PETTY PAYS TRIBUTE TO LATE BANDMATE EPSTEIN IN NEW SONG
Rocker TOM PETTY wrote new song RUNNING MAN’S BIBLE during a flood of emo tions about former bandmate HOWIE EPSTEIN’s death.
The Heartbreakers leader has often struggled with Epstein’s 2003 drug-r elated death, admitting the bass player’s narcotics use had turned him in to an unpredictable bandmate - but he was still devastated after hearing of his passing.
In a past interview, Petty said, "He was just degenerating on us to the point where we thought keeping Howie in the band was actually doing him more harm than getting rid of him. His personal problems were vast and se rious.
"We tried everything we could to reach him but it got to the point wher e his ability to do gigs was diminishing. Eventually, we realised that we were just contributing to the problem. When you’re living a life where y ou really don’t have any responsibilities, it’s easy for evil forces to t ake over.
"There’s a great sadness, because Howie was never not a Heartbreaker. H e just got to where he couldn’t do it anymore… It’s like you got a tree dying in the backyard. And you’re kind of used to the idea that it’s dyi ng. But you look out there one day and they cut it down. And you just can ‘t imagine that beautiful tree isn’t there anymore." But there’s a tribute to the bassist on Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers’ new album Mojo.
Petty tells Rolling Stone magazine, "I’d always wanted to deal with How ie’s death, and there’s some of that in there. It’s (Running Man’s Bible) one of those embarrassingly revealing songs. It just crept into my mind one day. I was playing the guitar, and it started falling out." (KL/RS/MT
Movie & Entertainment News provided by World Entertainment News Network (www.wenn.com)
