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Dear Bruce, It’s Not You, It’s Me…
Somewhere in the world tonight there is someone looking forward to seeing Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band—but not I—I’m going to sit this one out. The last time I coughed up the dough for a ticket to see Bruce was for The RisingTour. I didn’t regret it, though it didn’t make my top 10 of the year or anything even remotely like it. But that’s not why I’m passing this time, nor is it because I don’t like the new album Magic or the E Street Band, because I do. Or, I should say, I like them all right. It’s just that ever since The River, and admittedly that was a long time ago, I haven’t been able to fully surrender to the Boss.
There have been times when I’ve reveled in how uncool it was to like him (Born in the USA) that I rationalized it was actually cool, but I have to get honest and say that much of what he’s turned out in recent years is not to my taste at all. I can’t get behind the arrangements, the production, some of the players (not to mention esthetic concerns, like body building, jewelry, and headbands). I like the words though—and that’s part of why I still find some reason to believe, though these days they’re obscured in the mix (four guitars is at least two too many, if you ask me).
I’ve seen Bruce on multiple nights over six major tours (not much in super-fan terms, but enough to know the drill). I’ve stood in the cheap seats and sung in the right places during “Thunder Road” and “Born to Run.” I’ve wept during the “The Promised Land” and I’ve looked forward to the acoustic blues “Born in the USA” more than anything else in the set, which unless you’re a complete moron is impossible to interpret as anything other than the protest song that it is. And yet, I’m still not sold.
I defended Tunnel of Love and his right to ditch the model for the Jersey girl as the tabloids made hay with his infidelity. But nothing except maybe the two title songs—and feel free to weigh in here—can redeem the miscalculations that were Human Touch and Lucky Town (okay, well, maybe “If I Should Fall Behind” was a keeper and “Better Days” was pretty good too). I’d like to blame it on the absence of the E Street Band, but I’m afraid it was their Boss. Perhaps he was victim of that old curse they talk about, when a singer-songwriter marries, the kids start coming, and the edge gets softened. But Bruce proved that notion wrong when he came back strong and way ahead of the curve with his visions of the border patrol on The Ghost of Tom Joad. It was an easy sell for me: John Steinbeck, one guy, and a guitar—but this was right around the time Bruce took a beating for his identification with the street as he told stories from his mansion on the hill. It wasn’t long after that he ditched the Bel Air digs and the Hollywood spotlight. This was Bruce keeping it real.
There is much to admire about Bruce’s activism, his willingness to literally lay it on the line, to sing for striking workers in obscure locales who probably wouldn’t know him from John Mellencamp or John Cafferty of the Beaver Brown Band and could care less if they did. But I want to believe that he struck a chord with some of those workers. There is magic in the stories you hear about Bruce hanging out with us everyday people, in bars and retail marts, eventually making his way home to dinner with his fans to meet their moms—all the while, everyone acts as if bringing one’s hero home to dinner happens all the time. I never would’ve believed those stories had I not experienced the surreal event of being invited to one of Bruce’s notorious parties myself. On another occasion he visited my humble apartment and told me he liked the way I’d decorated it. He also indulged me in a discussion about his song “The Line.” When the other guests were out of earshot, he confided to me that he liked what I had to say about it. Needless to say, I never ran into him again, but you gotta hand it to the dude, out there making fans for life, one dinner at a time. Maybe you think I’m hallucinating this part, and so did I, but I swear on the ghost of Tom Joad that it really happened.
These incidents alone might be reason enough for me to declare my undying fandom to Bruce. But I’m not star-struck; in fact, I’m the opposite. I once told a singer-songwriter to cut his notorious shtick (uh, the interview didn’t go so well). I am a demanding listener who expects excellence from artists. And yes, I am more forgiving with some than with others—like I expect Neil Young to stink it up from time to time (he is the guy who wrote “F*!#in’ Up”). But with Bruce, the whole no defeat/no surrender stance is what stuck with me: that tougher-than-the-rest mentality. I borrowed his phrases to survive, but with The Rising I could finally hear the vulnerability in Bruce’s voice. It may’ve been there all along, however, I had taken lines like “It’s a town full of losers and we’re pulling out of here to win” literally. I just don’t hear it that way anymore.
