Last night I watched Bruce Springsteen on Broadway and I was blown away by how great he is and I was wondering why he became so successful and not someone like Nils Lofgren, for example? I bought Nils Lofgren’s album I came To Dance in the late seventies and loved it. Then I was offered a ticket to see Bruce Springsteen live in Stockholm in the early summer of 1981; I was not a Springsteen fan and for a while during the concert I was wondering when we could go home. But after an hour or so something changed and after a few hours we were all hoarse and had swollen hands from clapping and singing and having a great time. A truly amazing concert. Today Bruce is a super rich rock icon while not many people know who Nils Lofgren is, except a member of the E Street Band.
How did Bruce Springsteen get so great? Now he is almost 70 and he has probably not done a lot else than writing and playing music for close to 60 years. It is a mystery how some people are able to do so much and give so much, touch people and influence them. Still, I understand he has struggled with depression… maybe that is part of why he is so great? It takes suffering to give. It comes with a price. If you are willing to pay that price, you may become great. And then there are millions who suffer without being able to give.
I answered the call to the Santa Fe magazine THE and entered my application to be one of twelve selected to be featured in the magazine. 453 New Mexico artists applied. I was not selected among the twelve. Does it matter? Yes… and No. I don’t care, I will just continue to work on my art. And maybe I will be more true to my heart and do what I feel is important, regardless what the “experts” and the audience thinks or wants. So here I am in the studio on a Saturday evening, just before Christmas, and I am working, pushing on, doing what I love and need to do.
And here is another small still life painting.