Springsteen: Point Blank

by Christopher Sandford

‘Bruce is one of rock's good guys. In concert he is electrifying; in conversation, illuminating; on record, exhilarating. There is an integrity to his craft. He is one of the few stars of this stature to have remained true to his roots and his social conscience’ - Patrick Humphries, rock biographer and NME journalist Bruce Springsteen was born in 1949 to parents of Dutch/Irish/Italian descent, in a poor neighbourhood of New Jersey. His mother Adele was the chief breadwinner of the family and it was she who bought her son a guitar soon after he saw Elvis perform on television at the age of seven. It was Springsteen’s upbringing in this blue collar suburb which informed his career as a singer/songwriter and performer, both solo and as leader of the E Street Band, which took off with the massive success of his album Born to Run in 1975. He followed up with a stream of hit albums and songs throughout the eighties and nineties, with his tales of the American dream gone awry, and was dubbed “The Boss” by his legions of fans. Christopher Sandford delivers a witty and perceptive account of his driven rise to fame, as the Jersey born bard of mid-America who “wraps his rough and full bodied rasp around tales of the beaten and the broke - John Steinbeck with a guitar”. Somehow, despite fame and success, Springsteen has maintained his sympathy for the outsider, and through his extraordinarily energetic and empathetic live performance creates a connection with his audience which has no equal in the rock world. Springsteen supported Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign and it was his song “The Rising” which was first played over the loudspeakers after Obama’s victory speech. He has sold over 135 million records world wide and is one of the top selling recording artists of all time. Praise for Christopher ‘A more thorough and current account than the best existing life so far’ — Robert Sandall, Sunday Times ‘Rigorously researched and thoroughly readable’ — Q ‘Very well written, critical and thoroughly researched’ — Guardian 'In an industry known for ephemeral enthusiasms, Bruce Springsteen has remained interesting by successfully reinventing himself half a dozen times. At his peak Springsteen redefined rock music, rescuing it from pretentious concept albums and the apparent arrogance of the rock star performers' - Uncut 'Sandford provides a convincingly complex portrait' - Mojo Christopher Sandford is a successful author and journalist. His highly acclaimed books include The Final Over and the New York Times bestseller Masters of The Strange Friendship of Arthur Conan Doyle and Harry Houdini. He is also the author of several biographies, including Edge of Darkness as well as studies of Mick Jagger, Steve McQueen,Sting and Imran Khan. He has worked as a film and music writer and reviewer for over twenty years and frequently contributes to newspapers and magazines on both sides of the Atlantic, including the Seattle Times, Rolling Stone Magazine, The Spectator and The Observer. Rolling Stone has called him “the pre-eminent author in his field today”. Sandford divides his time between Seattle and London.

Genres: Music, Biography, Nonfiction

482 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 15, 1999

About the author

Christopher Sandford has published acclaimed biographies of Kurt Cobain, Steve McQueen, Mick Jagger, David Bowie, Keith Richards, Paul McCartney, and Roman Polanski. He has worked as a film and music writer and reviewer for over 20 years and frequently contributes to newspapers and magazines on both sides of the Atlantic. Rolling Stone has called him "the preeminent author in his field today."

His latest project, MASTERS OF MYSTERY (forthcoming November 2011, Palgrave Macmillan) explores Arthur Conan Doyle's and Harry Houdini's incredible friendship and fascination with Spiritualism.

Reviews

[CL · Rating 2 out of 5]

This read like a conversation with someone who could not make up his mind which topic he wanted to discuss. But that said I did enjoy the story once I got used to the writing style. For instance, I did not know the tidbit on his seeing Elvis on television and wanting to be just like him. I had read stories about his grass roots way of living and admire that about him but there was so much more I thought could have been covered if he had actually interviewed “The Boss”. I would like to thank the Publisher and Net Galley for the chance to read this ARC.

[Carol Storm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shockingly frank look at the dark side of an American icon -- Springsteen as you've never seen him before!

[Kenneth · Rating 1 out of 5]

Christopher Sandford lacks the ability and sense on how to write a biography. He will write one solid, informative page, then on the very next page he will descend into a backstage gossip mode and locker room chatter. This goes on back and forth throughout the book, this bi-polar writing style. How much do we need to know about the boss and his groupies? I have read books on the Churchill family and on Joseph P. Kennedy, and the writers have clearly detailed the individual’s sexual habits and behavior in two pages. Then you move on. The Boss is idolized by many, and past authors have gushed over him and lionized him. I was not looking for that. However, the subject should be dignified. The writer should show more class. Sanford has also written books on Mick Jagger, Kurt Cobain, Bowie, Clapton and Sting. I will not be reaching for any of those books. This qualifies as “celebrity gossip”, not a serious biography.

[Claire · Rating 3 out of 5]

Things I didn't like about this book:
1) some of the information is incorrect (surprisingly so, for someone who has done even superficial research on Springsteen), which brings into question the validity of several events he relates
2) he seems to go back and forth on his opinions of things: "This album was brilliant," followed by several pages explaining why the album was NOT brilliant. It feels as though he's cut and paste several different views, then forgotten to go back, make citations, and smooth out transitions
3) it's often hard to know what the author is talking about; the writing frequently gets confusing. He makes many statements that need more fleshing out

In spite of this, he does come up with some truly poetic and authentic insights into Springsteen, as both an artist and human being. Probably only for hard-core fans who need to say they've read it all.

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Spent the last couple of weeks reading a chapter at a time, but couldn't get interested in it, maybe the style of writing is not to my taste. It happens.
A NetGalley Book

[Adele · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is so poorly written, I am sorry, I simply cannot finish it

[Rory Toohey · Rating 1 out of 5]

Review on Legends of Springsteen

[Neil · Rating 1 out of 5]

I received a free copy via Netgalley in exchange for a honest review.

This was very disappointing with the author jumping from one part of Springsteen life to another from page to page.
The writing style was not for me and made for a very poor read.
My advice if you want to read about Springsteen. Look somewhere else.

[David LaVaque · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dont' care much for the writing style. But the info is good if you like to peek behind the curtain of your favorite musicians.