Is the image-making of pop singers like Britney and Christina more intense today than ever?
Petty: That s all there is today. Music doesn t come into it. There is no truth in pop music. It s much easier to get a girl to undress and put her up there. That s what I was trying to bring out in that character. He didn t really care about whether it was good or bad. He just wants to sell it. I m surprised the audience doesn t expect and demand more, but they re so anesthetized by the media that they don t know that they re not getting what they paid for. They re missing a great element of truth. VH1: When was the last time there was good pop music on the charts? Petty: It s a matter of taste. For me, I d say 1968 or 69. Maybe 70. Not much of any significance has happened since then. This is an emergency crisis we re in. The entertainment media is affecting everything on the planet in a very negative way. I m only interested in rock n roll. Rock n roll is a music that represents truth. Your TV channel has taken the word rock and knocked the roll off the end. You made rock this umbre
