Tom Petty did something at the ASCAP Pop Awards last night that he rarely does on the concert stage — he ad-libbed. Songwriting, songwriters and artists, “is the job most people in the band don’t want. It’s long, lonely work — you sit there waiting for magic,” he told a full ballroom of music publishers at Loews Hollywood Hotel. “My generation used it to speak to the world, to put in our two cents about the way the world should work and how we should be treated,” Petty continued. “Through my heroes, people like Jackson Browne and Bob Dylan, I learned what a good song might be.” Petty insisted he had never changed over his 40-year career. “I’m still just a s*** kicker from Gainesville. I just have a lot nicer house,” he said. Petty was honored with the ASCAP Founders Award at the 31st annual edition of the Pop Awards, which celebrated 2013’s most performed songs in the ASCAP repertory.
Browne presented Petty with the award, praising him for “a defiance in his songs” and their “uncommon complexity and depth, an inspiration for rebels and lovers for all time.” Lucinda Williams and her band performed a tribute to Petty and the Heartbreakers, playing a slowed-down version of “Rebels” and a ragged run-through of “Running Down A Dream.” The Petty ceremony was in the middle of the festivities, separating the honors for songwriters and publishing companies. “Blurred Lines,” written by Clifford “T.I.” Harris, Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams, was named song of the year. Max Martin was songwriter of the year for “Beauty and a Beat,” “Daylight,” “Roar” and other hits, his fourth consecutive honor.
