The Cult of Bruce: The fawning over Springsteen is now officially nauseating

Opinion Journal ^ | 08/23/2002 | MARK GAUVREAU JUDGE

[OrthodoxPresbyterian]

young fella like me who was raised by that odd breed of FDR-Democrat parents who believed in the same breath that the Vietnam War was wrong, but that America's post-war treatment of Vietnam Veterans was nonetheless a shameful travesty against all that was right and good. ~~ Your parents sound like my grandparents.

Well, I was birthed late (I am only 27).

That's probably the Belief of my Parents which most directly rubbed off on me (well, that and my mother's Christianity)... "the Vietnam War was wrong, but America's post-war treatment of Vietnam Veterans was nonetheless a shameful travesty against all that was right and good". I've gone from FDR-socialism as a youth to Calvinist-libertarianism as an adult; but I still feel exactly the same way on that subject, as I was taught by my parents when I was, like, Five years old.

As folk singers go, Bruce Springsteen is probably at least the equal of Harry Chapin ~~ In other words, not as good as Oscar Brand.

Well, sure, if you wanna be blunt about it. ;-)

Of course, none of these hacks even begins to compare with Leonard Cohen, of course. Let's not be gettin' silly. ~~ Only have the Greatest Hits album. LOVE "Suzanne" and "Famous Blue Raincoat." Can't stand "The Partisan."

I like it all... I even like "The Partisan" a lot.

That said, "MORE Best of Leonard Cohen" is much better than "Best Of"... Take some incredible natural talent, and then age it by Maturity like a fine wine. Get off your duff and get thee down to Bleeker Bob's in Manhattan and spend the $10 for a copy of "More Best Of". If you already like "Best Of"... Don't say I didn't warn ya.

Give me back my broken night; My secret room, my secret life
It's lonely here; There's no one left to torture
Give me absolute control... Over every living soul
And lie beside me, baby -- That's an order!

Give me crack and anal sex... Take the only tree that's left
And stuff it up the hole, In your culture
Give back the Berlin Wall... Give me Stalin and St. Paul
I've seen the future, brother
It is murder

Give me back the Berlin Wall... Give me Stalin and St. Paul
Give me Christ, Or give me Hiroshima!!

Destroy another fetus now... We don't like children anyhow
I've seen the future, baby
It is murder

Leonard Cohen, "The Future", More Best Of (Choruses only... for the Verses, you'll hafta buy the album)

[Clemenza]

For those who do not know who Oscar Brand is, he is a cult figure who has been introducing folk music to schoolchildren in New York at least since I was in elementary school.

[OrthodoxPresbyterian]

For those who do not know who Oscar Brand is, he is a cult figure who has been introducing folk music to schoolchildren in New York at least since I was in elementary school.

Oh, sure... there you go -- using a colloquial native-NuYawka's reference, to reveal to any Lurkers the fact that I only lived directly under the JFK flight path for two years (which uncovers the reason for my love of Bleeker Bob's). Real nice, Clem. Thanks a lot for blowing my cover.

Shucks, when you said "Oscar Brand", I figured you meant, "Not the real Oscar Mayer" (like a TV commercial)... which The Boss, good as he is, surely ain't.

[OrthodoxPresbyterian]

All that said, I ain't blowing sunshine... If you like "Best Of", then "MORE Best Of" will make you feel like you wasted money on the first Greatest Hits album.

It's that good. Word.

[Clemenza]

I'll check it out, particularly since Bleeker Bob's allows you to listen before paying, good guys that they are.

[OrthodoxPresbyterian]

To: OrthodoxPresbyterian ~~ I'll check it out, particularly since Bleeker Bob's allows you to listen before paying, good guys that they are. ~~ 45 posted on 8/23/02 12:03 AM Pacific by Clemenza

Okay. I'll lay odds you don't get two verses into Track 1 ("everybody knows") before your plastic leaves your wallet. ;-)

best, op

[BADROTOFINGER]

Gotta agree with you, "Oooh, That Smell" really sucks...JFK

[OrthodoxPresbyterian]

Last thought for the night... Leonard Cohen does Patriotism. (More Best Of, natch)

It's coming to America first, the cradle of the best and of the worst.
It's here they got the range, and the machinery for change

and it's here they got the spiritual thirst.

It's here the family's broken; and it's here the lonely say
that the heart has got to open... in a fundamental way:

Democracy is coming to the U.S.A.

I'm sentimental,
if you know what I mean
I love my country
but I cannot stand the scene.

And I'm neither left or right
I'm just staying home tonight,
getting lost
in that hopeless little TV screen.

But I'm stubborn as those garbage bags, that Time cannot decay,
I'm junk but I'm still holding up -- this little wild bouquet:

Democracy
is coming
to the U.S.A.

(Leonard Cohen, "Democracy")

[HHFi]

I'll have you know I have such a huge record collection, I actually own TWO Oscar Brand LPs: "Pie In The Sky" (Satirical folk songs) and "Rollicking Sea Chanties." I like them both, although the latter is particularly useful for clearing out those lingering party guests who don't know when to leave.

[Petronski]

Springsteen: Irrelevant since 1988™

[Petronski]

Rollicking Sea Chanties

I have the reel-to-reel. Great stuff!

[NorthernRight]

Thank goodness. I thought I was alone in my opinion of Bruce Springsteen. I though he was dreck from the get-go, and find his music not only boring, but excruciatingly grating on the nerves.

Can't stand his style, his music, his voice, nothing. He's a fraud. An unconcious poseur.

Feh.

[Paul Atreides]

Those weirding modules were horrible. Also, the mentats' eyebrows looked like squirrel tails. I will never understand why people have to represent the future by making people bald. I could probably write a whole thread on this subject. I'm not totally discounting David Lynch's version, I'm saying that just because he directs something, does not automatically make it a masterpiece.

[Paul Atreides]

:-p thhpppppppppttttttttt!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Paul Atreides]

I remember when the media used to describe River Phoenix as the "voice of his generation." I just sat there thinking about the movies he made and the only movie that came to mind was his portrayal of Indiana Jones as a teen. The only others that came to mind were him featured as a character seen in about a million other teen movies. That was when he died in front of the nightclub. I think it was some sort of effort to make him into the new James Dean.

[Incorrigible]

Sentimental Springsteen won't rock the boat [It's no Rock the Casbah]

[Skooz]

I was 15 when "Born to Run" was released, and I liked it more than most of the disco-drivel on the radio those days. But I could never get into Springsteen. He seems like a real nice guy in all the interviews I've seen, and I supposed he would make a good neighbor--someone you could kick back and have a pizza and watch a football game with--but I never understood what all the fuss is about. His music is really kind of dull.

BTW, the height of of the Springsteen cult was on a documentary (I think it was the History of Rock n Roll on TLC). They gave Springsteen total credit for destroying Disco. No kidding. He alone decreed that Disco should end, and it was so.

[Rainmist]

Bruce sings like he's constipated really bad. Or maybe he's got 'rhoids .... he should see Dr. Evil about some " Preparation H ".

[Rainmist]

Are you sure it's not " wrapped up like a deuce " instead of douche ? It's always sounded like douche, tho ...... I'm not sure of the exact lyrics, LOL.

[martin gibson]

"Blinded by the Light. Revved up like a Douche another roamer in the night."

Don't blame BS for that one. I think the correct lyric is 'Cut loose like a deuce another runner in the night'.