A Cup of Coffee with Tom Petty
Warren Zanes, Petty's biographer, added another story that's good to the last drop
“Petty: The Biography,” by Warren Zanes, is an excellent book. Zanes is a musician himself, and had a strong relationship with Tom Petty before and during the work of assembling the biography. This relationship was suspended after the book was published, as both moved onto different projects.
Then, Petty died unexpectedly in 2017, leaving Zanes — and the rest of us — stunned and saddened.
From his work on the book, Zanes had one story he couldn’t fit in, so after Petty’s death, he wrote it up for Rolling Stone, along with some thoughts about what Petty meant to him. It’s an excellent article, with the centerpiece being a story about coffee, with Zanes writing:
The interviews for Petty: The Biography took place over a period of years. During one of the final sessions, knowing this was near the end, I mentioned to Tom that he always provided a great cup of coffee, better than what I brought myself. Now, please understand, not every thought I shared with Petty got a response. He wasn’t big on small talk. But in this case, I saw that what I’d said registered with him. Petty had those pale-blue eyes, and when he fixed them on you the effect was arresting. My comment about the coffee had gotten his attention. “You know, Warren,” he said, holding my gaze, “you’re not the first person to say that.”
It turns out that the secret to the perfect Petty cup of coffee was something Petty discovered accidentally, and by inquiring each time he experienced an exceptional cup on his travels. The common thread? Maxwell House Coffee — you know, “good to the last drop.” There were other factors, including the Bunn drip coffee machines and a measuring technique to ensure exact proportions, but the Maxwell House Coffee grounds were the basis for Petty’s perfect cup.
So, as you contemplate your morning rituals, maybe it’s time to upgrade your coffee to the Petty perk, while listening to a little classic Petty at the same time.
