Movie Review - Blinded by the Light

What an odd world it is has been for Springsteen fans the last 12 months.  After Springsteen wrapped up a critically acclaimed run on Broadway, he released a Western-themed solo album with no accompanying tour.  Meanwhile, fans will have not one, but two opportunities to go to the cinema to view Springsteen-related movies.  While Western Stars comes out next month, we are currently in the throws of Blinded by the Light mania.

Well, maybe not quite mania.  Despite rave reviews, this little film has struggled to make any money, with around $15M as I write this (and I'm sure $14M of that came from New Jersey - more on that later).  I can't say I'm too shocked - this sort of came out of nowhere.  I guess you could loosely connect it to the recent rock biopics of other 70s icons like Queen and Elton John, but this takes a completely different course.

Here, we get the tale of Javid Khan, a Pakistani immigrant in the outskirts of London, struggling with the racism and politics prevalent in the 1980s (and unfortunately relevant today).  He finds salvation through a hip-friend, who blows his mind with a couple of Springsteen cassettes.  Through the power of Springsteen's music, he gains the confidence needed to pursue his true passions, both creatively and romantically.  It is the story of the fan - one that is very rarely presented on the big screen.

The story is told in the style of a fairy tale.  From the opening title of Blinded by the Light being presented in glittery font, the movie plays fast and loose with its own reality.  Springsteen music blasts into the movie on a dark and stormy night, people spontenously sing and dance in the street, and plot points rely on random contests where the grand prize is a trip to New Jersey.

The most brilliant decision by writer/director Gurinder Chadha is to have Springsteen simultaneously everywhere in this movie, and yet nowhere at all.  The theater's speakers absolutely drown you in Springsteen's music, while the lyrics are boldly displayed all over the screen (in case you can't understand what he says - and I'll admit, I did learn some parts of "The Promised Land" I had been singing wrong for years).  However, you only see glimpses of the man - aside from a couple of TV screens, he remains tantalizingly out of reach.  This truly encapsulates the fan experience - while a few of us have been lucky to meet the man, most of us can only interact with the art.

The movie has strong performances from Aaron Phagura (playing the militant Springsteen fan who started Javid's journey), David Hayman (as a craggly-faced neighbor, who could've been a British Springsteen himself), and Rob Brydon (of The Trip film series fame).  However, I can't say I was a big fan of the lead (Viveik Kalra), who was basically either moping or smiling ear-to-ear every scene.  Also, as storytelling goes, I wish new wave wasn't presented as "the enemy" (there's a throw-away line that tries to appease this criticism, but the sentiment gets cut-off quickly).

However, this is a hard movie to get mad at.  It is so giddy and charming in its presentation, and it is telling such a small tale - nobody is trying to sell you action figures or build an entire Springsteen Cinematic Universe.  Although, I MUST point out that Javid listens to two tapes (Born In The USA and Darkness on the Edge of Town), then goes to school the next day and says "Is a dream a lie if it don't come true, or is it something worse?", which is from The River!  I almost stormed out right then and there!  I hope someone got fired for that blunder!

As mentioned before, it may not be making much money globally, but I saw it on Labor Day weekend in New Jersey, and it was sold out.  When Monmouth College was mentioned, the crowd erupted in applause.  This movie may have a long shelf-life in the Garden State.

But, in the end, I must agree with fellow LOS writer Steve Snart - it is amazing that this movie exists at all.  In a world where movies are getting bigger and louder, here is a story about someone who doesn't save the world or rise to fame.  It's a movie of the every man, struggling with himself, his career, his family, and his dreams.  It's exactly the type of movie Springsteen would love.

