Remembering Tom Petty’s ‘The Simpsons’ Cameo

Following Tom Petty’s death at age 66, many fans are looking back on the musician’s storied career. However, that career wasn’t contained just to music, as he made several appearances on television and film, including a guest voice actor role on an episode of The Simpsons in 2002.

The episode was titled “How I Spent My Strummer Vacation,” and Petty was one of a number of musicians who made a cameo appearance in the episode. He was joined by Elvis Costello, Mick Jagger, Lenny Kravitz, and Keith Richards.

In the clip above, Petty tries to teach Homer Simpson and some other Springfield residents about songwriting.

“Lyrics are the hardest part of songwriting,” Petty says in the clip. “But when you come up with something meaningful and heartfelt…”

That’s when Homer cuts him off, asserting that rock stars are supposed to be about “drinking and getting drunk and boozing it up.”

The others chime in, saying that they want rock songs about women with legs who know how to use them and breaking the speed limit. Petty asks them if they just want “mindless generic rock” and when they answer in the affirmative, he flips his guitar to the electric side and starts singing a song about a girl who parties hard and has serious concerns about the public school system, to a mixed reaction from the group.

While played for laughs in the scene, the joke speaks to the versatility of Petty’s music.

Petty died yesterday at the age of 66 after being found unconscious at his Malibu home following a cardiac episode. His death was confirmed by Tony Dimitriades, the manager of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers.

“On behalf of the Tom Petty family, we are devastated to announce the untimely death of our father, husband, brother, leader and friend Tom Petty,” Dimitriades wrote in a statement. “He suffered cardiac arrest at his home in Malibu in the early hours of this morning and was taken to UCLA Medical Center but could not be revived. He died peacefully at 8:40 p.m. PT surrounded by family, his bandmates and friends.”

Petty’s career in music spanned decades, both as the leader of the Heartbreakers and as a solo act. His music is sure to live on long after his death.