There is a running joke in this house that my husband looks like Bruce Springsteen. I mean he doesn’t. But actually sometimes he sort of does. it was this photo that made me think of it.
Giles is a tiny bit worried about being 47, so I was like – look at Bruce Springsteen! He’s dark, too – exactly your height, big muscles. No reason why you can’t look like that at 104 or however old he is.
Anyway the other day, as part of this running joke, Giles saw in a bookshop and bought for me Bruce Springsteen’s autobiography, which is absolutely brilliant. Brilliant. I can’t believe that he didn’t use a ghostwriter it’s so good. Though in fact it’s too good to have been ghosted because it’s so peculiar in parts, so self-effacing and funny – it’s impossible to ghost that kind of idiosyncrasy.
Truly The Boss
Here he is, talking about dancing with girls as a teenager.
“The poor souls who comprised most of my catholic male colleagues didn’t yet realise that GIRLS LOVE TO DANCE! So much that they’ll get on the dance floor with just about any geek who’s got a few moves. That geek was ME! I had a ridiculous assortment of gyrations copped and exaggerated from the dances of the day. The Monkey, the Twist, the Swim, the Jerk, the Pony, the Mashed Potato – I mixed them all up into a stew of my own that occasionally got me on the floor with some of the finest women in town.”
I love it, I love every word. You don’t need to know anything about or like his music – or any music – to fully enjoy this.
My god, my husband would love this book, we love Bruuuuuuce in this house, even if none of us, slightly, not at all look like him. I’m getting it for him for Christmas.
P.s we started watching that SAS thing and had a conversation that went like this:
H: that recruit looks like a young Toby Stephens
Me: Yes I know (giggle)
H: Eyeroll
Loved it.
oh I KNOW… that’s Charlie… what a massive fox
I love Bruce Springsteen. I took my Dad to see him play at a thing in Hyde Park a few years ago (actually about seven years ago) and he was great – and really fit for his age! He played (and cavorted about) on stage for hours.
Thanks for this recommendation. I never would have looked twice at ‘Porcelain’ by Moby had it not been for your post about the, but I did and I bloody loved it. So thank you! Looking forward to more book reviews.
I’m finding it really hard to read fiction at the moment, but adore memoir… must be my age. So glad you enjoyed Porcelain. I thought it was damned hilarious
Thanks for this. I’ve told my boys to buy for their father (my ex ,as he’s a great Bruce fan)
“Open” by Andre Agassi is an astonishing book. I picked it up from a bookcase in my father in law’s flat and was absorbed for hours. I was not a tennis fan but it was great.
Thanks Elena! Next on my list x
Saw Bruce in Sydney 11-12 years ago, and the power kept going out on stage, finally failing altogether. As everything plunged into black, he and his band kept on playing, and kept on playing. They played and sang, sounding like small mice in the distance, until the power came back on after 20 minutes or so – and then they FREAKING ROCKED OUT! The concert finished well after it was meant to, and they got large fines from the council for that, but they didn’t care and it proved that they were total professionals, with a real feel for their audience. He’s not forgotten where he comes from.
Bought this for DH. He’s a huge fan. Might even have a read myself now based on your recommendation – thanks.