Wash Post Bruce Give and Take

Wash Post.com does a live online chat with one of thjeir music critics, with
the unlikely name of J. Freedom du Lac. Much of Wednesday's concetrated on
Bruce, with a wide variety of opinion from fans. Here are the relevant
excerpts:

Washingtonpost.com

May 31, 2006 Wednesday 2:00 PM EST

SECTION Freedom Rock

J. Freedom du Lac, Washington Post Staff Writer, washingtonpost.com

Washington Post music critic J. Freedom du Lac is online every Wednesday at
2 p.m. ET to talk about the latest on the music scene: hip-hop, pop,
alternative, country, alt-country, rock, reggae, reggaeton, R&B and whatever
it is that Ashlee Simpson does.

Washington Post music critic J. Freedom du Lac is online every Wednesday at
2 p.m. ET to talk about the latest on the music scene: hip-hop, pop,
alternative, country, alt-country, rock, reggae, reggaeton, R&B and whatever
it is that Ashlee Simpson does.

The transcript follows.

____________________

J. Freedom du Lac: So, what's up?

_______________________


Fairfax, Va.: J-

How tough is it to be objective to a band after writing a rave a few nights
earlier? I wouldn't want to be in Pearl Jam's shoes after the writeup you
gave to Bruce.

J. Freedom du Lac: Not difficult at all. I mean, PJ wasn't exactly Bruce and
the Seeger Sessions Band. But it was a very good show - though I felt like
they could/should have subbed out at least one of Mike McCready's 456 guitar
solos for a little bit of banjo. Or even a tuba solo.

Plus, "Masters of War" - nice song and all, but it's no "Erie Canal."

_______________________

washingtonpost.com: Detour From E Street; The Boss Hasn't Lost His Way, He's
Just Walking in Pete Seeger's Shoes

_______________________



Silver Spring, Md.: J. Free,

I saw Bruce Springsteen at Nissan, and there is no doubt he is the best
showman in rock-n-roll. To get the crowd singing and dancing to "Buffalo
Gals" is an achievement and a sight to behold. And he just might be the
second hardest working man in show business.

Agree?

J. Freedom du Lac: Yes, absolutely -- right behind Prince.
_______________________

Albany-to-Buffalo, N.Y.: If you had a mule, would you name her "Sal"?

I'd name MY mule "Flash".

J. Freedom du Lac: And I'd correct myself to say that Ian MacKaye isn't
married. But he WAS at the PJ concert. With a friend.

_______________________


Pearl Jam, Bruce, Pearl Jam, Bruce: Talk to me about something else!!! Not
Tool...

J. Freedom du Lac: OK, fine.

I listened to that I See Hawks in LA band that somebody mentioned here last
week during the alt-country discussion. First song on the new album a pretty
nice approximation of Son Volt. (The singer even sort of sounds like Jay
Farrar.) The songwriting seems to fall apart, though.

Now, about that Springsteen show...

_______________________

E Street: Were you and I at the same concert on Sunday night? Best show in
five years? You must not have been picking your shows very well.

J. Freedom du Lac: No, I think you must have been at a James Blunt show or
something. Or maybe you were at Springsteen, but you were sitting in the
wrong place. Namely, Section 101, Row N, Seats 12 and 13. That's right,
people: Now it can be told. I have the exact coordinates of the doofuses who
kept calling out for "Thunder Road" - and who yelled for Bruce to "play the
good stuff."

Speaking of good stuff, did you read (in the Style section yesterday) that
there's a radio station in the UK that's banning James Blunt's music from
its airwaves on account of overexposure?

From the wire report: "Chris Cotton, program controller of local radio Essex
FM in southern England, said: 'We don't have anything against James Blunt
and we're pleased he has been so successful, but we really need a break.'"

Amen, brother. Amen.

Question for you Freedom Rockers: If you were radio programming king for a
day, whose music would you ban?

_______________________

Bruce's Seeger Sessions Tour: Given that you and I rarely find agreement in
our musical tastes and pleasures, I was so pleased to see you give credit
where credit is due re: Bruce's summer tour. I was not able to go to the
Nissan show, and I wouldn't even classify myself as a hard-core Bruce fan,
but I did see this band on their very first outing, which was at the New
Orleans Jazz Fest. At what was an incredibly emotional Jazz Fest anyway,
Bruce's set tore off the figurative roof and was one of the high points this
year -- probably of any of my 8 years attending. I hope people will seek out
and see this tour, not "in spite of the missing E Street Band" songs, but
because of them.

J. Freedom du Lac: Can't we all get along? Maybe today we can.

I've heard from some hardcore Bruce fans who say the Jazz Fest show was one
of the greatest Springsteen sets they've ever seen - "easily top 5, and
maybe top 3" in the words of one diehard. (And this was a guy who's spent
years trekking around the world to see The Boss.)

_______________________


Millersville, Md.: Bruce backed up by a tuba? Who knew!?!

I completely agree with your Springsteen review. I've seen Bruce 9 times and
this might have been the best. He seemed to be enjoying himself a little
more than in the past and he provided a lot more 'commentary' between the
songs than in the past few tours. I didn't hear anyone yelling for "Born to
Run", etc., but I just can't believe anyone bought a ticket without knowing
what he was doing.

I was somewhat disappointed when I first heard that he was releasing a folk
album, but I was pleasantly surprised when I heard it. I knew right away
that it would translate into a great concert. I think you have to respect a
guy who does what he wants and directs his own career - he thrown many
curveballs throughout the past few decades (ie Nebraska, TofL, D&D, and now
the Seeger sessions).

Is there any chance that there will be a concert DVD from this tour?

