Born to Run: The Bruce Springsteen Story

Okay, I'll be the first to admit that Dave Marsh has a Springsteen goo-goo, but "Born To Run", which I believe is his first book on Bruce, suffers quite a bit less for it than the books that followed. Here, Marsh did a nice job of describing Springsteen's childhood and early adulthood and didn't have quite as much time and space to worship. I bought this book as a beach read in 1984, and for a while I found myself referring back to it fairly regularly, but since reading the others in Marsh's Springsteen line-up, I've kind of retired it to the status of fondly remembered relic. Bruce just isn't the same anymore either.

June 10, 2002In `Born To Run', biographer Dave Marsh successfully immerses the reader in the origin and background of both Bruce Springteen and the Jersey Shore of the sixties and seventies. Some might chafe at the occasionally purple prose (and praise), but Marsh's tendency (not always forgivable) towards hyperbole and emotionalism is indicative of the genuinely live-or-die-with-Rock-And-Roll mandate by which its subjects once lived their lives.Particularly strong is the first half of the book, wherein Marsh effectively paints New Jersey's familial sixties Rock And Roll scene, the sort of rebellious regional musical brewing pot that has reinvented itself repeatedly across the continent in any number of regions over the last thirty years. The difference here is that Bruce's was the first generation of working class youths to grow up in the shadow of Elvis, and the Beatles, and Motown, and rock's first great era. To these kids, Rock And Roll was more than just something interesting to listen to on your phonograph before supper. It was a revelation, almost a religion. Once the scene shifts to the late seventies and the music industry, Marsh's take on things skews further. His deification of Springsteen seems to be based on little more than Bruce's having managed to not grow a pot belly, "sell out", beat up his girlfriend, or get busted for drugs. (Although, admittedly, that does put the man in rare company for the times.)The companion book to this effort, `Glory Days', isn't too interesting, but `Born To Run', whether or not you dig Bruce's music, packs a potent punch. As a glimpse into an age of innocence and passion, it's inspiring and re-readable . . . . . . and it'll make you want to start a band and hitthe road.

Although Marsh has been accused both of writing hagiography and of not revealing his connection to his subject (he is married to Springsteen's manager), there is no better source for insight into Springsteen and his history. This is the place to start for anyone interested in Springsteen's career. However, despite the comment above, there are more complete sources for a Springsteen discography and touring chronology. Of course, anyone who needs information more complete than what is provided here has probably read this book long ago