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Charles R. Cross Interview
(Springsteen Book Chronicles The Man and His Music)
Charles R. Cross is
recognized as a leading authority on the subject of Bruce Springsteen. From
Cross and the people at Harmony Books comes "Backstreets: Springsteen,
The Man and His Music." The book chronicles the history of the man who
will be at the Carrier Dome in concert this week.
Q: Why is Bruce Springsteen accorded legendary status?
A: Unlike most rock artists, Bruce Springsteen has always tried to use
his music to deal with personal issues; whether that be adolescent angst--his
first three albums; or the turmoil of divorce-"Tunnel of Love”;
he's revealed himself in ways few other artists have. His audience identifies
with his songs and have a personal stake in his music. Springsteen's music
has not had the cultural impact of Elvis or The Beatles partially because
this is a different age and there are only so many barriers left to break
down.
Q: What attracted you to Bruce Springsteen?
A: Springsteen first interested me because he combined the lyricism of
Bob Dylan with the soul of Van Morrison and made it all sound like a Roy
Orbison song; which is pretty much what Bruce said Orbison himself did
to him. I'm not sure, however, 18 years down the road, I'd say he's everything
a rock star should be. In the past few years Bruce has chosen to retreat
from the world into his own shell; and his music has not been as political
as I would have liked myself.
Q: It would seem that Bruce Springsteen has achieved everything a musician
would want to achieve. What do you think is next for him?
A: That's obviously a question for him to answer. Personally I'd like
to see a smaller acoustic tour. He recently suggested that in an interview.
I think he needs to concentrate on putting out the best albums he can
and forget about commercial considerations; which is exactly why "Lucky
Town" is a much better album than "Human Touch."
© Gary James All Rights Reserved
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