From: owner-luckytown-digest@luckytown.org (LuckyTown Digest) To: luckytown-digest@luckytown.org Subject: LuckyTown Digest V9 #107 Reply-To: luckytown@luckytown.org Sender: owner-luckytown-digest@luckytown.org Errors-To: owner-luckytown-digest@luckytown.org Precedence: bulk LuckyTown Digest Wednesday, November 13 2002 Volume 09 : Number 107 NOTE: Sale/trade posts should be emailed to luckytown-ads, *NOT* to luckytown. That includes tix wanted/tix grovels, post them to luckytown-ads, please. Contents: Cincy Notes ["J. Steven Svoboda" ] Cincinnati Magic [Born2ron@aol.com] Festival Seating Returns to Cincinnati For the First Time in 23 Years [Bo] Springsteen on piano ["Erdmann, Anne" ] APP: Tradewinds to close ["Bill King II" ] Freehold (the song) [Gary Dunaier ] Re: Freehold [Tuomas Lehto ] Behind the pit ["Michael Peter" ] Questions re: 2003 Europe shows [] Mid-life Crisis ["Giddings, Greg" ] Dublin Tickets [Christopher Danehy ] Bruce gaining a more global look at things? [Palasti Gabor Subject: Cincy Notes I already had a very good seat close behind the stage and upgraded to a phenomenal seat ten rows back from the stage on Roy's side. Re the opening with American Skin, I thought it came across as a real classy move and it also worked. His intro surprised me coming as it did before playing any song (OK, experts, how often has he done that before?) but it was a smart move too to focus on the show and enable people who were hassled outside (I wasn't) to settle into the music. I loved She's the One. I don't know what it was about Night, but I totally got into that one last night. They just played the heck out of it. My last show was Tacoma and at some point along the way Bruce added in this phenomenal Nils guitar solo intro to Countin on a Miracle. It goes on for a long time and there is spectacular eerie greenish (if I remember correctly) lighting that really sets the tone. I think the solo is influenced somewhat by Spanish classical guitar. Utterly phenomenal, just ratcheted the whole song up by about a factor of five for me. I'm a Rocker and especially Ramrod seemed to go on FOREVER. And that was a GOOD thing. The band just seemed to totally cut loose. Bruce played Roy's piano at one point with his boot on Rocker, then on Ramrod after they faked an exit from the stage and "snuck" back on by Roy, Roy thought Bruce wanted to play the piano and backed away (or so it seemed) but Bruce just cruised on by. Love the chaotic unscripted element introduced by some of the shenanigans including with his grabbing the green "I came 2,000 miles to hear I'm a Rocker" sign from those guys in the pit. Another thing that was new to ME, anyway: Roy going on and on with that lovely piano solo I didn't ever want to end based on the Ramrod music, while the band was doing their fake exit and re-entrance. It was sort of jazzy and improvised but the Ramrod rhythm and basic groove was always going on in back of the improvisations. Very cool. The show seemed much longer than it was. Probably the best show I have seen this year. Steven Svoboda [text/html attachment deleted] ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 13 Nov 2002 01:13:55 EST From: Born2ron@aol.com Subject: Cincinnati Magic In what had to be the most unusual opening to a Springsteen concert ever, Bruce led off tonight's show with a moving speech about civil rights and racial tension not only in Cincinnati but across the country. As many of you may know, a group of citizens has been urging artists to boycott of Cincinnati following the riots last year. While Bruce declined to honor the boycott, he had the guts to confront the issue head on, right out of the gate, and, follwoing a fairly lengthy speech, led off the show with an incredible performance of "41 Shots." It was truly a once in a lifetime experience. Those of us who are of a more (dare I say it) "liberal" mind took an emotional beating in the elections last week. Hearing Bruce talk straight up about the racial strife and other social ills facing our country was like a breath of fresh air blowing through the US Bank Arena. While the crowd's reaction was initially mixed, by the end of the song everyone was cheering wildly. I'll leave it to others to critiqe the setlist which included. Ties That Bind, She's The One, Does This Bus Stop, I'm A Rocker, and a moving version of My Hometown with Bruce solo on the piano. All I can say is that it was a great night. Thank you, Bruce. Ron [text/html attachment deleted] ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 10 Nov 2002 17:58:05 EST From: Born2ron@aol.com Subject: Festival Seating Returns to Cincinnati For the First Time in 23 Years On December 3, 1979, Cincinnati was the site of the worst tragedy in American rock concert history when 11 fans attending the Who concert died on the plaza level outside Riverfront Colliseum. Soon after, festival seating was banned in Cincinnati but in August the Cincinnati Police granted a one time varience so that GA tickets could be sold for the Springsteen concert scheduled for Tuesday night. While festival seating remains an emotional issue here in Cincinnati, especially for the friends and family of those killed that night, there were many factors which lead to the tragedy which are not present with Bruce's current tour. For an excellent analyis of what went wrong at the Who concert on the evening of December 3, 1979 and where the blame truly lies (and it's not with the fans as the Colliseum management and promoters tried to suggest), check out this article which appeared on the front page of Sunday's edition of the Cincinnati Enquier. l God bless the sweet souls of the departed, Ron http://enquirer.com/editions/2002/11/10/loc_festivalseats10.htm [text/html attachment deleted] ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 10 Nov 2002 09:45:22 -0600 From: "Erdmann, Anne" Subject: Springsteen on piano >>Bill C>...which makes me wonder why he doesn't just have Roy play on these >>acoustic piano songs he's been doing. Bruce is no slouch at the piano >>by any means, but wouldn't the music be better served by Roy playing >>piano, and Bruce concentrating on giving his best vocals? >Jose>Probably you are right. But, I like him to sacrify some musical quality >in order to gain magic and emotion. I remember last month in Barcelona. >When he asked for silence before Empty Sky, you could hear the typical >moron screaming like a maniac, but silence was total when he sat at the >piano and started playin Spirits in the Night. For me, those two songs played >by Bruce at the piano were, by large, the best momento of the show. When he launched into "For You" at the piano in Chicago, I thought, Now I can die happy (in terms of Springsteen experiences, that is!). I've longed to hear him do a complete live performance on solo piano since I first heard the Christic recordings. I was thrilled by the first verse of "My City of Ruins" that seems to be a permanent part of this tour, but I wanted more. Maybe it's because I play the piano myself (not well, and I know well what it's like to have nervous fingers hit the wrong key in public) and therefore can relate to it a lot more than guitar, but there's something about him alone on piano that is deeply intimate and, to me, revealing. Yes, Bittan (and Sancious) are/were better pianists, in terms of technique and experience. The piano isn't Springsteen's best instrument. And for that reason, I see him as taking a much greater risk than in the solo guitar performances. It's almost as if we were let into his living room to watch him sing and play for himself. For me, every time Springsteen sits down at the piano alone, he's giving us a gift. For me, as Jose said -- magic. Anne - -- Anne Erdmann erdmann@isgs.uiuc.edu ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 10 Nov 2002 07:55:22 -0600 From: "Bill King II" Subject: APP: Tradewinds to close Tradewinds to close Published in the Asbury Park Press 11/10/02 By ALISON WALDMAN COASTAL MONMOUTH BUREAU SEA BRIGHT -- For about three decades, the Tradewinds in Sea Bright offered a stage and a venue where bands that had made it big could reach the locals and local bands could feel like they had made it big. Bruce Springsteen, Creed and Blues Traveler performed on the same stage as local cover bands like Bad Medicine, and Brian Kirk and the Jirks. "Tradewinds is the club that started us, it is the club I owe my whole career to," said Brian Kirk, lead singer and guitarist of the band that bears his name. Brian Kirk and the Jirks first played Tradewinds in 1994, which opened the door to performing at other clubs throughout the state, Kirk said. Since then, the band has released two compact discs. Now the band -- which played monthly at the club for the past eight years -- is gearing up to bid goodbye to Tradewinds. At the end of next month, the nightclub that has been a part of the Jersey Shore music scene since at least the early 1970s will shut its doors for good. Owners of the nightclub and beach club -- TWBC III Sea Bright Associates -- want to tear down the entertainment complex to replace it with 20 single family homes. A demolition permit has not yet been issued, borough officials said. Kirk, club employees and a former patron said in recent interviews that the closing of Tradewinds marks the end of a "local icon," and a venue for bands that draw larger crowds than could be accommodated at many Shore bars. Tradewinds started as a beach club in the 1950s, and the night club dates to at least the early 1970s, said Bruce Dunbar, general manager of the beach club portion of the complex. Dunbar, who grew up in the area, said he frequented the club as a teenager. "It's a part of the area's history, and I am sad to see it go," he said. In 1993, new owners completely renovated the night club -- adding waterfalls and hot tubs and changing the layout, said Louis Cirigliano, general manager of the night club portion. The diversity of music offered -- from alternative rock to dance -- kept the crowds coming back, he said. "We hit the ground running" in 1993, Cirigliano said, but "we've had our best years in the last couple of years." Before the renovations, Tradewinds was a "high energy" rock club, said Thomas Jannarone, a partial owner of Bar Anticipation in South Belmar who frequented Tradewinds in the 1980s. "Tradewinds has lived a long, full life," Jannarone said. "The place was run great and they lasted." But the closing means one less venue for bands that attract a larger crowd, both Jannarone and Cirigliano said. The club holds 1,200 indoors and 1,500 outside. "When we play Tradewinds, it is like a concert," Kirk said. Brian Kirk and the Jirks will play at the club's closing party on Nov. 29, Cirigliano said. The Wailers will take the stage Nov. 30, and on Dec. 1 The Wallflowers are scheduled. After that, one final performance, by Holiday Express, is scheduled for Dec. 23, he said. Although Jannarone said he thinks the closing is being done the "right" reasons -- that is, for business reasons -- he said the Tradewinds will be greatly missed. "I am sad to see any club close," Jannarone said. "I think it takes away from the character of the Jersey Shore, and I think Sea Bright will be changed forever." Regards, King (from) Neptune) ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 8 Nov 2002 23:55:17 -0800 (PST) From: Gary Dunaier Subject: Freehold (the song) > Date: Fri, 8 Nov 2002 16:01:11 +0000 > From: Peter.Mulqueen@bif.ie > Subject: 'Freehold' > > Can anyone tell me what form of CD/cassette/vinyl/bootleg > (if any) has a recording of 'Freehold' on it. Crystal Cat's "New Jersey Nights", a collection of tracks from Bruce's 15-show stand at the Meadowlands in 1999, has "Freehold" on disc 3, track 9. Sound quality is decent. > Also if anyone has a website address with the lyrics/tab/chords > for 'Freehold' I would greatly appreciate it. Can't help you with the tabs or chords, but here are the lyrics from the 1999 version as cut-and-pasted from http://www.xs4all.nl/~maroen/engels/lyrics/infreeh2.htm (the song was first performed with slightly different lyrics at a 1996 St. Rose of Lima benefit, the lyrics for the 1996 version are available at http://www.xs4all.nl/~maroen/engels/lyrics/infreeho.htm) FREEHOLD (also known as IN FREEHOLD) I was born right here on Randolph Street in Freehold Here right behind that big red maple in Freehold Well I went to school right here Got laid and had my first beer, in Freehold Well my folks all lived and worked right here in Freehold I remember running up the street past the convent and the church in Freehold Chased my daddy down in these bars First fell in love with this guitar, here in Freehold I had my first kiss at the YMCA canteen on a Friday night Maria Espinosa baby, where are you tonight You were 13 but way ahead of your time I walked home with a limp but I felt just fine, that night in Freehold Well the girls at Freehold Regional yeah, they all looked pretty fine Had my heart broke at least a half a dozen times I wonder if they miss me, do they still get the itch... If they had dumped me if they knew I'd strike it rich, straight out of Freehold Well, a lot of folks gave us kids a hand in Freehold Man, we started up our rock n roll band in Freehold Well we learned really quick how to rock it I'll never forget the feeling of that first five bucks in my pocket, that I earned in Freehold Well I got outta here hard and fast in Freehold Everybody wanted to kick my ass back there in Freehold Well if you were different black or brown It was a pretty redneck town, back there in Freehold Well now something broke my daddy's back in Freehold He left and for 30 years he'd never come back Except once he drove from California in just 3 days Called my relatives some dirty names Drove straight out of Freehold Now he's buried by the highway, buried in the dirt His ghost just flippin' the bird, to everybody in Freehold Well, my sister got pregnant at 17 in Freehold Back then people they could be pretty mean Now honey you had a rough road to go Now you ain't made of nothin' but soul I love you more that you'll ever know, we both survived Freehold Well my buddy Mike he's the Mayor now in Freehold I remember when we had a lot more hair in Freehold I left and swore I'd never walk these streets again, jack Now all I can say is "holy shit I'm back", back in Freehold Well I read something in the paper a couple weeks ago that seemed pretty funny The town council was debating about putting up a statue, A statue of me in my hometown, but it cost too much money Well I'd like to thank the Town Council, my friends, for saving me from humiliation By demonstrating