Talking Petty with visual designer George Murphy
When I learned of Tom Petty‘s passing earlier this week, one of the first people I thought of was my friend George Murphy. Though I first met George through his band Scantron and his association with Low Cut Connie, I quickly found out about his skills as a multimedia master. One of the most recent projects that George and his team at Planet Ten worked on was the production of on-stage visuals for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ 40th anniversary tour.
In our chat, George describes his experience, from the pre-tour collaboration between his crew and Petty’s, to candid moments with members of the band. He also recalls his visit to the band’s personal archive and what it’s like to work with an icon of American music.
Listen to my conversation with George Murphy below, and watch a compilation reel of visuals that Planet Ten produced for the final Heartbreakers tour: