Tom Petty Talks Past Heroin Addiction in New Biography

— -- Tom Petty's new biography written by Warren Zanes is not only about his past heroin addiction, but it's the first time the legendary musician has talked about that part of his history.

In “Petty: The Biography," out next month, Zanes speaks to the rocker, past members of Petty's band, The Heartbreakers, and more to give an honest depiction of the Gainesville native's ups and downs.

Zanes, whose band used to open up for Petty, was granted full access for his latest literary work.

The author spoke to The Washington Post about the candid book.

"He’s a rock and roller. He had had encounters with people who did heroin, and he hit a point in his life when he did not know what to do with the pain he was feeling," Zanes said about Petty's addiction, which apparently began in the 1990s when Petty was already in his 40s.

"The first thing he said to me on the subject is 'I am very concerned that talking about this is putting a bad example out there for young people. If anyone is going to think heroin is an option because they know my story of using heroin, I can’t do this,'" he continued. "And I just had to work with him and say, 'I think you’re going to come off as a cautionary tale rather than a romantic tale.'"

"But I wanted to show that Tom Petty is a man who lived the bulk of his life in the album cycle. He wrote songs, they recorded those songs, they put a record together with artwork, they released it, and they went out on the road to support it. Over and over and over and over and over," Zanes explained.

Being so invested in the commercial cycle of music kept Petty's past troubles mitigated and out of focus, Zanes said.

"But then, when he left his marriage and moved into a house, by himself, things slowed just long enough that all of that past came right as he’s coming into the pain of not being able to control the well-being of his kids and not being able to control a dialogue with his ex-wife," he added.

The author's connection to the band dates back to the 80s when Zanes was in the band, the Del Fuegos, so the bond is a strong one. Thus, Zanes was surprised when Petty, 65, told him to make it an unauthorized biography, not authorized like the scribe suggested.

"He said, 'It’s your book. Your contract. I can’t tell you what’s in it or not in it.' Here’s what he’s acknowledging: That a warts-and-all portrait doesn’t throw you into the gutter ... we don’t mind our heroes being human. That’s a hard thing to arrive at," he said.