THE CULT OF BRUCE (fawning over Springsteen)

The Wall Street Journal ^ | Friday, August 23, 2002 | Mark Gauvreau Judge

[Marianne]

He's back.

Bruce Springsteen, the man who almost got me assaulted in 1984, is once again topping the pop music charts with a new album, "The Rising," written as a response to Sept. 11. He's the subject of hagiographies in Time and Rolling Stone and was interviewed by Ted Koppel and entertained by Katie Couric, who genuflected (rhetorically) before his greatness on "Today."

[beckett]

On your say-so I KaZaA'd Empty Sky. While not complete dreck, it's definitely a forgettable, so-so tune.

The Boss made some good music early in his career, but, as has been mentioned in this thread, he is a 'contrived' --- not a natural --- poet. He understands the power of the profound, but lacks the natural literary tools, the tools Dylan possesses, for example, to convincingly express it. So he settles for ersatz poetry that reflects his meager intellectual gifts.

Springsteen was a pedal-to-the-metal young rocker who sent us all into paroxysms of delight when he sang about the graduation gown at his girl's feet. But as a middle-aged guy, he's kind of a bore.

[GodBlessRonaldReagan]

Wow! Iggy in '73 - prime time! Procul was definitely past their prime, but I still think they're one of the most underrated bands of the early '70's - but I was heavy into art-rock then and now.

[altura]

Just my feeble attempt to be funny.

[Lizavetta]

The author thinks this is bad? He should surf over to "A day in the life of president bush"

I thought I was the only one who was nauseated at those threads.

[Askel5]

That's a Day in the Life of President Bush, you facist.

Mind wandering at skooz's excellent musical taste, you caught me totally by surprise. I nearly choked on my peppermint.

[Askel5]

You guys are missing a bet if you don't check out the new acoustic blues show on WWOZ, Sundays 2:30-4:00 CST. This guy is spinning some great stuff. I've taken to ignoring the door and the phone during his show and it's now my favorite after my beloved trad jazz morning music.

Another great feature is the station's attempt of late to get the playlists posted and have an email for each dj. All of these folks are volunteers who bring their own records or comb the archives at the station. Great stuff and some exceptional insights -- they're all buffs themselves.

[Askel5]

oops ... "a day in the life of President Bush" won't get one very far ...

WWOZ schedule

[Askel5]

Bill Berry playlists

[BansheeBill]

Revved up like a douche?

Is that what he says?
Never could figure it out and I hated that song from day
one, but they played it over and over and
over.......................

The line is "Revved up like a Deuce"
The Deuce refers to a 1932 Ford, which was and is the ultimate early Ford to hotrod with a high horsepower engine.

That said, from reading reviews of recent Springsteen concerts and talking to some people I know who have seen him on this tour, what appears to be happening to Bruce is what happened to Steve Miller. You may not be a Steve Miller fan but he had a varied and interesting early career in the mid 60's to the early 70's, but he finally made it big with his "Take The Money and Run", "Jungle Love", "Fly Like An Eagle", "Abracabra" etc., hit singles in the mid to late 70's, and his recent tours have somehow attracted a predominantly frat/beach party kind of crowd who are mainly interested in those specific songs and that era of Miller's career. He gets little reaction to his earlier work and that is when many fans go to the concession stands. On his website he usually has a poll asking fans to suggest which of his little played "older" songs should be added to the next tour. Steve Miller has accepted that this is what the vast majority of his current concert attending fans want...Just The Hits, Please.

Springsteen is fighting this but from those I talked to who saw him, most of the crowd had little interest in his new stuff and somber tunes....they want Rosalita, Blinded By The Light, Thunder Road, Born In The U.S.A., 10th Avenue...etc....
Sure there are a lot of hard core fans who want the new stuff too, but a lot of concertgoers are casual Bruce fans who get dragged to the concert with the fanatical fan, and pretty much all that will interest them are the hit Springsteen songs that they know, and those are the ones that are in continuous rotation on Classic Rock Stations. For many, Bruce is now just another "Classic Rock" act. My friends who attended some of the shows said that lots of people were talking and going to the concessions during the new songs.

[Colonel_Flagg]

Doesn't matter. If you've heard one Springsteen song, you've heard 'em all. Anyone for a repetitive guitar or drum pattern fronted by the worst voice this side of Bryan Adams?

[Rocko]

You forgot this, too....

Another good one.

[Chi-townChief]

If I recall, didn't ol' Woody have quite a little anti-Semitic/anti-immigrant streak? I seem to recall Guthrie saying that he wrote "This Land is Your Land" in response to his being "sick of hearing Kate Smith singing 'God Bless America'" written by "the Russian-Jew Berlin." I know that Pete Seeger was a Nazi sympathizer until they attacked the Soviets but I'm not sure that Woody followed suit.

[ChasingFletch]

"Bruce is a manufactured Bob Dylan."

Agreed! Although putting him in the same sentence with Dylan is bad enough. I think his music sucks. The music industry can make anyone they wish a star. Some of Bruce's lyrics are decent, but he sounds so awful I can't stand him. They even made the warbler, B.S. a star. How disgusting!!! The music industry is a large cabal of a$$holes.

[Rocko]

Bob Dylan has written more good songs than Bruce has had warm meals.

[Skooz]

Oh yes! Charley Patton: King/Founder of the Delta Blues. I highly recommend his The Definitive Charley Patton and Founder of the Delta Blues.

That's as good as it gets folks. Patton was the real deal. Great call, Rocko.

[Skooz]

Thanks for the link. I will give it a listen this Sunday.

[dennisw]

Here's Mick Taylor and the Rolling Stones doing "Under My Thumb"   ....... Live >

http://members.chello.nl/~f.dejonge/thumb.rm

 

[Tribune7]

Sandy, and Thunder Road are truely great songs, as are My Father's House and State Trooper from Nebraska.

[Tribune7]

Uncontrived music might be best described as music created by an individual who has lived what he/she sings.

What, the Boss didn't live the life of a New Jersey teenager? He may have a silver spoon in his mouth now, but he grew up blue-collar middle class.