KGSR's Jody Denberg & Tom Petty celebrate after their nationwide world premiere broadcast of "The Last DJ" from NYC 10/8/02. Listen to an interview clip (mp3, 2:26)

Q: Welcome to the World Premiere broadcast of "The Last DJ" live with Tom Petty on Westwood One. Here we are in the heart of New York City, Tom, did you have a good day in the City today?

A: Absolutely.

Q: What did you do?

A: Conan O'Brien show.

Q: Oh. So you got a studio tan?

A: Yeah, I was in NBC studios all day.

Q: You know, when I think of Tom Petty, I think California, I think Florida, now here we are in New York. Do you get to spend much time in the Big Apple?

A: Oh, yeah, yeah. I'm here a lot. Seems like it, anyway.

Q: And today is the big day. This is the release day of "The Last DJ," October 8th, 2002. (Applause). It's a great album. In the introduction, I heard them talking about you meeting Elvis Presley. And for a lot of us, when some of us saw the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show, that was what kicked off rock-and-roll for us. Was that meeting with Elvis, for you, what got you going?

A: Well, it got me interested in records. And I got -- you know, I was a record collector at the age of 11. So I really just wanted a record because everyone was handing Elvis records to sign. And I thought if I had a record, next time I came down there, I'd get him to sign it. But I never went back. So I got into records that way and just really -- you know, I still do, just love to sit and listen to records. You know, great rock-and-roll records. So when the Beatles came, I was about 13. And that was -- that's when it, you know, became obvious to me, "oh, this is what I'm meant to do." You know, I'm going to learn how to play the music. Because until then, I'd just thought of listening to it, I'd never thought of playing it.

Q: Now, you're growing up and you're into records. But are you listening to those records on the radio in Florida?

A: Absolutely. Yeah, there was -- in those days, everything was played -- pop music was played on one station. We only had one station. And it played everything that was pop, from, you know, The Beatles to even Frank Sinatra would come on... or if there was a big country record -- you got a really good education in all kinds of music just from that one station.

Q: And your new album is called "The Last DJ". And that song itself deals a bit about radio. The good, the bad...

A: ... the ugly!

Q: The ugly! And we're on the radio right now. I'll let you tell us where you're coming from.

A: (Makes funny voices): Where am I coming from? Let me tell you where I'm coming from, baby. Let me see. Where am I coming from? With what?

Q: With "The Last DJ"!

A: Oh, "The Last DJ".

Q: The song.

A: That song. Well, that song is -- it's -- you know, it's a fictional song, although there's some people lately that seem to think that, you know, I aimed it at them or something, you know. But it's a fictional song. And it's a story -- it introduces the lead character, narrator of the record, as a disc jockey, who is like the last guy on earth that can play what he wants and say what he wants. And, you know, so he goes -- it's a story about him sort of getting fed up and fired and he goes down to Mexico and starts his own station. But it's really a... just kind of a metaphor for -- boy, explaining these things is harder than writing them - it's kind of a metaphor for like vanishing freedoms that we all are noticing living in corporate America these days. It's kind of a fable about living in corporate America, if you would. That's what the album is. And this is kind of the introduction where you meet the lead character.

Q: Let's meet the lead character.

Q: The Last DJ, you were saying that's a fable about the corporatization of America. So this record, it's not necessarily -- well, first of all, the whole record is not a concept record. It's just a few songs -- a handful at the beginning --

A: Oh, no, it's absolutely got a common thread through it. And, you know, there's only a few songs about the music industry. But it wasn't really intended -- like, the press has really played that angle up, you know, the music industry. I used them as a metaphor. Really, it could be any business that you wanted to use. You could use, you know, the used car business or the shoe business. Any of them would fit, you know. But we're in a place today where we want -- you know, businesses, they want all the money they can get, like every single penny. And they have guys that sit at computers and it shows them where every single penny is. And the objective is to make enough points with "The Board," whoever that is, which is above your head. And that's like getting all the pennies.

And this kind of thinking has infiltrated every aspect of life now. And that's affecting all of us. Culture is a really strong thing. It will affect everything. Even the president, even the kings, they're all affected by People magazine man. Like, they see -- you know, they read -- it's all -- we can't hide from culture. So, you know, I'm longing for -- like The Last DJ was a guy who went, "Yeah, I know you make more money by playing them off the playlist, but I don't want to do that. I think that I want to do it this way." Or like, you know, in the fashion industry when you see people -- yeah, let's pick on the fashion industry for a minute.

Like, if you dress up very young girls, like nine, ten-year-old girls to look sexy, you may sell more shampoo or whatever it is you're selling, you know, but they remove the human from that chain that goes, "oh, no, I don't think this is a good idea, because it might be contributing to the great proliferation of child molestation in America." Maybe. And just because it may contribute to hurting a kid, I'm not going to do it. But if it just comes down the line from somebody you've never met that you work for, you've never seen, you're never gonna see, "hey, that's how we make the most money. And that's what we do." And then people go, "Well, I get off at 6:00. Hey, it ain't me." And so we get caught up in this circle of, "Well, it ain't me." Well, who is it? So at some point, you've got to go, "Well, I'm sorry, but I'm not going to do that. I'm not going to hurt anybody for money.

