Last week my man Thijs told me a cool fact: Apparently, Robert De Niro’s often-imitated-never-duplicated “You talkin da me?” monologue from Taxi Driver was inspired by Bruce Springsteen. De Niro went to see him perform and I guess the audience was shouting for him or calling him Boss or Bruuuuuuce or whatever and Springsteen said, “You talking to me?” and the next thing you know….

Anyway, on the strength of that fact* I decided it was time to make a tribute to one of my favorite artists of all time - Bruce Springsteen AKA The Boss.

Now I know that The Boss is not to everyone’s taste. I actually remember him being heavily ridiculed in my elementary school for his over-earnest, testosterone-drenched performance in the “We are the world” video. But still, I’ve always loved and will always love him if for no other reason than he was my mother’s favorite singer all through the ’80s and so I’ve got a lot of warm memories of dinners and parties and car rides set to Born to Run, Born in the USA, etc.

But usually when I feel the need to try to convince a non-believer of the power of Bruce Springsteen, I lean on the advocacy of other, more articulate people. I don’t want to weigh this post down with a lot of text, but if you’re on the fence I recommend reading this article by Greg Tate, which describes how he came to be a fan after seeing Springsteen play a show in his native New Jersey. Here’s a taste:

To see Springsteen in a Jersey arena is to see Springsteen under a revival tent. It’s in fact where his blue-collar creed connects up with his all-American Confidence Man Carny Barker Televangelist shtick. So that you get band introductions being delivered as prophecy (”And the gypsy woman said you need looooove in your life! Introducing Patty Scialfa, ladies and gentlemen! And she said you need rhythm! Max Weinberg!”) and the man’s patented grandstanding on top of Roy Bittan’s grand piano being made into a forum for crowd-incitement that would give Robert Duvall’s Apostle a run for his money, or maybe even the Muhammad Ali of What’s-My-Name fame. Springsteen’s rapport with his folks staggers not only for the degree of adulation present, but for his ability to move them from vulgarity to deep thought in a heartbeat.

So I think then it only makes sense to get into some performance clips, of which Youtube offers many.

First, here’s short feature on Bruce from the local NY news in 1978. Even though this predates his most successful stuff, I think a lot of what makes him special as an artist comes through here, particularly in Joel Siegel’s keen observation that “Bruce Springsteen is to Rock & Roll what fireworks are to the 4th of July!”

Next, here’s a clip from the mid ’80s glory days. I think the combination of working class modesty and over-the-top, hammy exhibitionism that Greg Tate talks about is pretty clear here. Also this song is awesome.

I’m on Fire (Live)

Finally here’s a much more recent clip. I also think it’s important to make clear that The Boss isn’t just about goose stepping, jumping on top of pianos, and inciting Mexican waves. The man simply loves music and loves performing and he’ll do it anywhere, for instance on a street corner in Copenhagen, surrounded by curious, semi-believing onlookers and one of the happiest amateur folk singers in the history of the world.

The River (Live)

OK, so I suppose I should make it rain MP3-wise at this point.

There’s really too much to choose from, so I’ll keep this selection kind of random. First though I want to intro with this clip of Springsteen on The Daily Show where Jon Stewart (another son of Jersey) barely holds it together while he interviews his hero. At the end, JS basically lays out why he loves Springsteen so much and actually credits him personally for giving him the confidence to escape the doldrums of Joizee and seek out something better.

I can say … I do what I do because of Bruce Springsteen, and I can tell you why. You introduced me to the concept of the other side… that you go through the tunnel, and you take a chance, and …you can make something better of yourself, but there’s no guarantee. You … may get gunned down in the street. But you know what? The joy of it is chasing that dream, and that was my inspiration for leaving New Jersey and going to New York and … I just wanted to thank you … for giving me something to put into the dashboard as I drove a U-Haul van through the Holland Tunnel.

Say word. So, first off I think this song sort of typifies “the other side” JS is talking about. From the Nebraska album:

Bruce Springsteen - Atlantic City

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An outtake from the same album, and one of my favorite folk songs of all time:

Racing in the streets

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Here’s one more from the dark side of E Street, recorded at a show in Philadelphia in 1975 (I think) when the band was a little bit funkier

New York City Serenade (Live)

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Another live recording - this one representing the Jersey shore party band vibe that Bruce & Co. also mastered and dignified…

Rosalita (live)

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Last, here’s a performance from a few years ago. It’s a song that (far as I know) was never recorded in the studio. It’s about Bruce’s hometown of Freehold, NJ and in a way it’s a microcosm of what makes his music so great. Simultaeously serious and funny, sad and happy, vulnerable and macho, cool and dorky, loving and forgiving.

Freehold

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*I don’t have any evidence to prove this story, but I did find this, a clip of the Boss performing in Paris in 85 where he utters the immortal question…

Seems plausible enough. Bruce!

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