I didn’t see the VH1 show, or I might have been more prepared for what I was buying. Saw the duration of the dvd and figured the listed songs must be extended versions.

So I put in the dvd and sat back, planning to enjoy an evening of great music. But then Bruce began to talk…and talk…and then he talked some more. Yes, he talked about the songs and the story they told. He talked about his philosphy of life that was inherent in those songs and the stories they told. Had I not been expecting and looking forward to hearing him sing songs, perhaps I would have been more interested in his outlook on life. But frankly if I want philosophy I don’t go to Bruce Springsteen. I go to Tom Cruise.
Rating: 2 / 5

When I first saw this documentary, having followed the music and career of Bruce Springsteen since the days of The Bottom Line appearance (pre-Born To Run), I was impressed by the insights, the writing, and the use of sound in this television episode. This documentary moved me. I remember watching the documentary and how it used narration and sound through the final credits–and I actually hung around to watch it until the very end.

Someone special wrote and produced this documentary, and if you enjoy Bruce Springsteen’s music, or happen to be a die-hard fan, you will get something out of watching it. I think it will make you reflect on what an enormously important artist Bruce Springsteen really is. Considering where he came from, how he struggled to find his way through the Asbury Park club scene, and the early albums (remember “The Wild, The Innocent, and the E Street Shuffle” or “Greetings from Asbury Park”).

Recently, I was driving with my toddler son strapped in the backseat, and the Manford Mann version of “Blinded By the Light” played on the radio. I found myself listening to the words, and thinking about how much has happened in my own life since I heard the song the first time on Springsteen’s Greetings from Asbury Park album (vinyl back in those days). And, how my four year old son was hearing this cover version for the first time. It made me nostalgic and a little sad–sad because of the unfulfilled promise of my own life.

In the documentary, it’s important to see the period of time after Born to Run when Bruce hit a rough patch getting out of an unfair contract with a former manager. The experience literally put him on the sideline for more than two years. What emerged from that time away from the public hype (Time and Newsweek Magazine covers of Born To Run), was a deeper, more introspective artist.

Has anyone out there watched the latest reality show genre “Rock Star INXS”? I am amazed how the entire industry has changed over the years. Back in the day, unique and heartfelt artists struggled to get their voice heard. You had significant music being made by artists who had a real connection to their own material. I’m talking about Springsteen, notably from an earlier era, another personal favorite, the Rolling Stones…you had a wide rock range from the Eagles to to Crosby, Stills, Nash to ACDC to the Pretenders to rock acts like Queen, Foreigner, Journey, Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band, and more recently amazing bands that reached frontiers like Guns and Roses, Nirvana…and one of the only bands that seem to get it done these days, U2…you get the idea.

Now, all it seems to mean is to be able to belt out cover versions of these bands greatest hits. It’s about the marketing. The image. I wonder is Rock and Roll still alive? Or is it dead, and simply masquerading as pretend version of what has changed so many lives? Has anyone seen these kids trying to sing real rock and roll? They scream. They yell. They emote. They play the role of rock star prancing the stage. They claim they feel the music. They cry on cue. To them, it is real. To those of us, with pulsating veins, we know better.

I saw Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band last year at Dodger’s Stadium. And, frankly, I was also disappointed. Gone were the four hour, sweat-dripping, leaping from the tall amps, Bruce. Instead, we got a dare-I-say “Boring” show with a lot of white haired folks (like myself) tapping their feet to the music–thinking of better days, long passed. I would have rather sat at home and watched my old laserdisc of “No Nukes” than been there that night. I am sad to say this. But, it’s true. The capper for me was being charged thirty bucks for a tour hat. Being the commercial sell-out that I myself have evolved into, I gladly paid. I haven’t wore it since.

Bruce’s development as an artist has evolved from “Darkness on the Edge of Town” to “Born in the USA” to a more present-day–saccarine, Bob Dylanesque existence as writer/singer. Some of the songs hit deep wells–Johnny 99, the Rising. But, where is the rock? To me, it all went wrong when the E Street Band broke up the first time. And, the music started sounding too much like Pop Radio…Dancing in the Dark still makes me cringe. Don’t get me wrong. I like “Secret Garden” and “Tunnel of Love.” But, it’s so far away from the gritty storytelling of “Rosalita” and “Jungleland.” I miss those old days. Okay, I sound like I promised I never would–a geriatric rocker with a chip on his shoulder. I know the old days will never come again. Now we’re left with acoustic albums, and two really unfortunate Greatest Hits compilations.

Why do artists release Greatest Hits albums anyway, except to take money from their fans one more time? If you ever have a chance to listen to a bootleg–specifically, the Winterland album, then you wonder why the greatest hits version was ever put together the way it was released. It is bone dry by comparison. There was no transfer of the energy, the spontaneity, the amazing storytelling, the drama of what it felt like to be there in a Bruce concert–whether you were in the back row, or near the stage.

For the most part, I admire the integrity of Bruce and his artistic and business decisions. At least this documentary helped remind me where I was those precious years where I listened to Born to Run and Darkness over and over and over. Sometimes in the dark, after I gave up on doing homework assignments, lying in my bed, looking up at the ceiling. It re-connected me with music that helped me get through crappy days in French class where I knew none of what I was learning really mattered.

So, if you have a few extra bucks, take a chance and pick up a copy. It is one of the better examples of what this series has done of exploring significant artists like Bruce. Maybe it will take you back in time like it did for me. When my son gets a little older, I will let him watch it, and tell him that his Dad once day revered every word, every note of this artist. And, I hope he understands what the story of Jungleland did for me. Or the carefree exuberance of Rosalita. Or, the brave defiance of Darkness on the Edge of Town.

thedeadlyhandsofkungfu

los angeles

august 2005
Rating: 5 / 5

Well, I’m a huge fan of The Boss.

But I had one of the worst expriences ever watching this DVD. Why?

The trouble, in my opinion, was not all the talking. I appreciated the idea behind the performance and it was even fun. The trouble was the execution of the songs. I knew it was all to be acustic (with only Bruce playing), but I never figured that he would suck out the essence of the songs to the point that they became unbearable to listen, so boring and lifeless they became. Even the great favorite of mine, “Brilliant Disguise”, was atrociously mutilated.
Rating: 1 / 5