By Ed Condran, contributing writer
A huge part of the appeal of Jakob Dylan’s tremendous documentary on the vibrant Laurel Canyon music scene, “Echo in the Canyon,” is the pure, unadulterated fandom that drove the project.
Dylan is obviously a huge aficionado of the Southern California sound of the Beach Boys, Buffalo Springfield and the Mamas and the Papas, which changed the world of music. Arguably, the film’s highlight is Dylan’s interview with Tom Petty.
Dylan’s chat with Petty, which was the late recording artist’s last interview, is revealing. Petty came across as the ultimate fanboy when Dylan asked the late legend about the impact the Byrds had on him in 1965.
“Tom never lost that adolescent spark when it came to music,” Dylan said during a phone interview from Los Angeles. “We were so fortunate to be able to speak with him since he spoke as a student of the music, not one of the giants of the industry. It was fun speaking with him in a guitar shop for two hours after it closed and having him mess around with guitars and amps.”
Dylan, 56, remains a huge Petty fan. Even though Dylan’s Wallflowers are on a jaunt marking the 30th anniversary of its breakthrough album “Bringing Down the Horse,” the tour is just as much about Petty’s overlooked 1982 album, “Long After Dark.” The band will play the Orpheum Theatre in L.A. on Tuesday, Oct. 13.
Both albums will be played from start to finish. Dylan and his band play as much Petty as Wallflowers material. Good for Dylan, since Petty passed away in 2017 and the Heartbreakers don’t appear likely to reunite. Petty’s lifelong friend and bandmate, keyboardist Benmont Tench can’t imagine dusting off the tunes the band played with his iconic pal.
“Not having Tom as the engine for the vehicle makes it something I can’t imagine,” Tench said. “I think it would make me sad to walk into a room and see everybody but him and start playing those songs.”
So the Wallflowers breathe life into a beloved catalog and the bonus is that a light is shined on an album that is overlooked. “Long After Dark” followed Petty’s incredibly successful “Damn the Torpedoes” and “Hard Promises” albums. “Long After Dark” includes the synth-driven “You Got Lucky” and the jangle-heavy “Change of Heart.” It’s a solid album that slipped through the cracks.
“Long After Dark” was released just as Dylan turned 13 and became obsessed with music.
It was during the ’80s that Bob Dylan’s son was compelled to become a musician. Dylan’s adolescent pals were huge music fans, but they ultimately didn’t commit to life as musicians. However, it was different for Dylan. There was no other career path for him.
“It’s no secret how I grew up,” Dylan said. “I grew up with kids who were creative back in the ’80s. My friends took guitar and piano lessons. But their parents eventually told them to focus on something serious. I never got that memo. I’ve been fortunate enough to do what I love. It’s so significant. Kids dream about becoming musicians. I don’t think there are any eight-year-olds who dream of working in a tower. It would be a shame to go through life and never try to do what you’re passionate about.”
Dylan tried and succeeded with the Wallflowers’ second album, 1996’s “Bringing Down the Horse.” Such hit singles as “One Headlight,” “6th Avenue Heartache,” “The Difference” and “The Three Marlenas” enabled the album to sell more than four million copies.
Dylan was in that mid-20s sweet spot when he crafted “Bringing Down the Horse.” Six Wallflower albums later, Dylan is middle-aged, but remains vibrant and inspired.
Why shouldn’t he be, since a number of aging songwriters, such as Neil Young, Bruce Springsteen and Dylan’s father, are releasing fine work during the twilight of their careers? Bob Dylan’s “Rough and Rowdy Ways,” which was created just before Dylan reached octogenarian status, is one of his greatest albums.
“I’m not surprised by that,” Dylan said. “It’s wisdom through experience. There’s no reason why you can’t get better as a songwriter. However, rock and roll is a young man’s game. There’s nothing like that youthful exuberance you have as a 20-year-old. That never happens again. That’s the privilege of that age. You don’t know anything yet. That’s why some of the most exciting music comes from kids who are so young.”
The younger Dylan hasn’t changed much over the years. He never goes through the motions onstage or during interviews, which is reminiscent of Petty, who was his father’s bandmate in The Traveling Wilburys.
“It’s true since some people do (go through the motions) but he didn’t,” Dylan said. “I remember being on the road with Tom and the Heartbreakers. I watched Tom rest up against an amp and just close his eyes and shake his head to the music. Tom was never ambivalent, bored or pandered to an audience. He was locked in onstage. They don’t make them like Tom anymore.”
Dylan is doing what he can so Petty’s music continues to be heard from the stage. “I’ve loved playing Tom’s songs for years,” Dylan said. “I’m a fan and that’s a good thing.”