All through college I never understood my friends’ fascination with Bruce Springsteen.  First off none of them were really working class guys for whom The Boss could represent the voice of their struggles or generation, unless growing up in wealthy Boston and DC suburbs was the 2000 equivalent of broken down textile mill towns.  Sure I liked the hits that everyone liked, but I did not get the hero worship they had for Springsteen.  I spent most of my music days listening to Limp Bizkit, AC/DC and Metallica for my inner meathead and finding common ground with my friends over GnR and U2 (not to mention having the bold foresight to declare I Want It That Way an excellent pop song the day it hit the radio as opposed to several months later when it was more fashionable to acknowledge – sort of my equivalent of John McCain’s support for the surge in Iraq).

But then I hit law school and two planes hit the World Trade Center.  Tough times lay ahead dealing with the rigors of law school and the fear of terrorism, feeling both personal and global panic at the same time).  But then Bruce released The Rising, which along with The Eminem Show (odd couple I know) became my own soundtrack for law school.  Bruce spoke to a hopeful side of me (Lonesome Day, The Rising, City of Ruins, Waitin’ on a Sunny Day) and Eminem (entire album) spoke to the angry side of me that through sublimation probably became my comedy career.   It should be noted that both albums were robbed by Norah Jones for Album of the year at the 2002 Grammies.

Every morning The Rising would play off of my stereo and it made it just a little easier to get out of bed.  I think I began to appreciate Bruce the way my friends had in college.

Well Bruce showed up in late 2007 with Magic and just as if I had asked him for a pick me up (and channeling both hopeful and bitter sentiments – see ya Eminem) I found myself feeling better listening to songs like You’ll Be Coming Down, Your Own Worst Enemy and Girls in Their Summer Clothes.

Walking around Best Buy last night (an ill advised move that led to the purchase of FIFA 09 for Wii) I saw Bruce’s newly released album “Working On a Dream.”  To quote Gary Gulman, “Ummmmm, Bruce Have you Been Reading My Diary?”  I am going to listen to it shortly, but I got to thinking –  Is a layoff/change of career the kind of moment that requires a Springsteen album for me if I am actually pleased with the moment?  Maybe Bruce was nervous for me and thought (gritting underbite, strains of constipation in his voice), “Maybe J-L needs a pick me up.”  Or worse, what if something bad is headed my way and Bruce, like that bell ringing monk in the preview for 2012, is trying to get a warning out to me?  Perhaps, but last night I performed for 9 people at an open mic named after a Hawaiian-themed taco restaurant.  How much worse could it get?

Looking forward to seeing Bruce perform at the Steelers’ Super Bowl win Sunday.  Hopefully he does not play his new song, “J-L, are you out of your mind, a law degree is a terrible thing to waste”.  Steve Van Zandt’s voice is too whiny during the chorus.