“It’s brilliant in that it’s a character song, but the character isn’t Spike. We never learn whether Spike is a good guy or a bad guy. We don’t know his age, any of his characteristics, where he’s from, or what he’s doing there. He just doesn’t belong he’s just there for caricature of unwelcoming yokels to contrast with. It’s a very clever way to write a lyric.”

Check out the song here: https://youtu.be/t7ALjBfVn9I

Here’s the live version from Farm Aid in ’86: https://youtu.be/a4HVtB7CIBo

Here’s the 2012 version from Estero Florida: https://youtu.be/1u2fgGEgaPo

If you are able to donate financially to humanitarian aid relief efforts in Ukraine, the Red Cross is coordinating a large-scale effort which you can contribute to by visiting their website here: https://donate.redcross.ca/page/100227/donate/1

The Tom Petty Project is a proud member of The Deep Dive Podcast Network, which you can find on Twitter: https://twitter.com/deepdivepodnet

Don’t forget to follow me on social media, like, subscribe, and please, leave a rating if you like the show:

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YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCt6BLRWuuAR43zHpNKIirOw

All music, including the theme song, provided by my very best friend Randy Woods. Check him out at https://www.randywoodsband.com/

Logo provided Ed Booth, who you can find here: https://edboothart.com/

The Tom Petty Project is not affiliated with the Tom Petty estate in any way and when you’re looking for Tom’s music, please visit the official YouTube channel first and go to tompetty.com for official merchandise.

A last very special thanks to Paul Zollo. Without his book, Conversations with Tom Petty, this podcast wouldn’t be nearly as much fun to research.

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