My brother Mitch has an addiction. Fortunately, it isn’t drugs or anything evil. He can’t get enough Bruce Springsteen.
Since he was a teenager, Mitch loved the music and lyrics from one of America’s great music legends from our home state, New Jersey. When I say Mitch loved the gritty, raspy, lyrical sounds of Bruce and the E Street Band, it was a magnetic attraction, like ketchup to French fries. How could one exist without the other?
I have lost count, but I think Mitch has seen Bruce at least 300 times in live concerts all over the USA. On Twitter, Mitch has built a following of what he calls his Bruce friends who follow the behind the scenes news and stories about ATB. (all things Bruce)
I, on the other hand, never followed Bruce or went to one of his live concerts. I’m not much for live rock and roll concerts. The noise, crowds, and sounds have never been my jam.
I like quiet, calm jazz or emotionally draining opera. Ella, Coltrane, Miles, Parker or Puccini makes my 
heart sing.
My only familiarity with Bruce was his pulling Courtney Cox on stage to dance with him in Dancing In the Dark. I think I saw that video in 1984 on MTV.
Mitch kept telling me I needed to see Bruce on Broadway, but I never got a chance since it was a lottery for tickets. Fortunately, Mitch did get to take our Mom for her birthday, and she raved about the show too. She told me how much she connected with the stories of his childhood.
Netflix Brings Bruce Home
When I had the chance, in the privacy of home to watch Bruce on Broadway on Netflix and to get a peek at what drives Mitch crazy, I was intrigued. The show was like a master class in marketing.
Like Mitch and our mom Bea, I felt profoundly touched by Springsteen’s storytelling and the lyrical cadence. Bruce drew me into his world, too.
Springsteen shared intimate details of growing up in the Freehold, New Jersey area and it felt like he was Harper Lee telling me about Maycomb, Alabama during the great depression.
But the depression was more about his pain and the challenges of Bruce’s DNA. He had a complicated relationship with his father who couldn’t understand his son. DNA is the first words he speaks on stage. The core theme of the show is about escaping your DNA and finding the road you were born to travel.
From his description of his father’s green work shirt and pants, the tree that shaded his neighborhood, or the clicking of his mom, Adele’s heel as she walked to work, I was mesmerized. The music and singing felt like personal ballads, not heavy rock. It was like watching a troubadour telling the oral history of his time. You could feel the angst and struggles as told through his life story.
Springsteen’s struggle with mental health issues is a thread throughout the stories he weaves. I read that he spent years in analysis and several difficult periods struggling with depression. Music and his heartfelt storytelling were like release valves to help him find his way. He let go of his past while holding it close to his heart.
One of my favorite parts was his stories about leaving New Jersey to find himself, to only end up, many years later, living ten minutes from where he grew up. Something significant, circular and sweet about that passion around going and the pull of his soul back to home. His prayer to the sacred space where his tree used to grow touched me. He spoke eloquently about the invisible roots of the tree that no longer stood on the street where he grew up. Bruce felt connected and grounded by the essence of what was still underground. A spiritual reference to his father buried not too far from where that tree once stood.
Artists like Springsteen have to find an easy way to build, communicate and share their brand naturally. In Bruce’s raw, authentic style, you never smell a scent of anything disingenuous. He speaks from deep within, as if his soul is singing as he channels his childhood.
A Marketer’s Lens
I see things through my marketer’s lens, so I quickly see why someone so real connected so profoundly across the political and economic spectrum with millions of fans. Great artists are timeless and achieve the greatness that as my Aunt Annette used to say, stands the test of time.
The chief marketing inspiration from watching Bruce on Broadway is how important to be the sincere and genuine, original person without trying to make people see you through a veil. Be yourself. Don’t hide warts and scratches and pain. Putting everything out on the table and bare your soul. Only Bruce can be Bruce, just like only you can be your true self. Brands also need to be painfully honest with who they are too.
Thank you, Bruce, for letting me into your promised land. And to Mitch for showing me the way.
What new experiences will you let into your heart in 2019 and who will sing them to you?
How can I help you? Got a marketing challenge that needs a voice? Let’s talk. You can set up a time to chat with me about your marketing challenges using my calendar. Email me jeffslater@themarketingsage.com Call me. 919 720 0995. The conversation is free, and we can explore if working together makes sense. Try my new chat feature on my site if you have a quick question.
Photo courtesy of @mpslater – Follow Mitch on Twitter if you want to learn all things Bruce.
