Weird Al Interviews Bruce Springsteen

We've previously spotlighted the joint friendship between Clarence Clemons and "Weird Al" Yankovic, but, in this clip, we see the true friendship between "Weird Al" and the Boss himself.  In this short interview, we learn the origins of Al and Bruce's friendship, Bruce's opinion on Al's current music, and listen to Bruce rattle off some of his favorite numbers.  Enjoy!

Also, happy 66th Bruce, from all of us at LOS!

Joe Piscopo

Now, some of you may be saying, "Who the hell is Joe Piscopo?"  That's a fair question, however, most will remember this Jersey-born, not-so-iconic comedian.  But in the dark days of Saturday Night Live, from 1980-1985, Joe Piscopo was kind of the man.  Really.  He was only eclipsed by Eddie Murphy, who at that time was probably the most revolutionary thing in comedy since George Carlin.  But then Piscopo left SNL, and went promptly into the "Where Are They Now?" fame.  But don't tell Joe that.  No, Joe still thinks he's the man.  And it'd almost be admirable if it wasn't so sad.  I'm sorry, I don't want this to come off as mean, but he might be the most delusional man about his own talent and stardom that I ever heard.

My fascination with Joe Piscopo started a few years ago when I was listening to my favorite radio show, Opie and Anthony (I really miss the show), and co-host Anthony Cumia started bashing Joe Piscopo's recent Showtime special "Club Piscopo".  For the next 3 hours, Opie and Anthony proceeded to watch Joe Piscopo clips on YouTube and absolutely destroy Piscopo.  It was hysterically funny (NSFW).  Then things only got better, when Piscopo called in and took his beating like a good sport, and won over the audience.  Since then, watching Joe Piscopo clips on YouTube is one of my favorite things.  Some of his impressions are cringe inducing, and his singing is downright laughable (but not as bad as his rapping).  And yet, in the end, I love the guy.

I have to admit, his Sinatra impression is very good.  However, when Phil Hartman came along to SNL, he blew it Piscopo's impression out of the water.  And Joe's Bruce impression is kind of hacky.  Oh yeah, another thing about Piscopo, he's obsessed with being from Jersey.  Listen, I've lived in NYC for the past 4 years, but in my heart I still am a Jersey guy.  I get it.  It's in the blood, and hard to let go of.  But Joe takes it to a new level.  So I was not shocked at all to see this video from Joe's mid 80's comedy special.  Piscopo's most famous impression from SNL, the biggest rock star at the time, and it's all in Jersey?  It's the Joe Piscopo Holy Trinity.

Bruce Performing At "Stand Up For Heroes", November 6th, 2013

Today, we're treating you to a longer video, so pull up a chair and relax for 20 minutes.  Earlier this month, Bruce performed with other musicians and comedians at Stand Up For Heroes, a charity event focused on raising money to support troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.  Here, Bruce performs a stripped down set, featuring an acoustic "Dancing In The Dark", Patti Scialfa assisting him on "If I Should Fall Behind", and "Dream Baby Dream", which seems to be getting heavy promotion recently.  However, rather than the touching, personal stories we are used to from Bruce, each song is introduced by a "dirty" joke.  And, boy, are they groaners - Bruce becomes the proverbial drunk uncle of the party, and you feel forced to laugh if only to not make the situation any more awkward.  At the end of the set, Bruce quips he should have been a stand up comedian.  After seeing this, it is safe to say he made the right choice.

However, in some sense, it is a wistful insight into Bruce's off-stage persona.  In Clarence Clemons' autobiography, he claims that he was the king of dirty jokes.  It is easy to imagine Clarence telling all these jokes to Bruce in a dilapidated bus going to their next gig, and Bruce cracking up like a madman.  So, if you factor in that unsubstantiated sentimental notion into the video, it could make it more enjoyable.  But, you should probably just stick to listening to the songs.

