This page contains a single entry from the blog posted on August 5, 2012 4:17 PM.
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Several friends have sent us links to this long profile of Bruce Springsteen. One of the friends, who has ridden along with us through most of our 38 years of Bruce fandom, appraised the article as "well written, with lots of access and good insights, and not a puff piece." We finally got around to reading it today, and we agree. It's an interesting story.
Comments (5)
I wonder what the definitive book is about Bruce Springsteen? I'm taking a literary journey through rock and roll, and he's definitely on the list. By the way, I'm begging anybody to read, "Me, the Mob, and the Music" about Tommy James and the Shondells. That is as shocking a story as I've found in the genre.
I've seen the recent news coverage about Bruce Springsteen suffering from depression - I had no idea - and I assume this profile covers that, but frankly, I got ticked off early in the article when the writer dismisses the Rolling Stones:
"But, unlike the Rolling Stones, say, who have not written a great song since the disco era and come together only to pad their fortunes as their own cover band..."
Music historians agree that the disco era ended in the early 1980s. Then, I refer you to the Rolling Stones song, "Mixed Emotions" from 1989. It went #5 in the States and was performed on the Steel Wheels tour. I think it is a great Stones song, from the clever play on words in the title, to capturing the incredible friction between Mick and Keith at the time. I love the lyrics and the chords. Here's a little:
Youre not the only one
With mixed emotions
Youre not the only ship
Adrift on this ocean
This coming and going
Is driving me nuts
This to-ing and fro-ing
Is hurting my guts
So get off the fence
Its creasing your butt
Life is a party
Lets get out and strut
And to say one of the biggest touring bands in history, was just its own cover band is weak. Cover bands don't draw a crowd estimated at 2 MILLION for a concert in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 2006. I watched a special on that once, and everything about it was mind-blowing. Oh, and as far as padding fortunes, the concert itself was free.
So this writer was factually wrong on several levels. Incidentally, the song "Mixed Emotions" also spent 5 weeks at Number 1 on another chart - and the Tommy James book explains how the different charts work - it's fascinating.
In conclusion, go Bruce! But this writer has a bad start to this article, dismissing the Stones. Where's the respect?
Bill asked about the "definitive" book on Springsteen, and I couldn't resist. Remnick read the galley of Peter's upcoming book as part of his reporting -- it's coming out November 6, officially, from Simon & Schuster. (Although Amazon says it's a week earlier.)
Charamba, Douro 2008
Horse Heaven Hills, Cabernet 2010
Lorelle, Horse Heaven Hills Pinot Grigio 2011
Avignonesi, Montepulciano 2004
Lorelle, Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2011
Villa Antinori, Toscana 2007
Mercedes Eguren, Cabernet Sauvignon 2009
Lorelle, Columbia Valley Cabernet 2011
Purple Moon, Merlot 2011
Purple Moon, Chardonnnay 2011
Abacela, Vintner's Blend No. 12
Opula Red Blend 2010
Liberte, Pinot Noir 2010
Chateau Ste. Michelle, Indian Wells Red Blend 2010
Woodbridge, Chardonnay 2011
King Estate, Pinot Noir 2011
Famille Perrin, Cotes du Rhone Villages 2010
Columbia Crest, Les Chevaux Red 2010
14 Hands, Hot to Trot White Blend
Familia Bianchi, Malbec 2009
Terrapin Cellars, Pinot Gris 2011
Columbia Crest, Walter Clore Private Reserve 2009
Campo Viejo, Rioja, Termpranillo 2010
Ravenswood, Cabernet Sauvignon 2009
Quinta das Amoras, Vinho Tinto 2010
Waterbrook, Reserve Merlot 2009
Lorelle, Horse Heaven Hills, Pinot Grigio 2011
