See this story at BrooklynDaily.com.
By Eric Dryden
Brooklyn Daily
They will work for their love.
Bruce Springsteen fans and authors Marc Dolan and Caryn Rose are two music critics whose passion for the American icon has brought them together in Greenpoint to share the stage and their pugilistic love for the boss in a night of highbrow literary analysis, music trivia, and free beer.
They share a love for Springsteen and agree that “Thunder Road” is his best song, but these two kindred spirits don’t take the same marching orders from the Boss — so expect them to duke it out in their discussion at Word Bookstore in Greenpoint.
“We are cross-Tweeters, who disagree amiably and productively,” said Dolan. “The idea that we have witnesses for our first extended conversation about Springsteen and rock ’n’ roll is just too delicious.”
In spite of their differences, both authors share a personal connection through Springsteen’s music.
Dolan, who grew up in New Jersey in the 1970s, admitted that he could never describe the nuances of his home better than the song “Jungleland,” while Rose serendipitously discovered Springsteen’s music just as her love for literature and rock ’n’ roll was blossoming. Like legions of other fans worldwide, it is the intimacy of his lyrics that attracts these writers to American singer-songwriter.
“The thing that draws people to him is what you see is what you get. There’s no attempt to be ironic or detached,” said Rose. “[I]t’s in-your-face sincerity.”
Along with a friendly atmosphere and Springsteen trivia for fans, both of these authors hope that the evening will encourage the audience to revisit the Boss’s catalogue and discover complexity in the music that they may have missed in the past.
“Springsteen has grown as I have grown, and he keeps challenging me on more complex levels,” said Dolan. “We will make you want to listen to Springsteen more closely.”
Springsteen Night at Word Bookstore [126 Franklin St. at Milton Street in Greenpoint, (718) 383–0096, www.wordbrooklyn.com]. Jan. 22 ,7 pm, free.