This Laugh's On Me: The Onion on Bruce Springsteen

The Onion, the internet's foremost authority on fake news, has had certain celebrities and politicians in their cross-hairs for years.  I've always enjoyed their continuing obsession with Spurs power forward Tim Duncan; his quiet and stoic presence both on and off the court have led to excellent, funny, and bizarre articles.  The Boss has been a frequent target as well, as his political causes mixed with his rock-and-roll lifestyle are ripe for satire.  Here are some of the highlights from the last five years:

Bruce Springsteen Concert Totally Changes Area Man's Mind About Voting (Oct. 27, 2008): In this article, Springsteen is used in place of any celebrity that is dragged out in election season for those silly "Rock The Vote" campaigns.  The choice of who to vote for (and choosing to vote period) are very complicated issues that always get reduced to simplistic platitudes that ultimately mean nothing.  The last line in the article sums it up best: "On Nov. 4, Garlock plans to vote for John McCain because he thinks Sarah Palin is hot."

Obama To Wait For Next Bruce Springsteen Album For Word On Economy (Jan. 10, 2010): The Onion has frequently predicted the future, and this article is no exception.  The next Springsteen album after this piece was Wrecking Ball, Springsteen's most direct take on the economy to date.  Whether or not Obama will base his policy off of it remains to be seen.  The shot at John Mellencamp at the end makes this article totally worth the thirty seconds it will take you to read it.

Bruce Springsteen Releases New Sci-Fi Concept Album About Struggles Of Poor Miners Working On Mars (Sep. 14, 2011):

As a fan of science-fiction and a fan of Springsteen, this article is the perfect storm.  The writer adds in so many details that help sell such a zany premise.  Song titles such as "Dead Man's Home", "Solid Ground", and "Martin Shoulders" truly sound like Springsteen tracks....provided he was doing a concept album about Martians.  You have to love the exasperated quotes from Steven Van Zandt, followed immediately by the sycophantic praise from a Rolling Stone editor.

It's Funny, I've Actually Only Been To New Jersey A Couple Of Times (Dec. 4, 2012): It's an article "written by" Bruce Springsteen, and I really wish Springsteen did write something like this.  It would be the greatest prank a rock star has ever pulled off.  It's funny how, even if you are not from New Jersey, hearing Springsteen reveal his "true nature" would forever change the way you see both him and his music.  Rationally, the music should stand on its own merit, but this article dares you to imagine a world where Springsteen was from Hollywood and how that would alter your thoughts on his work.

Bruce Springsteen On Fence About Playing Assad’s Birthday Gig (Sep 4., 2013): This article I didn't really care for, as it seemed like they could have inserted any artist into it, and just randomly picked Springsteen.  I mean, why would Springsteen agree to do only a 45-minute set?  That's way too unrealistic.

Video Spotlight - Louis CK on Loneliness, featuring Springsteen

Louis CK has been my favorite comedian for nearly a decade now.  I remember my first exposure to him was in the 90s, probably on one of those random Comedy Central specials, and I just filed him away as "generic white comic #644".  However, around my junior year of college, I discovered his excellent Live In Houston album (sadly out of print), and was instantly hooked.  Over the last 10 years, Louie's career has rose meteorically, to the point where I really don't need to explain who he is to anyone anymore.  Outside of his stand-up, his innovative deals that he has struck with both the filming of his television show and the distribution of his concert tickets and videos have been hugely influential on the comedy industry.  Personally, I've enjoyed watching his comedy evolve, as you can see "him"* go from a selfish, petty, and scared asshole to a humanist who has come to peace with his failings.

*Note: I put "him" in quotes just because it is important to distinguish that how the performer presents himself as a comedian is not necessarily who that person is.  Some comics do come off as more sincere, while others make it clear that they are playing a character - just see Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert.  However, it is sometimes when these lines are blurred is where comics can get into trouble, such as Andrew Dice Clay and Daniel Tosh.

Louie has always been fantastic on his talk show appearances, but over the past few years, his demeanor has become more relaxed and less "joke-y".  In his some of his most famous Conan appearances, Louie just goes full on into his comedy set, telling jokes immediately and get huge laughs.  However, it the performance above, Louis takes a more conversational, slower tone.  He is still on the subject of cell phones, and rather than focusing on the entitled people using them, he focuses on how the technology itself is divorcing the users from the human experience.  It's a difficult joke to tell, and Louie guides his audience along a long narration.  Eventually, they hit the subject that made me write this post: Bruce Springsteen.

