Wednesday, November 16, 2005
Thunder Road
Yesterday I was listening to Bruce Springsteen on Fresh Air (who was quite lovely and thoughtful and funny) and they played a good chunk of Thunder Road, which was something of an anthem for me and a friend of mine in college. Out at the Exchange, the local dive halfway between our dorm and the White House, we’d always sing all the words, and we’d always look at each other on the line, “So you’re scared and you’re thinkin’ that maybe we ain’t that young anymore…” because we were like, sophomores or juniors. So, I’m just saying, thinking of this yesterday kind of cracked me up, being that I really ain’t that young anymore. What I know now is that even at my age, I ain’t that old either.
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6 comments:
Say it again, sister friend. I believe, sadly I probably encouraged Karen on that occasion, but can't admit to any pride about it. Shame, definitely.
I would say that Brooce was 24 or 25 when he wrote those lyrics, so there's that. But he's still doing okay, so so are we.
Right?
When it comes to Bruce Springsteen, there are two camps: those who think he is crap (or just acknowledge that he exists and that he records music and nothing else - OK, so this camp has a little tent just outside the part with the cabins), and those who believe -for whatever flawed reason- that he is a genius. I moved into the latter camp from the tent shanty-town just outside the former former in just the past five years, and I am thankful that I really got into him (or simply just GOT him) when I had moved past my college years. I listen to stuff he did when he was in his early twenties, stuff way before Thunder Road, stuff that should be labeled as "crap", and he still sounds as if he wasn't that young anymore. Even then. How did he do that?
I go back to some of the stuff I wrote when I was 22, and I just laugh, but he wrote Mary Queen of Arkansas. Damn. I'm depressed now.
Springsteen was on TV the other day, and it's interesting that he ain't that young anymore either, but he's trying. He'd absorbed so much Botox that he looked like a shaved and sanded Klingon.
As to why Springsteen is considered so important, listen to 'Born to Run' in the context of the rest of what was floating around the music scene at the time: KISS, Styx, REO Speedwagon, the beginnings of disco... so many hair bands with high voices and leather pants (hmmm). Springsteen brought back 'authenticity' to American popular music. Unfortunately, as a lot of people do, he descended into self-parody, and he's reinventing himself.
Or maybe it's just the Botox.
Broooooooooce!
They're not booing. They're shouting "Sringsteen! Springsteen!"
Dude's authentic. Not everyone's cup of tea, but it's hard to call him a phony, which is one of my few remaining litmus tests. He shops for books in Barnes and Noble and hangs out in New York and talks to people. Gotta love that.
Wow, I had no idea the Boss would be this controversial, especially since, as always, the post was about, ahem, ME. But, I cherish my olden days of loving Bruce. Dude puts on a show, and is one of the only artists out there who really gives you your money's worth.
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