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I love Bruce Springsteen and the E Street band in much the same way that a dog loves its master: unconditionally and with the kind of enthusiasm that makes gratuitous slobbering forgivable. The Boss is the patron saint of the Soniak family, one of the few things I have in common with my father that’s not a genetic oddity (ask me about my crooked fingers sometime). I recently got tickets for the summer leg of the Magic Tour, and redemption after a disastrous attempt at seeing them last October (some punk from Jersey, of all places, sold me a fake ticket on ebay and PayPal refused to help me). To celebrate, here’s a ton of Springsteen fanboy nerdery crammed into an FAQ for you.
1. When Bruce says that “they blew up the Chicken Man in Philly last night” in the song “Atlantic City,” what the hell is he talking about?
The Chicken Man was Phil Testa, the underboss of the Philadelphia crime family under Angelo Bruno. Bruno was killed in 1980, and Testa, who got his nickname from his involvement in a poultry business, succeeded him as don of the family. His nine-month reign ended when conspirators in the family placed a nail bomb under his porch and detonated it when he walked out the front door.
2. Is There Really an E Street? Where?
E Street runs north east through the New Jersey shore town of Belmar. According to Springsteen lore, the band took its name from the street because original keyboard player David Sancious’ mother lived there and allowed the band to rehearse in her house. The titular avenue of “Tenth Avenue Freeze Out” is also in Belmar.
3. “Tenth Avenue Freeze Out”? I’m glad you brought that up. What’s that song about?
“Tenth Avenue” tells the story of how the band was formed. The “Bad Scooter” that’s searching for his groove is a young Springsteen in search of a new backing band. The “Big Man” in the third verse is saxophonist Clarence Clemons. Springsteen met him while playing in a club in Asbury Park. It was a stormy night with strong winds and when Clemons opened the door to the club, it flew off its hinges. Clemons has become a larger than life figure in the band, their personal Paul Bunyan, and Springsteen likes to use the story as proof that Clemons can blow the doors off any room he’s in. The horn intro was proposed and arranged by guitarist Steven Van Zandt, and at several concerts it’s been performed by the Miami Horns, a horn section that includes La Bamba and Pender from Late Night with Conan O’Brien.
4. It seems like the E Street Band has been around forever, but what did these guys do before the band formed, and during the decade between the break up and the reunion?
In the late 60s and early 70s, the Jersey Shore had a lively music scene, especially in Asbury Park, and almost all the E Street musicians got their start in various shore bands like Little Melvin & The Invaders, The Downtown Tangiers Band, The Jaywalkers, Steel Mill and Dr. Zoom & The Sonic Booms. Springsteen himself cut his teeth in The Castiles, Steel Mill and even played with Chuck Berry, who toured without a band in the early 70s to save money. He would pick up local musicians at each tour stop to do a show or two, and Springsteen performed with him when he came to New Jersey.
During lulls in E Street activity, and during the ten years between the band’s dissolution and 1999 reunion, all the musicians kept themselves busy. Drummer 
Max Weinberg, of course, leads the Max Weinberg Seven, the house band on Late Night with Conan O’Brien. He was also a session drummer on Meat Loaf’s Bat out of Hell (E Street pianist Roy Bittan also played on the album) and played on “Bat Out of Hell,” “You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth” and “Paradise by the Dashboard Light,” which gives him the honor of keeping the beat on two of the best selling rock albums of all time. He’s also performed at the 1993 and 1997 Presidential Inauguration Galas, the 1995 Grammy Awards, the dedication of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and on albums by Sting, Paul McCartney, Peter Gabriel, Ringo Starr and Barbra Streisand.
Steven Van Zandt took the role of Silvio Dante on The Sopranos, released some solo albums, hosts the syndicated garage rock radio show Little Steven’s Underground Garage and, in 2006, assembled and directed an all-star band to back Hank Williams, Jr. on recording of “All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight” for the season premiere of Monday Night Football that included Little Richard, Cheap Trick’s Rick Nielsen, Aerosmith’s Joe Perry, The Roots’ ?uestlove and Bootsy Collins. Van Zandt was also the director of the music selection committee that picked the songs for the video game Rock Band.
Clarence Clemons also made a brief foray into acting and appeared as one of the “Three Most Important People In The World” in Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, and made a guest appearance on Diff’rent Strokes as a saxophonist who helps Arnold Jackson learn to play. He most recently appeared twice on The Wire as a Baltimore youth-program organizer. During the 80s, he also owned a Big Man’s West, a nightclub in Red Bank, New Jersey.
5. Why do they call Springsteen “The Boss?”
We call him The Boss because we work for him. See you in 86 days, Bruce.
Matt Soniak is an intern for mental_floss. He also has his own blog, Bat Country, where he covers scientific oddities.
Comments (12)
Comment
“ask me about my crooked fingers sometime”
you have crooked fingers too? everyone on my mom’s side of the family does, including me.
