“Fans and Bands” was the theme of Bruce Springsteen’s 19th DJ show on SiriusXM satellite radio, which debuted March 10.
“Fans and Bands” was the theme of Bruce Springsteen’s 19th DJ show on SiriusXM satellite radio, which debuted March 10 on the network’s E Street Radio channel (channel 20). He further defined the theme as “musicians and their muses, the folks and fans who inspire us, keep us in cheeseburgers, and keep us coming.”
He paid tribute to his own fans; waxed poetic about “my many joyful nights that I spent at The Stone Pony”; and played music by Tom Petty, Matthew Sweet, Joe Grushecky, Webb Wilder and Robyn Hitchcock, among others, plus his own “Last Man Standing,” “Letter to You” and “Where the Bands Are.”
You can read what Springsteen said here, and see videos for the songs that were played. In some cases, a version of the song may have been played that is different from what is embedded in this post.
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“Greetings earthlings, gentlemen, ladies, fans, friends, listeners from coast to coast and around the world. This is Bruce Springsteen, and allow me to welcome you to Vol. 19 of ‘From My Home to Yours,’ titled ‘Fans and Bands.’ This is an episode based around musicians and their muses, the folks and fans who inspire us, keep us in cheeseburgers, and keep us coming. I’m gonna start with Bobby Sutliff’s Byrds-influenced ‘Kings of Flannel,’ followed by Matthew Sweet and the muse ‘Byrdgirl.’ Let’s get it.”
“Kings of Flannel,” Bobby Sutliff
(Note: No YouTube seems to exist for this song, so here is a Spotify embed)
“Byrdgirl,” Matthew Sweet
“We started out with Bobby Sutliff, from his album Perfect Dream, with a perfect song about band life, ‘Kings of Flannel,’ and Matthew Sweet, with the lovely ‘Byrdgirl.’ Slim Dunlap … Slim Dunlap was born in Plainview, Minn., and is best known as a member of The Replacements with Paul Westerberg. He released two albums, The Old New Me and Times Like This, both required listening for any true-hearted rock ‘n’ roll aficionado.”
“Rockin’ Here Tonight,” Slim Dunlap
“Where the Bands Are,” Bruce Springsteen
“That was ‘Where the Bands Are,’ by yours truly, written in 1979, in my bedroom, late at night, on Telegraph Hill Road in Holmdel, N.J. Influenced heavily by The Raspberries on this one. It’s a tribute to the beauty and thrills of fandom, reflecting my many joyful nights that I spent at The Stone Pony, watching and sitting in with local acts, flirting with the waitresses under the spell of blackberry brandy. Returning home in my white C10 pickup, at 3 a.m., with The Raspberries blasting over my radio and that sweet ringing in my ears, as I fell off to sleep. Those were the days of good feelings of being a part of something, of a real community of musicians and locals, of folks who when Saturday night rolled around, had someplace to go, somebody to see, something to dedicate yourself to. And music, music, music, music to play, to listen to, to live to. Here’s one for the ‘Girl From Washington.’ ”
“Girl From Washington,” The Windbreakers
“Girl of My Dreams,” Bram Tchaikovsky
“That was Bram Tchaikovsky, the fabulous one-hit wonder, with ‘Girl of My Dreams,’ preceded by The Windbreakers, a group that included our opener, Bobby Sutliff, and hailed from Mississippi, and also included singer-guitarist Tim Lee, best known for their 1985 album Terminal. I first hear ‘Girl From Washington’ on their compilation, Time Machine (1982-2002). Great Band. And speaking of songs about bands …”
“Last Man Standing,” Bruce Springsteen
“Pumping Iron,” Joe Grushecky & the Houserockers
“Coma Girl,” Joe Strummer & the Mescaleros
“That was ‘Coma Girl,’ by Joe Strummer & the Mescaleros. Joe was a religious attendee of the Glastonbury Festival, and that’s where it feels like this song came from. To quote: ‘I was crawling through a festival way out west … through all the stages I wandered … Coma Girl and the excitement gang, Mona Lisa on the motorcycle gang.’ A classic fan’s tribute from my brother from another mother, Joe Strummer. You are deeply missed. Previous to that, my Pittsburgh brother, Joe Grushecky, with his Houserockers, with the killing ‘Pumpin Iron.’
