Best Ron Thurston Podcasts (2024)

1
Hard On Me 1:18:08

42m ago1:18:08

1:18:08

With his ex-wife Jane in a really bad emotional and psychological state, Tom knew that a lot of emphasis was falling on him to keep things together at home for the sake of his youngest daughter, Annakim, and it’s all betrayed in that opening line. “It's all I can do to keep that little girl smiling and keep my faith alive”. With his ex-wife Jane in…

1
10 Questions with Mary Beth Donnelly 20:09

7d ago20:09

20:09

Today's episode is my ten questions with the wonderful Mary Beth Donnelly, who very kindly joined me on the kick off episode of season ten to talk about the title track from Wildflowers. We chatted about Paul Simon, Jeff Lynne, and everything in between as we went through my ten questions to find out which of Tom's songs she'd like to hear one of C…

1
Tommy Edwin Returns 57:28

14d ago57:28

57:28

Today's episode is another conversation I had with the wonderful Tommy Edwin. We discussed Travis picking and talked about putting set lists together and whether choose the songs you think the crowd should hear, not the songs you think they want to hear. Tommy was wonderfully warm, engaging, and just generally a wonderful hang and I hope you enjoy …

1
Don't Fade On Me 1:02:12

21d ago1:02:12

1:02:12

When I think about the solo in this song, it has a gravity to it that makes it feel centuries old. You could almost imagine that it has been living underground in some secret grotto since time began, just waiting for the right song to come along and feed it. It feels like a primal life force all its own, as if Mike is possessed by it rather than be…

1
Honey Bee 1:10:20

28d ago1:10:20

1:10:20

In the liner notes for Wildflowers and all the Rest, engineer Jim Scott remarks that “Tom would write a song like ‘Honey Bee’ on the spot and the band would just follow him. There are dozens of recordings just starting a song and making it up from top to bottom, coming up with funny lyrics.” Of course, there are plenty of deep cut or inside example…

1
Only a Broken Heart 52:32

1M ago52:32

52:32

As journalist Jaan Uhelski writes in the Wildflowers and All the Rest liner notes, “If Wildflowers is an album about taking stock of one’s life, “Only a Broken Heart” is a watershed moment on that excavation of self.” Everything about the way the final album version of this song is arranged and produced caters toward that excavation. The busyness o…

1
It's Good to Be King 50:01

1M ago50:01

50:01

“It's good to be king and have your own way. Get a feeling of peace at the end of the day” There’s security in success, but there’s an ominous cautionary tone that creeps into the next line, “And when your bulldog barks and your canary sings, You're out there with winners, it's good to be king”. When your bulldog barks and your canary sings. Dogs u…

1
You Wreck Me 46:03

2M ago46:03

46:03

Legendary Nashville songwriter, Harlan Howard is purported to have coined the expression “three chords and the truth” and friend and colleague Bob Dylan is also remembered for the great line “All I need is my red guitar, three chords and the truth”. Well that’s all this riff is. Three chords. No passing chords, no fancy inversions or suspended note…

1
Time to Move On 51:07

2M ago51:07

51:07

On certain days, I think “Time to Move On” is the best song on Wildflowers, on other days, other songs take that honour. It’s a song that resonates with so many people because it gives us that glimpse into someone finding freedom, if not exactly peace. Despite being the fourth most streamed song from Wildflowers on Spotify, "Time to Move On" was no…

1
You Don't Know How It Feels 55:26

2M ago55:26

55:26

We’re all quick to judge people, whether they cut us off in the fast lane, or don’t hold a door open for us as we’re heading out of the grocery store. But we don’t know what that person is going through, emotionally, psychologically, physically. That disconnect is amplified a hundredfold when it’s in the context of a famous person. Wealth and stard…

1
Wildflowers 39:14

2M ago39:14

39:14

Everything about the way this song is crafted sneaks up on you. It’s a masterclass in how you take an idea and flesh it out into a fully-fledged tour de force piece of art. And that’s not to say that this song isn’t wonderful when played just on an acoustic guitar, or on piano with just the vocal accompaniment. It’s a great song in its bones, but i…

1
Approaching Wildflowers 14:39

3M ago14:39

14:39

When climbers finally decide to take on the holy grail of all ascents, Everest, they first face a nine day journey to base camp, which includes two full rest days. This journey alone weeds out about thirty of explorers. Those who are lucky enough to make the arduous trek to the first staging post are then faced with Mount Everest growing ever upwar…

1
Russell Mark Returns (Swing and a Miss) 33:24

3M ago33:24

33:24

One last non-Petty episode before we being digging into Wildflowers! This time, Russell Mark, from The Nextdoors is back to talk about their new single "Swing and a Miss". We talk about perfection in art and whether it's worth striving for, we nerd out over specific production choices and songwriting form, and of course, we talk about Gary Carter, …

