Clarence Clemons on Danny Federici (Classic Rock Archive, August 2009)

I miss him so much.

Mister I ain’t a boy, no I’m a man 
- “The Promised Land”

The Bruce Springsteen who wrote and recorded Born To Run was a ghost by the time his fourth album, Darkness on the Edge of Town, was recorded and released in 1978. The wide-eyed virtue previously found on tracks such as “Night”, “Born To Run” and “Thunder Road” was long gone. In its place was no longer a boy but a man who had seen the true darkness life and adulthood had to offer. While despair played a part on Born To Run, its dreamy imagery and roaring accompanying music were streamlined on Darkness. After Born To Run, Springsteen was thrown into the limelight in a way that he wasn’t comfortable with and ultimately, he no longer saw eye to eye with his manager Mike Appel. What followed was an ugly lawsuit where Springsteen learned the callous realities of the music business and Appel managed to keep Springsteen out of the studio during this time. It wasn’t until the summer of 1977 when Springsteen and the E Street Band were able to record again.

Source: Backstreets.com

ARE WE MISSING ANYBODY? 
Announcing Backstreets #91, our tribute to Clarence Clemons 
One year ago today, the Springsteen community was deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Clarence Clemons. “Deeply saddened” hardly says it — the Big Man’s death sent gut-deep shock waves up and down E Street, and we’re all still feeling it one year later, even as Springsteen and the band soldier on. “On through the houses of the dead, past those fallen in their tracks / Always movin’ ahead and never lookin’ back,” Springsteen first sang back in 1995; now, a loss this monumental demands we remember, night after night, that we’re missing somebody. Somebody big.

On this anniversary, we’re proud to announce the 91st issue of BackstreetsMagazine, a tribute to and celebration of Clarence’s life, music, and legacy. While this issue could never be big enough to capture all the facets of such an extraordinary man (Master of the universe! Best selling author! The next president of the United States!), we’ve worked hard to include the voices of many who knew and loved the man. In our tribute to “Phantom” Danny Federici, we focused on the E Street Band’s perspective, to give insight into their most mysterious member at the time of the band’s first loss; to celebrate Clarence’s life, we widened our focus to try and reflect that broad spectrum that is the Big Man.

I’ve been trying to find a significant extract from this article to quote here to encourage you guys to read this, but actually it’s all so good I can’t simply isolate one sentence or paragraph.

Joan Walsh here speaks as much for many of us who converted to the Church of Springsteen long ago, as for those who joined recently. A Springsteen concert is not just a concert; it’s a sensual, physical, spiritual experience. And it carries the story of a man and his band, a story that has touched all of us in different ways, and that brings us together here and there - on the web and in the arena.

Read it and see for yourself. I’m willing to put money on this article being the smartest, most constructive, and deepest analysis of the current state of the Springsteen nation that will appear this year. 

My two biggest passions in life are Bruce and running. So I decided to get this awesome tattoo on my leg. This is the finished product. I love the simplicity of it. Hope you all enjoy as much as I do. 

submission from Jeremy Uresse

Happy birthday, Clarence Clemons! The Big Man would’ve been 70 today. We still miss you, C.

January 11, 1942 - June 18, 2011

(Source: delivermefromnowhere)

My original artwork - The Boss and The Big Man (oil on canvas)

submission from laurengcarey

i guess i’ll start! i got this jungleland tattoo shortly after clarence clemons died. i had wanted it for awhile, but once the big man passed i knew it was time.

Submission from goldenadj

Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band, October 31st, 1980, Los Angeles Sports Arena

Bruce was brought onstage in a coffin. When he emerged, the band proceeded to open the show with a one-off cover of Johnny Fuller’s “Haunted House.”

Happy Halloween from FY The Boss!

This is a really crappy picture, but that’s okay; it still works. I was just talking to one of my friends about great concerts; I’ve been to a lot of awesome shows, met some really fantastic people. 

The greatest show I’ve ever been to, though, was when my daddy and I went to see Bruce Springsteen. My entire childhood was filled with his music, and finally getting to see him in concert- with the very man who was responsible for my love of said music- was perfect. He played for four hours straight, and we were even able to see the Big Man before he passed away. 

So this morning I’m sharing a little bit of the The Boss with you…but mostly to remind myself of a perfect moment.