Born To Run, Springsteen - B +

                                            Thanks to my brother, Bill, for this recommendation. I generally don't do autobiographies, but, as he pointed out, there are few tales of blue collar Catholic upbringings in metropolitan NY, like ours. And Im glad I read it. The Boss was born in 1949 and grew up in central New Jersey. His life lacked emotional and financial security because his dad was a raging, angry, Irish drunk. He hated school. He hated the church next door. He was a bitter young man. He found hope in music and committed his life to his guitar during high school. His second band, Steel Mill, had some success in the late 60's on the Jersey shore. Next came the Bruce Springsteen Band with Stevie Van Zandt. Along with some of the men who would become part of his future, Springsteen cut an album with Columbia, who had signed him as a 70's acoustic singer-songwriter. He cut a few more albums, became almost famous, and formed the E Street band. He also penned a song called 'Born To Run.'
                                           Released in 1975, that album made Bruce Springsteen an international star. The single is a totally great rock anthem and it put a 25-year-old on the cover of Time and Newsweek. It also led to a two-year hiatus from music for Bruce as he and his manger did battle in the courts over his record contract. He released the 'Darkness On The Edge Of Town' album next and began to explore the world he had just escaped from - the living from paycheck to paycheck blue collar life. He states he was inspired by country music and that he "was determined to be the enlightened, compassionate voice of reason and revenge" trying to explain and understand his parents' world". His "music would be a music of identity, a search for meaning and the future." 'The River' and 'Nebraska' followed.  However, it was what came next that propelled him to iconic fame and fortune. "Born In The USA' is one of the great rock albums of all time and its lead track is Springsteen's homage to Vietnam vets.  His album tour also afforded him the opportunity to channel money into charities for vets and the needy, as he continued to explore the differences between the American dream and American reality.
                                          All memoirs suffer from being one-sided and this is no different. But, to his credit Springsteen  is very introspective and speaks freely about his excruciatingly troubled life. Front and center in that story is his tortured relationship with his dad.  Doug Springsteen was a classic depressed drinker who created a world of trouble for his family. The rage that Bruce grew up with is the reason he spent so much of his life on the road, running away from life, and at times, acting destructively. He eventually came to grips with his dad who drove 500 miles to see Bruce right before the birth of his first child. Doug thanked him for how good the son had been to his mother and father and apologized for how bad he had been to Bruce. With his second wife and apparent soulmate, Patti Scialfa, the Boss settled down to a life of partial domesticity in the early 90's. They have three children, and it sounds as if Bruce spent quite a bit of time at home.
                                        However, the road beckoned and he got the E Street Band back together. Along with the Stones and U2, they have dominated the world of stadium tours for the last two decades and, I suspect, have made a fortune in the process. One of my great frustrations when reading about bands and performers is the total scarcity of economic and financial information. This story is no different. In his roles as a dad and  an excellent performer known to provide his audience with great live shows, Bruce Springsteen seems to have achieved success, if not rock immortality. He still lives in, and is at peace with, New Jersey.
                                         This is the second book in a row that Ive read that has caused me to ponder my good fortune. Even though Margo Jefferson got to go to Brandeis and I was pushed to  Marist, the world offered me a smoother path because I am white. I find it ironic that Springsteen would have considered me a college rah-rah. His dad had a job at Ford, way higher on the blue collar ladder than my dad's job a few miles north of him on the Hoboken docks. How is it he grew up in a house that he paints as one of despair and I grew up in a house of unlimited upside? The answer is simple. His dad was a drunk and my dad, a prince.
                                            The Boss grew to fame in the mid-seventies, long after my coming of age listening to the Beach Boys, Beatles and Stones. I am not a student of music and step gingerly into the topic. I am fascinated that he, unlike anyone else I can think of, became the poet of the downtrodden, the minstrel of the forgotten. The Beatles had rough upbringings. Bono of U2 had a dad who worked in the Irish Post Office. Most musicians do not come from a life of privilege. Yet, to his credit, the Boss has sung the praises of those on the bottom of the ladder. His is a unique niche and a great success story. This is a fabulous book that will have you continuously searching your iPod.