:)
posted by Clotho on 5-2-2008 at 3:58 pm
Huge Bruce fan here too. Saw him for the St. Patrick’s show in Milwaukee and loved it. Nothing like it.
I believe point #5 was actually a name Little Steven gave him because he did boss people around in the studio and wouldn’t rest until he had what he viewed as perfection. This is why they recorded 80 songs for The River. Initially given to him as a joking insult, he didn’t like it at first but grew into it and now calls himself it occasionally (Boss Time!)
Surprised Danny didn’t get a shout out. Sure, he didn’t do much, but his recent passing is pretty sad. At the Milwaukee show, Bruce mentioned Danny was hoping to get out and play a couple shows. He played in Indy 3 days later, and that was his last one.
posted by Kevin on 5-2-2008 at 4:49 pm
Danny has accompanied Bruce Springsteen since 1969, in the bands Child and Steel Mill. He’s worn his hair long, sported a beard and adopted a lean trim look during The Rising Tour. Quiet by nature, his playing speaks volumes and contains multitudes: He brings more to a Springsteen concert than he’s ever been given credit for. In Danny’s case greatness is understood, measured in the sublime flicker of his organ-playing hands. Always remembered, greatly missed.
posted by Rob Lowson on 5-2-2008 at 5:23 pm
Grew up on The Boss. My dad is a retardedly huge fan. I recall distinctly asking him if I as born in the USA (I was like 3, give me a break). I imagined it as a big baseball field. Having grown up near Philly af course every summer was spent “down the shore”. Now I live in Oceanport and get to absorb all of the Bruce Sprinstein, Bon Jovi and Kevin Smith glory Monmouth County has to offer!
It’s so sad to go to Asbury Park and see what it used to be, although it’s really making a comeback, but more for the yuppie scene (which is fine, ’cause they bring with them AWESOME eateries. Market in the Middle is UH-mazing).
posted by Jessica on 5-2-2008 at 5:48 pm
Great Post! I’m a huge boss fan and I have been waiting for a post like this.
posted by Nick on 5-3-2008 at 1:28 am
Hey, we just bought a beach house in Belmar. We took a picture of E Street wishing it was Bruce’s. Cool.
posted by Helen on 5-3-2008 at 3:05 pm
No, seriously. How did he ever get that nickname?
posted by Johnny Cat on 5-3-2008 at 7:03 pm
BROOOOOOOCE
Just saw the whole gang play twice – L.A. in October and Anaheim in April. Seeing Springsteen play is the closest I’ve come to a religious experience – exhiliration, euphoria, pumping my fist in the air…
I heard somewhere that after the band broke up, at one point Max was about to go to law school – then he got the gig on Conan. Is that just a ridiculous rumor?
Also – after this tour – does anyone else desperately wish he’d re-record Nebraska and Tunnel of Love in a loud rollicking style backed by the whole band? I absolutely love the version of “Reason to Believe” they’ve been playing
And now that I’ve heard “Thunder Road” live, I can die happy.
posted by muffy on 5-5-2008 at 10:19 am
@Clotho – Yeah, all my fingers curve towards the middle of my hand. My hand turkeys in grade school always looked mangled.
@Kevin – Danny was a great ensemble player and a fantastic musician in his own right (check out his solo albums if you get a chance). There just isn’t too much Danny trivia out there. Bruce’s eulogy for Danny is posted at his website, though, and its certainly more eloquent and personal than anything I’d be able to come up with here.
@Kevin and Johnny Cat – He got the nickname in the early days when the band was playing Jersey shore clubs and he was in charge of collecting the payment and doling out each musician’s share.
@Muffy – After the breakup, Max went back to school to finish his bachelor’s degree and was planning on getting a law degree afterwards, but dropped out of law school less than a year into it.
posted by Matt Soniak on 5-5-2008 at 11:09 am
Thanks Matt.
As I reply, my iPod randomly selected Racing In The Streets…how appropriate.
I always wondered about that Boss thing, and when I was younger I just shelved it as roc.k n roll posturing. Elvis is the King, Sinatra is the Chairman of the Board, and James Brown is the Godfather of Soul. Surely Springsteen just named himself The Boss as a casual aside.
I’m glad it’s actually in the spirit of giving, and leadership. That’s the environment I thrive in, and the soul of his music. His Everyman is my saviour.
Thanks again!
posted by Johnny Cat on 5-5-2008 at 11:24 pm
I would just like to note that the city of Pensacola, Florida has a set of streets named after the letters of the alphabet. I can’t help but think that it’s no coincedence that E Street intersects with Bruce Street. No foolin’! Some Boss fans in the Florida Legislature, perhaps?
posted by Bri on 5-7-2008 at 11:25 am
If memory serves, Clarence Clemons also had an occasional guest-starring role on the CBS series, ‘Nash Bridges’. He played the owner of a beauty salon to whom Nash (Don Johnson) and Joe (Cheech Marin) would go for that bit o’ information on the latest heist/murder/etc.
posted by Kim on 5-10-2008 at 11:58 am