Monday, May 02, 2005
An excellent essay on why Bruce Springsteen is what he is today, by Stephen Metcalf.
"Springsteen is no longer a musician. He's a belief system. And, like any belief system worth its salt, he brooks no in-between. You're either in or you're out. This has solidified Bruce's standing with his base, for whom he remains a god of total rock authenticity. But it's killed him with everyone else. To a legion of devout nonbelievers they're not saying 'Bruuuce', they're booing-- Bruce is more a phenomenon akin to Dianetics or Tinkerbell than "the new Dylan," as the Columbia Records promotions machine once hyped him. And so we've reached a strange juncture. About America's last rock star, it's either Pentecostal enthusiasm or total disdain."
Metcalf's hypothesis is that Jon Landau is responsible for turning The Boss into a sort of Chevy pickup balladeer, but I'm not so sure that this is entirely fair to either man-- for sure Bruce went willingly, and I have no doubt that Landau is fan, and always was. Rock'n'roll has to be careful about sinking into self-parody; it is one of the risks of the business, and not many white guys can pull it off. I'd say Jerry Lee Lewis managed to hang on to his authenticity, and I suppose Keith has, but the Stones are teetering on the edge. Dylan seems to have, but one way that he has done it is by just keeping on, even if nobody cares. Maybe Lou Reed. Patti Smith. Anyone else? I'll think about it and get back to you.
The anchor anecdote of Springsteen's last tour was that in the post September 11 days someone driving by yelled to him, "We need you." That would be asking a lot of anyone, and it was certainly more than was fair to put on a guy whose best stuff is about hanging out with your buddies-- "Slackers," as the KRAC Captain might put it, "Before they invented the word for it." Give the guy credit for trying-- I don't read the real John Steinbeck anymore, but I recognize his work for being a sincere effort. I'm more likely to re-read "The Red Pony" than I am to pick up a copy of "Devils & Dust", but I have to admit that Metcalf has made me a little curious.
"Springsteen is no longer a musician. He's a belief system. And, like any belief system worth its salt, he brooks no in-between. You're either in or you're out. This has solidified Bruce's standing with his base, for whom he remains a god of total rock authenticity. But it's killed him with everyone else. To a legion of devout nonbelievers they're not saying 'Bruuuce', they're booing-- Bruce is more a phenomenon akin to Dianetics or Tinkerbell than "the new Dylan," as the Columbia Records promotions machine once hyped him. And so we've reached a strange juncture. About America's last rock star, it's either Pentecostal enthusiasm or total disdain."
Metcalf's hypothesis is that Jon Landau is responsible for turning The Boss into a sort of Chevy pickup balladeer, but I'm not so sure that this is entirely fair to either man-- for sure Bruce went willingly, and I have no doubt that Landau is fan, and always was. Rock'n'roll has to be careful about sinking into self-parody; it is one of the risks of the business, and not many white guys can pull it off. I'd say Jerry Lee Lewis managed to hang on to his authenticity, and I suppose Keith has, but the Stones are teetering on the edge. Dylan seems to have, but one way that he has done it is by just keeping on, even if nobody cares. Maybe Lou Reed. Patti Smith. Anyone else? I'll think about it and get back to you.
The anchor anecdote of Springsteen's last tour was that in the post September 11 days someone driving by yelled to him, "We need you." That would be asking a lot of anyone, and it was certainly more than was fair to put on a guy whose best stuff is about hanging out with your buddies-- "Slackers," as the KRAC Captain might put it, "Before they invented the word for it." Give the guy credit for trying-- I don't read the real John Steinbeck anymore, but I recognize his work for being a sincere effort. I'm more likely to re-read "The Red Pony" than I am to pick up a copy of "Devils & Dust", but I have to admit that Metcalf has made me a little curious.
// posted by Bill @ 7:32 PM 
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