the good hard common sense that we learned in Freehold Well this summer everything was green Rode my kids on the fire engines through the streets of Freehold I brought them to where dad was born and raised And first felt the sun on his face, in Freehold Well I still got a lot of good friends right there I can usually find a free beer somewhere With free meals I am blessed Should I go crazy blow all my money, hit the tabloids, Become fodder for the talk shows, turn my life into a complete fuckin' mess.. At least I'll never go hungry I guess...in Freehold... Well I got a good Catholic education here in Freehold Led to an awful lot of masturbation here in Freehold Now father it was just something I did for a smile Hell I still get a good one off once in a while And dedicate it to Freehold Don't get me wrong, I ain't putting anybody down In the end it all just goes and comes around In my hometown, FREEHOLD __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? U2 on LAUNCH - Exclusive greatest hits videos http://launch.yahoo.com/u2 ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 9 Nov 2002 15:20:29 +0200 (EET) From: Tuomas Lehto Subject: Re: Freehold At least the Crystal Cat release from TGOTJ -tour Freehold Night includes Freehold Greetings from lucky Helsinki, Tuomas - ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- * "...Two hearts are better than one..." * * -Bruce Springsteen * * * * Tuomas Lehto email:jtlehto@rock.helsinki.fi * * Tel: +358-9-29574330 or +358-50-5571218 * - ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 10 Nov 2002 23:12:44 -0500 From: "Michael Peter" Subject: Behind the pit Hi All, Can anyone comment on the scene behind the pit? I have no prayer to be among the first 300 for Albany, but have the chance to trade for a floor ticket, and was wondering about GA behind the pit. My guess is that if you were on the rail, it would be like being in the 6th row if there were seats. Can anyone confirm or quash that notion? Thanks, Michael Peter [text/html attachment deleted] ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 10 Nov 2002 22:04:54 -0500 From: Subject: Questions re: 2003 Europe shows Hi Folks. I'm seriously considering taking in one show (maybe two) in Europe this summer. I live in the US and have had no experience whatsoever buying tickets overseas. Is it easy enough to do or are there any pitfalls I need to be aware of before I buy? Also, are there any other US fans out there planning on going to Europe for any Bruce shows? Any advice you can send my way will be appreciated. One more question -- Has anyone every booked a Bruce show with the Badlands company that operates out of the UK? I met some of their folks in Memphis and NYC during the reunion tour, and everyone seemed pleased with their tickets, etc. I'm curious as to how the organization gets its tickets and any experience anyone has had with Badlands. Thanks a lot, Chris ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 9 Nov 2002 21:46:25 -0600 From: "Giddings, Greg" Subject: Mid-life Crisis I guess no one really sees a mid-life crisis approaching, but I never thought that mine would occur at a Bruce Sprinsteen concert. Like many of you Luckytowners, Springsteen shows are highlights in my life, from shaking Bruce's hand after a GoTJ show to my flailing on his guitar during BtR on the Reunion Tour. But last Sunday night's Dallas GA experience was a personal disaster--a friend who witnessed my post-show distress called it a "spiritual meltdown." And this disappointment had nothing to do with Bruce's performance. First of all I will admit to being spoiled. I have seen Bruce 15 times and have been "spittin' distance" the last four. I saw the Las Vegas show in the summer and was thrilled with the sense of community "in the pit." In fact, during the show a couple of benevolent California guys in the crowd were convinced that my wife wasn't close enough. (She was probably four feet from Bruce's feet.) So they physically grabbed her and pushed her in front of themselves so that she would have a chance to slap Bruce's hand as he ran across the stage. In Las Vegas, my faith was rewarded--the three guys from Cali weren't the only cool people. The entire GA pit section could not have been better behaved or more fun. Although I knew none of the folk there, I felt a kinship and comfort with them that made a special experience that much more special. Together we had waited all day in the heat, and when the show began, we, together, were attentive. No one pushed, no one weaseled toward the front, no one went to the restroom, and unlike Dallas, NO ONE WAS DRUNK, LOUD, AND OBNOXIOUS. Last Sunday, instead of feeling elation at being in the pit again, I felt tension. And I felt this tension even before the show started. The signs were there for problems: too much alcohol and too many poseurs. When the show began, instead