Pete Seeger...who the F*** is THAT?

Bruce...BRUUUUUUCCCCE!!! What's been going on, man? Seriously. What up, dawg?
I've been replacing all my cassettes and vinyl with CD, lately. Well, I'm actually KEEPING all the vinyl. I'm just "upgrading".
Anywho, a few posts back I discussed my aversion to MOST of the new music and the aforementioned "upgrade". You can read it if you want. I'll wait here.......................................................Back already? Gee, you're a fast reader. Give yourself a smiley face!
I wore out Bruce Springsteen's "The River" on cassette. (I wore out TWO copies of the "Live" album, but that's another story.) This album (along with, probably, The Wall, Zenyatta Mondatta, something by Elton, and a few more that escape me at the moment) was a turning point. I know it sounds cliche, and it is. But it's MY cliche and this is MY blog so shut the f*** up!
It's kind of fun to look back on your life and really see, for the first time, how something that seemed so trivial really affected you. Listening to "The River" was like walking around the city and ducking into a strange building you've never seen before. Perhaps an old hotel. Inside the building, maybe in an old ballroom, is a crowd of strangers. Characters. Listening to "The River" was like "working the room" and not leaving until every one of these characters had told you his story. These were individual stories. Human stories set to great music.
Back in high school, I wanted to be Bruce. Or, at least, I wanted to be like one of these characters. Even my high school girlfriend's name was Sherry. (Although, I liked her mom a lot better than Bruce did in HIS song!) Yes, this was one of THOSE albums. And, dare I say, I believe I even felt the first stirrings of desire to do some songwriting.
But something happened between "The River" and "The Seeger Sessions" and even "Devils And Dust". Sure there were smatterings of Socialism in Bruce's early stuff. Unions. The little guy not getting his fair share. Good song fodder. I ain't got no problem with that. On an individual basis, it's brilliant. Most of the characters in Bruce's earlier stuff were losers, but they took personal responsibility for their failures. These days Bruce has aligned himself with the party of "Bush is Hitler", higher taxes, and "I voted FOR the war before I voted AGAINST it".
Yeah, maybe I'm living in the past by re-purchasing all of these cassettes and LP's. I don't hear anyone telling Bruce he's living in the past by exhuming Pete Seeger's stuff. These musicians (young and old) yearn for the sixties so bad it hurts. They want to be in "charge" again. Is it so wrong that I'm living in the past, too? I just didn't go back as far as the "freak" sixties, just the "me" '80's.
HEY! HIPPIE FREAKS! You're not in charge anymore! Don't cry, though. We still put on your records every now and then. Records that have been cleaned up. Pops and scratches digitally removed. A lot of it was good stuff. I really mean that. But please step aside and let the neo-cons through. You're just making fools of yourselves.
And Bruce...Why? Why did you have to align yourself with them? I love most of your albums but I'm afraid I can't pay full price for them anymore. Half.com baby!
I'd go see Bruce again. I saw him a few years ago at the Fargo Dome. Awesome show! The most radical thing he did at the show was ask for food donations to the local pantries. That's cool! Don't tell me I'm a racist, sexist, bigot, homophobe. Don't equate me with Hitler. Just sing your damn songs and entertain me!
Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to turn up "The River". Go away!