Movie Review - Western Star

Bruce

Bruce Springsteen's concert/cinematic musings Western Stars brings an added dimension to the thirteen songs on his new album. At 90 minutes, we see the Boss perform his new songs in his own rustic barn - complete with a symphony orchestra - in front of select friends.

Our boy from Asbury Park NJ is now an elder music statesman on a ranch in CA still singing about the common man and issues - love, loss, loneliness, family, and the passage of time. He's a troubadour for troubled souls and he's still looking in the mirror trying to fix himself too.

The film has scenes of nature,  horses, Bruce looking reflective, sunsets, sunrises, and stark  desert lands. I enjoyed the film and the insights into the songs. Some were catchy, some got a bit morose. But Bruce Springsteen is a music poet and he's captured a lot of America through the years. And by his side, wife - Patti Scialfa plays her guitar and leans in for some harmony. Old clips show them cavorting as kids and with their kids - quite a life - lean times and golden.

Movie Review Madness - Blinded by the Light

Blinded by the Light is lightly based on a true story, and is a glorious little film with a great soundtrack. 

1987 England. Times are tough and especially for immigrant citizens. Javed (Viveik Kalra) is sixteen, Pakistani born, and chafing at the bit. Any money he earns must be turned over to his father. Any decisions are made by his father (Kulvinder Ghir). Javed is talented at writing and wants to go to university for writing. Let's see - that's a big NO.

Basically he wants to change "his clothes, his hair, his face". The lyrics of Bruce Springsteen strike at his very soul. He's given a Born to Run tape by a friend and Javed's life changes. He becomes rebellious. A teacher, Ms.Clay (Hayley Atwell),  encourages his poetry and writing. Javed likes Eliza, a white English girl, and he does sneak around to see her. He's Down by the River, Dancing in the Dark, Born to Run, etc.

Meanwhile, friendships change, but Matt's still a backbone from when they were young lads. The film shows the hardships of the times and the immigrant experience. It also shows a timeless theme - a young man yearning to break free and find himself.

Blinded by the Light was a really good small film. I loved the kid playing Javed - his soulful eyes, so innocent and smart. I was quite pleased with his journey and the outcome of the flick. And I loved the Bruce Springsteen tunes - American and yet connecting across the pond.  Go ahead - turn it up. Baby, you were born to run!

Book Review - Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen

Cover blurb – Writing about yourself is a funny business…But in a project like this, the writer has made one promise, to show the reader his mind. In these pages, I’ve tried to do this.  Bruce Springsteen.

Bruce Springsteen was Born to Run – in music, in his life, sometimes from himself.  Just as he gives his all on stage, in the studio, and on his recordings, he gives his all in this book. He discusses his demons, his depression, his restlessness, and his need to write and perform music. His words pour out on the page – well crafted, poetic at times, and rough and raw on other pages. I enjoyed this book a lot and I hauled out some old albums for backdrop music.

He grew up Catholic and poor in Freehold, New Jersey. Poetry, danger, and darkness fueled his imagination.  He played the bars of Asbury Park, and became beloved at the Jersey Shore. With the E Street Band, they toured, wrote, toured more, and struggled often.

p.15 I am alienating, alienated, and socially homeless…I am seven years old

p.237 There was no master plan guiding band selection beyond instinct, geography, and the power of the music once we began to play.

p. 243 describing the late Clarence Clemons-genius sax player:  He had the face of an exotic emperor, an island king, a heavyweight boxer, a shaman, a chain-gang convict, a fifties bluesman, and a deep soul survivor. It held one million secrets and none at all.   (any mention of Clemons is a joy in this book. The brotherly bond and love of music shines through. And Springsteen loved and counted on Clarence Clemons as a backbone to his life)

p. 369 on Patti Scialfa –his wife and bandmate – I was more than a song, a story, a night, an idea, a pose, a truth, a shadow, a lie, a moment, a question, an answer, a restless figment of my own and others’ imagination…Work is work..but life…is life…and life trumps art…always

If you love music, read this book. If you enjoy good writing and a glimpse into a musical poet’s soul, read this book. Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen is genuine to the core.

Intellect vs. Instinct

I wish I could say I hung out in Asbury Park, NJ, and saw Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band jam in clubs. Alas, my family went to Ocean City, NJ (no clubs) and I was underage at that time anyway.

However, I watched a nifty documentary - The Promise: Making of the Darkness at the Edge of Town, and gained insight into Springsteen's (and the band's) work ethic, creativity, and energy. There's a lot of footage of Bruce pouring over his notebooks filled with songs and iterations of songs. The band all hung out and played riffs over and over and over again. They truly sought perfection.

Interviews with Jon Landau and Jimmy Iovine showed these young gun music producers/directors and the vested interest they had in raw talent. Hot off Born to Run, Springsteen didn't want to capitalize and go for easy. Instead, he was looking deeper into life themes such as questioning "What makes a man?" He wrote for the common American, the factory worker, and the blue collar life. Ultimately the songs for Darkness at the Edge of Town were only the beginning of Springsteen's continuous connection with his roots.

The documentary includes interviews with Bruce now, reflecting on those times and what he wanted to achieve. The man discusses his artistic instinct from that time versus artistic intelligence which comes from experience. He trusted his instinct to reject so many great songs and create a brilliant cohesive whole.

Worth pondering. I recommend the documentary, just to watch an artist at work, uncompromising and true.