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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]
» Previously: Wading Through CMJ
36 Comments
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.