I completely disagree. Not all of his songs go great with demon killing, but after Thunder Road (which is basically warm up for the rest of the concert) all the ones on that particular album do. Saint in the City made me feel especially badass.
EDIT: The more I think about it, your parents being fans basically makes you hate anything, and that's not your fault. It took me years to get past my dads love of Dylan to actually like it myself.
Easy for you to say, my old man loves country music, in all it's wailing, often whiny glory, so that's what I grew up hearing him listen to, despite his suprisingly good record collection full of stuff like Springsteen and the Beatles. The closest I can get to that is country-themed rock.
I got into rock basically by borrowing his old records, and with my brother making mix-tapes.
...this is Bruce we're talking about. He was a Saint in the City, he was Born in the USA to Run, he walked in on a Tenth Avenue Freeze Out, he was Lost in the Flood, he was the future of Rock n Roll and the next Dylan; you can't beat Bruce.
Tom motherfucking Waits.
Look, I enjoy Bruce Springsteen as much as the next red-blooded American man, but you shouldn't idealize dadrock. Springsteen and his contemporaries are just guys playing catchy hooks, singing songs about muscle cars, 'Merica, and Mary Jane Rottencrotch homecoming fuck fantasies. And y'know, that's alright, there's a place for that. I like the sax and the wordplay in Bruce tracks, and the nostalgia he invokes. But Bruce, while a core part of Americana, isn't a paragon of his art form.
You only box yourself in musically with statements like, "You can't beat Bruce."
...this is Bruce we're talking about. He was a Saint in the City, he was Born in the USA to Run, he walked in on a Tenth Avenue Freeze Out, he was Lost in the Flood, he was the future of Rock n Roll and the next Dylan; you can't beat Bruce.
Tom motherfucking Waits.
Look, I enjoy Bruce Springsteen as much as the next red-blooded American man, but you shouldn't idealize dadrock. Springsteen and his contemporaries are just guys playing catchy hooks, singing songs about muscle cars, 'Merica, and Mary Jane Rottencrotch homecoming fuck fantasies. And y'know, that's alright, there's a place for that. I like the sax and the wordplay in Bruce tracks, and the nostalgia he invokes. But Bruce, while a core part of Americana, isn't a paragon of his art form.
You only box yourself in musically with statements like, "You can't beat Bruce."
So, yes, I apologize for saying that you can't beat Bruce. I too can think of some people that can beat Bruce. But, he is not just "playing catchy hooks, singing songs about muscle cars, 'Merica, and Mary Jane Rottencrotch homecoming fuck fantasies."
In the day we sweat out on the streets of runaway American dreams In the night we ride Mansions of glory and suicide machines Sprung from cages on highway nine going wheel fuel injected and stepping out over the line Baby this town rips the bones from your back its a death trap, it's a suicide wrap We've got to get out while we're young
That entire album is about futility. There is only one, maybe two songs on there that are actually happy.
I'm limited in writing ability since I'm on my phone on a train to Edinburgh, but suffice to say that if you think my three descriptors of Springsteen aren't enough to cover the breadth of his songwriting, you should probs watch Full Metal Jacket again.
Shit, the modern history of America Post-Nixon could be summed up as "futility."
Anyway, the fact that Springsteen songs can be distilled to those elements (at least, roughly) doesn't cheapen their cultural significance. It just limits the breadth of musical themes he an E Street really explore. I'd rank Woody Guthrie, Bob Dylan, and Paul Simon miles ahead of Springsteen or Mellencamp in terms of Americana. They're all excellent artists, but the former three do so much more through their music.
Shoot, I want to make a Doom mod where all the monster graphics are replaced with psychological problems. Instead of cyber demons, you have to kill alcoholism.
I've never seen a whole episode of The Bob Newhart Show or Newhart, but the final scene of the Newhart series finale makes me so damn happy. The audiences reaction literally gives me chills.
The other day on facebook I tried the old "omg guys, if you type your password into a comment it shows up as ***'S!" I got two people to fall for it. Kids these days...
When I was a kid growing up in 1970s California, the number we dialed to hear the correct time was POP-CORN.
When we moved to Boston circa 1980, the number you dialed was NER-VOUS. This told me everything I needed to know about my new home. And I'm still amused by it.
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EDIT: The more I think about it, your parents being fans basically makes you hate anything, and that's not your fault. It took me years to get past my dads love of Dylan to actually like it myself.
I got into rock basically by borrowing his old records, and with my brother making mix-tapes.
Look, I enjoy Bruce Springsteen as much as the next red-blooded American man, but you shouldn't idealize dadrock. Springsteen and his contemporaries are just guys playing catchy hooks, singing songs about muscle cars, 'Merica, and Mary Jane Rottencrotch homecoming fuck fantasies. And y'know, that's alright, there's a place for that. I like the sax and the wordplay in Bruce tracks, and the nostalgia he invokes. But Bruce, while a core part of Americana, isn't a paragon of his art form.
You only box yourself in musically with statements like, "You can't beat Bruce."
This is demon killing music:
I have no clue how he is expecting to use that shotgun though. Especially with only 3 fingers and a thumb.
Shit, the modern history of America Post-Nixon could be summed up as "futility."
Anyway, the fact that Springsteen songs can be distilled to those elements (at least, roughly) doesn't cheapen their cultural significance. It just limits the breadth of musical themes he an E Street really explore. I'd rank Woody Guthrie, Bob Dylan, and Paul Simon miles ahead of Springsteen or Mellencamp in terms of Americana. They're all excellent artists, but the former three do so much more through their music.
When we moved to Boston circa 1980, the number you dialed was NER-VOUS. This told me everything I needed to know about my new home. And I'm still amused by it.
It's making lurking in that subreddit so much more hilarious. Not "I hope you're cuddled to death by grandmas" funny, but close.