1
Jake Thistle Returns (The Half Left Out) 1:32:35

3M ago1:32:35

1:32:35

This is another special non-Petty episode of the podcast with the fantastic Jake Thistle, who found time in his insanely busy schedule to sit down with me to discuss his label debut, The Half Left Out. We chatted a little about Gainesville and Tom of course, but mainly we dug into the weeds around his full debut release, with topics ranging from al…

1
Greatest Hits (with John Paulsen) 1:10:04

3M ago1:10:04

1:10:04

A really fun one today folks. John and Kevin dig deep into inclusions and ommissions from 1993's Greatest Hits. We have a conversation about formats (CD vs vinyl), chronological ordering vs sequencing, and whether ballads belong on Greatest Hits compilations. Both John and Kevin have one song that the other feels simply doesn't belong on the Greate…

1
The Petty 8ight with Sean and Todd McGinity 1:46:16

4M ago1:46:16

1:46:16

Today’s episode is the third installment in my Petty 8ight series, where I bring in musicians who aren’t Pettyheads, give them eight deeper cuts that they likely haven’t heard before, and get their thoughts on them. In this episode, my willing newbies are Sean and Todd McGinity. The brothers are based in Winnipeg and have a long history of writing,…

1
Something in the Air 21:27

4M ago21:27

21:27

A major change in this cover version is the format of the lyrics. Something in the Air is a fairly ominous call to arms. The original was released in May of 1969 when the Vietnam War was still raging at its most furious. Speedy Keen said that told ZigZag magazine in 1975 of the song "It was a reflection of what I was seeing at the time". But rather…

1
Mary Jane's Last Dance 27:34

4M ago27:34

27:34

When author Paul Zollo asks Tom about the song in his book Conversations With Tom Petty, and mentions that the song had been partially written some years previously, Tom confirms this, saying, “That was one I wrote during the Full Moon Fever sessions. I wrote all but the chorus. I just had the loop going around and around and really had most of the…

1
Peace in L.A. 24:59

4M ago24:59

24:59

In March and April of 1992, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers were wrapping up the European final leg of their Into The Great Wide Open tour. This leg saw them play dates in Germany, the UK, Ireland, Belgium, Switzerland, France, Norway, and on April 3rd, they closed out the tour in Malmo, Sweden, playing an extended set of 28 songs to 6000 Swedish f…

1
10 Questions with Peter Nester 46:39

4M ago46:39

46:39

Today's episode is my ten questions with the brilliant Peter Nester. I usually put these out as bonus episodes in the same week as my chat with that guest, but Pete's answers to these questions were so thorough, considered, and beautifully expounded, that I felt this needed to be a regular release. I guarantee you'll hear which artist he wants to c…

1
Jeff Slate Returns 1:19:19

5M ago1:19:19

1:19:19

This is a special non-Petty episode of the podcast. I haven’t recorded one in ages, but when former guest Jeff Slate reached out to me to ask if I’d be interested in talking to him about his new single which is out now and the album it’s from which will drop in May, it wasn’t a hard sell for me as I'm a fan of both his music and his writing. We had…

1
Peter Nester 1:31:33

5M ago1:31:33

1:31:33

I have two words for you: Yogi Berra. But what does the Yankees catcher have to do with my conversation with Pete Nester? Tune in to find out! Today's episode is a sprawling, hugely enjoyable conversation I had with a fellow music podcaster who I've been listening to for a couple and a half years now. Pete was very supportive of this show right fro…

1
Into the Great Wide Open (with John Paulsen) 1:36:43

5M ago1:36:43

1:36:43

Another long one this season folks! But again there's so much to talk about with this album and we felt we needed to talk about each individual track. John and I had a good discussion about the background to the recording of this album and where this sits in the evolution of Tom's songwriting. We also didn't have a "producer for the day" discussion…

1
Built To Last 24:05

5M ago24:05

24:05

The lyrics in Built to Last are unambiguously hopeful and quietly resilience. Perhaps it’s Tom’s last attempt to build a creative buttress around his failing marriage. Perhaps its an equal attempt to put up a wall around a band that had gone through a major friction point and were probably still unsure what direction they would be taking. The lyric…

1
Makin' Some Noise 23:32

5M ago23:32

23:32

I know that, because you’re listening to this podcast that you must love rock n roll music. And when you hear the crackle of a cable being plugged into an amp, or that low buzz from the speaker, there’s just something primal and irresistible that happens to you if you love this type of music. Your whole body responds to it in both a physical and em…

