Monday, September 24, 2018

Happy Birthday Mr. Springsteen

Happy 69th birthday to Bruce Springsteen!

Yes, it’s true I got to play a tune with The Boss when he sat in with John Fogerty in London back in 2012, but what’s meaningful about him to me has little to do with that career moment and everything to do with being a fan.In 1981, I was 15 years old and living in New Jersey, where I was born and raised. My friend Janeen - who was two years older than me, and therefore knew stuff - was a true Springsteen fanatic. She began my indoctrination by loaning me “Born To Run,” “Darkness on the Edge Of Town,” “The River” and that bootleg of the 1978 Winterland Ballroom show. On vinyl, of course.

I lost all of my shit. There was absolutely nothing like being an introverted hormonal teenager and hearing “Born To Run” for the first time. It made me want to be a rock and roll musician. It made me want to live.

Fast forward a couple of years later, I had all of the records and knew all of the words. My best friend Buzz had this beat to shit Volkswagen (you could look right down through the floorboards and see the highway roll by!). The car had no radio or cassette player, so we would just drive around singing “Thunder Road” or "Atlantic City" acapella. That’s always been one of my greatest memories of being young and living for rock and roll.

So thanks Mr. Springsteen for all you’ve done, and all you are yet to do. I’ll always be a fan.


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