Friday 1 October 2010

My Bruce Journey - Part 38

'Someday girl I don't know when we're gonna get to that place where we really want to go and we'll walk in the sun'



Well we are nearly up-to-date.  Quite a lot has happened in my Bruce world in 2010 despite the fact that he hasn’t been touring.

Bruce, for his part, has been reasonably busy too.  I’ve worked Google hard today and found a lot of interesting stuff.

He performed in the Help For Haiti benefit in January.  A nice version of  'We Shall Overcome' and more proof that our man is often on hand to help with these fund raising things.



Thanks to Tony we got a copy of Spectacle - Elvis Costello’s interview with Bruce which was on TV in the States 20 January and 27 January.  I really enjoyed this but, bless him, Bruce never gives a one word answer when a 101 will do!  If I was being uncharitable I would say he goes on a bit but - as I hang on his every word - I’m more inclined to say he likes to give complete and thoughtful answers.

In February Ray Davies announced that Bruce would be duetting with him on one of the tracks on his new album.  I heard the track for the first time, only this week, on Lynn Parson’s Radio 2 show.  Listen again about 6.25am on Wednesday if you are interested.  I've only heard it the once - Bruce seems to be straining a bit.  Is the key too high for him perhaps?

The report about the album was on The Guardian’s website.  The Guardian seem to really love Bruce and you can rely on them to report most things.  This week they featured an article by Safraz Manzoor (author of Greetings from Bury Park).  He wrote about meeting his wife and the problems caused by the fact she is non Muslim. Safraz Manzoor wedding  There is the usual smattering of Bruce references, as there are in almost everything he writes.  If you haven’t read his book I recommend it.

My Google search threw up this article written in March this year about the Upstage Club - another venue to add to the itinery on our next visit perhaps. Inside The Upstage

And this:- about Bruce’s house in Wellington - a bit stalker-ish maybe but Quite interesting. Bruce sells his house

Popping up in April is this cover version of 'Born to Run' by Amy MacDonald.



I’ve always know she is a bit of a fan and I really like this version.  I am not someone who hates cover versions.  For me nothing will beat Bruce’s original but I don’t have any strong objections to covers, especially when they are by artists who are Bruce fans themselves.

Mike and I went to Sheffield City Hall in June to see Jackson Browne and David Lindley.  We both Like Jackson but had never heard of David Lindley.  He is obviously a fantastic musician but perhaps too good for us to appreciate him. I just wanted to hear ‘Take it Easy’- it’s a girl my Lord in a flat-bed Ford’ - great lyrics.  Mike loves 'After the Deluge' which was a new one on me but a lovely song.  David did surprise us, though, when he introduced Brothers Under The Bridge and gave Bruce a mention.

The chap sat next to me had imbibed a little too much happy juice.  He was very chatty.  I found out he was a big fan and had travelled from Leicester.  Don’t know what time he arrived in Sheffield but he had obviously been in the pub since setting foot.  He whooped at inappropriate moments during the gig which was a bit embarrassing.  I wanted to say he’s not with me.

We had listened to a story in some detail about a particular album he really liked.  When, during the interval he came back with a new purchase, we had to point out he had bought the very album he had described instead of the new one!

He was lucky to find his way back to his seat after getting the album swapped.  Still, better a happy drunk than a violent one and he enjoyed himself.  I hope he found his way back to the coach.

Three weeks later we were off to London to see Gaslight Anthem but that story is for next week.

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