"I had some friends, very close friends of mine...guys who came home in wheelchairs, and then, I didn't go," the singer told Tom Hanks at Tribeca Film Festival event Friday, "I was a stone-cold draft dodger."

Springsteen explained he pulled "everything in the draft-dodger's text book."

"So, perhaps, I felt guilty about that later on. I had friends who went. I had friends who went and died. I had friends later on who were seriously hurt," he continued.

He decided he needed to "come to terms with myself" and sing about what he had done.

Much of the conversation between Hanks and Springsteen were based on stories from the singer's recent memoir, "Born to Run." He discussed the tough times at the start of his career when he was broke and playing gigs wherever he could. He and his bandmates never paid taxes and avoided bills for years so when they hit it big, they spent years paying off debts and attorney fees.

LINK

"Born to Run" - Yep.

I'm not a fan of his music and I'm really not a fan of him. Sounds like a true hero hiding away from fighting for his country and later avoiding paying taxes.

Never like him or his music from the beginning.

Never a fan of his. Shitty music by a shitty person. There are very few celebrities that I feel are actually worth a damn, and this just proves it further!

I grew up on Springsteen. The first time I ever kissed a girl, Springsteen was on the radio. I had a drag race in Hgh School. An honest-to-God drag race, over a girl. I won, blew his ass off the road. Springsteen was on the radio.

That was a long time ago, and Springsteeen, had he remained merely a performer, would still be in my heart, but no more.

In one of the Elvis documentaries, a reporter asks Elvis about the Vietnam War. With the most kind and innocent look on his face, Elvis responded to the question with "I'm just a singer." That was the end of that.

He had it right. All other entertainers who came after him have gotten it wrong. We don't care about your Goddamned political opinions. Just shut up and sing or act or whatever the Hell it is people pay to see you do.

quote:

Originally posted by parabellum:
In one of the Elvis documentaries, a reporter asks Elvis about the Vietnam War. With the most kind and innocent look on his face, Elvis responded to the question with "I'm just a singer." That was the end of that.

He had it right. All other entertainers who came after him have gotten it wrong. We don't care about your Goddamned political opinions.

I had not heard that story. Glad you thought off it.

Go to the 4:30 mark. He actually says "I'm just an entertainer" after being asked about the draft. Later in the same press conference (10:15 mark), he's asked about the "Women's Liberation Movement" (this is 1972), and once again begs off of giving an opinion.



These days, the egotistical assholes who pass for entertainers think their personal opinions are so important, they should be the law of the land.

Sounds like Springsteen is a perfect mate for Jane Fonda!!!

Not surprising for a guy who just said he was embarrassed to be an American when he was in Australia.

http://www.vulture.com/2017/02...ml?mid=twitter_nymag

I haven't listened to the entire press conference, only about 4 minutes of it--about military service and the draft. It struck me that I can't remember ever hearing Presley just answering questions like this. I was struck by what a polite, gentleman he was. He had been a star for what...16 years by then. He seemed gracious, humble, and still surprised at his star power--even at that stage of his career. Remarkable

So...he's like Nugent, except he doesn't pretend to be patriotic now?

(Yes, I know Nuge now says he was lying about that story. He's a liar one way or the other.)

Well, at least I have that in common with him. I'm embarrassed that he's an American too.

quote:

Originally posted by BamaJeepster:
Not surprising for a guy who just said he was embarrassed to be an American when he was in Australia.

http://www.vulture.com/2017/02...ml?mid=twitter_nymag

Born to shirk. Fuck him.

I was once a huge Springsteen fan. Had all his records, listened to his music non-stop, saw him in concert several times, etc.

But, like many other celebrities, he came to the conclusion that being popular somehow entitled him to share his *enlightened* opinions - constantly.

I soon got sick of his bloviating. I stopped buying his albums and soon stopped listening to his music entirely.

quote:

Originally posted by parabellum:
In one of the Elvis documentaries, a reporter asks Elvis about the Vietnam War. With the most kind and innocent look on his face, Elvis responded to the question with "I'm just a singer." That was the end of that.

He had it right. All other entertainers who came after him have gotten it wrong. We don't care about your Goddamned political opinions. Just shut up and sing or act or whatever the Hell it is people pay to see you do.

Believe it or not, Bob Dylan had a similar attitude, even though he was pigeonholed as a protest singer and called The Voice of A Generation (a label he despised), as this clip demonstrates.

In another clip, he is "answering" a stupid question from a reporter.

Shut the hell up and sing. We don't pay to hear you think.

He's giant tax-dodging fraud and hypocrite too.

I've never been a fan of his music and think all his songs basically sound the same to me.

Bruce Springsteen: A tax-dodging farmer

quote:

He decided he needed to "come to terms with myself" and sing about what he had done.

Yeah, that makes everything alright. Keep telling yourself that dim/socialist.

I agree with Para, at one time Springsteen was a good entertainer. No longer.

RMD

quote:

Originally posted by parabellum:
I grew up on Springsteen. The first time I ever kissed a girl, Springsteen was on the radio. I had a drag race in Hgh School. An honest-to-God drag race, over a girl. I won, blew his ass off the road. Springsteen was on the radio.

That was a long time ago, and Springsteeen, had he remained merely a performer, would still be in my heart, but no more.

In one of the Elvis documentaries, a reporter asks Elvis about the Vietnam War. With the most kind and innocent look on his face, Elvis responded to the question with "I'm just a singer." That was the end of that.

He had it right. All other entertainers who came after him have gotten it wrong. We don't care about your Goddamned political opinions. Just shut up and sing or act or whatever the Hell it is people pay to see you do.

When his number came up, Elvis took a step forward, too, got his haircut, did what he was ordered to do, AFAIK, without a whimper. It astonished everyone.