I've decided to try and re-start and maintain a Blog here on the old website five years (!) after I posted some local record reviews during the pandemic and then didn't ever follow up with any more content. My approach is to not overthink it this time, and also not beat myself up if there is no engagement with it. If you're interested, the blogs will be here to read; If you'd like to comment, I'll certainly reply; and if you don't have the time or interest for either, then that's okay because (in the words of Stuart Smalley…) “I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and Gosh Darnit, people like me!” My plan is to share mostly musical thoughts, some related to my own music and some not. 

For starters, I wanted to share my thoughts on the recently released film Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere. Springsteen is one of my favorite artists and there's been an embarrassment of riches recently in terms of “new” Springsteen content. The Tracks II: The Lost Albums collection of seven previously unreleased albums is much better than it has any right to be (my favorites are the Streets of Philadelphia Sessions, Enyo, and Somewhere North of Nashville), but that's not the point at the moment. 

I love the Nebraska album and really enjoyed the approach of the film in terms of focusing on Bruce's mental health at the time and his relationship with his celebrity, his father, and his friend and manager, Jon Landau. While the pacing will be slow for many (most?), I enjoyed it as well as the technical recording elements explored the film (How was the album recorded? What equipment was used? How was it transferred and mastered?). The relationship with the “composite” girl took me out of the film as did the denouement with his father. I essentially wound up thinking three quarters of the movie was great, with most of the not-so-great portions in the last quarter of the actual film (though not exclusively). I also thought it was weird that the E Street Band members were basically non-factors in the film (and I bet Little Steven was especially ticked at just being “a guy” in the band scenes). 

I'm looking forward to seeing it again once it starts streaming which, from the box office receipts, may be sooner rather than later. Let me know what you thought if you've seen it (or listened to the Tracks II albums, or want to say anything at all!). Cheers!