Around the two-minute mark, Louie talks about listening to "Jungleland" on the radio.  Both he and Conan take a pause from Louie's story to ham it up with cartoon-y Springsteen impersonations.  Knowing how seriously Louie takes the joke-writing process, it is clear that invoking of Springsteen, and specifically "Jungleland" is not an accident (although Louie does "forget" the name of the song).  Springsteen is a universally known performer, and the chance to do an over-the-top Springsteen impersonation gives some goofiness to the somber story he was telling.  While "Jungleland" isn't as broadly known, it is the perfect Springsteen song to punctuate the joke, as those who know the song instantly connect to the moment Louie is talking about.  In the end, Louie crafts a sad, funny tale that eloquently describes what we here at the blog have been amateurishly trying to express: that the perfect Springsteen song can be a kick you right in your emotional gut, and connect you to parts of your humanity that are often neglected.

Video Spotlight: Norm MacDonald's Bruce Springsteen Impersonation

Last month, OB spotlighted Robin Williams' Springsteen impersonation, and tossed in a little shot at this video at the end.  Being a die-hard Norm MacDonald fan, and subsequently being light on content since Bruce has not released an album recently nor has he been touring North America, I felt I should step up to the plate and take a deeper look at this video.

Here, we have Norm MacDonald, in early 2009, at the end of a set at the Snoqualmie Casino in Washington state.  Norm was never known for his dynamic range of impersonations (Burt Reynolds being more-or-less a snappier version of him), yet, he decided to take a shot impersonating the Boss.  Oddly, he chose to have Bruce singing the theme to Gilligan's Island to the tune of "My Hometown".  Given that this is amateur video footage, as well as the fact that I've never seen Norm do this elsewhere, it clearly looks like he was trying out a bit that he didn't quite feel was strong enough to keep in his regular act.  However, the bit gives off a strangeness that just gets weirder and funnier with each subsequent viewing - this is a quality not uncommon in many of Norm's bits.  While this bit is completely taken out of context, it's a fun mental exercise to imagine the set up that led to Norm singing the theme to Gilligan's Island as the Boss.  Perhaps it was part of a larger bit discussing what theme songs Bruce should have sang.  If that were the case, my money is on Charles In Charge.

Springsteen Prov

Here at Legends of Springsteen, we’re huge fans of improv as an art form. Two of the editors have even studied and performed at the famed Upright Citizens Brigade theater in New York. As such, I was excited to see that Esquire recently covered UCB's 15th annual Del Close Marathon. But I was even more excited to see that the topic they covered was Springsteen Prov. For background, the Del Close Marathon is an annual three-day marathon of round the clock improv shows and a number of venues across Marathon. I’m pleased to say that my old indie team Crimedog performed at the 13th annual Del Close Marathon… at 5:15 a.m. on a Sunday.

This Esquire article profiles performer John Murray and highlights one of his DCM shows – Springsteen Prov – in which he led a group of Springsteen-clad impersonators in an early morning show. There's a video excerpt but you can't really get a sense of how the set went - improv has to be experienced live anyway. But you can certainly see the excitement and energy Murray stirred up during the wee hours of the morning. From reading the article, I see that Murray is a huge Springsteen fan and even grew up in Colt's Neck, NJ. John, we salute you. Here's to more Springsteen Prov.

Lyrics Spotlight - In Freehold

"Well, I got a good Catholic education here in Freehold
Led to an awful lot of masturbation here in Freehold
Father, it was just something I did for a smile
Hell, I still get a good one off once in a while
and dedicate it to Freehold."
-- "In Freehold"

Who doesn't love a good masturbation joke? As an amateur comedian, I use masturbation as the crux of so many jokes that I've begun to abbreviate it as "M" in my notebook. It may be low-brow, but it gets a chuckle, or, in Bruce's case here, an enthusiastic cheer.