I’ve had people I trust tell me that the Seeger Sessions album and tour were amazing, but his versions of those beloved folk standards didn’t cut through for me. As for his on and off recent work with the E Streeters, the changes are more about my taste than about Bruce (though producer Brendan O’Brien who came on board for The Rising in 2002 hasn’t helped). Maybe it’s because with Nils Lofgren, Patti Scialfa, and Miami Steve all touring, singing, and strumming alongside the others, it’s just too much. And sorry to Soozie Tyrell, but fiddle doesn’t figure into my version of E Street (where a fiddle player would get their ass kicked).
Of course, we’ve all changed since Bruce’s days at the Asbury Park boardwalk. I certainly like to think I have since the time I made the obligatory pilgrimage there. And yet, I’m guilty of wanting Bruce to stay frozen in time, preferably in his newsy cap, toothy grinned, gypsy earring phase. And that, along with the arena rock production values, is why I won’t be watching him on the Jumbotron, shaking it, doing his dance with Clarence, speechifying about the local food bank or listening as he helps us collectively grieve the state of the union. Even though a rousing chorus of “Badlands” sounds pretty good to me right about now.
Watch: “The River” [at youtube.com]
36 Comments
shut up loser
Ms. Sullivan’s going off Bruce is completely legit even if I don’t agree with it. The “mandated” reverence for any rock star is probably the most apalling thing to happen to the music in my lifetime. Thus, unlike the anonymous commenter above, I fully respect Ms. Sullivan’s point of view, but only to the degree I understand it. It’s not entirely clear what it is she objects to. And without harping on the contradictions, if she’s as enamored of the “gypsy earring phase” of Bruce’s music as she claims, she seems unaware that he toured with a fiddle player, Suki Lahav, back then (”my version of E Street…a fiddle player would get their ass kicked”). So what is really bothering you, Denise?
body building, jewelry and headbands?? WHERE have YOU been, stuck in the 80’s??
Your loss tho
Fine, stay home, a real fan will appreciate the seat.
Well, better you stay home and someone else goes and enjoys it (and they will).
I went to this tour after skipping everything since “The Ghost of Tom Joad” small venue tour — which was a little boring for me.
I enoyed the current show because it was heavy on new music — it’s not a greatest hits tour.
I can relate to some of your comments, but I am definitely not sitting out this tour. I think “Magic” is his best album since “Darkness on the Edge of Town.” I liked “The Rising”, but it contained a few songs that didn’t measure up to the rest of the album. “Magic” is strong from beginning to end. And the joy is back, a carryover from the fun he had with the Seeger Sessions Band.
Although I’m originally from Jersey, I have lived in Indianapolis for the last 30-plus years; perhaps that’s why I am puzzled that there was ever a time that it was “uncool” to like Springsteen. (I suppose Indy is not usually where arbiters of cool congregate). Also, I never felt the need to “surrender” to Springsteen. You talked about parties. For me, every Springsteen concert is a party to which I’ve been welcomed, whether I was in the front row, (during the “Darkness” tour), or high up in the rafters (I’m talking location here, not state of mind). I hope you change your mind. “Show a little faith, there’s magic in the night.”
Hey, I got nothin’ against the guy, hell, he even bought me a beer once, when I was underage. But ‘Ms. Sullivan’s’ on the right track about his new stuff, you know it’s true, c’mon!
I follow your intent here, but I disagree with it. It’s still hard to beat Bruce in live performance. I just saw him a week ago, and he still rocks the house like almost no one else out there–even at 58, hard to believe if you think about it. He does misfire from time to time, but then we all do. I also thought The Rising was a bit generic with too many mediocre songs filling the spaces. But Magic is a great record–as was the Seeger Sessions.