1
You and I Will Meet Again 26:03

6M ago26:03

26:03

Another simple song, another catchy hook, another memorable idea that Tom puts into our heads and leaves there as a treat. I’m 100% sold on Into The Great Wide Open these days, where I didn’t listen to it front to back very often before. This song is another little forgotten deep cut that does so much with so little, very economically. The core ide…

1
10 Questions with Mark Lindsey 23:44

6M ago23:44

23:44

Today's episode is my ten questions with the amazing Mark Lindsey. As a veteran of over 40 Heartbreakers shows and as a guy who has seen Mudcrutch, Bob Dylan, ELO, and Bob Dylan live, my questions about opening acts, shows Mark would like to see, and Mudcrutch or the Wilburys became all the more interesting. His picks for people to cover Tom Petty …

1
Out in the Cold 20:30

6M ago20:30

20:30

In Conversations With Tom Petty, Tom says “I struggled with the lyrics quite a bit. It was one of those things where you struggle and you always wonder if you got everything out of it that you could.” He does go on to say that during a rehearsal for the song he found that he enjoyed the lyrics, but I think the way they’re crafted belies any notion …

1
Mark Lindsey 52:19

6M ago52:19

52:19

Today's episode is my wonderful conversation with one of the finest human beings you're going to find anywhere on the planet. As well as being a lifelong superfan of Tom Petty and a veteran of over 40 of his shows, Mark also runs the Sight and Sound Care charity that provides free vision care, including examinations, contact lenses and glasses to m…

1
Trapper Schoepp 50:11

7M ago50:11

50:11

Today's episode is a conversation I had with Milwaukee-based musician Trapper Schoepp. We discussed his love of Tom's music, the background behind his cover of Free Fallin' which you can find on all streaming platforms, his co-write with Bob Dylan (yes, you read that right!) and he rapid-fire answered my ten questions, which is why they aren't bein…

1
10 Questions with Doc Wiley & Chris Gillette 36:30

7M ago36:30

36:30

Today's episode is Doc Wiley and Chris Gillette's answers to my ten questions. Doc found a good hack to my question "Which Tom Petty concert from history would you like to have seen" and Chris talked wonderfully about Walls and mentioned that The Waiting played it during their PBS special, which will be airing in January next year. For more info, v…

1
Doc Wiley & Chris Gillette 1:04:58

7M ago1:04:58

1:04:58

Today's episode is the fourth installment of my #Guestember series of conversations. This one is with the wonderfully funny and insightful Doc Wiley and Chris Gillette, who are the bass player and singer/rhythm guitarist in Montana-based tribute band, The Waiting. Like my previous tribute band guests, The Waiting don't put on wigs and costumes and …

1
Too Good To Be True 22:51

7M ago22:51

22:51

Maybe she’s the girl who is gonna be picked up in King’s Highway. Maybe the thing she’s finally managed to break free from is a relationship with a self-obsessed movie star who has been pulled into a world of glamour and glitz. Maybe, just maybe, I’m massively overthinking this, but it sure is fun to connect dots and build out the narrative in your…

1
10 Questions with Will Porteous 32:30

7M ago32:30

32:30

Today's episode covers the Ten Questions part of my conversation with Will Porteous. It's no surprise which album Will chose as his favourite, but our conversation about which song we'd give to someone who didn't know Tom's music saw us talking about a few deep cuts that don't often get a shout out on that question. If you want to check out Will's …

1
Will Porteous 1:13:30

7M ago1:13:30

1:13:30

Today's episode is a conversation I had with powerhouse multi-disciplinarian and resident of Diss, Will Porteous. As a quick warning, there's a bit of profanity in this episode, but when you get two Englishmen in a room (even virtual) the langauge will change on a dime! I've been looking forward to this chat for somewhere around two years now becau…

1
All The Wrong Reasons 25:50

7M ago25:50

25:50

There are, again, some very big ideas packed into this very simple almost-four-minute pop song and as always, Tom isn’t preaching or judging, just observing. As my wonderful guest Matt Jaffe said during our Ten Questions episode, Tom is never didactic. He’s not saying that celebrity is bad, he’s not judging the family’s luck or the girl’s choices, …

1
10 Questions with Russell Mark 33:35

7M ago33:35

33:35

Today's episode covers the Ten Questions part of my conversation with Russell Mark of The Nextdoors. Russell took a completely unique approach to the question about which artist he'd like to hear cover Tom's music and which song they'd perform. It's a really cool take on preserving Tom's musical legacy with a new audience. Please check out The Next…

1
Russell Mark of The Nextdoors 1:09:41

7M ago1:09:41

1:09:41

Today's episode is a conversation I had with the wonderful Russell Mark, of the Pasadena-based husband and wife duo, The Nextdoors. Russell is also a long time performer, composer, sound engineer, producer, music camp director and was a very easy person to sit and talk to for just over an hour and a half! I sat down with Russell on November 13 of t…

