The Last DJ

The Last DJ is the eleventh studio album by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. The tracks "The Last DJ", "Money Becomes King", "Joe", and "Can't Stop the Sun" are attacks on the greediness of the music industry.

Although he first claimed that the album and title track were both works of fiction, Petty later admitted that both were inspired by Los Angeles DJ Jim Ladd, although he had already claimed this on Ladd's radio show, prior to the album's release.

A "limited edition" digipack version of the album was also released, including a DVD of music videos and other footage shot during the album's production.

The album reached #9 on the Billboard 200 aided by the single "The Last DJ" which hit #22 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Tracks in 2002. As of 2010, The Last DJ has sold 353,000 copies in the U.S. according to Nielsen SoundScan.

In an episode of The Simpsons titled "How I Spent My Strummer Vacation", Homer receives song-writing lessons from Tom Petty, and in the original airing the track "The Last DJ" can be heard playing over the radio in the final scene. The song was changed for syndication.

The album also marks the return of original Heartbreaker Ron Blair on bass, replacing his own replacement, the ailing Howie Epstein. His return was late in the recording process however, and Petty and Campbell contribute most of the bass work themselves.