The writer behind hits like "American Girl" and "Mary Jane's Last Dance" discusses everything from songwriting to Jimmy Fallon's homage.
Forty years of practice has made songwriting harder, not easier, for Tom Petty.
"As life goes by, you get a little more carefree or distracted by other things and you have to really police yourself - I do - into sitting down and doing something that pleases me," the 63-year-old rocker said. "Plus, I'm trying to do things that I haven't done before and not go over the same ground."
The writer behind such hits as "American Girl," "Mary Jane's Last Dance" and "I Need to Know" will accept the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers' Founders Award on Wednesday in Los Angeles. Previous honorees include Stevie Wonder, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell and Billy Joel.