When you had the Mom & Pop stores, you know, small business, they had to care what the customer thought. And they had to care about their product and their customer or they wouldn't -- you know, they wouldn't survive. Now you're really falling into the hands -- and this is an emergency. It's not some lame rap. You're falling into the hands of people that don't care about you, they don't care about the product and they don't care what happens to you or if you come back. And it's time for that to -- you know, maybe we should take a long look at that. (Applause).

Q: But I grew up wanting to have a big pile of pennies and you've got a big pile of pennies now. So when does -- when's the pile enough where you say --

A: Well, I tell you, that's the simple analogy. You don't need all of them. I mean, I go on concert tours and make a lot of money. But I don't charge as much as I can charge. I don't charge $200 to come in. There ain't ever been a rock show worth $200! And I make a lot of money. I make a hell of a lot of money. And I don't have to have every damn bit of it. I don't have to charge $50 to park or what. Look, I'm not Robin Hood, either. I go home with a lot of dough. But -- and I don't think you should be. It's fun to make money. And that's what our country is about, the whole capitalistic system.

But somehow -- rock-and-roll used to be the people that wouldn't go along with that. Now, rock-and-roll is the people you got into a band to get away from. So we're kind of stuck in a funny place. The idea of like, "hey, we did something great and creative and we made some money" is a great thing. You don't have to make all the money. Or, how about the idea of, "listen, you guys could do something not quite so great and not quite so creative and make more money." It's a bad idea.

Q: I think it's all summed up by the logo right behind us, which is a crown with a dollar bill underneath it. And that represents Money Becomes King. And that's the song we're going to hear right now on this world premiere broadcast of "The Last DJ".

SONG: Money Becomes King

Q: Well, Tom, you heard that we're going to go to the phones. Can we kind of do a Larry King here and go to...

A: Yeah.

Q: All right. Mike, from Santa Barbara. Here's Tom Petty.

A: Hey.

Q: Mike, say hello and ask Tom your question now!

MIKE: Hey, Tom, I want to know if you believe in radio still.

TOM: I believe that radio is a great thing and it was once an art form. And I think that it's up to the public to demand that it be an art form. And if they do that, you know, radio will go on. I think radio is a great thing. There's some great stations. And I think that we just need to encourage to just get a little bit more artistic and take a few more chances and it'll be fine.

Q: And I think, Tom, judging by your voices tonight, that when you're off the road maybe we could enlist you to be a DJ because --

A: Well, I do a little ventriloquism. (Makes voices)...

Q: The song we heard before the break, Money Becomes King, there's a part in there, "Every verse a diamond/Every chorus gold, the sound was my salvation/It was only everything." So we're talking about the power of radio, but also the power of music. I mean, music transformed your life, my life. It's sort of our religion.

A: Well, it's very much mine, because that's where I find God, is in music. And God is -- either it's a thing or whatever. It's how you find it. How you find that real beauty in life. And many people find it through music. Music is the only really true magic I've found. You know, most magic is a trick, but music is not a trick. And it has the power to heal and to inspire. And it's a great, great thing. And we should take it -- we should treasure it. And I hope that the audience that's coming up really treasures it.

Q: And I think it's safe to say, then, we won't be hearing your magic behind any car commercials or...

A: Not unless I'm really broke. I mean, I've got all the principles in the world, unless I was really broke. And then I'd take about anything.

Q: So "The Last DJ" came out today. Let's keep Tom's songs off of commercials. Go out and buy it.

A: If you hear me on like a Ford commercial, you'll know, well, Tom lost it all in Vegas. I'm leaving the door open to go back. Like, I don't want to set myself up as such a good guy I can't cash in at some point! (Laughter).

Q: We were talking about the theme of the record. And I was saying I didn't think the theme went all the way though. And you were saying, yes, it did. So tell me how this song we're about to hear, Like a Diamond, fits into the theme.

A: Like a Diamond is a little later in the record, if you're in the actual sequence. And Like a Diamond symbolizes -- you know, it's really kind of a drag explaining all this. You should find it on your own. But I'll give it to you the best I can. I mean, it -- the diamond is to symbolize the hope. You know, I wanted hope to be in the record. You know, hope is important. If you become a cynic or a pessimist, you'll never change anything, you'll never make anything better. You know, you must have hope. And that was the idea behind this song. It's a really beautiful song. I sing it as the love interest in this kind of make-up-your-own-story-as-you-go album. It's a moment of hope of when they look up and go "aah, hope... "

SONG: Like A Diamond