You can stream a new documentary about Tom Petty for absolutely free on YouTube now.
The doc focuses on a crucial chapter of the rocker’s career: titled Tom Petty: Somewhere You Feel Free – The Making of Wildflowers, it follows Petty between 1993 and 1995 as he creates his classic second solo album Wildflowers.
Lasting for almost 90 minutes, it’s an in-depth film, featuring interviews with the likes of Mike Campbell, guitarist in Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (also co-producer of Wildflowers), and Benmont Tench, keyboardist in the same band.
The doc was made possible after the discovery of a collection of 16mm archives just discovered last year, with much of the footage based around those archives.
“I spent almost 20 years with the Heartbreakers,” Petty reflects in the film. “And if I only made records with the same people all the time, I’d never learn, I’d never grow. Rick Rubin kind of guided me back into a musical place where I feel very comfortable.”
The doc first premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, winning the prestigious Audience Award. It was also honoured with Best Documentary Film at the Boulder Film Festival just a few months later.
The doc’s director, Mary Wharton, spoke with Consequence of Sound about the making of the film. “What was really fascinating for me in this project was getting to see him struggle a little bit, getting to see that he wasn’t always sure of himself,” she revealed.
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“I think to see Tom…just being a human, a supremely talented and intelligent and funny and cool dude, but he was also a regular guy who had the same kind of struggles we all do.”
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Watch Tom Petty: Somewhere You Feel Free – The Making of Wildflowers below:
