We Take Care of Our Own - translated in to Spanish

My prior blog post on "We Take Care of Our Own" has been translated in to Spanish and published by Point Blank Magazine in Spain. Enjoy!

We Take Care of Our Own

A few days ago, an article appeared in the Hollywood Reporter. The headline read, "Bruce Springsteen's New Album Is His 'Angriest' Yet."

Uh-oh.

Bruce Springsteen is "liberal." When he goes off, self-described "conservatives" go wild. Laura Ingraham wrote a book called Shut Up & Sing: How Elites from Hollywood, Politics, and the UN are Subverting America. It was a best seller, even. I don't personally know anyone who actually read it, but that doesn't matter: When Bruce speaks out, there's inevitably a chorus of comments across the country: "Shut Up and Sing!"

Sometimes, it goes a bit further. In March, 2011, Springsteen wrote a letter to The Asbury Park Press, commenting on a story that had appeared in the paper 4 days earlier. The letter read, in part, "Thank you for your March 27 front-page story by Michael Symons. 'As poverty rises, cuts target aid.' The article is one of the few that highlights the contradictions between a policy of large tax cuts, on the one hand, and cuts in services to those in the most dire conditions, on the other."

The response didn't take long. The Governor of New Jersey, Chris Christie, was gracious, though he avoided the substance of Bruce's letter, nevermind the substance of the Asbury Park Press article. The Trentonian blasted Bruce as a limousine liberal. But it didn't stop there. Within days, a Fox News New York report that had been filed a few weeks earlier was regurgitated, repackaged, and splashed in to many publications. It alleged that Bruce Springsteen was a "fake farmer" and a tax dodger.


While the initial report was slanted -- e.g, presenting liberal celebrities before large corporations using the same laws in the same way -- it did, at least, accurately point out that Springsteen's activities were perfectly legal, that he pays an annual 6-figure real estate tax bill, and that he actually does have an organic farm. The regurgitations, such as this one, didn't bother with the feigned fairness.

The Hollywood Reporter article began by quoting an "earwitness" who said, "He gets into economic justice quite a bit... It’s very rock 'n' roll." It didn't take long for the accusations of "hypocrite" and "fake farmer" to begin: Forget the message, attack the messenger!!

This brings me to Springsteen's new single, We Take Care Of Our Own. This song is angry. It is harsh. I think its presentation, its melodic simplicity, and even -- or maybe especially -- its lyrical structure are all reminiscent of Born In The U.S.A..

In the run-up to the release of the single, a friend of mine, perhaps sensing a rehash of some of what happened during the "Born in the U.S.A." era, wrote, "You are going to read and hear a great many distorted representations of this album."

I responded: "I think I'd rephrase that... as follows: 'You are going to read and hear a great many distorted representations of Bruce Springsteen.'... If there is a theme of 'economic justice,' as proposed in the opening of the Hollywood Reporter article, the response will be to portray Bruce Springsteen as a hypocrite and worse. The album itself will not be seriously addressed by those who would do the representing..."

In September, 1984, the conservative columnist George Will, in an op-en piece for The Washington Post turned "Born in the U.S.A." on its head, writing, "... the recitation of closed factories and other problems always seems punctuated by a grand, cheerful affirmation: 'Born in the U.S.A.!'"

It didn't take long for history to repeat. Already this morning, a piece in Los Angeles Times was titled, "First take: Bruce Springsteen's patriotic 'We Take Care of Our Own'" According to this misread, the lyrics "offer an affirmation of national glory," and "the title phrase borders on jingoism." Of the chorus, "We take care of our own/Wherever this flag is flown/We take care of our own," the piece concludes, without the barest hint of irony, that it's "about community and pride."

Perhaps "We Take Care of Our Own" really is unclear to some, in the way that "Born in the U.S.A." was a generation earlier. Both songs, ultimately, are a bit about reclaiming the flag.

In 2004 and 2008, Bruce Springsteen actively campaigned for the Democratic Party's nominee for President. Barack Obama campaigned behind the slogan, "Yes We Can." Springsteen debuted Working On A Dream at a campaign appearance for Obama just two days before the election.

When I listen to "We Take Care of Our Own," and I've been listening a lot over the past 24 hours, and I get to, "The road of good intentions has gone dry as a bone," I hear an accusation, a cry of betrayal from a former believer. And when the song asks where are the eyes with the will to see and the merciful hearts and the promise of the American Dream to the entire nation, I hear not just an echo of (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding; I hear it scream, No, we didn't.

