My Bruce Journey - Part 43

‘You can't start a fire worrying about your little world falling apart’

I have already published this week’s post and I toyed with the idea of waiting until next week to put this one out… but the moment will have passed by then so here it is.

Mike’s last job involved helping staff who had problems either with work itself or perhaps stuff going on in their private lives.  He has many counselling skills and has taken an interest in various types of therapy and self help.

Among his discoveries is Paul McGee who is The SUMO Guy. Basically when something bad happens we are allowed to have some hippo time.  Some time to wallow in self pity but then SHUT UP and MOVE ON.  The theory is (I think) that giving yourself permission to feel sorry for yourself lets you get it out of your system.  Then you just have to give yourself a slap and tell yourself to get on with life.

Anyway at the moment I am having some hippo time.  Bruce came to London and we didn’t go to see him - I’m sure he is gutted!

We don’t do The Pit and we have never been the sort of people who hang around stage doors.  Don’t get me wrong, if that’s your thing I don’t have a problem with it but, for me, it would feel like I am either interrupting his pre-concert preparation or bugging him when he is knackered.

I couldn’t do the loitering around his hotel thing either.  I was so down in the dumps yesterday that Mike suggested, only half jokingly, that we caught an early train to London and waited outside Claridge’s.  To me that verges on stalking although I don’t rule out resorting to this tactic one day!

The upshot of this is that I have never been nearer than a couple of hundred feet away.  He’s about the size of a gnat whenever we see him live.  The exception being the one time at Hyde Park when he disappeared from view for a few seconds then appeared again on a platform possibly only 30 feet away for about 20 seconds.

The thing about The Promise’s London Premiere was that is was legitimate, acceptable, we were expected to be there.    Bruce was making a public appearance.  The red carpet was out and he was there to meet the fans.  There wasn’t even a whiff of stalking. 
I could have bought tickets.  It’s only a few hours drive down the M1 and we didn’t go.

When the O2 tickets went on sale for the Magic tour we got two seats up in the Gods.  Jane, Mike’s cousin, then said she would like to come and, whilst I was trying to find a ticket for her, two came up in the lower tier right near the stage.  I hesitated because I was only looking for a single seat and that hesitation cost me the best seats I have ever been offered.  I haven’t forgiven myself for that and this is ten times worse.

In all the years I have been following Bruce it has brought me nothing but pleasure but today I wish I wasn’t a fan.  I wish I didn’t care because then I wouldn’t feel so bad.

A big black cloud is hanging over me at the moment and I can’t shake the feeling that I passed up my ONE chance to shake Bruce’s hand.

So for the rest of the day I will be a hippo… and then I’ll SHUT UP AND MOVE ON.

My Bruce Journey - Part 42

'The way you sooth me when I'm in pain.  The way you make the blood rush in my veins'


So all the time I have been writing this blog I have assumed it would come to an end.  I expected this to be when I got up-to-date but of course it isn’t really the end.  My Bruce Journey continues every day as I browse Greasy Lake or a song comes on the radio: as I listen to my iPod or buy the latest music magazine.

Hopefully there will be more tickets to buy, more trips to organise, more concerts to review.  In the mean time I will try to find photos, snippets of news and for what it’s worth, regale you with my opinions.  No - my Bruce Journey is definitely not over yet!!

It’s here that I should thank all my friends and family for your encouragement.  If it hadn’t been for your enthusiasm, your kind comments and sometimes your reminders when I was late posting I wouldn’t have kept it up.  So thank you everyone.  I hope you will continue the journey with me.

As a prelude to this week I have quickly checked over my previous posts.  Reading your own writing is, I imagine, a little like watching yourself on TV.  Not a pleasant experience.  I could possibly have shortened some posts but then Mike will tell you I procrastinate.  I mentioned some things a couple of times but only repeated myself almost word for word once.

In the future I may cover old subjects and I hope you will forgive me if I repeat myself again.  It happens when you get to my age!