Review - Springsteen on Broadway

Well, I did it.  I was one of the lucky few selected in the lottery to attend Springsteen On Broadway, one of the hottest tickets in town.  Honestly, I didn't tell many of my friends I was going in the weeks leading up to it, for fear of jinxing it.  It was also the first time in my fandom that I felt nervous about seeing Springsteen, due to the exorbitant price of the tickets (I can only imagine how those who resorted to StubHub must have felt dropping well over $2,000) as well as seeing Springsteen in a completely new environment.  Up until this point, the smallest venue I've seen Springsteen at is the PNC Arts Center, which has a capacity of 17,500.  At the Walter Kerr Theater, Springsteen would be playing to a crowd roughly 1/20th the size of that.

I purposely avoided any articles about the show.  I wanted to go in cold.  So, if you feel the same way, I won't be offended if you turn away now.  I don't plan on going into "spoilers", but I respect you all enough to give you fair warning.  My major questions were:

• What would Springsteen do?  It is Broadway, after all.  Would it be a solo acoustic set?  Would he treat it like a concert?  Would there be huge dance numbers with a full ensemble?
• How would the audience react?  Would they be shouting "BRUUUUUUCEEE"?  Would little girls climb up on stage to sing "Waitin' On A Sunny Day"?  Or, would I be surrounded by Rich Uncle Pennybags types - classy theater folk who are just there to be seen?

Arriving about an hour early, I settled into the "cheap" seats and admired the view.  Any concerns I had about the seating in the theater instantly vanished.  As I could hear the conversations of people in the front row, it dawned on me that this would be the closest I've ever watched Bruce live (save for a brief moment where he popped up on a platform near me at Giants Stadium).  And yes, this photo was technically "illegal", as the security guards asked everyone not to take photography in the theater.  However, this rule was about as enforced as the jaywalking laws are in the nearby Times Square.

Before the show started, I made sure to thoroughly empty my bladder, as I did not expect there to be an "Outlaw Pete" pee-break.  During this time, I scoped out the merchandise.  They had standard Springsteen event goods - t-shirts, hoodies, and posters all in the $40 range.  I opted for the Springsteen tumbler you see above, which came when you ordered a beer/wine/cocktail.  For $15, I justified it as $10 for the cup and $5 for the beer.  But, after you spend as much as a flight to Los Angeles on a Broadway ticket, it basically seemed free.

Anyway, onto a formal review of the show:

To answer the first question - what would Springsteen do?  Well, Springsteen delivered a two-hour, 15-song acoustic set that was ostensibly his autobiography adapted for the stage.   As in his four-hour concerts, Springsteen covered a wide array of topics - from family, to love, to politics, to the meaning of life, all underscored by the one unifying force that had brought this all to him: his music.  For those who love Springsteen's speeches during his concerts, this is the show for you.  You'll hear stories that'll make you laugh, that'll depress you (wryly acknowledged by Springsteen), and that'll inspire you.  While I won't go into the specifics of the setlist (I'm sure it is online by now), there is not a clunker in the bunch.  The setlist has been excellently curated, perhaps the best sequential ordering I've seen at any Springsteen event.  The songs compliment the stories, and bridge the gap from one subject to the next.  You know certain hits will be played no matter where Springsteen shows up, but there were a couple of newer songs that were appreciated by this young(-ish) fan.

To answer the second question - how would the audience react?  While there was a couple of hobnobbers there, I'd say the fan lottery worked, as the place was filled with Bruce die-hards.  I had to go by myself (I couldn't get two tickets to the same show), but I was surrounded by other single-concert goers, as well as friendly, excited fans that were just as curious as I was about what was going to transpire.  The newness of the experience could be felt by all - it was Bruce's second night after all.  The audience wasn't sure when to laugh, or sing-along, or dance in the aisles (I'm not sure if Bruce knew these answers either).  But, overall, it was a fantastic energy and a fantastic crowd.

I've seen it said that this is not a concert - it's a show, and I absolutely agree.  While it is only about half the length of a normal Springsteen concert, it does not feel short.  You may not be physically drained from standing and dancing, but it plays with your heart all night.  I really don't need to tell you that you got to see this show - it feels like rubbing it in at this point.  But, I will do my best below to help you feel the experience.  The following photos are: the stage post concert, Springsteen and Patti leaving the theater, and the Playbill (you can click them all to embiggen).  Thanks for reading!

Review - HBO's "The Ties That Bind" Documentary

When they announced The River box set six weeks ago, I thought it was an odd choice.  It has an odd place in Springsteen's discography: of course, it is a classic, but it is arguably the least classic of Springsteen's classics.  It doesn't have the rawness of his first two records, the birth of stardom that surrounded Born To Run, the drama and meloncholy behind the production of Darkness, the experimentation of Nebraska, nor the unprecedented hit-making with Born In The USA.  It came at a point where Springsteen was, more or less, very comfortable with his music career.  Also, it is the 35th year anniversary - while it may be an anniversary worth a quick blog post, it isn't not quite a nice round number for a celebration.  So, I found myself asking, what is the point of all of this?

Well, to help answer that question, along came the HBO documentary The Ties That Bind.  In what is basically a 60-minute infomercial for the aforementioned box set, we sit down with Bruce as he discusses the making of The River.  And, let me be clear, we are only talking to Bruce.  There are no other interviewees - and any other voices heard in the documentary are quick or off-camera (like a bizarro-Springsteen & I).  While this may sound like Bruce-overkill, it is fortunately padded with live performances to break up the interview sections (Bruce plays "Two Hearts", "The River", and "Independence Day", among others).  It is also interesting to note that, at times, they subtitled Bruce while he was singing, which should elicit a chuckle from Bruce-diehards but was probably necessary to help the casual fan follow along.

However, despite my snark present in the last paragraph, the documentary did provide some fascinating insights into this period of Springsteen's life and career.  Without giving away too much, the documentary explores the decision to make The River a double-album, the often clashing dynamic between Jon Landau and Steven Van Zandt, and the issue of Springsteen's live shows being a better experience than his record (a problem some critics may say he never solved).  The most relatable part, to me, was Springsteen talking about entering his thirties, and trying to move from an observer in life into being a participant.  While Darkness came from a period of isolation, he wanted The River to be a movement towards the mainstream.  As a 31-year-old New Jersey boy myself, I can't help but vicariously project myself into Bruce's shoes in the recording studio.

Ultimately, the documentary helped show The River in a slightly new light.  Many people may criticize it for being entirely about cars and girls, it shows Springsteen's maturity as an artist - he had the confidence needed to put out an extra-long album with a variety of genres on it. While the documentary may be hampered with a bit of padding and a lack of voices, I would recommend it to any fan just as confused as I was about this recent celebration of The River.  I can't say that I still don't find the whole thing to be coming out of the blue, but I am enjoying the ride.

You can watch the documentary on HBOGO, or try this link while it lasts.

Counting On A Package Deal, Part 5 - The River

Today, on 5/5, we'll be examining Springsteen's fifth album, The River.  This package is full of tons of goodies, so sit back and enjoy a nice, lengthy article.  And, by that, I mean a ton of photos, because that's what you are really here for, right?  The cover is the simplest to date: Springsteenface.  Nothing to see here.  But the back?  Good lord.

This might be the first time I've seen the back of The River album, and goodness, what on Earth is going on?  There's creepy wedding decorations, and American flag with its own bald eagle, and various other party decorations like glitter, glue sticks, and cups.  I can see why the back of The River has never reached the notoriety of other Springsteen black-and-white photos, such as Nebraska.  This is downright scary and confusing.  I assume it has something to do with all the weddings discussed in songs such as "The River" and "I Wanna Marry You", but the overall effect is horrifying.  It's one of those images that, if you encountered at a very young age, would be forever burned into your sub-conscience.  To pacify myself, I'll say that, seeing the name "Charlie" in the background and the American flag/eagle combination, this photo served as inspiration for Charlie Kelly's "Rock Flag & Eagle" song.