Tarantas, Rose
Chateau Lajarre, Bordeaux 2009
La Vielle Ferme, Rose 2011
Benvolio, Pinot Grigio 2011
Nobilo Icon, Pinot Noir 2009
Lello, Douro Tinto 2009
Quinson Fils, Cotes de Provence Rose 2011
Anindor, Pinot Gris 2010
Buenas Ondas, Syrah Rose 2010
Les Fiefs d'Anglars, Malbec 2009
14 Hands, Pinot Gris 2011
Conundrum 2012
Condes de Albarei, Albariño 2011
Columbia Crest, Walter Clore Private Reserve 2007
Penelope Sanchez, Garnacha Syrah 2010
Canoe Ridge, Merlot 2007
Atalaya do Mar, Godello 2010
Vega Montan, Mencia
Benvolio, Pinot Grigio
Nobilo Icon, Pinot Noir, Marlborough 2009
Portuga, Rose 2011
Revelation, Chardonnay, Pays d'Oc 2010
Beaulieu, Cabernet, Rutherford 2005
Monte Alto, Tinto Reserva 2005
Chateau Ste. Michelle, Cabernet, Indian Wells 2009
Espiral, Vinho Rose
Vin-Koru, Pinot Gris 2011
14 Hands, Hot to Trot Red 2009
Rodney Strong, Cabernet, Sonoma 2009
Abacela, Vintner's Blend #11
Portuga, White 2010
La Bourgeoisie, Red 2009
Januik, Red 2009
Three Rivers, River's Red 2008
Kirkland, Alexander Valley Merlot 2008
Muga, Rioja Rose 2010
Quinta das Amoras, Vinho Tinto 2009
Mauro Molino, Barbera d'Alba 2009
Garda Chiaretto Rose
Columbia Crest, Two Vines Vineyard 10 White
Chateau Ste. Michelle, Pinot Gris, Columbia Valley 2009
L'Hortus, Rose de Saignee 2010
Maculan, Pino & Toi 2008
McKinley Springs, Bombing Range Red 2008
Trader Joe's Pinot Gris 2009
Montes Alpha, Cabernet 2007
Gran Sasso, Sangiovese, Terre di Chieti 2009
Garda, Classico Chiaretto Rose
Beaulieu, Cabernet, Rutherford 1999
Picos del Montgo, Tempranillo 2008
Chateau de Montmirail, Vacqueyras 2008
La Granja 360, Syrah 2009
Montgras, Carmenere Reserva 2009
Lange, Pinot Gris 2009
Columbia Crest, Horse Heaven Hills Cabernet 2008
Kirkland, Pinot Grigio 2010
Trader Joe's Coastal Syrah 2009
Columbia Crest, Horse Heaven Hills Merlot 2008
Trader Joe's Coastal Chardonnay 2009
Vieux Papes Red
Domaine de l'Aujardiere, Chardonnay 2009
Santa Rita, Cabernet, Medalla Real 2007
Penfold's, Koonunga Hill Shiraz Cabernet 2008
Guild, Red, Lot #02 2008
Dievole, Dievolino Sangiovese 2008
Laforet, Burgogne Chardonnay 2009
Columbia Winery, Merlot 2007
Bonterra, Cabernet 2008
Elk Cove, Pinot Gris 2009
Maquis Lien 2006
Scott Paul, Pinot Noir, Le Paulee 2007
The Occasional Book
Neil Young - Waging Heavy Peace
Mark Bego - Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul (2012 ed.)
Jenny Lawson - Let's Pretend This Never Happened
J.D. Salinger - Franny and Zooey
Charles Dickens - A Christmas Carol
Timothy Egan - The Big Burn
Deborah Eisenberg - Transactions in a Foreign Currency
Kurt Vonnegut Jr. - Slaughterhouse Five
Kathryn Lance - Pandora's Genes
Cheryl Strayed - Wild
Fyodor Dostoyevsky - The Brothers Karamazov
Jack London - The House of Pride, and Other Tales of Hawaii
Jack Walker - The Extraordinary Rendition of Vincent Dellamaria
Colum McCann - Let the Great World Spin
Niccolò Machiavelli - The Prince
Harper Lee - To Kill a Mockingbird
Emma McLaughlin & Nicola Kraus - The Nanny Diaries
Brian Selznick - The Invention of Hugo Cabret
Sharon Creech - Walk Two Moons
Keith Richards - Life
F. Sionil Jose - Dusk
Natalie Babbitt - Tuck Everlasting
Justin Halpern - S#*t My Dad Says
Mark Herrmann - The Curmudgeon's Guide to Practicing Law
Barry Glassner - The Gospel of Food
Phil Stanford - The Peyton-Allan Files
Jesse Katz - The Opposite Field
Evelyn Waugh - Brideshead Revisited
J.K. Rowling - Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
David Sedaris - Holidays on Ice
Donald Miller - A Million Miles in a Thousand Years
Mitch Albom - Have a Little Faith
C.S. Lewis - The Magician's Nephew
F. Scott Fitzgerald - The Great Gatsby
William Shakespeare - A Midsummer Night's Dream
Ivan Doig - Bucking the Sun
Penda Diakité - I Lost My Tooth in Africa
Grace Lin - The Year of the Rat
Oscar Hijuelos - Mr. Ives' Christmas
