Springsteen again proves storytelling genius in memoir
In 1974, Bruce Springsteen had two decently received but poorly selling albums to his credit. His live audiences adored him, critics sang hosannas, but that didn’t translate into the black on the Columbia Records balance sheets. His third release would be a makeor-break effort.
So he sat down on his bed and tried to write a song that summed up everything. About his life, his philosophy, his memories and his music. A mishmash of sounds and themes bringing together Elvis Presley, Duane Eddy, Phil Spector’s “Wall of Sound,” Roy Orbison and Bob Dylan. Six exacting months later, he was finally satisfied with the tune, which he called “Born to Run.” Columbia Records would never have to worry about the weird, skinny New Jersey kid’s balance sheet again.
“Born to Run” is now the title of Springsteen’s autobiography, a 528-page account that covers all of his 67 years. The sizable tome was written entirely by Springsteen, a man who still has so much energy, he gave his longest concert ever — more than four hours — just a few months ago.
Some of the best stuff here centers on Springsteen’s life well before the massive breakthrough success of “Born to Run.” It’s in the chapters about his large Irish/ Italian family, about growing up in working-class New Jersey and playing in scruffy bar bands. How he gradually meets the men who would be his musical gang on E Street one by one, like the gathering of a musical Avengers or Justice League.
Throughout, great tidbits emerge. For instance, the man who wrote so many songs about cars and car culture did not learn to drive himself until early adulthood. Hearing his own music on a car radio for the first time was an incredible thrill. And, at the peak of his worldwide fame with “Born in the U.S.A.,” Springsteen and guitarist Steven Van Zandt were thrown out of Disneyland and refused admittance to Knott’s Berry Farm … for wearing bandanas.
Springsteen himself is now somewhat embarrassed about his trademark ’80s look; now kids come to his front door on Halloween dressed as ’80s-era Springsteen, singing “Born in the U.S.A.” (These candy-crazed urchins join President Ronald Reagan in grossly misinterpreting the song’s lyrics.)
There are two areas where this memoir digs deeper than any biography has, and there have been many. One is Springsteen’s fractured and troubled relationship with his father. Douglas Springsteen was an often bitter, beaten and emotionally distant man who struggled with alcoholism and mental health issues. He has been a looming presence in his son’s songs and onstage monologues. “He loved me, but he couldn’t stand me,” Bruce writes. The pair had an unspoken but understood reconciliation in later years, before Douglas Springsteen died in 1998.
The other area where Springsteen digs deep is in the frank discussion of his decades in therapy and his bouts with depression and anxiety. This from a man who seems to have everything he could possibly hope for in terms of personal and professional success. He describes his easily triggered breakdowns of crying somewhat wryly as “‘Bambi’ tears … ‘Old Yeller’ tears … ‘Fried Green Tomatoes’ tears.”
The book came out Tuesday, and the hardcore Springsteen fans have already bought it. So, is it worth it for the more casual, “Greatest Hits”-owning fan who may have been to just one or two shows?
The answer is yes. And a big part of that is because in his writing, Springsteen has an insight into his life and career and a skill at conveying it that even the best biographer could not have. He writes in such an engaging, conversational, almost theatrical style complete with asides, set descriptions and commas — lots of commas. It’s almost as if he’s telling another wild tale in prose instead of lyrics, and his protagonist just happens to be one with a similar name, who looks just like him. Bob Ruggiero is a Houston-based freelance writer, and his favorite Springsteen album is “Darkness on the Edge of Town.” Visit his website at classicrockbob.com.