Dear Bruce,
It’s hard to make most people understand the kind of relation I have with you. To be honest, I don’t always understand it myself and I’m fairly certain you’d be pretty terrified at the importance you’ve had in my life.
You have always seemed to be close to me. You were always there for me and I was grateful you allowed me to watch as you unearthed these big chunks of truth. That’s what your best songs are, you know? Chunks of truth that have always been there waiting to be discovered.
It never bothered me that you were a multimillionaire. It never bothered me that you staged spontaneity. It’s your job. I took lessons in how you need to work even on things you’re good at. Particularly at those things.
It’s not easy for me to listen to one of your albums and be left completely indifferent if not slightly hurt that you thought this was the artistic statement you wanted to make.
Your legacy has largely been established, and continues to be established when you release works that make a specific statement, that say things that are relevant, that are not self-referencing and self-reverential.
This hasn’t started today and probably has been there all along, but today when I look at you, I see the 70 year old millionaire that is afraid his legacy won’t be quite as overwhelming as he hoped it would. I see you go back to your childhood and adolescence searching for meaning, mining the mountains you have already hollowed out. There’s nothing there anymore. Nothing that is relevant and vibrant.
It pains me to think and say these things, and I feel guilty for feeling them. I feel guilty for feeling like I diminish other people’s enjoyment. But, Bruce, I’ve come to expect so much of you that this just doesn’t cut it.
And it’s not just a weak album. Working on a Dream was weak. High Hopes was weak. This is about me looking at you and feeling you so distant. It’s like I’ve never met you.
I will always love your work profoundly and I will always carry it with me as a defining part of who I am. But, Bruce, I’m sorry but I don’t think we can be friends any more.
English english versus American english...I loved it when an English stand-up comedian began his act in NY with: "You may wonder about my strange accent. I'm from England. It's not an accent. You know - ENGLISH. This is how your are supposed to speak it."
I can't see mention of the song now and not say that it contains some of his best vocals, ever, on the new recording. That refrain is a downright knockout.
Well, howdy Boss, I get it that Janey needs a shooter, but please define what a shooter is!
Has anyone discussed Song for Orphans yet? I have no idea what it’s about but I really like its sound.
I've listened to Letter To You a couple of times now, just like Phantom, and watched the doc and I like the album better than in my initial reaction. If you accept that it's a rock album, listen with an "it's only rock'n'roll" attitude and focus more on the music and the playing than the lyrics then it's a pretty solid album.