My favorite early-ish Bruce story:

He was playing a big festival (US maybe?) and everybody was hopped up to see him later in the day. Tom Petty plays a set and comes off exasperated by crowd.

Petty: "Man, that crowd is rough."
Jackson Browne: "There're not booing, they're saying "Bruuuuce."
Petty: "What's the difference?"

He speaks from a more personal level...not overtly political. There is a difference. Singing from the perspective of a guy who's depressed he lost his job is powerful on a personal level, but it is not overtly pollitical like say Fucked Up Ronnie, Class War, or many other songs I could list. Not necessarily that one is better than the other, but they are different philosophically.

And, I think the political aspect of punk was germinated in England where it really didn't affect me that way since the politics of England had nothing to really do with me, after they got musical influence from the fairly apolitical early US bands, and was really even more strongly emphasized in the US by bands like Dead Kennedys and many more. If you don't think they are more overtly political than Springsteen, I don't really even know how to respond as any the most surface level listen to their stuff immediately points in that direction. And, they were not alone.

I guess pomposity is hard to scan... yes, my point was to agree with him.

Pistols.... created by a clothes designer.
Dead Kennedys ... politics as aesthetic statement.

"The only real revolution is that of the cell, everything else is a prison revolt." Peter Weiss in Marat-Sade

Dead Kennedys and ohers were influential in getting bands to work outside the existing system, more than just posturing I would say. Their label still puts out things by people like Chomsky, who love or hate him does command some level of respect from people with more than an aesthetic interest in politics and other issues. The guy from the Canadian Subhumans did time for bombing government facilities that had military uses. If you can call people who are willing to be incarserated for over five years for their beliefs political only in aesthetic, you have a very different definition that I have.

And, if you wanna buy that whole crap about Malcom creating everything go ahead...but I ain't buyin. Th Pistols were his meal ticket. By the mid 80s he was a footnote, not exactly the career you would have expected from someone who "created" such a popular movement now is it?

I am not disagreeing at all about the punk connection to politics... including the fascist skinheads. As far as projected histories of "creators" of movements... it's all random chance, no deserved or undeserved destinies.

I pretty much agree with all your observations... just problematizing them for my own amusement.

dunno if they're any good, but there's a list of covers here..

http://www.coversproject.com/artist/bruce%20springsteen

Hey when my mail notice chimed I was like no way- who 's dat? Where've you been? You should have a whole lot of stuff from the boss, rt?

erm, I'd say his shock tactics and sleazy management tools did more for his legacy than the clothes his wife designed.

Raymond Pettibone and Jamie Reid have had more influence than he has anywhere else.

my faux pas then

I'd call his clothes a footnote but that's just me.

considering my love for the man you'd think so, but the only two cds i have any real familiarity with are nebraska and the seeger sessions. ready to move on though, and after reading this thread i've decided to download born to run and give it a try.

want to go bike riding?

Let me just say this. I consider fashion a footnote. No big achievement at all in my opinon regardless of what I'm wearing or what type of clothes I like to wear. That torn t-shirt look and day-glo seems pretty rad. And didn't he just rip off Richard Hell anyway?

But I'm wearing a baby blue Polo with jeans.

Hey guys, why don't we just lynch all those faggy little indie kids who think Nebraska is so great? Unfortunately, I bet none of them would own up to having such an obviously indefensible opinion. Too bad because after the lynching we could have a big old circle jerk while we all sing along to "Thunder Road".

I swear, I'm getting sick of all these fuckers who disagree with the general consensus. I mean, they're all just doing what they're told by some gay website somewhere that tries to be all cool by pretending to like stupid shit that obviously sucks. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go listen to the greatest collection of songs ever known to man, The Eagles Greatest Hits from 1971-75.

I don't pay a whole shitload of attention to it either. That's what I have a fashion major wife for. I tell her when it's time for an oil change, she tries her damnest to keep me from leaving the house looking retarded.

That's like the No Nukes concert or something in Moscow

so how do those safety pins feel?

and yeah, I thought he'd claimed as much as ripping off Richard Hell

1. Nebraska is an American masterpiece, sad and eternal.

2. Tell all those faggy little indie kids to call Uncle Harry.

Jesus, this thread took a turn.

I guess I got bored.

I do like Born to Run, btw. Just not as much as Nebraska. Or Ghost of Tom Joad. Big band Bruce has always been a little hard to take for me.

nebraska sounds more like lots of lo-fi stripped down indie.
what's the big deal if people like it?

and i like all the albums before it more.