The album doesn't unfold ala Born To Run, but each album comes in its own sleeve.  These sleeves are amazing.  Presented, in order, are album one's sleeve and album two's sleeve (both sides of each).  Please, take your time to absorb these all, I'll still be here when you are done:

 

Go back and look one more time.  Tons of classic, old-school photos of the Boss and crew in their primes.  The E Street Band had been missing from Bruce's album packaging since The Wild, but they make up for lost time here.  And, guess what?  There's more!

Like Darkness, The River has a separate sheet for Springsteen's lyrics.  Unlike Darkness, we get more photos of the band (plus some funky used car art).  

Overall, I absolutely love the packaging for The River.  This is exactly what I want to compliment the music I'm listening to: pictures of the band that performed it!  The only thing that can make this better is if they varied the record label, right?  I mean, it's been four records in a row of the same red circle?  Surely, with two records, they will HAVE to change it!  I can't wait to see what they went with!

...I brought this upon myself.

Want to start your own record collection?  Buy it on Amazon!

Past installments: 
Greetings from Asbury Park
The Wild The Innocent & The E Street Shuffle
Born To Run
Darkness on the Edge of Town

Counting On A Package Deal, Part 4 - Darkness On The Edge Of Town

In the last installment of Counting, we saw Bruce turn into a superstar with Born To Run.  The years following Born To Run were a bit tumultuous for Springsteen, as he split from his manager Mike Appel, leading to his most somber album to date, the appropriately titled Darkness On The Edge Of Town.

Not only are the songs dark, but the album packaging is Bruce's most brooding to date.  Gone is the smiling man on a stamp from Greetings, the shirtless goofballs from Wild, or the slyly-grinning shaggy-bearded scamp from Born To Run.  Darkness only gives us three photos of Bruce, and none of the E Street band members.  First, the cover: Bruce staring dead-eyed forward, with a jacket.

Next, the back cover: Bruce staring dead-eyed forward, without a jacket (and with remarkably hairy arms).

Finally, the inside sleeve: Bruce, staring dead-eyed forward, with the jacket back on.  It's worth noting that this is the first album with a unique inside sleeve since Greetings.

In a first for Springsteen albums, there is an insert inside the record: a sheet of paper with all the lyrics.  Personally, I prefer seeing the lyrics printed on the record package itself - the sheet of paper seems like an afterthought and could easily get lost.

So, overall, this package is like the music itself: simple, dark, and a departure from Springsteen's previous works.  It's probably the least exciting packaging I've reviewed so far, but in a way, it totally fits.

And yes, the record still looks the same as the rest.  God bless you, red Columbia circle.

Want a copy to call your own?  Purchase it here!

Further reading: Greetings from Asbury Park; The Wild, the Innocent, and the E Street Shuffle; Born to Run

Counting On A Package Deal, Part 3 - Born To Run

This album needs no introduction:

Simple.  Clean.  Iconic.  Timeless.  Rock & Roll.  An album cover hasn't matched its content quite like that of Born To Run.  While this is just the albums front, as every true fan knows, it is best viewed unfolded:

Yes, we get the Big Man, with his shirt significantly more buttoned-up than on Wild (his hat grew in size and style, too).  I do enjoy when an album package has a "gimmick", like the postcard on Greetings, and here we get the front-and-back spread.  This is the only Springsteen album where the front bleeds into the back - in fact, I'm having difficulty thinking of other albums that employ this technique (the only one that comes to mind is LCD Soundsystem's This Is Happening).  To the left of Clarence, we get the track listing, as well as full credits for every performer.  The interior of the package is excellently done, too:

A shot of our star, and every lyric from "The screen door slams" to "Tonight in Jungleland", nicely spaced out and not hard to read.  Honestly, just on packaging alone, music fans in the 70s must have known they were in for something special.  I cannot heap enough accolades on this album design.  It is perfect in nearly every way (my only minor quibble is that I'd like to see more of the E Street Band than Clarence).  Greetings introduced you to Bruce, focusing on his roots and his lyrics.  Wild ditched the lyrics and focused on building the E Street legend.  But, here, on Born To Run, the world was introduced to Bruce Springsteen: Rock Star.