of wondering what Bruce would sing next, I wondered, "What will these drunk jackasses behind me do next?" I tried talking to them, but drunk twenty-something pseudo-fans are impossible to reason with. And did I mention that these boys had wristbands, but no numbers. They didn't pay with their time and bodies like the rest of us had. My wife and I should have moved. But my wife is stubborn, and a couple of other "fine folk" had already pushed by her and pushed us toward the back of the pit. She wasn't budging. Halfway through the show I had thoughts that heretofore had been unimaginable: "Do I want to do this again? Is it worth it to spend this kind of time, effort, and money? Wouldn't I be better off just listening to the bootlegs at home?" I've known others who have fallen off the train, who say they're too old to go to concerts. But I always told them that I'm more hardcore than they; I'm a real fan. Well a week after the show, I am still wondering whether next spring or summer I will risk another bad experience. I know Dallas crowds are partially to blame, but that's the closest Bruce comes to me. I place just as much blame on the current GA line system. If this system does not change, I may stay at home. As it is, getting in the pit is too easy. Signing up days before and then checking in at 11:00 p.m. the night before and 8:00 a.m. the day of involves virtually no sacrifice. (And charges of cronyism would be hard to defend for those at the top of that list.) Even Dallasites can endure that kind of difficulty. I say, if you want to get close, then by God you need to wait in line, not in your car, not in a restaurant, not in a hotel room. If folks have to wait in line, then the wheat will soon be separated from the chaff. And with that type of policy, I guarantee I will "be on time and pay the cost." Then I will be close to Bruce, and I won't be within earshot of dilettanti who somehow sneak or bribe their way into the pit. I know Bill and Todd want the GA situation organized, and I do to. I just don't think convenience should take precedence over commitment. Greg Giddings Wichita Falls, Texas ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 11 Nov 2002 06:45:43 -0800 (PST) From: Christopher Danehy Subject: Dublin Tickets Hello, I've recently moved to Dublin from the States for work and was hoping that there might be some Dublin based Bruce fans that can answer a question about the setup of the RDS arena. I haven't been able to find a seating chart for the arena...I know that there are both seats and GA. Are the seats close to the stage, or is it a good idea to stick with the GA? Ticketmaster already has the GA tickets onsale...the seats are onsale this Thursday. Please e-mail me privately with any suggestions about what tickets to go for. Thanks danehycr@yahoo.com __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? U2 on LAUNCH - Exclusive greatest hits videos http://launch.yahoo.com/u2 ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 13 Nov 2002 23:31:47 +0100 (CET) From: Palasti Gabor Subject: Bruce gaining a more global look at things? Fellows, I have been considering writing this e-mail for a while by now. I have had a little gap of reading the Digests lately (and a huge one in writing into it!) and so if I happen to repeat or re-invent some things that were already in the Digests of the past 2-3 months please excuse me for that. My e-mail was partly inspired by the great arguments that have gone on in the flow of the Bruce-politik line (and many thanks for all the posts here, great time to read them all!) and in more particular by Amy's (amyw@clinic.net) writing in Digest No. 97 in response to old-timer digester Jon Mendez's post in Digest No. 94. I will refrain from exactly connecting to that line of debate but my points will have many in common with some of the themes and with mostly Amy's post. 1. WHAT COMES NEXT? The question that I asked myself was - where is Bruce to go from here? What are the directions he is to take after the tour of The Rising is over? I asked the question theme-like and not music-like. It is an entirely different question to try to answer it musically than in points of what he would probably write about. Better to say: where is the wisdom of the The Rising album taking him next? Was it just a dead-end side-track inspired by a sudden sad occasion - but after the initial shock, burial of the dead and taking revenge life returns to normal - or is it likely to be in the line of development for Bruce which at least partly determines where he is going? Remember: the 11 September events came all of a sudden at a time when Bruce was contemplating an album with the E-Streeters based on songs written and played during the Reunion Tour (of which only Further On... and My City of Ruins made it to the next studio album). These songs were very heterogeneous in content and concept and of course did not reflect the themes of The Rising - not even in a broad out-of-11-September context. 