty performed.

Hence, Adam Ant by several furlongs.

― Michael White (Hereward), Monday, 29 November 2004 19:03 (twenty-one years ago)

What interest Mr. Ant's music had (some) was entirely due to his fake (or real, who knows) Burundi double-drumming sound. What interest Mr. Petty's music had (some) was entirely due to Mike Campbell's fake Byrds 12-string chords. So the lesson is obvious: Double up on the number of drums/guitar strings employed, and you can transform music of limited appeal into music of less limited appeal, even if your songs are derivative. Which do I prefer? I dunno, I'll toss a coin...[pause, tosses coin]...Adam Ant it is!

― Myonga Von Bontee (Myonga Von Bontee), Monday, 29 November 2004 20:41 (twenty-one years ago)

I don't think it's that black'n'white an issue in either case, actually.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 29 November 2004 20:43 (twenty-one years ago)

What interest Petty's music had was to his great melodies, with killer middle-8s.

What lack of interest Adam Ant's music had was to his complete lack of melodic hooks, and seemingly improvised "songs"

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Monday, 29 November 2004 20:44 (twenty-one years ago)

Huh. And the call me the rockist. Hurrumph!

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 29 November 2004 20:45 (twenty-one years ago)

early fake new wave Petty is okay, but you won't see him sticking up for the gorillas (or Gorillaz, for that matter). Therefore Mr. Goddard is the winnah

― Morley Timmons (Donna Brown), Monday, 29 November 2004 20:48 (twenty-one years ago)

word up donna b
bitching 'they won't play my songs' < getting looney-binned

― Haibun (Begs2Differ), Monday, 29 November 2004 20:50 (twenty-one years ago)

POX:Florida
1 You Got Lucky
2 Breakdown
3 American Girl
4 Margaritaville
5 Refugee
6 Cumbersome- Seven Mary Three
7 Don't Do Me Like That
8 Movin' to Florida- Butthole Surfers
9 Dope Show- Marilyn Manson
10 Petty's giving me a headache
hey, quit jammin' me

― Morley Timmons (Donna Brown), Monday, 29 November 2004 20:54 (twenty-one years ago)

surely, both "sweet home alabama" and "i want it that way" belong on a florida pox!

― fact checking cuz (fcc), Monday, 29 November 2004 21:00 (twenty-one years ago)

...and hey, you know what's cool? Reading the replies and determining that the Petty-boosters come off like the earnest heartland-on-their-sleeve types you'd expect; and the Antmusic supporters likewise every bit as tongue-in-cheekily flamboyant and hyperbolic as expected! If you know what I mean.

― Myonga Von Bontee (Myonga Von Bontee), Monday, 29 November 2004 21:06 (twenty-one years ago)

Whateva. Adam Ant all the way.

― Kevin Gilchrist (Mr Fusion), Monday, 29 November 2004 21:07 (twenty-one years ago)

yeah, I really wasn't thinking clearly about Florida, obv :)

― Morley Timmons (Donna Brown), Monday, 29 November 2004 21:07 (twenty-one years ago)

Tom Petty = meat'n'potatos. Just like last night. And the night before. And the night before that.

Adam Ant = wild, funky-colored sushi.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 29 November 2004 21:09 (twenty-one years ago)

Why did it have to be sushi? Why couldn't it be a Turkish rice pilaf?

― La_Rue, Monday, 29 November 2004 21:14 (twenty-one years ago)

the only pilaf here
is on the 'strip' tour when he
would pilaf his clothes

― Haibun (Begs2Differ), Monday, 29 November 2004 21:20 (twenty-one years ago)

petty

― peter smith (plsmith), Monday, 29 November 2004 21:45 (twenty-one years ago)

Adam (and the) Ant(s) > Tom Petty

But if we limit it to Ant's solo career and force ourselves to focus upon "just the music" (not that I would advocate such a thing), Petty has a shot at winning. Maybe.

― Atnevon (Atnevon), Tuesday, 30 November 2004 04:26 (twenty-one years ago)

haven't heard that song but "goody shoes" has a gr8 riff
"refugee" is ok

― tompe, Tuesday, 30 November 2004 13:14 (twenty-one years ago)

hey I love the ant
but the riffs from friend or foe
are ALL zydeco

he ripped that stuff off
shamelessly but still better
than paul simon did

― Haibun (Begs2Differ), Tuesday, 30 November 2004 14:23 (twenty-one years ago)

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.