The Middle

 

It was in the first issue of People in 1974 when a lot of us met Bruce Springsteen.  A year and a half later, Bruce was on the covers of Time and Newsweek in the same week. You wouldn't believe what a big deal that was, especially when they didn't play his songs of the radio. Not around here in Georgia at any rate.

 

 

He was a "New Dylan", but he had a saxophone player in the band. He gave what seemed like day long concerts and put a ton of energy in every performance.

Manfred Mann did a song of his called "Blinded By The Light" which talked about  being "wrapped up like a douche". Even old Bob never wrote a song like that. It was years later we found out the lyric was "wrapped up like a deuce". 

It was in 1984 when Bruce released the "Born In The USA" album. 1984 was a perfect time for him to release that album because there was almost no gut-bucket rock music. Pop music was taken over by the MTV crowd: Michael Jackson, Boy George, all of those folks.

Even though Bruce was a rock star, he looked  and seemed normal.

But then, it happened.  A conservative, George Will, admitted to liking "Born In The USA".  He wrote: 

 
"In an age of lackadaisical effort and slipshod products, anyone who does anything -- anything legal -- conspicuously well and with zest is a national asset. Springsteen's tour is hard, honest work and evidence of the astonishing vitality of America's regions and generations. They produce distinctive tones of voice that other regions and generations embrace. There still is nothing quite like being born in the U.S.A."

As the famous commentator, Snagglepuss, once said, "Heavens to Murgatroyd".

Since then, Bruce has been trying his best to make sure people knew he was a rockin' liberal. It was like he was trying to out Dylan Dylan and morph into a cool rockin' Woody Guthrie.  He was always ready for a lecture, always had time for a homily, always had a sermon prepared about how he was disappointed in us

Since the '90's, Bruce hasn't shied away from political endorsements.  After all, Republicans don't buy records.  Bruce endorsed John Kerry in 2004, Obama in 2008, and Clinton in 2016. He famously ignored one of his biggest fans, Chris Christie, one time. He said if Trump was re-elected he would move to Australia.

His albums the last 36 some odd years have been okay. "Tunnel Of Love" was pretty good. "The Ghost of Tom Joad" was pretty much unlistenable.

Like most big rock stars, Springsteen had many different phases.  There was the Asbury Park Bruce with a hat and a beard.  There was Darkness At The Edge Of Town Bruce which has him skinny, clean shaven with no hat.  Muscle Bruce was during his "Born In The USA" era. Brooding Bruce came shortly after that. 

 

In 2019, Bruce came out with "Western Stars" which ushered in the latest Bruce phase:  Cowboy Bruce.

Bruce is now walking around with a cowboy hat and wearing jeans. He's come a long way from The Boardwalk.

It was Cowboy Bruce in the Super Bowl ad.  The stoic, brooding better looking Dylan driving through the Midwest, in a Jeep with the top down, in the middle of winter.

Cowboy Bruce stops in what is supposedly the middle of the USA, you know, the country he was born in. The middle of the country is marked by a chapel which causes Bruce to light a candle and brood about how the country is so divided. You may have heard about it, it has been in all of the papers.

He prays for reunification.  While you are at it, please consider buying a Jeep.

I don't know how effective the commercial was for Jeep. I'm not sure how influential Bruce is now. A couple of days after the commercial aired, news broke that Bruce was arrested for DWI in November.

I would consider Bruce to be a liberal. He considers himself to be in the middle. Everyone thinks they are in the middle. Some are, some aren't.

I only know I miss the Bruce who promised Mary that he'll "make it good somehow" when he drives down Thunder Road.