Bruce Springsteen's songs are like little movies for the mind. They're full of characters, drama and imagery. I like real songs for real people.
"Got a wife and kids in Baltimore, Jack. I went out for a ride and I never went back."
Admit it, dude: You have thought about it.
I also like the updated Wall of Sound he and his crew worked up for the "Born to Run" album and pretty much stuck to. Big. Wide. Noise. And instantly recognizable.
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| BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN, April 2012, 3' x 4' (approx.)
I am not, however, a Bruce fanatic -- although I have tried to become one.
While drawing Bruce Springsteen, I did replay every single album -- all the way up to the new "Wrecking Ball." It took a while.
For me the highlights are still the 1975-78-80 triple-header of "Born to Run, "Darkness on the Edge of Town" and "The River." Perhaps that's because I was making the transition from high school to college when they came out, and I played them a lot. "Where no one asks any questions, looks too long in your face. In the darkness on the edge of town." I confess to having four vinyl copies of "Born to Run" and three of "Darkness," with two of "The River" -- all in various states of wear. I don't do the CDs with these.  
Again, not a fanatic.
My friend Chrissy also is not a fanatic. She's more of a Bruce obsessive: Concerts, pictures, singles, albums, Bruce posts (galore) on Facebook, Sexiest Man Alive stuff. Morphed a Bruce face onto one of her wedding photos. No shit, people. So I'm helping the girl out. She gets Bruce Springsteen, my 150th drawing, which I wanted to be as epic as one of those sprawling 1975 songs.  In a failed experiment, I asked my friends here and on Facebook to vote and tell me what No. 150 should be. Thank you to all five of the faithful who weighed in for a dog, a baseball player, Steven Tyler and two votes for Bruce -- which caused me some difficulty.  The truth is, every time I started a rock star sketch, I could hear Chrissy's voice saying "Draw Bruce. Broooooooce." She had asked three years ago, when we were neighbors. "I'll get to him," I promised. She moved. I never did the drawing. Occasionally she would reply to posts here or on Facebook: "Draw BRUCE." It could wait. Not a fanatic. "Broooooooooooce." I folded when she voted. And I have now kept two promises: To give away No. 150, and to draw Bruce. |
See?
She's excited, she'll love it, and it'll be fun to deliver. I'm sure Bruce will have a prominent display in her home, which makes me feel great.
Of all the ones I'd wished to keep, however, this would be the one.I have now made a new promise to myself: No more contests.
Here's how Bruce happened. The shirt and the stubble nearly drove me insane.