Don’t wait too much longer to see him, no telling how long he can keep this pace up in concert anymore. If he’s within three hours of home, I still go if at all possible, and I only do that for one or two artists.
The headband and weight set are far behind him, and they weren’t too bad anyway–were they?
I just stumbled on this article and have no special interest in Springsteen or Crawdaddy…but I must say–I’m surprised at how poorly written this article is. Really, Ms. Sullivan, why would I want to hear about how you told off a singer/ songwriter? Why should I care that the interview didn’t go well? Other writers, when they have the opportunity to meet someone of interest to their readership, might actually write about the person of interest. Not Ms. Sullivan…”this is what Bruce thought about my apartment…Bruce really likes the way I write…” Uh Ms. Sullivan, no offense, but who cares? And there’s “mandated” reverence for a rock star? Gosh, it’s been a while since I read TigerBeat, but, are you sure? Even if you’re older than 14?
Gypsy Biker writes – “He’s never been experimental, like Young or Dylan…”
To which I reply, What? haven’t you heard The River, Nebraska, The Ghost of Tom Joad, or the Seeger Sessions? If this isn’t being experimental – I don’t know what is.
What Ms. Sullivan fails to mention is that Mr. Springsteen visited “her apartment” which also happened to be the apartment of a folk singer she was married to. That she would drop this kind of information in an article makes zero sense towards her argument. I think it says alot more about Ms. Sullivan; “look at me, I used to *be* somebody and now I write for a glorified blog!”
An ambulance can only go so fast
Its easy to get buried in the past
The article is only of interest for the bottom line sentiment – the Boss is not at the top of his game lately. I actually like the live Seegar Sessions CD/DVD better than Magic and I thought the 1st show in NJ this fall was good in places, but sloppy overall. Like the author, I think I will sit the next few out with Bruce. Please take my seats in Jersey if you are still living in the past with Bruce.
Is it an interviewer’s job to tell the interview-ee to cut the notorius schtick? I thought it was, you know, to interview- ask questions and listen so you can smartly follow up. (Denise- your homework is to listen to a month of Teri Gross on Fresh Air [NPR].) Sadly I agree that this writer is writing about herself vaingloriously and not so much the Boss!
I’ll buy a seat merely because he’s getting the Dixie Chick treatment over being a patriot deftly using the 1st amendment. A ticket for the Boss show is an FU to the FCC, and the White House, the GOP and um. . .Fill in the blank.
Lighten up people…she said at the top it’s her, not Bruce. What more do you need to know? As for Ms. Gross, the flirtatious giggling is cloying…
I don’t think she’s been tough enough on him… it’s not that the record sucks, but he’s caught in his own cliches. He’s never been experimental, like Young or Dylan, who at times fell flat on their ass in front of everybody. He plays it safe musically, tries to manage a successful pop career, and it begins to bore some of the more demanding fans.
Crawdaddy’s supposed to be for discerning people who want to see personal ideas about music explored. It’s not the New Jersey/ Bruce For president site. It’s more important than that.
kingofnycabbies: what you didn’t make note of, is, Suki didn’t play on every freaking song for the entire freaking show. Soozie’s up there fiddling, and when she’s not fiddling she becomes the 5th guitar “strummer,” and when she’s not doing that, she’s playing tambourine and/or harmony vocals. Suki didn’t do 1/100th of that onstage. And Suki was cute.
kingofnycabbies: what you didn’t make note of, is, Suki didn’t play on every freaking song for the entire freaking show. Soozie’s up there fiddling, and when she’s not fiddling she becomes the 5th guitar “strummer,” and when she’s not doing that, she’s playing tambourine and/or harmony vocals. Suki didn’t do 1/100th of that onstage. And Suki was cute.
I stopped buying his stuff after The River. It’s all the same—fictional stories about fictional people that never existed and fictional places that never really existed except in a conceptual way, not the “real” New jersey that i knew. The band is still hot, though.
Yawn. Wow, could you be more self-absorbed?
Sheesh, everyone’s a bloody critic.
