By
now I'm sure you've read all the same crap I have about
Bruce Springsteen's new album 'The Rising': That it's
the first album he's done with the E Street Band in damn
near two decades. That it's his '9/11' album. That Bruce
has never sounded better.
Is
any of it true? Well, technically - yes. But
is it the point? No. All the truly interesting
aspects keep getting left out. Like the fact that this
album was produced by Brendan 'Pearl Jam, Stone Temple
Pilots' O'Brien. Like the fact that despite the implication,
this is not the attempt of a fading rocker to
call in a young, hip producer to help capture a younger
audience. No - this is the teaming of the right people
for the job, and you'll realize this by the first track.
Now
as far as calling this his '9/11' album, let's not get
hysterical (and let's definitely not blame Bruce for this,
either). That tag, I'm sure, was created by
some twit in the marketing department over at Columbia,
to cash in on all the 'God Bless America' shit going on
right now. Has Bruce written an oopportunistic collection
of songs seeking to turn tragedy into record sales? Gimme
a fucking break. While there are many out there who would
do this, Bruce Springsteen ain't one of 'em.
If
9/11 did anything for Bruce, it made him realize life
is short. Most of us spend our entire lives pissed off,
tirelessly fighting an array of enemies - both real and
imagined. We'll bitch about this drama - yet as soon as
one scandal is put to rest, we'll run right out and replace
it with a new, equally futile battle to wage. But some
of us - either through sheer luck, through sheer exhaustion,
or through a bunch of crazy towelheads blowing up your
hometown, wake up to realize that there's only one true
enemy: The sun slowly setting on our lives (and the lives
of those around us).
And
goddamn it - this pisses me off. As much as I'd like a
stray bullet to fly in here right now and rescue me from
the pain and agony that is my life, another part of me
wants to live forever. Fuck dying -there's too much to
do, too much to see. This pen has too much more to say.
So
ultimately, Bruce probably figured if he wanted to make
another album with the E Street Band, he'd better do it
now, dammit, while they're all still alive, and not completely
dependent on Depends Adult Diapers.
And
we, the listeners, are just the lucky
beneficiaries.
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