No simple solutions are offered in "We Take Care of Our Own." For now, the song is one of bitterness, angriness, and is a reminder of who we supposedly were. Not, "We're all on our own"; in the end, it's as true as ever that "nobody wins unless everybody wins."

I love this song. I hope it has some impact. And I can hardly wait for the cries of "Shut up and Sing!" and "Hypocrite." It's about time.

The album, Wrecking Ball, will be released on March 6.

Big day for Elianna

The Frankel Jewish Academy put on "The Wizard of Oz" as its Fall show this year, and as part of the cast invited children ages 7-14 to try out for parts as Munchkins and Flying Monkeys. Elianna was all in, of course.

Saturday night, on the way to dropping her off to prepare for the 2nd of the 3 performances, we had the following dialogue:
Elianna: "Have you ever worn lipstick?"
Dad: "Yes"
Elianna: "When?!?"
Dad: "I was in plays once."
Elianna: "What parts were you?"
Dad: "I don't remember!!"
Elianna: "Then you didn't have any big parts."

All in.

Sunday was the final performance, a matinee.
But Elianna also had Martial Arts testing, scheduled at noon.
Made it through. She'll get her belt -- GREEN -- the next time she goes, but she passed.
Then, on to FJA, and the last go-round as a munchkin, member of the Lollypop Guild, and a Flying Monkey. She gets to keep the Munchkin and Flying Monkey hats.

It was, in short, a big day.

The dirtiness of the times

On Monday, I went to a lecture titled, "The Dirty Politics of Ancient Israel." The lecturer made various points, not least of which is that modern politics have nothing on the ancients. The key example: The greatest king of them all, King David. David rose to power by ruthlessly having all his political opponents -- real and imagined -- killed. At least, that was the thesis.

There is a story in 2 Samuel 21: "Then there was a famine in the days of David three years, year after year; and David enquired of the Lord. And the Lord answered, It is for Saul, and for his bloody house, because he slew the Gibeonites." Never mind who the Gibeonites might have been, or whether David was actually talking to God. But... There was a crisis!!! Do something!!

The story continues: "and David said unto the Gibeonites: 'What shall I do for you? and how shall I make atonement?"

The answer? "Let seven men of [Saul's] sons be delivered unto us, and we will hang them up unto the Lord."

And with that, David gathered up seven sons and grandsons of Saul, all the ones who could potentially be threats to him as king, and turned them over to the Gibeonites. Now, maybe Saul killed Gibeonites. Perhaps, even, the seven sons and grandsons of Saul participated in, or at least, enabled such killings. The Bible doesn't say.

In any case, the Gibeonites promptly killed the seven sons and grandsons of Saul, thus ending the crisis (!!!) and, oh-by-the-way, consolidating David's power.

There is no mention as to when the famine ended. David probably credited the killings for the rain, when it finally happened.


It's just an observation. But I notice, sometimes, that some things don't really change all that much. Details change. But the themes come back in various forms, over and over again.

So tonight, in a very minor version of the story, Penn State Football Coach Joe Paterno and President Graham Spanier played leading roles in the latest edition of "The Sons of Saul." Yes, there is a very real crime involved, and somewhere there are real stories about those real crimes. But the sons of Saul are deposed, and the people are happy.

Eventually, the crisis at Penn State will subside. After all, they did something.

Good Night, It's All Right (Pittsburgh, November 4, 2011)

Sometimes, you might just need a fix. That was the first of Bruce Springsteen's two shows with Joe Grushecky here in Pittsburgh.

Other times... other times, you might hope for something more than just a fix. You don't quite know what it is, just that you'll know it when it happens. And when it does, you just say, this is what I came for. That was the second of Bruce Springsteen's two shows with Joe Grushecky in Pittsburgh.

Last night, Bruce Springsteen went to a dark and mysterious place, and drew forth something truly stunning. That he was "on" for this performance was evident right from the start, when he guested with the opening act, The Composure, for a hard driving version of "Dancing in the Dark." Unlike the first night, this time the auditorium was mostly full for the guest show. And, as we soon found out, he was just barely warming up.

The show structure was nominally the same as the first night: Guest with the warmup act, short acoustic set, then Grushecky and the Houserockers for a couple of songs, and then Bruce with Grushecky & co. for a mix of Bruce and Grushecky songs, through to a finale after which Bruce would serenade the crowd solo. A solid formula, though at times a bit ragged on the first night. But there's a difference between "solid" and "coming from another planet." Last night was interstellar.