For completeness sake, here's the record.  Yes, another red circle in a larger black circle.  One day we may see another color.  One day...

Want a copy to call your own?  Purchase it here!

For more reviews of old records, check out part one and part two!

Counting On A Package Deal, Part 2 - The Wild, The Innocent, & the E Street Shuffle

Welcome to the second installment of Counting On A Package Deal.  If you missed part one, never fear - somehow, it is still online!  Here, we tackle Bruce's second album, The Wild, the Innocent, & the E Street Shuffle.

Released just eight months after Greetings, the packaging here differs quite starkly when compared to its predecessor.  In fact, stark is almost all you need to say about The Wild's  packaging.  The cover is straight to the point: HERE'S BRUCE.  There's no fold out gimmicks, just total Bruce Springsteen.  The back cover is just as simple:

While Greetings was jammed full of lyrics on the back cover, this just simply shows the long hair and bare chests of the E Street Band.  Vini "Mad Dog" Lopez is the star of this photo, and people new to the E Street Band would assume he was Bruce Springsteen due to his prominent placement here.

Continuing in the simplicity, I cannot find any sleeve associated with this album, so I'm assuming it came in plain, white paper (please correct me if I'm wrong - I'm a horrible researcher).  There are no lyrics printed anywhere here, sentencing fans to have to listen to "Rosalita" over and over again to get the words right (well, there are worse ways to spend one's time).

So there you have it - from a fold out cover and tons of lyrics to Big Faced Bruce and the Chesty E Street Band.  Oh, and remember how I said all the records look the same?  Well, I wasn't lying:

That's Greetings on the left and Wild on the right.  Or maybe it's Wild on the left and Greetings on the right?  I'm starting to see why we left these frustrating old things in the dust 30 years ago.

Want a copy to call your own?  Purchase it here!

Click here for part one of Counting On A Package Deal: Greetings From Asbury Park.

Counting On A Package Deal, Part 1 - Greetings From Asbury Park

Being the mini-hipster that I am, I have found my apartment infested with a vinyl record collection.  I don't know how or when this happened - I just moved to Brooklyn about two years ago, and within weeks, there they were.  While I'm not as much of an audiophile to claim that I can hear a huge difference in sound quality, I do enjoy owning stuff.  And, what better stuff to own than trendy, hopelessly outdated, will-be-annoying-to-move-when-I-switch-apartments pieces of Springsteen memorabilia?

So, in this new series Counting On A Package Deal, I will be reviewing the packaging of these Springsteen records.  No, I won't be discussing any of the songs.  No, I will not be dissected the cover art.  Just, you know, the box it came in.  Still with  me?  Yes?  God bless you.

So, first up, we've got Greetings From Asbury Park, Springsteen's debut album.  Here, we've got a standard looking record.  While the front features very little to identify this as anything other than "Jersey music", the back tells another story:

Flip the record over, The back is crammed with Springsteen's crazy lyrics and a small picture of the young rascal.  It really shows off Springsteen's early, more verbose songs, as they can barely fit 5 songs on the back (although there is a tremendous excess of empty space at the bottom.  So far, it's a pretty by-the-book album package, but what's this?

The post-card is die-cut, revealing more lyrics!  It's extremely simple, but I must say, I do not own any other albums that make use of such a gimmick.  Plus, take a closer look at the back of the fake postcard - you even get to see little Bruce's face on a fake stamp (sadly, an honor we couldn't get Clarence Clemons). 

The album is nothing special, as we get the red Columbia records label.  That's something I have to give credit to CDs for - in their later years, they would make the discs stand-out more.  A spoiler alert for future Package Deal posts: you will be hard-pressed to tell the difference between Springsteen records, and probably assume I'm just re-using the same photo.

