Chris Hensel

Coming home from a meeting the other day and much to my delight I hear coming from the radio box the almost-never-heard version of Take It Easy by Jackson Browne. We are all familiar with the Eagles’ version of that song, but the real hard-core fans know that the credit belongs to Jackson, with an assist from Glenn Frey. Jackson Browne can be described as the Jeff Tweedy of the early 70’s. He made three great records…alt-country way before there was alt-country.

So lately he has been a tad on the irrelevant side of music. In the last analysis, he did write Doctor My Eyes, Redneck Friend, Fountain of Sorrow, Late for The Sky, and Running On Empty.

Not bad Jackson…

Looking through some photographs I found inside a drawer
I was taken by a photograph of you
There were one or two I know that you would have liked a little more
But they didnt show your spirit quite as true

You were turning round to see who was behind you
And I took your childish laughter by surprise
And at the moment that my camera happened to find you
There was just a trace of sorrow in your eyes

-Jackson Browne

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Long time since 1974 when I first saw Bruce Springsteen play rock and roll. Lots of years in between, lots of life for both of us. We all have a soundtrack to our lives, and Springsteen has always been playing in the background as I stumble around this earth trying my best to find the light.

There is no easy way to explain what I saw heard and experienced last night deep in the swamps of North Jersey. Those of us that have seen this band play on those special nights share the secret of the world. I am older these days, and I went up to The Meadowlands hoping to find something that I thought was gone…something in me, and something in Springsteen as well. Let’s face it, not many rock and roll stars can burn the house down at the age of 58. I had stopped looking for salvation at a rock and roll show 20 years ago…too much of a hassle, it’s easier to stay home, I’m getting too old for this…plenty of reasons to stay out of the arena.

But that new record was speaking to me. Radio Nowhere, and especially Girls In Their Summer Clothes…something was going on here and I wanted to see what it was. Music is so very personal to each of us. We all bring our lives to the show and hope for some kind of transcendent experience. Something to tell us that what we saw and heard and felt before was true. I can tell you that there was a rock and roll show at The Meadowlands last night and I can tell you that I clapped and danced and waved and cried. I can tell you that what I saw and felt and heard before was true again. I can tell you that there is power and passion and grace in the music of Bruce Springsteen and The E-Street Band, and that life is about taking that chance, and not being afraid of putting it on the line.

In the summer of 1975 my friend and I cruised at crazy speed in his car trying to be Wild and not-so-Innocent. Some 30 years burning down the road and I am Wild and Innocent all over again, southbound on the Jersey Turnpike on the good side of midnight… Hi Ho Rock and Roll, deliver me home.

Yup…too much Kerouac, too much Steinbeck…too much Hunter Thompson (wasn’t Fear and Loathing a road book?).

Anyway, I love driving. Covered two thousand miles from Philly to just south of Tampa and back to meet up with Team Sophie. I typically stop and experience the local flavor, but this time I went pretty much non-stop.  Laura likes to visualize the making of my odd “On-The-Road” self-portraits…I set up the camera on a tripod, hit the timer and then trot down range to make the photo.  Not too bad, if I do say so myself