Fans' devotion to Boss will form basis of book
Canadian authors wanted Springsteen followers to tell stories
BY CLARE MARIE CELANO
Staff Writer

Howard Bloom is an avid Bruce Springsteen fan. Nothing unusual about that - especially around Freehold. But while most fans of The Boss plan their attendance at his concerts around their everyday lives, Bloom plans his everyday life around Springsteen's concerts - more or less.

Bloom and high school buddy Lawrence Kirsch have taken their admiration for Springsteen - the rock superstar from Freehold Borough and his music - and have decided to do something no one has ever done, at least not to Bloom's knowledge.

Bloom and Kirsch, natives of eastern Canada, have written a book which is not exactly about the rock icon, but about how his life and music have affected his fans. The book, "For You - A New Bruce Springsteen Book," is a tribute to Springsteen from the fans who stood by him and believed in him, according to Bloom.

"There are a lot of books about Bruce," Bloom said. "We thought it would be appropriate to write the experiences of the fans who are so devoted to him."

Bloom said the key to going ahead with a project like this is the entertainer's fan base, and according to Bloom, Springsteen has devoted fans who are willing to travel thousands of miles in some instances to see and listen to him. Springsteen's fans are all over the world and they attend concerts in cities around the globe, he said.

He said the book, which is due to be published in 2007, "turns the microphone over to Springsteen's legendary fans and lets them express what this icon of rock and roll means to them."

Bloom said he hopes the book will be a legacy to Springsteen's music and reveal the feelings his fans have for him.

A Web site, www.foryoubruce.com, includes stories that have been told by fans of The Boss.

Bloom said his fascination with and dedication to Springsteen began after he first heard the rocker singing on what he called a "grainy" tape in the summer of 1972. His admiration grew after Springsteen released the "Born to Run" album in 1975.

Bloom remembers the first time he saw Springsteen in concert: Dec. 19, 1975. In fact, he saw him three times; in Montreal, Ottowa and Toronto. His distinct memories of those shows include Springsteen at the microphone and Roy Bittan at the piano playing "Thunder Road."

He was enthralled by Springsteen himself and by "Thunder Road," in addition to what he called the "escapism" of the music and the message that a person should go wherever their dreams take them.

Bloom was in his second year of college at the time and said the messages in Springsteen's work hit home. He said he has lived that message over the past 30 years.

"Bruce Springsteen is the John Steinbeck of music," Bloom said. "Steinbeck had the ability to use the written word to get his point across. Bruce does the same thing with his music."

He especially enjoys Springsteen's first three albums, "Greetings form Asbury Park," "The Wild, the Innocent and the E Street Shuffle" and "Born to Run." Those albums came out at a time when Bloom said he was ready to grow up.

"Bruce made that journey much easier for me," he said. "Bruce has always been passionate and dedicated to his music, to his fans and to his community as well."

In those pre-Internet days, he said, obtaining concert information and tickets was not as convenient as it is today.

He followed the concert listings in "Rolling Stone" and was happy to attend a concert anywhere. Bloom said he has seen Springsteen in concert 173 times, including 50 shows in New Jersey. He has only seen four shows in Canada - concerts he could reach by car, rather than by plane.

"I've traveled a lot of miles to see Bruce concerts," Bloom said.

Bloom met the woman who would become his first wife at a 1983 concert in Philadelphia that Springsteen's E Street sax man Clarence Clemons played with his band, the Red Bank Rockers. In 2003, he proposed to the woman who would become his second wife at a Springsteen show in Montreal.

Bloom currently edits and publishes www.sportsbusinessnews.com. He has worked in advertising, in the print and radio media, and in management in the communications and sports industries. He also worked as a security guard at concerts in order to see Springsteen up close and to collect enough "disposable income," as he calls it, to support his "Bruce Springsteen fund."

Bloom said friends and family tease him about how he chooses to spend that disposable income. Choice is the key word here, because Bloom and legions of other fans will admit that the disposable income they fork over on a regular basis to hear the magic they believe Springsteen creates is worth every cent.