The original Bad Scooter
Anyone who knows me knows that I am a fan. One cool dude, mad for wheels, speed and politically and socially astute romanticism - we have a few things in common, (although maybe not the latter list). A major influence, and not just musically - he speaks to a generation that lived through the last three or four decades of the 20th Century. Like all the best performance artists, his persona represents what it is like to be part of the present times. Not forgetting his band, probably one of, if not the best rock and roll band on the planet (but I know thats a matter of taste).
I was present at his first gig in London, Hammersmith Odeon, in September of 1975.
It was the famous night when he had gone through the auditorium an hour or so before the show and picked up every flyer that had been placed on every seat which claimed "I have seen the future of rock & roll and his name is Bruce Springsteen"... yuk!, he had been embarrassed by CBS's over enthusiasm surrounding his talent and has since said the he wanted the audience to decide what he was, not a record company marketing hack. Turns out in one way though, it was true, American rock music especially, went in a slightly different direction after that time, maybe it was just the sign of the times but when punk music reared its spotty little head in the UK the following year (contrary to popular belief, punk was not a uniquely British phenomenon, it was already an established ethos in New York City and had been for a few years) all I could think was, this is the emotion Bruce has, its just being expressed by people who cant sing and play quite so well.
That night in Hammersmith was special, it was one of those moments, not just for me, but for everyone there, a lot of famous and accomplished musicians and artist have since admitted they too were there and the consensus was that this was a very special performer. I have never been so altered in my DNA by a performance ever since.
I came so close to meeting him in person that I can hardly bear thinking about it: in the mid 80s he and the East Street Band were in the UK and one particular night they had just finished their last gig in London Wembley, after which the whole entourage rolled off in a convoy to a Tex / Mex restaurant called "Tuxedo Junction" in West Hampstead. They had called ahead and asked the owner to stay open - after midnight - for a large group, which he did. (the owner, a big fella called Joe, had never heard of anyone called Bruce Springsteen, can you believe that?). A few nights later, being a regular diner / business associate of the owner (I had designed the look of the restaurant, menus etc a year or so previous and often ate there) I dropped into the restaurant on my way home, for a nightcap, over a Dos Equis I sat and spoke to Joe whereupon he grumbled about he and his staff being so tired because they had had to stay open until the early hours for a musician and his group last Saturday night. I quote Jo here "yes... so dis guy Bruce Springsteen I think was his name, bowled up at 1.30 pm and they ate everything we had. they all had a great night, lots of beer, burgers blah blah flipping' blah" I just sat there mouth wide open. All the while I had been no more than 15 feet away in my flat on the floor above, probably listing to the fella on my hi-fi, in bed.
They say you should never meet your heroes, back then I would have said bullshit, but now I am not so sure, since then there have been lots of people that I have met that are real heroes to me and I am still meeting them. In their everyday lives, they have effects that could well turn out to be as world changing as a guy with a slick guitar and decent voice. Anyway these days "hero" is an overused term don't you think?
Comments