Quote:
Originally posted by Diane_Keaton
No question about it. Bruce sucks. His biggest fan base was ugly teenaged girls who shouted his lyrics in the school hallways, who couldn't wait till Friday when they could pile in the car borrowed from Mommy/Daddy to go "down the shore" so they could get tan (a painful looking sunburn with terrible white strap marks), drink too many beers, hook up with athletic white bread boys and then pretend they were still virgins come Monday morning. For their boring lives, declaring they were "born to run" was about as exciting as things got. But then, their idol played life just as safe and didn't exactly push the envelope. And his lyrics weren't inspiring any consciousness raising neither. Never heard of anyone inspired to improve life or change the world by a Tenth Avenue Freeze Out, which is what exactly?
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Damn, I thought NotBob would have fielded this by now, but since he hasn't...
First, to declare than an artist who has a catalog of probably upwards of 1,000 songs to their credit "sucks" is just stupid. Maybe you don't like them. And I can accept that. But "sucks"? I don't think so.
Second, to denounce an artist on the basis of a fan base is sort of silly, ins't it? Do you also not like The Indigo Girls because their fan base is unshaven lesbians, Liz Phair because her fan base is angry young 20-somethings and the men who want to bang them (and the fair Ms. Phair), or Jimmy Buffett because of the whole Parrot Head thing?
I am, not surprisingly, one of those girls who used to go down the shore (which in high school meant LBI, and in college meant Wildwood). But I don't love Bruce because he was the background music for my misspent youth. I love Bruce because his music has been the soundtrack for my entire fucking life. Certain songs take me instantly to a time and place, and are so wrapped up in the memories as to be an instant ticket back in time. Trapped is my freshman year in college. Thunder Road is getting dressed for my wedding. Into the Fire is nursing my newborn daughter to sleep. The River is my first car (an Amc Hornet that made hundreds of trips down the shore and was as likely to be blasting the Hooters as Bruce) with the tape deck my dad installed. There's something to be said for writing songs that evoke feelings we all have, and man, oh, man, Bruce has written some doozies.
Lastly, I wasn't aware that rock n' roll was required to inspire consciousness raising, but to accuse Bruce of failing to do that only means that you've never listened to a single tune on The Rising, The Ghost of Tom Joad, or Nebraska. It means that the message of The Streets of Philadelphia is lost on you. It means that you've never even heard Matamoros Banks.
As for poetry, I won't argue with whomever you find poetic. But I'll tell you what... to me, this is poetry.
Out where the creek turns shallow and sandy
And the moon comes skimmin' away the stars
The wind in the mesquite comes rushin' over the hilltops
Straight into my arms
Straight into my arms
I'm riding hard carryin' a catch of roses
And a fresh map that I made
Tonight I'm gonna get birth naked and bury my old soul
And dance on its grave
And dance on its grave
It's been a long time comin', my dear
It's been a long time comin' but now it's here
Well my daddy he was just a stranger
Lived in a hotel downtown
When I was a kid he was just somebody
Somebody I'd see around
Somebody I'd see around
Now down below and pullin' on my shirt
I got some kids of my own
Well if I had one wish in this god forsaken world, kids
It'd be that your mistakes would be your own
Yea your sins would be your own
It's been a long time comin', my dear
It's been a long time comin' but now it's here
Out 'neath the arms of Cassiopeia
Where the sword of Orion sweeps
It's me and you, Rosie, cracklin' like crossed wires
And you breathin' in your sleep
You breathin' in your sleep
Well there's just a spark of campfire burning
Two kids in a sleeping bag beside
I Reach 'neath your shirt, lay my hands across your belly
And feel another one kickin' inside
I ain't gonna fuck it up this time
It's been a long time comin', my dear
It's been a long time comin' but now it's here
It's been a long time comin', my dear
It's been a long time comin' but now it's here
