The house band in Heaven must be rock rock rockin' at Heaven's door

They say you can't take it with you
But I think that they're wrong
'Cause I woke up this morning
And something big was gone.
--Bruce Springsteen, "Terry's Song"

I took a walk last night. I watched a magnificent apricot sun set over the Connecticut River with my feet dangling in the water, and then walked most of the way home barefoot, listening to my iPod. Around 8:30, "Jungleland" came on, from Bruce Springsteen's Live in New York City album. Part-way through the song is Clarence Clemon's killer saxophone solo. That solo is epic. It is smooth and rough and golden and buttery--I could spread that sax solo on bread, mix it in with my mashed potatoes, stir it into a roux, and that would be the healthiest damn meal EVER.

When I was walking last night and listening to Clarence play his sax, I thought to myself, "Man, I am so glad Clarence Clemons is getting better. I don't know what the fuck we're going to do if he dies."

I got home, turned on my computer, and saw the headlines: Clarence Clemons, Springsteen's Soulful Sideman, dies at 69.

He'd died around 7:00pm (due to complications from a massive stroke he'd suffered on June 12th), approximately an hour and a half before "Jungleland" on my iPod, so it wasn't like there was some kind of cosmic link that caused me to revel in his power at the exact moment he'd passed from this earthly plane. At the same time, it felt just a little bit like the Universe was watching me and saying, "o hai, i see you has a wound, here let me rub salt on it kthx."

Those who know me well know that I have a massive girl-boner for anything having to do with Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. My iTunes playlist of  my favorite Springsteen songs is almost seven hours long (the playlist itself being titled "Bruceasaurus Rex"). There is something about the music those Jersey boys make that simply sends me into fits of wild joy; some of the songs make me feel like I could dance through the rest of my life, others make me sob. Most of all they make me feel. I think that's what makes me love them so much: I feel the music so deeply, the breadth and depth of emotion is right there, so open and raw, shameless and sincere. (The writer Chuck Klosterman, whom I adore in every aspect but for the fact that he doesn't like Springsteen much, once complained that what he dislikes about the Boss is that he is "too earnest." But this is precisely what I love about him!)

Basically, there's a lot to love about Springsteen and his band. I've only seen them once in concert (August 22, 2009, Comcast Stadium in Mansfield, MA) but I freely admit to having spent hours watching YouTube videos of live concerts and DVD clips. And I adore Clarence Clemons, the Biggest Man You Ever Seen. His stage presence, his antics with Bruce, and most of all his music are utterly delightful and engaging. I am so, so grateful that I got to see him live before he died.

I feel like I'm not articulating myself very well. Last night I read several wonderful essays and obituaries about the life and work of the Big Man, and they said everything so much better than I. In some ways I feel a little unworthy to speak of Clarence Clemons in these terms: I only "discovered" the music of the E Street Band in 2009, while people like my father, a born-and-bred Jersey boy himself, grew up with this music, have been listening to it and worshiping at its altar for some 40-odd years. But the fact that I, at 22, and my father, at 53, are both saddened by the news of the Big Man's death, speaks to the timelessness of the music he helped create. There are multiple generations of people grieving for Clarence Clemons.

Really, though, I think the best words were penned by the Boss himself, on the official statement that was released last night on brucespringsteen.net:

It is with overwhelming sadness that we inform our friends and fans that at 7:00 tonight, Saturday, June 18, our beloved friend and bandmate, Clarence Clemons passed away. The cause was complications from his stroke of last Sunday, June 12th. 

Bruce Springsteen said of Clarence: Clarence lived a wonderful life. He carried within him a love of people that made them love him. He created a wondrous and extended family. He loved the saxophone, loved our fans and gave everything he had every night he stepped on stage. His loss is immeasurable and we are honored and thankful to have known him and had the opportunity to stand beside him for nearly forty years. He was my great friend, my partner, and with Clarence at my side, my band and I were able to tell a story far deeper than those simply contained in our music. His life, his memory, and his love will live on in that story and in our band.

Rest in peace, you beloved Big Man. You will be sorely missed.

UMMMM okay in other blog-related news, Song #2 is coming along nicely (It's about CURRENT EVENTS.) I'm basically done with the lyrics and have the chords worked out. (I know that not ever week is going to be this easy, but it's nice to be starting out with this much productivity! The main thing I need to work on for the next few days is the transition from G to Bm and C to Bm. Is not easy. 

I really like the way this one sounds. The chords fit really well and I could hear it just as easily on an electric guitar as with my acoustic Blue Ridge. I might post a "preview" in a few days to get y'all excited. =P