Blinded by the Light

The dark coolness of a semi-full theatre in the middle of summer on a Saturday afternoon is juxtaposed against the dark coolness of Bruce Springsteen. Yes, Bruce has a dark side (and by dark I mean that he has faced depression off and on for years). But he has triumphed in life and is still the coolest performer I will probably ever see (and by cool I mean a great person and performer, cool in every way to me personally).

Since 1980, I have been listening to the music of the Boss. First it was via an 8-track tape of Born to Run (introduced by my music-oriented brother), next the double vinyl I bought of The River, then the cassette of Born in the U.S.A., followed by various Bruce media (including the Live CDs), and now mostly digital downloads. I have experienced Bruce concerts off and on since November 1981 and including two Cotton Bowl shows watching from the seats from behind the stage (an awesome perspective). These shows, mixed in with numerous shows at Reunion Arena (RIP) in Dallas and one show in the swanky American Airlines Center (Reunion’s replacement) have been the bulk of my Bruce experience. I should have made it a priority to go see Bruce on Broadway, but travel to Europe has been my priority of late. There is nary a commercial album I am not familiar with (bootlegs are another industry) and my favorites are the songs and albums that get little play (Nebraska, Greetings). Anyhow, I just want to provide a little background of my own Brucemania to show that it’s nothing new.

As a matter of fact, I have a nice stash of some years of Backstreets Magazine that I have saved to read and re-read later in life.

So when I saw Blinded by the Light, I was transported in spirit back to my primo Bruce days. I certainly enjoyed every moment of the new movie that has basically an unknown cast (except Hayley Atwell, whom I am familiar with being an Anglophile). Did they ever capture the spirit of discovering Bruce’s music?! And how!

–Can this kid (Viveik Kalra) be any cuter? He is actually 21 years old. Click HERE for an article on Kalra.

Roops the Singh, the only other Muslim teenager/student at protagonist Javed’s school in working-class Luton, a town about an hour away from London, turns Javed on to the music of the Boss. The lyrics of a down-on-your-luck loner immediately speak to Javed and inspire him to live more fearlessly. The lyrics immediately appeal to the teenager Javed, an aspiring writer since he was very young.

The movie opens with a young Javed and his neighborhood friend, Matt, on a hill looking over the M1 headed to London. Javed wanted so badly to be in one of the cars going to London.

I thought the casting was superb and was excited to learn that there is a real Javed (with a different name) and that Sarfraz Manzoor helped write the movie (with director Gurindar Chadha of Bend It Like Beckham fame, along with another writer).

Javed relates to Bruce’s wanting to leave his hometown, wanting to grow up faster than reality was allowing. Besides Roops, Javed is lucky to find some friends to help him on his journey to mature, namely, his teacher, Ms. Clay (played by Atwell), and his girlfriend (Eliza, an iconoclast in her own anti-Thatcher/Reagan way).

It was a joyous experience and I really wanted to start belting out the songs as clips were played during the movie. I don’t think I am the only one to feel this way. I found it nostalgic and empowering to know almost every note heard. Yes, I’m going to go back and see it again and I am appreciative all over again of growing up listening to Springsteen.

If you are in any way appreciative of Bruce Springsteen, his music, and the E Street Band, don’t miss Blinded by the Light.