2. ADDRESSING GLOBAL ISSUES My observation is that Bruce is going through a process of development in his point of view and his angle is becoming wider and wider slowly enabling him to see things in a more and more global context. Note, that this is the general tendency in the entire Western world. There are very good indications of this on The Rising. Worlds Apart, Paradise and Let's Be Friends are probably the best examples. All these three address issues and deal with people outside U.S. culture. This in itself is a major step ahead - unprecedented before. Even with the Vietnam War - the theme perhaps the most global in Bruce's previous work - Bruce's major concern was the trauma and suffering the war brought to U.S. citizens with the loss of life of tens of thousands of U.S. soldiers and with finally losing the war. On the other hand his work was absolutely silent about the death of the 4 million Vietnamese of the war and the suffering it brought to that country. In the eyes of the political decision makers that suffering was not even noteworthy - that is a suffering of some strange yellow inferior people who chose to live their lives in their very home in a system so different from ours that it would justify both destroying them and not caring about their suffering. And for people creating daily U.S. culture - like Bruce - this aspect did not arise either because politics made it hard and therefore brave to address or - God save! - criticize even the domestic aspects of the Vietnam War. Of course the answer to the question 'Why should the U.S. - its politicians or artists - care about the death of 4 million and the suffering of even more on another continent?' is that there is direct causal relation between U.S. action and the pain and suffering it distributes abroad. Now the case is different with 11 September. Bruce understood the links of the events to other cultures and attempted to have a wider perspective and look outside the U.S. borders. This in itself is a step ahead - writing about loving an Afghani woman at a time when most people wanted revenge over Afghanistan; writing from the human perspective of an Arab suicide bomber at a time when they are officially terrorists; writing about the desire to make friends at a time when the U.S. government wants to make war is a brave call and an undeniable sign of individual progression in the way Bruce looks at things. Of course the underlying idea of humanism has been with Bruce since the beginning but he did not really conceptualize things in this broad a manner before. 3. WORLDS APART It is another question to what extent he managed to break away from his U.S. cultural determination and be authentic in the themes he chose. As for Worlds Apart I think the song is more global in the music than in the lyrics. In the fact pattern the Afghan woman is more like just a "scenery in another man's play" - a little exotic toy for a soldier to make a foreign deployment more interesting. I know Bruce did not write that - he is more ideal and optimistic than that and he believes in the true love and the making of a connection between the two worlds apart with the help of love and this is what he wrote about. But if one thinks the whole story over - the ultimate outcome of the story is that the woman is just an extra for the soldier's life and is one of the expendables. One only has to imagine what could happen to the woman after the soldier left for home. Her options for her future life were probably not very sunny: in a worse case she was simply killed as a traitor; in an even worse case she was first raped and then tortured or stoned to death as a traitor; in a simpler case she starved to death; in a better case she could go on with her miserable and pitiful Afghan daily life; and even in the best case she is left with an emotional trauma of making love with someone who is of those who bombed her home country into smithereens. The solution the American hero offers is the grandiose idea "let's throw the truth away we'll find it in this kiss" (probably meaning: "if the woman thinks too much I'll probably not be able to get her for myself"). After that the soldier will have to leave: "we've got this moment now to live, then it's all just dust and dark" - meaning, dust and dark for the woman; consumer culture - food, fancy cars, movies etc. - for the man. The woman's role is that of a sometimes-good-to-think-back-good-to-tell-friends memory full stop. The justification of why this is acceptable is the title itself: we are worlds apart - your fate is suffering mine is victory, but we can nevertheless meet for a blue hour or two. But I won't change your fate so don't expect too much - you are determined to stay in that wretched world apart. It is more likely than not