Bruce should not be deified. I haven’t heard Magic. But would dig seeing the Boss in something smaller than a sports stadium. And he’s honest in his music, which is why he ain’t getting no airtime. So while I disagree with some of this column, it doesn’t make the writer an asshole. . .
I guess we can’t disagree in the States anymore without going Limbaugh. . . Pity, that.
I agree whole heartedly with your comment ms sullivan. for me bruce jumped the shark so to speak when his voice changed. not the quality, but rather the way he pronounces words. bruce used to play for an audience and now he plays for himself or those who like to listen to bob dylan for hours. the guy grew up in new jersey, and now speaks like he is from the heart of the midwest. nebraska was a good effort and it should have been the only one, but tom joad, the seeger sessions, these albums stink. human touch and lucky town were obvious mistakes, but ok, the guy was looking to grow and develop. i can’t imagine seeing the seeger sessions performed live. if pete seeger himself were to perform today, 10 people would show up. i just wish i knew how a major voice like bruce changes the way he pronounces every word he speaks just like that. i find his whole career very odd.
I think the writer is mourning the loss of a time when she loved Bruce/when he could do no wrong. But times change, people change and we can’t go backward. She’s acknowledging the bittersweetness of memory and the idea that life doesn’t always turn out the way you plan, that it’s no longer as simple for her as “it’s a town full of losers and we’re pulling out of here to win..” At least that’s what I thought…
you are clueless and very confused.
Tell ‘the boss’ I’m sick!
i have seen “the boss” ten times since 2000. i have never been let down. a bruce show is something special. it would be gret to see him in a smaller seating but i’ll take what i can get.
I visited Denise’s apartment back in the day,and Bruce was right it was decorated in a very interesting style that would never have occurred to me.
More recently I went to see Bruce. I just wish he stood still a little more,and let the songs and band “breathe”. All this rushing around the stage with blood vessels bulging getting the crowd all whooped up was fine in 1981 ,but I just got agitated by all the onstage shennanigans.
Keep on writing .
I somehow got this in my email. To each his/her own. Personally my favorite IS JOHN CAFFERTY and the Beaver Brown Band. Why does everyone say he IMITATES Bruce? I DONT THINK SO. Given the choice I would take JOHN every time. Thanks for listening and have a great day.
Denise,
I came to this conclussion just after “Darkness” – I wrote about it in Pop-Culture Corn in Oct of ‘99. The Article is titled “Why I Don’t Drive Down Thunder Road” and you can read it here:
http://www.independisc.com/Tremens/70sGuy.htm#Boss
Yo, Paterson in the house. An awful lot of Springsteen’s body of work is stunningly good. If every piece of music he produces isn’t his “A” material then so what? I’m sure Bruce will be broken up that you’re not at his concert. I bet he tells the story about that one fan that really understood what he was saying in The Line to this day. He’ll probably quit playing music. Happy now? The problem with what you read is that somebody wrote it.
After seeing Bruce countless times since the ’70’s, I find I’ve struggled with his transformations, and I long for the days when it was all about a guy, his friends, and the music. With the concert footage that surfaced, especially from the Phoenix show I was at in 78, it’s easy to want to retreat to those simpler, passionate days.
I don’t get the politics and don’t think they belong, and I can appreciate the food banks and Amnesty International bit could do without those, too. Some of the music and the latest sounds grates on me, but I think The Rising will stand probably as the most intelligent and respectful tribute to 9/11. Actually, no matter how much I dislike something he releases, I will still find a few lines or maybe a few songs, that captures his genius and reminds me of why Bruce is Bruce. Most of all, I’ve come to temper the expectations of a rock legend and global superstar and just remember when he was just a skinny guy whose clumsiness onstage was lost in his charismatic passion… being able to sing along with Jungleland for the 55th time will never match hearing it for the first time, live, and being caught off-guard in the darkness by the those chords, those words, that voice, and the tears… fucking tears. Thank God for the Detroit Medley.