Bruce started the acoustic set with "Your Own Worst Enemy," the song which opened his 2nd show last year. His voice was superb. Then he followed with a request from Joe Grushecky. As Bruce strummed the opening notes of "Incident on 57th Street," a wave of recognition started to sweep the room. But it didn't really hit until the first words. How to describe? Sublime? Perfect? HFS? All of the above? Yeah. That.

The main set was strong all the way through, with more setlist variations than I would have expected. Bruce highlighted "Darkness on the Edge of Town" and "Adam Raised a Cain," and Grushecky brought out "A Good Life" from his catalogue. The Houserockers were noticeably tighter this night on songs such as "Because the Night" and "Two Hearts," and provided solid backup throughout.

Bruce's guitar playing was stupendous again. I thoroughly enjoyed the jam on "Pumping Iron," though some friends thought it went on too long. But that led to an absolutely monstrous solo passage to open "Light of Day," one of those jaw-dropping "did I just see that?" moments.

At the end of the show, Grushecky's family was invited on stage for renditions of "Brown Eyed Girl" and "Twist and Shout," first Grushecky-style (deliberate, almost salsa) and then full-throttle rock and roll. The stage became very crowded, and as some fans infiltrated, Bruce -- only half-jokingly, I think -- called out for security.

After this, we prepared for the serenade of "Thunder Road" to close this most perfect evening. Except, except, except, Bruce wasn't done. Bruce and Joe were out of songs. But they weren't. Resurrected from last year's show, they dug out "Pink Cadillac," with Bruce putting in some hysterical lyrical changes -- e.g., approximately, "just won't last / over too fast" as the rhyme in the final verse.

And then, the serenade. Only it wasn't a serenade, it was another acoustic mini-set! Although it included "Does This Bus Stop at 82nd Street?," the highlight for me was "Surprise, Surprise," dedicated to a Grushecky family member whose birthday coincided with the show. Bruce opened up a bit, explaining how he wrote the song, and then, to the birthday girl, said, "live every day as if it's your last."

Finally, the show ended with Joe joining Bruce on stage for "Thunder Road." An astonishing evening, completed. Good night, it's all right.

Down the Road Apiece

After a year of no Springsteen concerts, coming to Pittsburgh to see him play with Joe Grushecky and the Houserockers was a bit akin to getting a fix. Everything seemed exciting coming in. The Pennsylvania hills were as beautiful as any landscape painting I've ever seen, and of course the Sailor and Soldiers Hall in Pittsburgh is a gem.

Having seen Bruce play with Grushecky 3 times previously over the past 16 years, I pretty much knew what to expect: Bruce taking lead on most songs, plenty of guitar work and good fun, a bunch of hits, mostly Bruce's, with occasional Grushecky favorites thrown in and perhaps a surprise or two. That, of course, was precisely what the show delivered.

The good news in the show was Bruce's form. His voice was clear and strong, and he shared it happily. I had to remind myself a couple of times that he has passed his 62nd birthday. His guitar work was even better. He took extended solos over and over again. And over again. And then some more. Not just on his own songs, but also on Grushecky numbers such as "Never Be Enough Time" and "Pumping Iron." As for Bruce's songs, when he really decided to rock it, the roof blew off. "Light of Day" was perhaps the biggest highlight, in which Bruce singlehandedly filled the room with his sound.

Bad news? For me, it was that the show offered nothing at all new, besides confirming that Bruce is still in performing shape. A first-time ever acoustic performance of "I'll Work For Your Love" was the closest we came to a surprise in the setlist. That, and a seeming ad lib by Houserockers drummer Joffo Simmons during the band intros portion of "Down the Road Apiece," in which he launched in to The Safaris' "Wipe Out," with Bruce and then the band quickly joining in.

Two other problems were that it was very hot in the hall, and that -- except for during the acoustic numbers -- the sound was pushed way too high, with nothing to deaden it. The effect was of distorted sound literally bouncing off the 110-year old walls back at the audience on the floor. Here's hoping they dial it down a notch or three tomorrow night.

Dunn is Done, All hail Dan Johnson

One month ago, it appeared as if the most interesting thing likely to happen on the last day of the season might be Adam Dunn's pursuit of history. The pennant races were dull, with clear leaders in every race. Little did anyone know...