We are all looking forward to The Promise.  Well I am looking forward to it but if you follow Greasy Lake or BTX you would wonder about some others out there.  Considering everyone has been clamouring for this for years all the negativity seems a bit strange.  Over the last few weeks we’ve had: - are the songs really Darkness outtakes?  Has Bruce meddled with them too much?  Are the vocals recent?  Should they have used a different live show?  Why does it cost so much?  Bla bla bla bla bla.

In the last couple of days, though, especially since this month’s music mags have been on the shelves featuring glowing reviews, excitement might just be taking over from the criticism.

We bought our first Uncut Magazine in April 2003.  Well actually we bought two. Mike and I were standing in the queue at W H Smiths when I spotted a magazine with Bruce on the cover.

Looking more closely I saw there were two magazines featuring a different photo and different CDs. 


We bought both and although we haven’t continued to buy the magazine every month we always have a look to see what’s in it.  Rather sneakily they sometimes write Springsteen on the cover - strange how we can all spot the name even if we only get a fleeting glimpse out of the corner of our eye - but you would be hard pressed to find anything but a couple of paragraphs inside.  They know the name sells copy.

Anyway I bought this month‘s mag because Springsteen was written on the cover - still can’t resist!  To be fair I knew they would be doing a review of 'The Promise' and I wasn’t disappointed.  I love the piece they have written.  They’ve given a bit of background and covered in more detail the outtakes that haven’t appeared (officially) previously.

Coincidently I have heard some of the outtakes this week.  They seem to have popped up on my iPod more than usual.  I toyed with the idea of skipping them because I had said I wouldn’t listen before the official release date.  In the end I played them anyway.  After all, as I have an illegal CD in ‘The Definitive Darkness Outtakes’ I have listened to 'The Promise' (in some fashion) before the release date.

Actually I only have four of the tracks on my play list - presumably the four I liked the best.  I have to say, they seem to be in a similar vein as ‘Save My Love’.  They don’t remind me of the other tracks on Darkness itself.  Uncut seem to agree as they say that although the outtakes were recorded at the same time as Darkness they are ‘the polar opposite’.  Presumably one of the reasons these tracks didn’t make the album at the time.

I bought Mojo today (it said Springsteen on the cover) to read their review and they say ‘Darkness an ascetic, dour, philosophical treatise (no I don’t know what that means either)…could have gone the other way.  Many of The Promise’s 21 tracks are R&B stompers and soul croons‘

And… for what it’s worth I don’t care if Bruce sang the vocal last year or thirty years ago.  I don’t mind where the live show was filmed and although it’s one of my favourite tracks I’m not bothered if ’The Way’ is featured or not.  I am just looking forward to a new Bruce release.
 A new release  folks - lighten up and just enjoy it for what it is.

In the mean time some lucky people will be in London tonight to see The Making of… documentary.  I didn't want to see the film in advance so I am cool about not being there.  Who am I trying to kid?  I am gutted just gutted.  For those of you who are going - enjoy!

 
PS - last information on Greasy Lake suggests The Way is included. 

Now ... will I ever get to hear this live?

My Bruce Journey - Part 41

'Well I got this guitar and I learned how to make it talk'


I think we had a Nils Lofgren cassette before Bruce had even crossed our radar - presumably The Best Of which was released 1981.  The only track I knew was 'Shine Silently' and I don’t remember playing the album much.

In 1965 my brother - Ian - was 18 years old and like many teenage lads of the time had taught himself to play guitar and joined a local band - The Ooglies later to become The Movement.  There were various members of this group but the star of the show was Neave Taylor.  Neave was a talented musician who could write songs but, as is often the case with artistic people, he could go off the rails a bit.

My parents had a shop at the time, taking up half of a big old building.  We lived in a flat above the shop and the band rehearsed in one of the store rooms on the ground floor among packing cases.  Blimey it was loud!  Occasionally they performed in the local village hall, a couple of doors away and I was allowed to go and watch.

I would only have been about eight and I thought Ian was famous.  Well, if I believe what he told me, the band were quite a hit around our home county of Lincolnshire and they did make a record - just one.

