Born to Run
by Bruce Springsteen
“Some silicone sister with a manager mister told me I got what it takes
She said "I'll turn you on, son, into something strong, play the song with the funky break And go-kart Mozart was checkin' out the weather chart to see if it was safe outside
And little Early-Pearly came by in his curly-wurly and asked me if I needed a ride”.
Blinded by the Light lyrics by Bruce Springsteen.
Bruce Springsteen wrote his own life story in “Born to Run”. If any of you had any doubts that Bruce Springsteen was capable of such a feat then you haven’t paid any attention to the man’s lyrics.
My first introduction to Springsteen was with “Blinded by the Light” and I was left wondering. I was left wondering who this idiot was. What kind of nonsense was this? Why? Why? Why?
Later I heard more Springsteen tunes and I began to understand. Bruce is a poet on par with Bob Dylan. The man can write lyrics about anything and somehow it is relatable to all his fans. Now he has written an autobiography and it is good.
At the end of the book, Bruce tells us how he wrote the book over several years. He takes his time and reflects on his life and his memory of it. Correcting it when needed and curating when necessary. Overall Bruce gives us an honest look into his life. The man is fascinating and as I said he can write. Sure, he was lucky to have a strong editor who kept him on the straight and narrow. But Bruce fans will love this.
There are often places associated with rock and folk music and you can see their names over and over again in biographies. Some concert venues have become almost as well known as the bands who played there. Cafe Wa? is one of those places. Read enough rock and pop music biographies and you’ll learn a bunch more about them. (Has anyone written the history of famous rock music venues? There are many.)
Bruce and one of his early bands had an audition at the Cafe Wha? in New York City. I have read about Cafe Wha? in many biographies and was actually surprised to see Bruce had been there as a performer.
Sure, I knew Bruce is from Jersey and Jersey is close to NYC. It’s especially close for a touring rock band from New Jersey. So why would Bruce Springsteen not have played in New York City? And why would he not have played Cafe Wha?? Or at least have visited the place.
Bruce has tales aplenty and my favorite has always been the story of when he met the Big Man! Clarence Clemmons. Bruce has often spoken of a dark and stormy night when Clarence walks into the room as lightning is raging. This is likely all fable but it sure is fun and it’s a story Bruce has stuck to for as long as I can remember.
Often rock biographies are chock-a-block with drug and alcohol abuse. “Born to Run” is one of those books. Bruce is one of those that, in his rock and roll journey, steered clear of the kind of abuse so often experienced by others.
So what made Bruce Springsteen so capable of staying away from booze and drugs? You need some reason to read the book. So read the book.
As with all the books I read, I looked for pictures. Most of you are familiar with the idea of dropping pictures into the middle of the book. They are dropped into the middle of the text and actually interrupt my reading of the book. Sometimes pictures get dropped into 2 sections of the text, which is twice as annoying.
The lowly, unpaid intern who chose these pictures did a fine job of picking pictures for inclusion at the end of the book. These pictures are the very last thing you see in this autobiography. Including pictures at the end of the book seems to me to be the best way of dealing with pictures in any pop star’s biography.
I have a love-hate relationship with pictures in biographies. Ok maybe not love them but Í do understand why they are included. There are a few biographies that have no pictures at all, except for the cover. Those are much better, in my humble opinion.
“Born to Run” by Bruce Springsteen is a must-read for not only Springsteen fans but for classic rock fans in general. If you are not a huge Springsteen fan just listen to some of his music while you are reading the book. You just might become a bigger fan of “The Boss”.
And besides, where else can you hear the word “calliope” in a rock song but on a Bruce Springsteen album? Oh, and the calliope crashed to the ground.
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