Bruce Springsteen's Top 10 has absolutely nothing to do with the debt ceiling

By Richard K. Barry and Michael J.W. Stickings

RKB:

For some reason, my mind is in New Jersey today, which is, by the way, a very beautiful, though sometimes maligned, state. I grew up in New York on the Jersey border, and sometimes made it down to the Jersey Shore, so I guess I'm allowed.

Partly, I just can't think about the debt ceiling for another second without driving myself crazy, so I'm surfing today.

While looking for something entirely different, I came across a website that purports to be able to rank Bruce Springsteen's top 10 hits. The site is called ...ology. They appear to cover off a lot of topics, so their sports page is called "sportsology," and the music page "musicology," etc. You get it.

If for some reason you didn't know that Springsteen was from New Jersey, I should make that clear. Hey, I guess some people wouldn't know.

I like Springsteen, though I'm not a huge fan only because I never really turned my attention to him in any systematic way. It's great rock 'n' roll, make no mistake.

But any website that not only has an opinion on his top 10 but goes to the trouble of posting a YouTube clip for every last one gets my attention.

If you have nothing better to do with your time, as we try to outlast this nasty hot summer, and want to enjoy some great videos, the link is here.

Here's their list:

1. Jungleland

2. Thunder Road

3. Born to Run

4. Hungry Heart

5. Dancing in the Dark

6. Atlantic City

7. Santa Claus is Comin' to Town

8. Racing in the Street

9. The Rising

10. Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)

Final note: I have no skin in this game of ranking hits by The Boss. If you do, by all means, tell us how the folks at ...ology got it wrong (or right).

And not a word about the debt ceiling, please.

(Cross-posted at Lippmann's Ghost.)

**********

MJWS:

Not a word about the debt ceiling here. Of course you're welcome to comment on our many debt ceiling posts.

(But it's good to take a break from it! Political paralysis and possible economic catastrophe -- not so fun.)

Now, I actually lived in New Jersey for several years as a teenager, graduating from West Morris Mendham High School before heading up to Tufts for college. The state has a reputation for being "the armpit of the nation," but that's really only true of parts of the state, the industrial parts across the river from NYC. It's an ugly, smelly part of the country, but probably no worse than many other parts. And much of the rest of the state, including Mendham, in Morris County, in the north-central part of the state, is extremely beautiful, far removed from the reputation.

I lived there but wasn't of there. It's not that I didn't like my time there -- I really did -- but I have more of an affinity for Boston than I do for New Jersey. (Not Boston's sports teams, mind you, just the whole Boston area, a fantastic place to spend four collegiate years.) I don't like Bon Jovi, for example, and don't you have to to be an honest-to-goodness New Jerseyan/Jerseyite? And you probably have to love The Sopranos as well. Me? I never watched it.

As for Springsteen, well, sure, fine. "Born to Run," "Jersey Girl" -- these are songs you just can't avoid there. They are New Jersey. If you're from there, they're part of you. I'd call myself a casual fan. I respect him and admire him as an artist, and he's done a lot that I like, but I can't say I've ever made a point of seeking out his music, beyond a few songs here and there.

Well, okay, I do have the 3-CD Live/1975-85 album with the E Street Band. So maybe I'm more of a fan than I think I am.

For what it's worth, my picks... my Top 20:

1. Streets of Philadelphia
2. Tunnel of Love
3. Secret Garden
4. Brilliant Disguise
5. Human Touch
6. Born in the U.S.A.
7. My Hometown
8. The Rising
9. Born to Run
10. I'm on Fire
11. Atlantic City
12. Devils & Dust
13. Darkness on the Edge of Town
14. Thunder Road
15. Jungleland
16. The River
17. Racing in the Street
18. Dancing in the Dark
19. Badlands
20. Glory Days (a song I occasionally loathe, I admit, but I should tack it on here at the end)

No huge surprises there, I'm sure.

Purists, or rather fans of the more raw Boss of the early years, might object to "Streets of Philadelphia" and "Secret Garden" being so high, or listed at all, but they're wonderful songs. And I suppose I like his 1984-92 period more than the older classics, which is why songs like "Tunnel of Love," "Human Touch," and "Brilliant Disguise" are higher than, say, "Born to Run." And while I have a few more recent songs on here, like "Devils & Dust" and "The Rising," I'm not as familiar with his recent work as I am with the songs I grew up with.

