12. Bruce SpringsteenNebraska
Bruce Springsteen was kind of like The Beatles when I was a kid; my dad listened to him and I was kind of ashamed to admit that I liked ‘Born To Run’ when I heard it – although I will say now that ‘Born To Run’ is one of the most exhilarating pieces of music I’ve ever fucking heard! Then in the 80s, I loved Born In The U.S.A., you couldn’t avoid it, you couldn’t resist his charms. Darkness On The Edge Of Town might be my favourite Springsteen record, but I’ve picked Nebraska because I went through a period where I was going out quite a lot, I used to go to the Optimo a lot, probably the best club Glasgow ever had, I used to go there every weekend and I’d find myself getting home around noon or 1 pm on a Monday and I would go to bed and I would play Nebraska all the time and it’s like a fucking lullaby. There’s a narrative to it and I think it might be his greatest statement in that respect because he always lives in a world of working class America and the idea that you can’t get beyond a certain point. He writes songs about the working man and the idea of dreams and aspiration, which is absolutely the core of America, and I don’t think he’s ever done it better than he did on Nebraska and it’s a sadder record and a deeper record and a darker record but it’s his most rewarding. This was a moment of quiet before he became absolutely fucking monstrously famous. If I ever met Bruce Springsteen, I’d come, shit, cry and faint all at once.
