No More Bruce…Please!

by Dee in Editorials, Opinion Posts, Uncategorized

So, a couple of years ago, I found myself in a focus group that WXPN called a “Listening Board”. It was hosted by Bruce Warren and Roger LaMay, who are both the program director and the general manager of the station.

And, the idea was easy, really; tell us what you like, what you don’t like, and let us know why.

Turns out that I loved “The Long Winters” and the new “New York Dolls” song, “Dance Like a Monkey”. And I still love it.

And, then the next song was Bruce singing “Throw Me My Money Down”.

Now, most of the panel held up five or four fingers, and I only held up one.

“What! You live in “Bruce Country!”

“Sorry, but I’m all “Bruced-Out” 

And, I really am. 

If you’ve grown up and live in Central New Jersey, it seems that there’s a requirement to love and adore Bruce. 

I’m also guessing that there’s another requirement to love the Jersey shore, and accept the dirty, expensive tourist trap it’s become, up and down from Asbury Park to Seaside Heights. 

Bruce’s idea of the “Jersey Shore” doesn’t exist any more; “Madame Marie” passed away a few weeks back.

Yes, Asbury Park is coming back and the boardwalk that he so passionately sings about in his first two albums is returning, but for different reasons. 

What Bruce wrote and imagined about as a young American poet-type is gone. For those of you who saw him and his band last night at “Giants Stadium”, all you saw was one very over bloated rock star with nothing new to say.