Tom Petty guitarist Mike Campbell opens up about life after the Heartbreakers
Mike Campbell is feeling grateful.
“I’ve been blessed to do what I love,” the acclaimed musician says. “And I’m going to keep on doing it — because it’s all that I know how to do, really.”
And that’s a big reason for fans to feel grateful as well, resting assured that this Rock & Roll Hall of Famer — who was enshrined as a founding member of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers in 2002 — fully intends to keep making and playing music for years to come.
The vocalist-guitarist’s primary musical focus these days is the Dirty Knobs, the ‘60s-influenced blues-garage-rock act that once was a side project but moved to the forefront after Petty died and the Heartbreakers disbanded in 2017.
I recently had the chance to chat with Campbell.
Q: A lot of people probably think of the Dirty Knobs as a new band, likely because the debut album didn’t come out until 2020 and the group was overshadowed by your Heartbreakers work for years. But it’s not new — it’s been around well over a decade. Still, just to get everybody up to speed, would you be willing to give readers a quick little Dirty Knobs history lesson?
A: The Dirty Knobs started out as me and some friends in the studio, trying out songs and recording them. Then we thought, “Let’s take these to a couple of clubs and try some of these songs live.”
So, it became a workshop for me to try songs out and then go out and play little places and try my hand at fronting the band, which I really like now.
It’s still kind of an organic thing we do mostly for fun. We have been around for a while and we’ve had a few personnel changes, but the group we have right now I think is really solid. Actually, on this tour, Steve Ferrone from the Heartbreakers is going to fill in on the drums for us.
Q: Did you have any initial thoughts that this could turn into a career back when you were first putting the band together?
A: There were never any designs that this was going to be anything. As it went on, at some point it did cross my mind, “Well, if the Heartbreakers ever retired this is something that I would like to do.” Unfortunately, the Heartbreakers ended unexpectedly. But then my time opened up and so this is what I am focused on now.
Q: You’re one of the best guitarists in the business. Yet, singing — at least in front of a crowd — is relatively new for you. What was it like for you to first step up to microphone with the Dirty Knobs?
A: It was kind of like walking the gangplank. I thought I was going to fall off the end and drown. (Laughs)
It was scary, because I had never really sung before. But I only started singing because I had all these songs — more than Tom could deal with — and I wanted to hear what they might sound like.
Then when we went onstage, surprisingly, it was relatively comfortable. I just had to get used to being at the microphone and connecting with the audience and trying to sing in pitch, you know?
But I found I really like it. I’m really comfortable doing it now.
Q: You apparently love touring.
A: I do. I love to play. I love to play in front of people. It’s hard to say if I love the studio more or not. They are two different things. I just like to play music — whether it’s in the studio or live, it’s very rewarding and I feel like I have a purpose.
Q: You weren’t able to tour the way you wanted to in support of “Wreckless Abandon.” So, instead of hitting the road, you went back into the studio and recorded “External Combustion.” In what ways can the whole pandemic experience be felt on that record?
A: There’s nothing specifically that refers to the pandemic. But a lot of my songs, I’m noticing, are about desperate people — misfits who are trying to get out of a bad situation into a better place of hope and redemption. So, maybe subconsciously, some of (pandemic experience) crept in. But I did not address it specifically.
Q: Was it fun touring as a member of Fleetwood Mac during that 2018-19 run?
A: It was. It was tricky at first. I am not used to copying other people’s songs, per se. So I had to dig in and do a little work to fill the hole there on the guitar. So that was new for me. But it was a challenge and I learned a lot. Then once we got out on the road, though, we had a blast.
Q: Would you do it again?
A: I don’t think they are going to do it again. I don’t really see it, because Christine (McVie) is gone now and Stevie (Nicks) is really busy. So I have my doubts that they would crank that up again.
I don’t really see that ship leaving the port again. But if they asked me, and my time was open, I would certainly do it because I love the people and their songs are really good.
Q: You have undergone so much in the last six years — Tom’s death and the corresponding loss of your Rock & Roll Hall of Fame band, the Fleetwood Mac tour, the pandemic, the Dirty Knobs albums, etc. Are you exhausted? Or are you energized?
A: I feel totally energized. I’m surprised, Jim, honestly. I’m not a spring chicken, but, physically, I’m in really good shape. I eat well. I’ve got a lot of energy. I’ve got a lot of creative energy.
And I’m really grateful to be able to do what I do for a living. I’m pretty jazzed up.
I love my life.