[BADROTOFINGER]

The great thing about some American music is that it just screams, and sometimes whispers, the American experience. Some perfomers have it, guys like CCR, Lynard Skynard, and John Cougar Mellencamp, while others only wish they had it, like Bruce Springsteen...JFK

[Cap'n Crunch]

Springsteen and Elvis. I'm sick of hearing about both of them.

I used to like Springsteen until I figured out he was a liberal.

[TheSpottedOwl]

I've never been fond of Bruce's whiny crap. Kurt Loder's taste is all in his mouth, he should be covering politics instead of music.

[GATOR NAVY]

I thought he was overrated in the '70s and still think he is.

There is no reasoning with Springsteen fans. They form their own religion, or rather their own cult. Bruce's return is their Second Coming, and third and fourth, depending on how you count

I remember in 1979 or 80 I worked with some people who were happy to pay scalpers over $100 to see "The Boss". This was back when an arena concert was probably about $10-$15. I thought they were crazy.

[Mr. Mojo]

Last good album by BS? The River, 1980

Last great album by BS? Darkness on the Edge of Town, 1978

[clintonh8r]

Bruce's stuff is mostly crap. The cult of Bruce gives me a pain. I'll give him this...he has great publicity and PR. Not a lot of talent, but good promotion.

[HHFi]

I used to like Bruce, back in the period from "Darkness on the Edge of Town" through "The River" and parts of "Born in the USA," but then he lost me. Sadly, he started listening to all the worshipful "intellectuals" writing the gas bag pieces about how he was the bard of the poor, oppressed common man, and he fired the E Street Band and turned out a string of mumbling, tuneless ballads about how tough it is to live in Amurikah, hoboin' around and sleepin' under train trestles (apparently, from his $10 million mansion, America in the 1980s was indistinguishable from America during the Depression).

One thing these stories never mention is that all those albums like "Nebraska" that were supposed to encapsulate the experiences of the downtrodden workers (according to the rave reviews from the effite, Ivy League magazine writers) were his worst sellers because the average American didn't buy them. For some reason, when Joe and Jane Sixpack forked over their hard-earned money for concert tickets or CDs, they didn't want to hear draggy ballads about how badly their lives suck. They wanted to hear "Pink Cadillac" and "Rosalita." So if Bruce really gave a damn about helping and uplifting the masses, he'd give them some songs they could dance to.

It all reminds me of the scene in "Stardust Memories" when Woody Allen asks some space aliens what he should to do to help mankind. They reply, "You're a comedian. If you want to help mankind, tell funnier jokes."

[drjimmy]

Had I only realized then what I do now: There is no reasoning with Springsteen fans. They form their own religion, or rather their own cult.
There is also no reasoning with Springsteen haters. They are flip sides of the same coin. I'm a Springsteen semi-fan. I saw him twice back in 1978 and he gave the most amazing live show I've ever experienced. The hype surrounding his new album is ridiculous, but the album itself is great. Mark Gauvreau Judge is pissed that his idols don't get the same attention Springsteen does. Get over it, and get over yourself.

[LenS]

My teen years coincided with the rise of Bruce. He bored me then. He bores me now. The only song that he did that I liked was Blinded by the Light. I didn't like his version, but I loved the Manfred Mann version. That's about as close as I got to liking a song of his.

[Clemenza]

Had I only realized then what I do now: There is no reasoning with Springsteen fans. They form their own religion, or rather their own cult. Bruce's return is their Second Coming, and third and fourth, depending on how you count. Indeed, religion is the only way to explain the Pauline tone of the Return of the Boss.

WHOA! This boy better have an asbestos suit.

I agree, while I like many of Springsteen's songs (Born to Run, Hungry Heart, Badlands), I still find him to be an overrated bar room singer. Like Billy Joel, however, he is a great lyricist when it comes to reaching "regular guys."

What do you call a black guy at a Springsteen Concert?: Clarence Clemons.

Don't get me started on that third rate Springsteen wannabe from Sayreville, John Bon Anchovie.

[A CA Guy]

He's good, but his new album sales are already dropping off.

[Petronski]

Springsteen: Irrelevant since 1988™

[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.

[Incorrigible]

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

[Rainmist]

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