tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357001616333664522.post655659479847808239..comments2024-03-29T07:39:20.648-07:00Comments on Burning Wood: Guest Blogger Gene Oberto on "Springsteen & I"Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357001616333664522.post-14725336038186987962013-10-29T18:56:25.506-07:002013-10-29T18:56:25.506-07:00Just watched this ... mixed results. Some of the ...Just watched this ... mixed results. Some of the fan stories are very interesting, while some just seem rote and interchangeable with what you'd find with any rock icon. I particularly like the Elvis imitator, the English factory worker who was bestowed a front row seat at MSG and particularly the truck driving Asian girl.<br /><br />What she said was profound in that she recognized herself in his songs, how she lived, a simple person trying to get by. Anyone who's done factory work or other grunt labor like that and listened to his music has grasped the same thought along the way.<br /><br />But ... she seemed a little befuddled in that she was a young girl, in her early 20s, not so much at loose ends but wondering, is this all there is? It isn't that hard. I can do this ... I'm doing this.<br /><br />That sense of drama his songs impart ... tends not to be part of your life when you're driving a truck, or working in a factory, or what have you. It's not really part of your every-day, working life. She can't seem to verbalize it, but she senses the mythology built around his songs, this image, his aura ... and how little it has to do with her hauling a load from Los Angeles to Dallas on time.<br /><br />That's been the problem I've had with Bruce for a long time, particularly when Born in the USA exploded, the loaded iconography and image-building. Totally unnecessary for a guy who was already established with a sizable fan base. There was just no need to hype him like this.<br /><br />This doc at least tries to place the music in every-day people's lives, which makes much more sense to me than the image mongering and rock-star mythology that has been part of the deal over the course of decades, not just with him, but with any rock star. There just seems to be a real disconnect to me between that level of hype and myth-making and the simple day-to-day act of trying to get by that we all do ... where in my case at least, music plays such an important role.William Repsherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16690181505790748431noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357001616333664522.post-58152615179182037892013-10-29T06:42:01.396-07:002013-10-29T06:42:01.396-07:00I agree. I put this off because it just sounded se...I agree. I put this off because it just sounded self-indulgant. I don't want Bruce to be a saint. I don't go for propaganda. I want him to be a human and an artist.<br /><br />That said, I was incredibly touched when I did see the movie. I was especially touched by the European fans. There are some real human stories being told here. It's very well done. Chris Collinshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13085796025551175453noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357001616333664522.post-63729882359381158092013-10-29T05:50:06.493-07:002013-10-29T05:50:06.493-07:00No offense to believers, but I can't imagine s...No offense to believers, but I can't imagine sitting through this. <br />However, if forced, I'd probably get sucked in.buzzbabyjesushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09375127662096374324noreply@blogger.com