Overall, though, it’s over 30 years I’m thankful for — despite the fact he doesn’t perfectly fit my Boss expectations. About the time i realized I was growing older, I also realized I need to let him age as well and… which sucks.. but is the reality.
But those were the days… go to youtube or torrents and get some of the early concert footage… that’s the magic.
I’ve only been alive since Ghost of Tom Joad, and my dad has worshiped Bruce ever since his first album came out. I’ve seen and heard an endless amount of live shows from his first years as a superstar, and I’ll admit (after seeing him live 3 times) he doesn’t play like he used to. But I think it’s safe to say you are complaining about someone who plays his heart out every night on tour, regardless of his age. Find me one artist that has been flawless for a multi-decade career. Bruce is as good as it gets, and he’s still the one person I am totally psyched to see live again.
First off, I happen to agree with the gist of Denise’s article….to a point. Liz Clarke (He’s The One”) wrote a similar diatribe to Sullivan’s piece herein in The Washington Post this past year….related to her disgust at the audacity of Bruce performing at the Super Bowl this year. Liz, like moi, grew up in the same “awe” of Bruce as did I. We were both teenagers from the east coast in the mid-70’s. When I first heard Thunder Road, my life literally changed. He went on to become the soundtrack of my life. I wanted to “pardon” Liz in the article numerous times, but in the end she just wouldn’t let Bruce change and mature as an artist. It was as if Bruce had an obligation to continue filling “her fantasies and desires” about his music and maintaining a non-commercial focus.
I will say, however, that once the brilliant David Sancious left the E Street Band as BTR was being released in 1975, Bruce’s band forever lost that “street urchin, bluesy, jazzy, Rd” that is so ridiculously evident on the stunning “Wild and Innocent” album. And I also wished Bruce had infused more of Little Steven’s musical roots and vocal prescence on future CD’s the E Street band recorded after Darkness. I never thought The River was as great as most people. Just listen to Little Steven’s insanely great solo debut with the Disciples of Soul…”Men Without Women.” It’s so fricking great that I am still in shock as to why it never became a blockbuster album along the lines of The Clash’s “London Calling.”
Bottomline is this: One can critque Bruce’s commercialism all they want. But when you sit back and go over his entire body of work….then add to the mix the sheer unbridled, unmatched joy, power, passion and excitement that encompasses his 35 years of live shows….well, I rest my case. He’s the period to end all sentences. And that statement is not open for debate.
By the way, to release as great a CD as “Magic”…at his age….are you kidding me?
I drove to the Pittsburgh show on May 19th this year….telling my friends with certainty that he would do the “one cover” I’d always wished for. Sure enough, he belted out the first ever live rendition of Zimmerman’s “Like a Rolling Stone.” It was just idiotic. The period to end all sentences.
It’s interesting to see these comments over time. I’ve been following Bruce since the early 70’s and have seen him numerous times live. I saw him recently (4/09) in Hartford and must say he and the band have only gotten better over time. He’s the only artist I know capable of keeping a crowd of 15,000 plus on its collective feet for 3 hours straight. As for his album output, only a handful of artists can compare (maybe 2 handfuls). He’s matured, as has his music, as have we and thanks for that. He remains relevant and important as an artist in his 4th decade. Very few can claim anything remotely close to that. Keep goin’ Bruce, for as long as you and the Band can hold up I’ll be there!!!
Brilliant article about how fans change and artists change (and maybe that fan and that artist don’t change the same way).
I also agree that the overproduction and foibles of modern recording from The Rising have negatively impacted how I enjoy Bruce’s music. And while I manage to look past Bruce’s politics and insistence on infusing them into his shows, I do understand that his doing such things is a result of becoming aware of his celebrity (something he obviously didn’t have when he started out). Bruce’s music is different because he’s different, his stature is different, and his self-awareness (as a celebrity) is different than in 1972.
I like the older music — and older “persona” — better, as does Sullivan. But Bruce’s music is always worth a listen, even if I wind up not enjoying everything equally.