“So you’re onstage, and an hour into the show, and you haven’t quite caught fire yet. That’s an unpleasant feeling, that far into the night. So you are casing the crowd, eyes on the front row, looking for a little inspiration, searching for some gasoline to throw on the fire. This is Robyn Hitchcock, and ‘Sally Was a Legend.’ ”
“Sally Was a Legend,” Robyn Hitchcock
“Battle of the Bands,” Webb Wilder
“Kick Out the Jams,” MC5
“That was, of course, the legendary Detroit-born and -bred, inimitable MC5, with ‘Kick Out the Jams,’ a song, many listeners do not know, is a raging tribute to playing rock ‘n’ roll. To quote: ‘The wailing guitars … the crash of the drums … let me be who I am, and let me kick out the jams, motherfucker!’ Coming up, Masters of Reality, a group I was introduced to during some studio downtime in Atlanta, while I was making my series of albums with the great producer, Brendan O’Brien.”
“Jody Sings,” Masters of Reality
“You Made It,” Teddy Thompson
“And that was ‘You Made It,’ a great song by Teddy Thompson, son of the great guitarist and songwriter Richard Thompson, from Teddy’s great album, Separate Ways. It is a song about making it, with the classic lyrics, ‘You made it, what you gonna do now?’ (laughs) Whoa! That is the question. Here’s Blue Cartoon, with one of my all-time favorite fan tribute songs, ‘She’s a God.’ ”
“She’s a God,” Blue Cartoon
(Note: No YouTube seems to exist for this song, so here is a Spotify embed)
“I’m in Love With Your Rock ‘n’ Roll,” Kish Mauve
“That was Kish Mauve, formed in London in 2005, a British electropop group, with ‘I’m in Love With Your Rock ‘n’ Roll’ from the album Black Heart. And speaking of tribute to fans …”
“Letter to You,” Bruce Springsteen
“And that’s our show for today. I will sign off with love and a thank you to all the folks, all of you who’ve inspired me and acted as my muse over the years. Please keep on coming. There’s many miles and a long road ahead before sunset. So God bless, and go in peace.”
“American Girl,” Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
Springsteen has been doing “From My Home to Yours” shows since April. You can read transcripts of what he has said on the previous 18 shows, and see YouTube videos of all the songs he has played, via these links:
APRIL 8 (a tribute to the late John Prine and more)
APRIL 24 (thoughts on life during pandemic, New York songs and more)
MAY 6 (when the pandemic is over, he promises, “50,000 people will once again scream their heads off somewhere in New Jersey”)
MAY 20 (a tribute to the late Little Richard and more)
JUNE 3 (protest songs and more)
JUNE 17 (a “rock ‘n’ roll requiem” for those who have died from coronavirus)
JULY 1 (discussion with and songs by Southside Johnny and Steven Van Zandt)
JULY 15 (summertime songs and memories)
JULY 29 (discussion with and songs by Patti Scialfa).
AUG. 14 (“In Dreams,” nocturnally themes songs and memories)
SEPT. 2 (songs about work, in honor of Labor Day)
SEPT. 16 (end of summer)
OCT. 7 (songs about cars)
OCT. 28 (Election Day- and Halloween-oriented songs)
NOV. 25 (Election Day victory, “music about music”)
DEC. 16 (“Hits of the Week”: music that he has been listening to lately)
JAN. 20 (“Lawyers, Guns & Money: An Inaugural Special”)
FEB. 24 (“New Born Soul”: songs of rebirth)
Also, click here for some of my thoughts on this ambitious series in general.
Vol. 19 will also air March 10 at 6 p.m.; March 11 at 6 a.m. and 3 p.m.; March 12 at 10 a.m., 4 p.m. and midnight; March 13 at 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.; March 14 at 9 a.m. and 6 p.m.; March 17 at 7 a.m., 4 p.m. and midnight; and March 16 at 8 a.m.
Visit siriusxm.com.
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1 comment
Bram Tchaikovsky!!!