How ironic, though, that in my opinion his best song is about Philadelphia, which, while right across the river from New Jersey, isn't New Jersey. But, then, his art, not to mention his appeal, extends well beyond The Garden State, as much a part of it as he remains.

Gov. Christie, still unpopular in his home state

By Richard K. Barry

Just because I like to point to anything that counts as bad news for that pompous bully governor of New Jersey, Chris Christie, I note a recent Public Policy Polling survey on how Christie would fair against Obama head-to-head in the state. The results were 56 percent for the president, 39 percent for the pompous bully.

It is true that Obama won New Jersey by 15 points in 2008, and the state hasn't gone Republican since 1988, as Daily Kos points out, but isn't Christie supposed to be a cut above?

His current approval rating? 43 percent approve of the job he's doing and 53 disapprove, so maybe not.

I know that a lot of people think Christie could win the White House for the GOP if he would only run, but if the guy can't even come close to carrying his own state, that might be an overly optimistic assessment.

For the record, Obama beats all comers in "The Garden State" with the following breakdown: Romney (53-39); Bachmann (55-35); Pawlenty (54-32); Cain (55-29); and Palin (59-33).

(Cross-posted at Lippmann's Ghost.)

MMMM # 152 Publicasters Falling

     It's not only in Alabama that public broadcasting programs are going dark.

     In New Jersey, a 40 year old network  has ceased to exist...Governor Christie also sold the network's nine radio licenses. 130 people are out of work.

     Public Broadcasting has never been a favorite of Republicans, who now control the NJ and Alabama state governments. The GOP Majority U.S. House tried to strip PBS of its $430-Million earlier in the year, though a TIME blog suggests that battle is over with the funding is intact.

     If there was any concerted effort on the part of the Alabama GOP to kill FTR or any other APT programs, I was unaware of it. Legislators of both parties were always willing to take part, and spoke highly of the show, though that's what you would expect when they were talking with the host.

     The Montgomery Advertiser's Sebastian Kitchen, always a reliable and knowledgeable guest on the old FTR, wrote about the demise of APT's Montgomery operation in a column in Sunday's paper. He brings out the "death by a thousand cuts" element of the end...the repeated schedule changes to FTR etc etc.

     And earlier last week, Dana Beyerle of The New York Times Regional Newspapers added his own reportage to the the developments.

     The last locally produced APT program will be recorded in the studios on Madison Avenue on July 15th, Then someone will turn out the lights and lock the doors. More than a dozen Alabamians will be job hunting, and perhaps some viewers will be looking for coverage of what legislators are doing in the Capitol.  



[Note: the photos above shows an APT studio on Madison Avenue in February 2009, preparing for the taping of the final FTR. The topic was the faltering Alabama economy.]



[The Monday Morning Media Memo is a regular feature of this blog.]

He Shoulda Read Asop

Here's the story Aesop wrote : One winter a Farmer found a Snake stiff and frozen with cold. He had compassion on it, and taking it up, placed it in his bosom. The Snake was quickly revived by the warmth, and resuming its natural instincts, bit its benefactor, inflicting on him a mortal wound. "Oh," cried the Farmer with his last breath, "I am rightly served for pitying a scoundrel."

The greatest kindness will not bind the ungrateful.





And here's what just happened in New Jersey to a young man who perhaps had never read Aesop, courtesy the Asbury Park Press, a former employer of mine back in the day.



[And thanks to finder-of-truths online, Jay, for finding the N.J. story!]

Old Time Religion

     I worked and lived in Asbury Park, New Jersey*, for a while in the 70's...D.J. and radio news mostly, and it was there that I became familiar with Ocean Grove, a Methodist founded community that in some respects still reflects the 1860's when it started.

     Memory tells me they closed off the streets with chains on Sundays...though I'm not sure that's true today.

     Nonetheless, my friend Helen up Jersey way has sent me an article about the tent camp that springs up there each Summer...and here it is! My friend David, who still lives part of the year up that way, raves about the huge pipe organ in the auditorium and the concerts he has attended there. Helen heard Johnny Mathis sing there recently!

    Anyway, just a little travelogue through my past.



[*And yes, The Boss's Mom called me to request I play his songs on the Saturday night show I did. And I would. True story! I'll bet some of  Bruce's songs were influenced by the presence of Ocean Grove!]