Sadly, the original record sleeve seems to have been lost to the ages, so I'll have to make due with the tiny pictures and microscopic notes that accompany the re-released CD.  I'm sure there's some fun Bruce stuff I could make snarky jokes about in here, but I'm not going to strain my eyes reading 2 point font.

So, there you have it: the first (and hopefully not last) installment of Counting On A Package Deal.  I hope you had fun reading it, or, failing that, I hope you enjoyed scrolling through the pictures.

Want a copy to call your own?  Purchase it here!

From Asbury Park to the Promised Land: The Life and Music of Bruce Springsteen - National Constitution Center Exhibition

Currently on display at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia is From Asbury Park to the Promised Land: The Life and Music of Bruce Springsteen, a transport of the celebrated collection from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum.  The exhibition is running through September 3.  The Legends of Springsteen gang took a road trip out to the city of brotherly love this past weekend and got to experience the magic firsthand.  It was worth every mile we drove.

Chronicling Bruce's rock 'n roll career from his days as a teenager in a garage band through near-present day, the exhibit is a treasure trove of memorabilia for Bruce fanatics.  While it may not offer a wealth of surprises for the most devoted fans, it offers complete and utter immersion in Boss-mania.  The biggest surprises are likely found when you first enter the exhibit and are face with the teenage Springsteen, a floppy-haired Flower Child who played in bands like Dr. Zoom and the Sonic Boom and sported psychedelic attire.  In addition to the photos and promotional posters, a listening station offers never-released tracks from The Castiles, Bruce's high school band.  An original song called "That's What You Get For Loving Me" is a peppy tune with traces of Bob Dylan and The Everly Brothers that is almost worth the price of admission alone.  You can also hear covers of "Purple Haze" and "Eleanor Rigby", but those are better left in your imagination.

In terms of memorabilia, there is a large variety of his outfits with everything from funky '70s garb to the t-shirt, jeans, and cap he wore for his Born in the U.S.A. album cover shoot.  Vehicular enthusiasts will delight in seeing Bruce's 1960 Chevy Corvette that he bought after Born to Run and the Harley-Davidson he rode across the Southwest following the Tunnel of Love tour.  Truthfully, neither of them appealed to me as much as seeing his Oscar for "Streets of Philadelphia".  A few of the quirkier knick-knacks on display include an award from Blistex for the "Boss-est Lips" and an OJ-styled carton of "Bruce Juice" - a promotional item from a radio station.  Both of these pieces illustrate the degree to which Bruce saturated pop culture in the late '80s.

Scattered throughout the exhibit is an overwhelming number of notebook pages containing Bruce's handwritten lyrics.  Along with the chance to inspect his penmanship (which was beautiful in my opinion), you can see his scribbles and cross-outs.  Scouring these pages will reveal a few fun nuggets, like alternate opening lyrics to "For You".  There's also something deeply personal about seeing Bruce's handwriting that makes the lyrics resonate all the more profoundly; reading the lyrics to "Walk Like a Man" almost brought me to tears.  Also on display is the small table at which Bruce wrote the majority of his early songs.  I'd always envisioned Bruce sitting on a rocking chair with his feet propped up on a windowsill doing his writing, but the shabby, circular table is characteristically pedestrian.

For the passing fan, the exhibit offers a number of engaging access points such as video monitors with interviews and performances, blown-up posters showcasing lyrics to his most popular songs, and a PostSecret-esque wall inviting visitors to contribute a post-it with the song that means the most to them.  I left my mark with "Happy".

The exhibition's layout is its only weakness.  After stepping into Bruce's early days, the rest of the exhibit adheres less to chronology and more to thematic groupings of objects, which comes off as a bit scatter-shot.  The gift shop also leaves much to be desired.  All three Legends of Springsteen editors were ready to waste some serious cash but with a limited selection of overpriced coasters and mugs, we had to settle with matching magnets.  But these are both minor quibbles.  We strongly recommend anyone within driving distance of Philadelphia to make a visit to this shrine to Springsteen as soon as possible.