Artist Hans Wheeler, of Dayton, Ohio, chose the iconic image of The Boss leaning on The Big Man for support during the trying times of His lawsuit with original manager Mike Appel. Wheeler’s original work of art, Bruce Falls the First Time, follows the jump!
“I revisited the scriptures, or should I say a February 1982 issue of Backstreets,” explains Wheeler, “for inspiration.” The following lines from a piece entitled “He’s the One” stood out for the artist.
V. We adore Thee, O Boss, and we praise Thee.
R. Because by Thy holy axe Thou hast redeemed the world.
“You’ve got to consider,” continued Wheeler, as he took a sip of hot chocolate while seated at a vintage diner-style kitchen table, “that the Appel lawsuit issue that was developing was the first real test of The Boss. His band was already being torn apart by the years spent on The Road. Certainly, upon the release of Born to Run He’d been crowned as The New Dylan and The Future of Rock, and but He had lost key band members and a great amount of bodily fluids. He was so weakened that He could scarcely rip off the solo in His new album’s title track, and yet He had to carry this great load upon His shoulders. Appel’s attorneys had struck Him rudely, and thus He fell several times in His journey.”
Among other E Street Band mates, it was The Big Man, Clarence Clemons, who was most willing to take on His burdens. Wheeler cites the following passage from Clemons’ 2008 autobiography, No Small Parts for The Big Man:
As they were setting up the lights for the Born to Run shoot, I basically told him, “Bossman, it is not the weight of Appel and his attorneys, but of my bum notes, which has made Thee suffer so much pain. Ah, by the merits of this first fall, deliver me from the misfortune of ‘Mad Dog.’“
Clemons promised not to miss his entry note on “Thunder Road” ever again, and as a further show of loyalty and support even agreed to stop complaining about having to shake a tambourine, when the song called for it.
Slightly off topic, but you are aware that Big Man: Real Life and Tall Tales has in fact come out today?
I obviously haven’t read it yet, but a few numbers:
Pictures of Clarence Clemons without Bruce Springsteen – 14
Pictures of Clarence Clemons with Bruce Springsteen – 13
Pictures of Bruce Springsteen without Clarence Clemons – 3
So far I’ve only read the bit where Clarence, on the road with Ringo Starr and His All-Starr Band, gets the call that Bruce is breaking up the band. He swore immediately that he would never cut his hair again. And he never has.
Beautiful news, Rick! I was not aware of that. Any chance, when you do get a chance to hunker down with it, that you can post a review for us – or even some more tidbits along the lines of those you’ve just shared?
Sorry I wasn’t able to hook up with you when you were in town. I ended up caught in number of unexpected family crises. All is well now.
“Clarence, Clarence … you been, you been rehearsin’ real hard so Santa’ll bring you a new saxaphone, right?”
Just got the book “Big Man.” Creative title, eh? Excerpts to follow…
how old is he?
i saw him at the spectrum last week, and he looks like he can barely walk.
The Boss is 60, right? The ladies say he’s “hot,” at least the ladies interviewed for some piece in today’s Philadelphia Inquirer.
Boss Man is 60; Big Man is 67.