Springsteen Plus
dr george pollard

This is one of a few authentic writings about rock 'n' roll, and likely the most prophetic. "Growing Young ...." is reproduced, typos, misspellings and poor construction intact. The temptation to "clean it up" was great. As with the music, the passion is what counts, not the syntax, and this is a passionate read.

Landau produces and manages Springsteen. He only hoped when he wrote these words. In his exuberance, surely long replaced by matters of finance, he banged off a historical piece that'll be clutched tightly to the breast of future historians.

Landau enables understanding how rock 'n' roll affected the boomer generation that shaped the late 20th century and early 21st century. Not every generation gets to change the world, and few as profoundly as the boomers. Landau sums the boomer passion, not just for music, but for life and all it offers; he reveals why boomers will never go quietly into that long good night.

Landau won't be stranded alone in the future. Alongside "Growing Young ...." will be the collected writings of Lester Bangs and Richard Meltzer. Landau stands alone for summarizing a generation, its place in the world and effect on the future, in a few hundred words.

In the 6000 years since the invention of writing, few, a very few, have accomplished so much with so few words. This is unequivocally a historical document.

Back to Landu, "Growing Young on Rock and Roll."