Tom Petty on Making It Big

Looking at this cover image, Tom Petty could only say, "Those were crazy days, man." They were also more than twenty-five years ago, as Austin Scaggs points out in his interview with the influential rocker for our 1000th issue.

Back then (as now), Petty hated photo shoots -- but he did manage to tolerate Annie Leibovitz since she's "quick" and "better than most." Petty felt his first cover, shot by Leibovitz in the spring of 1980, was a serious achievement. "It meant you arrived," he says. "Because not just anyone appeared on Rolling Stone -- it was a music thing, not bubble-gum pop or movie stars."

Petty and his band, the Heartbreakers, are embarking on what may be their last major tour this summer. His solo album, Highway Companion, is also due in the coming months.

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Rolling Stone's 1000th Issue: Photos, Interviews, More