1
All or Nothin' 24:26

7M ago24:26

24:26

“You could almost take Mike [Campbell] for granted, because anything you asked him to do, he did it. And more. I don’t remember ever throwing anything his way that he couldn’t do. He could do it, and do it better than you thought. He will give you back your idea better than you had it in the first place. THAT’S a great musician.” - Tom Petty The im…

1
10 Questions with Matt Jaffe 33:55

7M ago33:55

33:55

Today's episode covers the Ten Questions part of my conversation with Matt Jaffe. We had a great conversation about Walls (Circus) vs Walls (No 3), Matt surprised me with who he would have cover a Tom Petty song, but since he's said it, it's been stuck in my brain. He also gave a superb answer to my final question and described Tom Petty in 3 words…

1
Matt Jaffe 1:07:58

7M ago1:07:58

1:07:58

Today's episode is a conversation I had with the wonderful Matt Jaffe. After cutting his teeth on open mics around the Bay Area, San Francisco songwriter Matt Jaffe was discovered by Jerry Harrison of Talking Heads. Together, they produced his first album at the age of 16, cementing Matt's dedication to music. Soon, he formed a band, dropped out of…

1
The Dark of the Sun 23:51

7M ago23:51

23:51

In 2004/2005 when Paul Zollo is interviewing Tom for his seminal book, Conversations With Tom Petty. Tom bemoans to Paul that The Dark of the Sun was never played live. He says “It got lost in the shuffle of that album. There were so many songs on it. I thought it was a good little song.” This is another one of those tracks that I sometimes forget …

1
Two Gunslingers 32:43

8M ago32:43

32:43

In Conversations With Tom Petty, when Tom tells author Paul Zollo that the band were allowed to pick some of their favourites for the Anthology, Paul asks “So Two Gunslingers is one of your favourites?” Tom Responds “Oh definitely. I love that song. I was really proud of that when it got done.” When Paul comments “It’s a funny song, but meaningful.…

1
Into The Great Wide Open 36:08

8M ago36:08

36:08

Where Tom’s vocal on a song like Refugee or Rebels is like a sharpened steel, his voice here sits more in that butterscotch place that he could employ when he wanted to dial the energy back. Even in the chorus, he doesn’t lean into any vibrato, doesn’t crack or pinch his voice and just lets the melody wash over you. And it’s a song that doesn’t nee…

1
Kings Highway 21:22

8M ago21:22

21:22

Like Learning To Fly, it’s a song that the band would change the arrangement of and when Paul Zollo mentions the acoustic version on the Playback boxset, Tom responds that “It’ll work just about any way you want to play it.” He also goes on to say “It was a tricky one to record. We went through a few changes trying to get the track to sound the way…

1
Petty Live - Recap! 27:49

8M ago27:49

27:49

Another recap episode for you this week folks as I try to wrangle guest schedules! This week we're looking back at which live shows my guests wish they could have seen. Winterland? The Fillmore? The True Confessions tour with Bob? The Superbowl half time show? The Gainesville homecoming show on the 30th anniversary tour... There are so many to choo…

1
Learning To Fly 27:55

9M ago27:55

27:55

When Paul asks Tom to confirm that the origin of the song is him hearing a pilot say that learning to fly is easy, but coming down’s the hard part, Tom replies “True. That was the inspiration and I took it from there. Jeff and I wrote that together.” He also comments that it was written pretty quickly, saying “I think we wrote it in an evening. It …

1
The Petty 8ight with Randy Woods 1:32:06

9M ago1:32:06

1:32:06

This week's episode is the second installment The Petty 8ight! I love talking to Pettyheads, musicians, and other people who have been influenced by Tom or his music in myriad ways, but I thought it would be neat to see what non-fans, or non-hardcore fans think of Tom's music if I threw deeper cuts at them. My second #Petty8ight guest is my best fr…

1
Full Moon Fever (with John Paulsen) 1:27:47

9M ago1:27:47

1:27:47

It's a long one this season folks! But there's so much to talk about with this album and we felt we needed to talk about each individual track. Which song does John think that Kevin rated too low? Which songs made it onto Kevin and John's resqeuenced discs and which songs do they think could have been left off, if any? Check out the playlists below…

1
Cover Versions - Recap! 25:45

9M ago25:45

25:45

Another recap episode for you this week folks as I try to wrangle guest schedules! This week we're looking back at the songs of Tom's that my guests would love to hear covered by other artists. This is a question I always look forward to discussing and it's thrown up some brilliant ideas! In order, the people answering the questions are; Dallas Hel…

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