that this story has happened several times - in fact this would be the stereotype soldier-local woman love story (which I actually saw here as well during the stay of the NATO troops for the Yugoslavian war a few years ago). So while we are dancing and cheering to the song there have most likely been women actually dead in Worlds Apart. Of course there is the other - more human - option which is also not unprecedented but much more rare: true love, man takes woman from her dead-end world apart home to the Western world and marries her at home. But unless Bruce makes his point clear on this take the harsh reality behind Worlds Apart is that a third-world local woman is being taken for pleasure and left in her miserable world for sexual and some emotional experience of some soldier on deployment. 4. PARADISE Paradise is the other remarkable song in which Bruce tries to take the viewpoint of someone from a different culture. The first verse is to be understood as one sung by a suicide bomber of an unidentified nationality but most probably Palestinian (after all suicide bombing at a marketplace is typical of Palestinians in Israel. As Bruce explains it the song was written in reflection to a teenage girl's suicide bombing which took place in Israel; see e.g. Bruce in an audio interview at http://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/14/arts/music/14PARE.html). The attempt to look at things from the point of view of the individual is deeply human and to do it from the point of view of a Palestinian suicide bomber at a time when they are officially simply labeled "terrorists" (as such they are the public enemy, unfit to live, they are the devil in person) shows a very humanistic, wide and globally responsible understanding of things. Already the attempt itself must be appreciated. But to what extent is the outcome authentic? Again, as with Worlds Apart I am afraid that Bruce's idealism and human optimism keeps the song from being authentic or anything close to the real world. While the song is beautiful and haunting and through the music there is a powerful message of humanism in it, it falls short of authentically representing the suicide bomber and therefore leaves lots of connecting issues rest in the shades. The song suggests that the motivation of the suicide bomber is to get into Paradise through her act of exploding herself alongside with those around her. The song - with the very powerful tool of music - suggests that the suicide bomber is waiting to explode in some dreamy flotation to get into Paradise. The song is silent about any other motivations and emotions. However, instead of waiting for Paradise one is probably more likely to become a suicide bomber in her last despair after having witnessed enough suffering caused by those she targets by also sacrificing her own life because she sees no other alternative. Probably instead of waiting for Paradise the motivation is that some/many of her family and friends were brutally killed and others humiliated, house, land and other belongings destroyed, an entire nation gradually slaughtered - from the very point of view of the teenage suicide bomber this is what the Israelis have done and are doing to the Palestinians. And the feelings are rather anger, revenge, despair or commitment (in the very case against the Israelis) rather than a dreamy flotation in the waiting for (a Muslim) Paradise. Of course in extreme situations religion always offers redemption for those who sacrifice their lives for the survival of the nation. This is nothing Muslim - the same with Christianity, think of the soldiers in Holy Wars and Crusades or the strong faith in Paradise of Christian martyrs (either catholic or protestant or of any other branch) who died for the faith; or from other beliefs think of the Japanese suicide kamikazes. But the underlying idea is not to die to get into Paradise per se but it is that if you sacrifice your life in the interest of the survival of a religion/a nation than religion offers some hope in the afterlife. By addressing the issue of the possible motivations of a suicide bomber from the bomber's very personal human point of view Bruce opened to a new dimension of reality - actually something that very much influences our globalized daily lives. This is good. But there is way to go ahead - leaving it at the point where the song Paradise stands at the moment is a false reconstruction of reality. In concreto - as for the Palestinian situation - by suggesting that suicide bombing is a manifestation of some weird calling of an alien religion it unwillingly serves the interests of those who are interested in oppressing the voices of the Palestinians who cry out the daily slaughter, suffering and destruction of those whose surviving relatives in their last despair see no other alternative for the survival of their people but a deadly act that