On September 9, the St. Louis hosted the Atlanta Braves in the first of a 3-game series. The Braves led in the wild card race by 7.5 games. Going in to the bottom of the ninth, the Braves were ahead in the game, 3-1. Their sensational rookie closer, Craig Kimbrel, took the mound. A win would improve the Braves record to 85-60 -- a .586 winning percentage -- and reduce the Braves magic number for a playoff spot to 10, with 17 games remaining. A .586 winning percentage equates to 9.97 wins per 17 games.

With two outs, the Cardinals had a runner on first base. Rafael Furcal, hitting .217, came to the plate. Kimbrel prepared to close out the game, but then something strange happened: He went wild. He walked Furcal on 4 pitches. Then he walked pinch-hitter Ryan Theriot on five pitches.

So now it was bases loaded. Season on the line for the Cardinals. Down two runs, and down to their last out. And now batting for the Cardinals: Prince Albert Pujols. It was a mismatch. Pujols laced Kimbrel's 2nd pitch in to right field to tie the game. The Cards won in the 10th, then swept the rest of the series. Race on.

That same night, the Tampa Bay Rays hosted the Boston Red Sox. The Red Sox had been stumbling in September, but they held a 6.5 game lead over the Rays. A win would improve their record to 86-58 -- a .597 winning percentage -- and reduce their magic number to 12, with 18 games remaining. But the Rays won, 7-2, and went on to sweep the Red Sox, easily. Race on.

Cut forward to the greatest day of regular season baseball in major league history. Oh, there have been other great days, for sure. In 1990, there were two no-hitters on the same day. But nothing like this. Coming in to the day, both wild card races were tied, as the Cardinals had caught the Braves and the Rays caught the Red Sox.

But for a moment, I digress to Adam Dunn. Dunn didn't play yesterday. He did play on Tuesday, though, striking out in all 3 of his at bats. He finished the season with 496 plate appearances, falling 6 short of being a "qualifier." He ended up hitting .159, and even were he to have gotten hits in 6 consecutive plate appearances (thus getting to 502), he would have ended only at .171, easily worsting Rob Deer's .179 20 years ago. He also ended with another ghastly streak: In his last 8 plate appearances, he had 6 strikeouts and 2 walks; that is, not a single time during that span did Dunn put a ball in to play.

But, as they say, what's Dunn is done. As for last night, I think a book could be written.

In Atlanta, Kimbrel re-created his St. Louis meltdown. This time, with a 3-2 ninth inning lead against the Phillies, Kimbrel walked 3 batters and squandered the lead. The Braves ended up losing the game -- and their shot at the post-season -- in th 13th.

But that was the undercard.

In the American League, the Yankees led the Rays, 7-0, in the 8th inning. But the Yankees were using the game merely as a tune-up for the playoffs; they would end up using eleven pitchers. The Rays scored 6 runs in the 8th, but still were down to their last out in the 9th with the score 7-6. Manager Joe Maddon sent up Dan Johnson to pinch-hit.

Johnson was once a Moneyball player. Drafted in 2001 by the Oakland A's -- the year before the one highlighted by Michael Lewis, Johnson was once a player whose on-base percentage and slugging made up for a relatively poor batting average. In 2011, though, Johnson's stats would make Adam Dunn look good. Yes, Johnson started at first base for the Rays on opening day. He even got a hit that day. But he'd had just 8 more hits, all season. His last home run capped an improbable 5-run 9th inning rally to win a game against the White Sox... on April 8th. His last hit was on April 27th. Johnson's batting average was .108. His "OPS+," a measure of his on-base and slugging as compared to league averages -- where 100 is the average score -- was negative 3. And Joe Maddon was putting the entire season on Johnson's shoulders. Down to his last strike, and after having fouled off a pitched, Johnson hit a home run to tie the game.

And that wasn't the end of it, either. The two American League games would end within about 2 minutes of each other, first with Boston completing a spectacular implosion, and then with the Rays winning their game. For certainly the first -- and hopefully the last -- time, Yankees fans everywhere erupted in joy over their team blowing a 7-run lead. Seasoned members of the press appeared to be in shock; an hour after the game ESPN personality Tim Kurkjian still looked like he was about to cry. Still, to me, the night belonged to Dan Johnson. For all I know, he may never get another big league at bat. To me, what happened last night, this is why we watch the game. It will be very hard for the post-season to top it.

Associated Press, photo