J. Freedom du Lac: I've just asked that very question of Springsteen's tour
publicist. I'll let you know what she says.

I thought the live show was vastly superior to the Seeger Sessions CD
itself. It's amazing what a little rehearsal and a short European tour can
do for a band, eh? They've really worked out those arrangements, and they
learned to play together in a hurry.

_______________________


Falls Church, Va.: JFDL!

Your review of the Springsteen show was right on target. Hard to believe it
was not even close to sell out. Many people, including die hard Sprinsteen
fans, missed a great show. Glad you (and I) where there!!

J. Freedom du Lac: Is there a holiday in Falls Church today? Nobody seems to
be doing any work there. Anyway, yes - there was a wide swatch of empty
space on the lawn Sunday. Could have been a few contributing factors: It was
a holiday weekend, the show was announced pretty late in the game and, um, a
lot of people weren't interested in going to a Bruce Springsteen folk
jamboree. They want The Hits. They want Bruce Springsteen, rock god. And
that's fine, really. It's best that those people who thought they'd be
disappointed stayed away. It ensured that the folks calling for "Born in the
USA," et al, would be a serious minority.

_______________________

On the Bruce bandwagon: J. Free:

Loved your review of Bruce's concert. I'm a Springsteen fan for 30+ years
who only bought the new CD because I always buy Bruce's CDs. Much to my
surprise, I really liked it: a much livelier and more entertaining take on
folk music than what he's done in the past. Sorry to hear some of the other
old faithful weren't that open-minded. At least, they weren't calling for
"Rosalita."

J. Freedom du Lac: Well, they might have been calling for "Rosalita." But I
couldn't hear those requests from my seat. Not with the two guys behind me
yelling repeatedly for "Thunder Road." Plus, there was a dude sitting to my
right who wanted to discuss every song as it was unfolding. At high volume.
In my ear.

_______________________

Van the Man on Tour: Okay, so Van has nothing else to do and he cuts a
country album. Sounds like Elvis on the "Almost Blue" tour.

"Rockers" like Rod Stewart lose their pipes and cut "standards" albums at a
whisper to try to hang on to their aging fans' dollars.

Bonnie Raitt cuts a "world music" album and doesn't announce it until the
tickets are sold.

Springsteen watches "O Brother" a few too many times and thinks "hey, I can
do that."

Ticket Buyer Beware (or at least alert): You may see a once-in-a-lifetime
show, or you may want your three hours refunded. You have to know they're
mostly going to focus on the new album.

J. Freedom du Lac: O Boss, Where Art Thou?

Is it just me, or does Van sounds drunk on the new album? More than usual,
anyway.

_______________________

Caveat emptor: You have to be carefull buying tickets to Elvis Costello,
too. It could be a rock and roll show or he could be playing new
interpretations of his old songs with Denmark's most renown zither player.

J. Freedom du Lac: Very true. You never know which Elvis will enter the
building.

_______________________

Walnut Creek, Calif.: J Freedom: I noticed in your laudatory review of Bruce
Springsteen the observation he performed to a "not quite capacity crowd."
Any idea why the concert was not sold out? Also, the tour could probably
pull some of your quotes for its ads, so high in praise was your article:
have you ever had a line from a review used in an ad?

J. Freedom du Lac: Don't know whether I've ever been blurbed, but I'd love
to see James Blunt's camp use part of my review on a CD-cover sticker. I can
see it now: "'Hate him because he sounds like his underwear is three sizes
too small.' - Washington Post."

_______________________

Just wonderin': When you're done with this chat, could you play Thunder
Road, please.

J. Freedom du Lac: No. My tuba is in storage.

(Wait, that sounds dirty.)

_______________________

South of Springfield, WAY South of Cool: J. Free, help me!

While sitting at dinner with my 17-year-old niece last week, I asked what
was on her Ipod. I take a certain amount of pride in being musically aware
(longtime 'HFS listener when I lived in D.C.) so I thought this was a chance
for old Uncle to show off a bit.

Instead, she gave me a withering look and proceeded to name half a dozen
bands I've never heard of. I was so depressed I could only mutter "I am NOT
old, dammit!" under my breath for the rest of the evening.

So the question is, what's good out there that a child of the '70s/'80s
(Springsteen, Elton, Eagles, Southside Johnny, Blondie, Dire Straits, etc.)
would enjoy? I really don't want to be a musical fossil, but I just can't do
rap/hip hop, boy bands or earnest young singers who yowl like important
parts of their anatomy are caught in a food processor.

I do like the Killers, and to a lesser extent Franz Ferdinand. What else is
out there? Help me, oh wise one!

J. Freedom du Lac: "earnest young singers who yowl like important parts of
their anatomy are caught in a food processor."

That's a terrific description! Can I pretend that I came up with that when I
review the next screamo band that comes through town?

I don't know that anything you do will impress your niece short of, you know
.... self-immolation. (And We At The Washington Post do NOT recommend trying
that at home, or elsewhere.)

But here are three albums you might want to investigate:

Jenny Lewis with the Watson Twins, "Rabbit Fur Coat": Country-soul album
with indie cred (even Conor "Bright Eyes" Oberst makes an appearance).

My Morning Jacket, "Z": The album Elton John might have made if he'd
collaborated with The Band.

Sam Roberts, "Chemical City": Who says classic rock is dead?

_______________________

Re: Banned forever if I were in charge...:

Bruce and Pearl Jam, of course.

J. Freedom du Lac: And that, my friend, is why you work at the NIH and not
WARW-FM.

_______________________

Chantilly, VA: With all the boos for the Boss on Sunday night, I thought for
a moment that I was at a Dylan concert when he switched to the electric
guitar. We really fight change and experimentation in our artists, don't we?

J. Freedom du Lac: Well, there weren't really boos. Just some folks who were
very vocal about the show they WANTED to see. (And it wasn't the one
Springsteen staged.)


.

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