"In Freehold" is a song Springsteen wrote for a special concert he performed in his old high school gym. While the songs he penned in his teens and early 20s were all about breaking out of this "town full of losers", here he reflects on his youth with nostalgia, humor, and a twinge of sadness. Tales of his first kiss, his first band, his father, and his sister all make it into this epic. But ultimately, Bruce ends it with the one element that everyone can relate to when thinking about their high school years.

Springsteen's Answering Machine

Throughout this decade, as Generation Y begins to get married, have kids, get fat, and lose their hair, we will all be inundated with 90s nostalgia.  While some of the focus will be on the pop culture of the time, such as movies, television, and fashion, I think people will reminisce more about the technology of the era.  In the 1990s, you had to choose between being on the phone, watching television, or being on the internet; now, we do all three at once.  Though it sounds cliche, it truly was a simpler time, where technology enhanced your life, but did not consume it.

With this in mind, allow me to wax nostalgic about one forgotten technological relic of the 80s and 90s: the answering machine.  Granted, voicemail greetings are not extinct, but more often then not I receive the default "You have reached 555..." rather than any personal greeting.  Calling it an afterthought nowadays is too nice; I have no idea what my current greeting says, and probably can't even figure out how to change it.  However, answering machine instructions were drilled into my head as a small child, and I'll never forget them.  I even remember answering machine "safety tips", such as using a man's voice and mentioning multiple names (but not your last name).  These tips were allegedly to detour burglars or stalkers, but looking back, it seems insanely paranoid.  But, my mom still shreds her bank statements into fine confetti to prevent her identity from being stolen by "dumpster divers", so perhaps these "tips" were just unique to my family.

But, back in the day, conversations about your answering machine were just as frequent as conversations about your Facebook profile.  Nearly every sitcom had an answering machine moment in their show, most notably Seinfeld, which had an entire episode based on switching the tape on an answering machine and had a classic gag involving George's answering machine.  With answering machines in our collective conscious, it stands to reason that our beloved entertainer would make a contribution to the answering machine world.  And that he did.  The results will amaze you:



Before sharing my thoughts, I'd just like to reprint the lyrics for those who may have not caught them all:

Hey there ain't nobody home
Hey there ain't nobody home
Hey there ain't nobody home
To come to the telephone

I don't know when I'm coming back
I don't know when I'm coming back
I don't know when I'm coming back
If you got something to say 
You better spit it out, Jack

Now, objectively, this is hilarious.  There's the element of the goofiness and awkwardness already associated with 90s Bruce.  Here is a campy, lighter side of this rocker who made his mark singing about the souls of the departed, preserved forever in Internet history.  But for me, the funniest part of this is not in the message itself, but in imagining the process that led to Bruce recording this message.  I imagine him slaving away at his desk, trying to come up with the right melody and lyrics, tossing paper after paper into a nearby wastebasket, trimming down the song from eight minutes to 30 seconds, arguing with Patti that this will be a fantastic way to greet his callers (while she reasonably suggests a more formal message), etc.  It is a wonderful clip that provides laughs, groans, and a rare "behind the curtain" look at our favorite entertainer.  And, for me, it is the perfect summation of the answering machine era: it was an amusing part of our lives that, while we may feel nostalgic for, nobody wants to go back to using.

(On a side note, it is good to hear Clarence's voice in the clip, if it was only so brief.  However, I'm always thrown off by the sound of his voice - I always expect it to be deeper, such as in "Kid you better get the picture" or "You better be good for goodness sake".  Is it just me?)

Springsteen Video of the Week: Bruce Being Funny

When I stumbled upon the above video on YouTube, I assumed that it would be either a parody or a mockery of Bruce Springsteen. For as strong as the bond is between Bruce and his fans, there's still a tendency to playfully make fun of him even as you idolize him. Ben Stiller has proclaimed his adoration for Bruce Springsteen but he still slyly mocks his persona in the Legends of Springsteen segments on The Ben Stiller Show. As such, I was pleasantly surprised to see that the above video was in sincere praise of Bruce's sense of humor and his ability to make us laugh.