Eminem, of all people, always seemed to me like a white guy who just happened to grow up with a lot of black cultural influence and was genuinely into working hard at rap. I mean, yeah, he’s also a huge asshole in a lot of ways, but he’s not a phony.

There once was a girl from Nantucket
with talent as deep as a bucket.
She tried to “sound black”
and wrote songs like a hack
so they gave her a Grammy when they should have said “Fuck it.”

I will say that I was pissed at Petty there, because they should’ve just stopped the vocals until Prince was done. It was fine before Prince starts, but then it was transcendent.

I met Petty about three years ago. My son and I built a guitar for him and gave it to him before a show at the Fonda in L.A.

You realize that it was Harrison who played the original, and the reason he got Clapton to do it was because that’s exactly what he wanted on the song. He would have loved that performance, just the way his son did.

He’s won at least two more Grammys this century.

Let’s not be (ahem) petty. Ah, fuck it. I don’t understand how Tom Petty is a rock legend when I don’t know a single person who owns a Tom Petty CD or has been to a Tom Petty concert. Has anyone ever said, “I’m so tired. I camped out all night for tickets to the Tom Petty conference.” Or said, “Oh my God, you guys,…

I 100% agree, but feel the need to point out Purple Rain is fucking fantastic, basically flawless beginning-to-end (the album, not the movie).

George Harrison didn't even play the solo on the original Beatles recording. Clapton did.

Yeah, the interpretation that Petty, or anyone else on that stage, was pissed isn’t backed up at all by the visual evidence. Look at Petty at about 5:02 in that video. He’s leaning into the solo physically, and you can see him mouth something that looks like, “Wow,” at Prince and then smile. And as the camera cuts…

God shut up already

I wrote in the comments yesterday the same thing. The look on Tom Petty’s face that’s kind of an acknowledgement, “I’m f’in Tom Petty, legend, talent, prolific, loved and no musical slouch, and never will I ever reach the transcendent coolness or Prince-ness of whatever you are. And I gotta be okay with that. We all…

I agree. I see Petty smiling and nodding his head at Prince and the song ends on cue after TP waves his arm. And migod what a tribute Price does to that song!!!!!

Totally agree. There’s a point where Prince goes to the pedals to wrap things up, and it looks like he’s encouraged by Petty (or someone over there) to keep going. Musicians appreciate when someone’s just on fire, and Prince was out of his mind there. Not a single bad note or repeated phrase. That shit’s magical, and…

I dunno, they all keep tryna sing. I always assumed the plan was for Prince to solo for like, 20 seconds, then they’d just go back to it.

I agree except limiting him to pop music is a bit short-sighted.

I second this emotion. TP is smiling and giggly during this vid. He just has a sour bitchface in general.

I’ve watched that clip of “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” dozens of times, and until it was mentioned a few places yesterday, I had never seen the narrative that Tom Petty is pissed at Prince through this. They both give each other wry little smiles throughout the performance, and Petty clearly defers to Prince’s…

There is no shame in buying Purple Rain today.

Actually he did.