will kill themselves as well. I am sure Bruce is going towards the direction of seeing things in their wider complexity and sooner or later it will be manifest in his work. 5. LET'S BE FRIENDS I quote Let's Be Friends as the third example of Bruce's going global on The Rising. Of course out of the 11 September context it is handy to take it as a male-female relationship kind of story. But in the 11 September context the song is a different one: it is an offer to make friendship with those with whom the situation is the worst at the moment and so it is time to start talking. Suddenly we mutually bombed each other's buildings and people and caused suffering - enough, let's start talking. The message is clear, honest and this is the only message from a humanistic standpoint that can show a way out. (Side note: the question is open to individual interpretation - to whom is this wish addressed? Afghanistan? The whole Arab world? In the current political situation the question is: is Iraq - not necessarily Saddam but the people itself, yet under Saddam's rule - one to make friends with or not?) 6. OTHER REFERENCES ON THE RISING There are some other minor references to global contexts (or the complete public avoidance thereof) on The Rising - which, if you wish are global if you wish are 11 September connected, if you wish remain within the private domain such as a male-female relationship. For instance the "eye for an eye" claim he is making in Empty Sky is a powerful one that I am sure many have felt - but in the 11 September and global context it avoids the fact that by the time Bruce wrote that line down his claim had become history - by that time perhaps more eyes had been in fact taken for every one eye than just one - revenge had been done. And the answer to this particular claim - an eye for an eye - which has considerable aspects outside the local is in Lonesome Day - I am thinking of the "think before you shoot" line, although by that time it had been late as well. In any case, Bruce hits some further-reaching global chords in other songs of The Rising as well and gives - even if in the abstract - some answers to them, too. 7. OTHER SIGNS Besides these few songs from The Rising there have been other signs that show a shift towards globally viewing issues. One of the really unavoidable issues in globalization is the role of corporate power. Bruce at some points incidentally incorporates the corporate rule issue - see Youngstown or his latest comments on MTV Europe about corporate culture in his conversation with Kurt Loder before the Barcelona show. The other unavoidable big global issue is the oppressive - often brutal - domestic handling of economic migration - see 41 Shots or songs on the Joad album that deal with cross-border issues. And I am sure thinking more into his songs others may quote further signs of this direction. Being good at seeing the phenomenon from an everyday person's standpoint to which a very conscious democratic rights feel connects looms ahead an understanding of the causes as well. This can be subject to future artistic work - if you liked Youngstown or 41 Shots these issues may be themes of songs in the future. 8. WHAT ARE EXACTLY THE GLOBAL ISSUES RELEVANT FOR BRUCE'S WORK? My next point would be to discuss what the global issues Bruce is to address or global contexts he is to incorporate are to follow from his previous work (yes, I know I am approaching the debatable line of "wishful thinking" here...) but having seen how lengthy this mail becomes I will refrain from doing that now and come back to the issue later. In any case, thanks for everyone who has got with reading my lines this far, Greetings from a global Central-Europe, Miskolc town, Hungary - Gabor Palasti http://www.uni-miskolc.hu/~eujog/1palasti.html ------------------------------ End of LuckyTown Digest V9 #107 ******************************* ********************************************************************* ** LuckyTown WWW URL ** The LuckyTown FAQ, back issues, web-based subscription/unsubscription, and many other things can be found on the LuckyTown WWW Page: http://www.luckytown.org ** LuckyTown mailing list addresses ** You can send email to go into the next LuckyTown Digest to: luckytown@luckytown.org You can send email to go into the next LuckyTown-Ads Digest to: luckytown-ads@luckytown.org Any questions for the list admin should be emailed to: owner-luckytown@luckytown.org To unsubscribe, send email to majordomo@luckytown.org with message body: unsubscribe luckytown-digest To get further information on how to subscribe/unsubscribe/change your subscription address, as well as the other available commands, send email to majordomo@luckytown.org with message body: help ********************************************************************* The contents of this digest are not necessarily approved by the list admin.