Asbury Park and Springsteen's Star

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

I mentioned our outing the other day—our accidental arrival in Asbury Park, NJ. The old, iron casino, the stretch of boardwalk, the entertainment pier on the far end, and so much left empty in between. Asbury Park is a place caught in the teeth of dreams, where much of the old has been torn down and much of the new has been sketched up and the economy has wrought the actuality of nothinged-out plots.

From the boardwalk, through a nearly finished water park, I could see The Stone Pony, Bruce Springsteen's stomping grounds. Could hear music throbbing at two o'clock on a Saturday afternoon. Could imagine him striding through, as he still does—a hometown concert for a hometown crowd.

You know I love Springsteen music. You know that I dance to it many a day, alone here, on the thin pine boards of my house, and that at night, lately, I can't get the lyrics of his newest songs out of my head (I'm in love with the queen of the supermarket/As the evening sky turns blue/A dream awaits in aisle number two...). But I also love Springsteen the man for being true to where he came from, for lifting it up on his shoulders, for not forgetting. His breed of stardom is the only kind I'll swoon before.

And you? You swoon for...?

10 comments:

Melissa said...

"caught in the teeth of dreams..."

Love that. (I'll get back to you on the swooning. :)

Anna Lefler said...

Elvis Costello...Chris Isaak...The Beatles...

I'm a big swooner.

;^) A.

Sherrie Petersen said...

I love Bono. He has always been socially minded and talked about things people didn't expect from a rocker. He's done so much good for the world and made great music, too. I don't think I'd be able to speak if I met him...

Lenore Appelhans said...

I was a big swooner in the late 90s - Better than Ezra and Bush!

Sherry said...

I've been known to need a Robert Redford movie every now and again. :)

With teen girls swooning over the Jonas Bros these days, I had to show E who my young teen idol was, Donny Osmond.

woman who roars said...

I have a real "thing" for family meals. We aren't foodies, not in the snobby, metro sense, but we certainly enjoy well balanced flavors, fresh produce and excellent company.
Our table is always full; neighbors, friends and/or family often just appear as the plates hit the table and their company and conversation can only add to the overall enjoyment.

Unknown said...

I'm a Jersey girl! "The Boss" will forever own a tiny piece of real estate in my heart.

I forever kid that I want "Someday we'll look back on this and it will all seem funny" on my headstone.

Do you secretly dream that he reads your writing? :)

Peace - Rene

Beth Kephart said...

Oh, this is all such happy making stuff. (Hey, you've all made me happy on a day that was spent, in large part, on scrubbing, cleaning, and outing dust bunnies. "I want a revolution!" I wanted to shout, at one point.)

Sierra—my kind of cook,

NTR—It is rumored (actually, it is true) that once each year Bruce S shows up at the horse show down the road (his daughter is a rider). Walks around with the crowd, like nobody special. And everyone gives him his room.

Do I spent a lot of time at the horse show? Yes. Have I seen him? Never.

Florinda said...

I swoon for an unlikely one, but he's another Jersey boy - Jon Stewart :-). A guy who makes me laugh AND think has it all. I also agree with everything you said about Bruce Springsteen.

Sadako said...

Ooh, also feeling the Bruce love.

And another Jersey boy--Frankie Valli. :)

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