He still gets asked to play from time to time now and I am so impressed that he can get up on stage and play guitar.

My mum was inordinately proud.  She embarrassed Ian constantly by asking him to perform ‘Homeward Bound’ on his acoustic guitar for auntie, uncle or indeed anyone passing through who was prepared to listen.  She died 9 years ago now, but it always stops me short if the song comes on the radio and I can still hear her voice - 'play 'Homeward Bound' Ian'. 

When I was about 20 he tried to teach me, together with his wife-Irene, how to play.  We were rubbish - but I still have an acoustic guitar now and from time to time make an effort to learn.  I am just not committed enough - a project for when I retire perhaps?

I tell this story because Ian is the reason I love guitar players and probably the reason I knew of Nils Lofgren who is, without doubt, a great guitar player.

Our last foray to see Nils was some years ago.  Ian, Irene, Mike and I met up at the rather oddly named Scunthorpe Baths Hall. 


The old Scunthorpe Baths Hall

I assume the building had at some point been a swimming baths-perhaps it still was.  The gig was in a tiny room which couldn't have held more than a couple of hundred people.  We must have arrived early as we spent some time waiting outside in a rather bleak Scunthorpe street chatting to the girl at the front of the queue.

The new Scunthorpe Baths Hall

Monica was Scandinavian and told us she followed Nils around the world.  We all considered this to be a bit strange - I mean who would spend their spare time following a musician around the world watching gig after gig?!!. 

Monica became part of family folklore and we still wonder about her from time to time.

Can’t believe so many years have passed before we’ve got around to seeing Nils again but, last week the four of us (probably as much as fifteen years older) set off to Manchester to see him again.  The Lowry is a much bigger much plusher venue.  I really liked the whole area and wouldn't hesitate to go again.  Didn't recognise Monica.

I’m not going to review the gig and I couldn’t tell you the set list.  Parts of it I loved parts not so much.  He mentioned being busy the last couple of years with the other band and he played 'Because The Night' complete with twirls.

As I’m sure lots of you know Nils has a reputation for looking after his fans - he always takes time out to meet us.  We queued up to shake his hand afterwards.  I have always been a bit star struck and was shaking like a leaf.  Told him I was nervous.  He told me not to be.  What I would do if I ever met Bruce doesn’t bear thinking about.  It’s probably better all around if I never get near him!

You remember Neave Taylor?  Well he is currently off the rails and in hospital.  Ian called him up when he was nearing the front of the queue and Nils left a message on his answer service.  How great is that? Needless to say Ian rang Neave afterwards with a follow up message to assure him it was genuine - well would you believe it if one of your messages was Hi Nils Lofgren here at the Lowry…

Bruce rumours this week revolve around whether or not he might turn up for a showing of The Promise which is on Friday night in London.

He was out shopping last week in SoHo, New York though, not London.

Finally this week The Gaslight Anthem were on UK TV appearing on Later with Jools Holland.  To be honest I didn’t think they did themselves any favours.  I’m not sure why but it didn’t seem like a very assured performance at the time.  Watching it again on the web I think it’s OK.  Somehow, though, they looked kind of out or place in the very pristine studio environment.  Oh and Brian I don’t like the beard !!

 

Only 27 days to go !!!

I was thinking about Bruce today - nothing new there then - but more specifically about The Promise and the fact that there are now less than four weeks to go.  I am so excited.

As I have mentioned previously the fact that there is a whole show in the box from 1978 has brought out the I was there in the seventies and he’s never been as good since brigade.  Yes that old chestnut.

Now, I am giving these people the benefit of the doubt here, when I say that I don’t think they are deliberately trying to belittle us … but just because we have come late to the party doesn’t make our experience any less valid.  We are no less inspired or excited by seeing Bruce live than the fans who were there at the beginning.

In fact all things considered Mike and I are very lucky.  Going to a Springsteen gig is still fresh and exhilarating for us.  The old timers are forever destined to be disappointed.