Madeline L'Engle - A Wrinkle in Time
Steven Hart - The Last Three Miles
David Sedaris - Me Talk Pretty One Day
Karen Armstrong - The Spiral Staircase
Charles Larson - The Portland Murders
Adrian Wojnarowski - The Miracle of St. Anthony
William H. Colby - Long Goodbye
Steven D. Stark - Meet the Beatles
Phil Stanford - Portland Confidential
Rick Moody - Garden State
Jonathan Schwartz - All in Good Time
David Sedaris - Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim
Anthony Holden - Big Deal
Robert J. Spitzer - The Spirit of Leadership
James McManus - Positively Fifth Street
Jeff Noon - Vurt
Road Work
Miles run year to date: 21
At this date last year: 52
Total run in 2012: 129
In 2011: 113
In 2010: 125
In 2009: 67
In 2008: 28
In 2007: 113
In 2006: 100
In 2005: 149
In 2004: 204
In 2003: 269
Comments (5)
I wonder what the definitive book is about Bruce Springsteen? I'm taking a literary journey through rock and roll, and he's definitely on the list. By the way, I'm begging anybody to read, "Me, the Mob, and the Music" about Tommy James and the Shondells. That is as shocking a story as I've found in the genre.
I've seen the recent news coverage about Bruce Springsteen suffering from depression - I had no idea - and I assume this profile covers that, but frankly, I got ticked off early in the article when the writer dismisses the Rolling Stones:
"But, unlike the Rolling Stones, say, who have not written a great song since the disco era and come together only to pad their fortunes as their own cover band..."
Music historians agree that the disco era ended in the early 1980s. Then, I refer you to the Rolling Stones song, "Mixed Emotions" from 1989. It went #5 in the States and was performed on the Steel Wheels tour. I think it is a great Stones song, from the clever play on words in the title, to capturing the incredible friction between Mick and Keith at the time. I love the lyrics and the chords. Here's a little:
Youre not the only one
With mixed emotions
Youre not the only ship
Adrift on this ocean
This coming and going
Is driving me nuts
This to-ing and fro-ing
Is hurting my guts
So get off the fence
Its creasing your butt
Life is a party
Lets get out and strut
And to say one of the biggest touring bands in history, was just its own cover band is weak. Cover bands don't draw a crowd estimated at 2 MILLION for a concert in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 2006. I watched a special on that once, and everything about it was mind-blowing. Oh, and as far as padding fortunes, the concert itself was free.
So this writer was factually wrong on several levels. Incidentally, the song "Mixed Emotions" also spent 5 weeks at Number 1 on another chart - and the Tommy James book explains how the different charts work - it's fascinating.
In conclusion, go Bruce! But this writer has a bad start to this article, dismissing the Stones. Where's the respect?
I'll try and read the rest later.
Posted by Bill McDonald | August 5, 2012 7:38 PM
Thanks for the link to this good read.
Spent the last 35 minutes enjoying it-despite the diss to the Stones ;) Not in the same galaxy as a puff piece.
Posted by jimbo | August 5, 2012 8:52 PM
Bill asked about the "definitive" book on Springsteen, and I couldn't resist. Remnick read the galley of Peter's upcoming book as part of his reporting -- it's coming out November 6, officially, from Simon & Schuster. (Although Amazon says it's a week earlier.)
http://tinyurl.com/brucebook
Posted by Sarah Carlin Ames | August 6, 2012 10:45 AM
The Stones haven't had a ~great~ song since about 1972 or '73. Just a small handful of good ones.
Posted by semi-cynic | August 7, 2012 7:34 AM
Bruce and the E Street Band are coming to Portland (Rose Garden) in late November. No date announced yet for ticket sales.
Posted by SEV | August 8, 2012 8:47 AM