Posted on 10/28/2012 10:01:56 AM PDT by markomalley
Me neither.
He is a complete tool. I read somewhere that he reads Paul Krugman.
I have no respect for the deliberately ignorant. ‘Pod.
Aside from a random song here & there I think Springsteen’s music after “The River” has been second rate. A lot of the folk-Celtic stuff he puts out is like what a drunk Van Morrison would sound like....horrible junk. There’s NO excuse for him getting into politics from the stage like he does.
[[ Now back to Springsteen, I really wish he would stay out of politics. Just shut up and sing. I don’t think Springsteen is washed up musically at all. “Ghost of Tom Joad”, “Tunnel of Love” and “The Rising” are just three great albums released since most of you all have him washed up.
That said, I truly detest the man for not only his crappy politics but for his hypocrisy and the way he shamelessly lectures his audiences during concerts. ]]
I agree. Great songwriter, crappy politics.
Back around 1980, I wouldn’t listen to Springsteen because of the [then] hype that had been published about him. I thought of him as “Bruce Smokescreen”.
Then I actually listened to some of the songs. And I was bowled over. His ballads and acoustic-tinged songs were as good as anything that had been written in the acoustic/electric realm, often far better.
“The River” was one of the best albums I ever heard (although it could have been even better as a single, condensed album). Whether he was working-class or not (his dad was a bus driver, IIRC), he could write material that captured the cultural gestalt better than anyone else. He may indeed be politically naive, but when it comes to songwriting, he has “the gift”.
Songs like “Promised Land”, “Racing in the Streets”, “Point Blank”, “The River”, “The Price You Pay” — no one else today comes close, not even Bob Dylan (arguably the best songwriter of the 20th Century).
And his songs work for others, too. Seek out the bluegrass band “Blue Moon Rising” and their version of Springsteen’s “Youngstown” — powerful stuff.
Too bad he doesn’t have the good sense of Ted Nugent!
I am sorry that I ever liked his music. I turn the station, now.
Springsteen’s “Man of the People” schtick got old 20 years ago. He has nothing of relevance to say.
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