In recent days, Your Mayor has courageously addressed the tough issues: waterboarding, the impending Writers strike, and the Southern California wildfires.

So what has received the most feedback?

A throwaway one-sentence dis on Tom Petty.

Brief background: Given the newspaper industry’s economy these days, writers covering TV have to do not just their job but that of the whole of humanity, or at least those of clerks and interns. So, I agreed to do some dribbling TV listings for the paper that run under the moniker TiVo This. It’s actually a laborious, time-consuming process – one must wade through a tidal wave of press releases about upcoming programming, sort them out, categorize them by date and then cull the wheat from the chaff. Then, you get to write a whole sentence (maybe two) about the show. Then the thing runs in the paper, and in my paper, thankfully, without a byline.

Needless to say, it’s not a glamorous gig.

On Monday, I included Sundance Channel’s “Runnin’ Down a Dream: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers,” a four-hour documentary about the band. Herewith, the entirety of my trenchant thoughts on the subject: “Does anyone like the rocker enough to sit through a four-hour documentary on him from Peter Bogdonavich?”

This really wasn’t intended as a knock on Petty, whom I like just fine and saw in concert a couple of times back in the ’80s. (After The Band, his Heartbreakers may have been the best backing group Bob Dylan ever had, not that Bob seemed to appreciate the fact.) I was taking into consideration our ADD-addled, soundbite-sated, YouTube-watching culture and thinking back on the sort of bombastic and overblown and/or self-indulgent concert films of the past – Led Zeppelin’s “The Sound Remains the Same,” Dylan’s “Renaldo and Clara,” any number of those unwatchable little home movies Neil Young makes under the moniker Bernard Shakey – I love these artists but I simply can’t sit through these movies. And it’s been a while since Bogdonavich has made a decent film.

So I took all of that and condensed it into one pithy little sentence. (Usually, I don’t even put that much thought into the sentence.)

And I heard about it. I had no idea they put this drivel out on the wire service, but people from all over the country let it be known that Tom Petty is far more beloved than I am.

I must say, however, that Tom Petty fans may be the most polite fans on the face of the planet. When I was a music critic and would slag someone’s favorite band, I used to get letters questioning my mother, my sexual orientation and even what species I was and suggesting I perform acts generally considered anatomically impossible.

But here are some of the responses I got:

* You asked - "Does anyone like the rocker enough to sit through a four-hour documentary on him from Peter Bogdonavich?"

Oh My My, Oh HELL YES!

Have you actually watched this film? Tom Petty or not, this is a great American success story.

* I am writing to tell you that I am highly offended by your remarks. I went to the theater to see this documentary when it was shown on October 15, 2007 (FYI the theater was sold out). The following day, I went to the store to buy the dvd of the documentary I enjoyed it so much in the theater. I have watched it many times and extremely enjoy this American story.

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers are one of the great American bands that have been around for over 30 years and are still going strong. Besides creating great music, they have an incredible story of triumph and tragedy to tell. In order to fit that story into only four hours quite a bit had to be cut and left on the cutting room floor. I wish that the movie had been six hours - I would have loved to learn more about this incredible band.

Have you seen the movie? If not, perhaps you should before you criticize. To answer your question, YES, there are people, lots of people, that like, and love, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers enough to gladly sit through a four hour documentary on him and his music.

Thank you for your time.

* A resounding “Yes” is my response to your question as to whether anyone likes Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers enough to sit through a four hour documentary about him. Perhaps if such a movie was made about one of your favorite artists, you’d feel the same way.
Rock on.

* I for one would sit through 4 hours of TP… Why the diss?

Do you know anything about the BEST dam(n) American Rock n Roll band? (H)ave you listened to them? Seen them LIVE(?) I watched the movie a few times already......Lighten Up on Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers.

* Not only do I like Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers enough to watch a 4 hour documentary, I've watched it twice and can't wait to watch it again. And I also watched the Gainesville DVD and listened to the CD that came with the documentary.

Even though the documentary seems to be quite long, the pace is excellent and the humor of Tom Petty and the band keeps you interested. So YES, I and many others can watch four hours of Petty and thoroughly enjoy it.

* Well yes, yes I do. I watched it all the way through at the weekend and it was very informative, funny, very well constructed and did not feel like 4 hours in the slightest bit. I did not get bored with it once.

I hope that answers your question so you can now lay it to rest.

Peace.

The meanest one suggested I liked Britney Spears’ music, but then said even if I did, that was OK:

* Please don’t knock Tom Petty. Perhaps you would enjoy sitting through a four-hour documentary about Britney Spears instead … I don’t know. But I wouldn’t knock her, you or the fans that would.

OK, so now I know. And with that knowledge, I’ll let you know that the Sundance Channel is repeating “Runnin’ Down a Dream” Thursday Nov. 1 at 3 a.m. and Saturday Nov. 3 at 3 p.m.