is it just me, or are you also listening to bruce again?
It seems that every day some musician dies. In fact, my old pal Vince has a web site devoted to daily postings of the newly departed, and he posts today’s fresh deaths along with those who also died in years past on this date. Along with another friend named Phil who posts on Facebook a daily birthday note and video for every musician who was born on this or that particular date, I’m pretty much covered on the comings and goings. Sometimes it’s news, other days it just serves as a reminder. Usually it requires that I do nothing. Every now and then I take a little longer, check the library and perhaps upload or download as the case may be.
I don’t have to tell you that Clarence Clemons has passed, because it would be hard to miss it. Not only did it make the nightly and cable news talking heads, but so many folks Tweeted, posted and spoke about it that you’d imagine it was something very, very important. Something very meaningful. Not that any death is un-meaningful, but this sax player’s death has seemed to take a life of it’s own. Pardon that; I don’t mean disrespect.
This isn’t going to be an essay on Clarence’s life and contributions. Nor is it going to last much longer than a few more sentences. Take it as a drive-by observation…because what I notice is that all of a sudden many, many people are listening to Bruce Springsteen again. I mean, there are legions who have never stopped I would suppose and there are some who used to listen but don’t anymore. And probably some who never gave a damn about him and might not now either.
But to the ones who used to listen to Bruce and the band, the people who grew up with his music either in the forefront or background, it seems rather urgent to give it another listen immediately. If I was a shrink I’d wonder if it’s the mortality thing, and with Clarence gone, preceded by Danny last year, are we counting the time we have left through them? Or is it something else? Could it simply be the songs are just that powerful and we’re recalling it again due to some inner need for a primal-like scream? I don’t pretend to know, but I thought I should mention it.
I’m going to tears these days when I listen to “Jungleland”. What the hell is up with that?
And this video…which I got with love from Eliza Gilykson…I’m done.