Authority Always Wins Wednesday, May 04, 2005

Trawling the comments...I can appreciate BeK's bemusement over the Bruce/Billy thing. I still "throw up in my mouth a little" when I remember how a co-worker compared Steely Dan to 10cc. And I don't dislike Springsteen; the fault, if anything, is mine as a listener for not penetrating the fog of expectations around his music. (He could help dispel the haze, though, by losing the soul patch and the Nicolas Cage faux-hillbilly accent.)

Happy to see Aaron is a fan as well. I didn't know if Billy resonated west of the Hudson (the "River of Dreams"?); after all, parochialism is part of his appeal. I fell in love with him, I think, when I saw a concert of his on HBO way back when--live from Nassau Colisseum. He closed the show with, "Goodnight, Lawng Island. Don't take no shit from nobody!" On TV! Yikes! It was more electric than the Who's farewell show...

OK, let's move onto the next Bruce comparison, a special treat for all you Red Staters in the audience: this teasingly virile man-god:

@ 7:15:00 AM,

4 Comments:

At 9:05 AM, Blogger BeK said...

Re: Billy, Part Deux--I know his work, enjoy it, and have seen him in concert. But I stand by my comment.

Re: The accent--I'm sorry to have to reveal this, but having read "Glory Days," I can inform you that Bruce's southern lilt derives from living in a portion of NJ that, at the time, was rife with southeners.

 
At 9:07 AM, Blogger BeK said...

Re: JCM--Having found success after the rise of Springsteen, and modelled his career path after it in a fashion, I don't think there's much basis for comparison.

That said, his 'Lonesome Jubilee' is a great album. I'd take it over 'Storm Front' any day.

BTW, you two have helped me determine what my next 'blog entry should be.

 
At 4:52 PM, Blogger Aaron said...

Billy Joel absolutely resonated in the Midwest. Glass Houses was the first album I ever owned. It's "macho tough guy with a heart" thing was so exciting to a nerdy kid like me. I think the Boss translated less in the Midwest. His songs were too much about mill towns and the misery of the East Coast. Surrounded by soybeans, a song about Atlantic City didn't really click (neither did Joel's Alantown at the time).

 
At 8:53 PM, Blogger Rob L. said...

We didn't need Springsteen in the Heartland. We had your thumbnail pal there, Johnny Cougar. Pink Houses is as good as Born to Run and Jack & Diane could kick Brender & Eddie's ass.

As I grow older, I have also grown to appreciate Bruce. I have also grown to hate Billy Joel. If I never hear another one of his songs as long as I live, it's okay with me. He rot in the hell he shares with Bob Segar.

 

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