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"Dave Marsh, the biographer of the Boss, has dubbed Springsteen fans the cult. Springsteen fans habitually follow the guy around. Waiting in line at a show, waiting for the gates to open it is not uncommon to hear a cacophony of accents and languages. Some more than others. Natives from New Jersey and Italians tend to follow the Boss with just a tad more fervor than the average Springsteen fan, but it's a trait that runs through all of us. There are many rewards of following the man around, of collecting every recording, legally or otherwise. Few artists allow you to actually grow old with them, few artists manage to maintain a certain level of integrity and artistic merit throughout their entire career. Springsteen does just that and gives a mean show to boot. For those in the know, following Springsteen around isn't as odd as it may seem on the outside.
Springsteen may also be one of the few artists that is defined as much by his audience as he is by his body of work. After all he is continuously looking for that connection with the fans that surround him. So as good as Dave Marsh's biography may be, it only tells half the story. For the other half you need to turn to the fans themselves. For You does just that. The book is the labor of love of Lawrence Kirsch, part of the cult since '75. Kirsch first had the pleasure to experience Springsteen on a freezing winter night in '75, in Montreal. 'Bruce acted out the songs with such conviction he seemed to be living them out on stage. The audience was spell bound as this small skinny whirlwind of a man commanded their attention, he remembers now. Realizing, after attending many shows that felt like a family reunion, that the cult has a 'pent-up desire to share' he set out to collect those stories. He received over 1500 stories from all over the globe. Kirsch gave himself the task to edit through them and decide which to publish. 'It was very difficult to pick the ones that appear in the book' Kirsch relates. 'The ones that made it into the book are not necessarily the best,' he confesses. 'No these stories are representative of the 'Springsteen experience' from the poignant and heartfelt, to the passionate and the trivial.' Lawrence himself calls the book a testimonial, and a treasure trove of tales. I think For You became more than that. Taken as a collective these stories represent the missing half of Springsteen's biography.
Through the book we get a different perspective on Springsteen. We watch him grow up through the eyes of the cult and see the cult growing up with him. Kirsch allows us to unravel the secret of Springsteen's magnetism like few other books can. There's the complete awe of first concert experiences over the decades. There's the fulfillment of that promise years burning down the road. There's stories of fans coming to terms with strained family relations, Springsteen as the natural soundtrack in the back. We share in the battle against cancer, Springsteen offering that comforting shoulder. Flipping through its pages we meet Wendy from Born to Run, learn that the Big Man's name is also Paul. Story after story the picture unfolds, after you're done you feel like you've captured an essential element of Springsteen a classic biography could never capture. In a sense Kirsch is re-writing the book on how these things should be done or at least giving us the other side of the coin. The 400 something gorgeous pictures that were contributed to the book almost seem like a side note compared to that.
Bruce fans are a fraternity,' Kirsch reflects on the book now. 'We share something deep and special, a relationship with the artist and with each other. At every show you meet old and new fans and the 'family' grows larger and larger.' That probably explains why Springsteen is the first artist to have an alternative biography like this. You could wonder if the same kind of biography could even work for other artists. I like to think Springsteen fans are pretty unique in our seemingly unhealthy devotion. Although Kirsch called the book 'a very personal tribute to an inspired and inspiring human being,' I think the reverse is also true. For You is a tribute to the cult as well."
Alex Verhoeff
Boss Tracks
"For You anthologizes hundreds of fans stories... it forms a genuinely interesting social history, even for those with only a passing interest in Springsteen. Adorned throughout by a luscious range of colour and black and white photos... this is a treat for the eyes and the heart, really capturing the sense of a global fan community."
Emily Mackay
Record Collector
"In Lawrence Kirsch's new coffee-table book, 'For You: Original Stories and Photographs by Bruce Springsteen's Legendary Fans', Seattle music fan Glen Boyd recounts his experience attending Springsteen's first Seattle show in 1975 at the Paramount Theatre.
A friend had given him a free ticket to see 'the future of rock and roll': 'Not since I saw the Beatles on TV as a 7-year-old boy has a single rock-and-roll performance left such a lasting impact on me.'
Another Springsteen concert years later, at the Tacoma Dome in 1988, had a similar impact on yours truly. For years, that marathon performance remained a favorite among arena-rock shows I had seen.
'Rock stars don't come in sizes larger than Bruce Springsteen,' I wrote in my review."
Gene Stout
Seattle Post Intelligencer
"Het idee is briljant: laat het mondiale leger van
devote Bruce·fans ('Bruce Tramps' worden ze in
het voorwoord genoemd) maar eens geluigen
van hun liefde voor The BOSS, For You toont ons
de held van de gewone man, bezien vanuit het
perspectief van de gewone man en vrouw voor
wie hij al bijna veertig jaar zijn muziek maakt. En
dat in woord en gebaar (lees: foto's). 206 pagi-
na's lang amateurbeelden (van vaak zeer hoog
niveau, backstage, vaak live, maar ook zomaar
ergens op straat of op een baseballveldje) en
fanleksten, die soms wat onbeholpen aandoen,
maar altijd vol staan van ontzag en enthousi-
asme Hartverwarmend is het woord. De stel-
ling dat Bruce het leven van velen begeleid en
getekend heeft, komt in dit door de Canadese
fotograaf Lawrence Kirsh samengestelde kof-
fietafelboek volledig tot wasdom. Het boek is
verdeeld in vier hoofdstukken (jaren zeventig,
tachtig, negentig en 2000) die onveranderlijk
de vlinders in de buik beschrijven van concert-
gangers en trouwe fans. Het hoogst particuliere
proza 'werkt' en raakt op een prettige en uit-
nodigende manier de kern van het Bruce·fan-
schap. Al lezend begin je je eigen verhaal te verzinnen:
waarom Jijzelf ooit zo'n sympathie voor
die kleine hardwerkende man uit Freehold, New
Jersey opvatte, een gevoel dat al gauw omsloeg
in een onvoorwaardelijke liefde die tot de dood
door lijkl te gaan. Prachtig boek, zeer mooi uitgevoerd,
een must voor elke Bruce·fan. Aan te
schaffen via: Foryoubruce.com"
TOM ENGELSHOVEN
OOR Magazine-Holland
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"Through the years, I've read almost every book written about Springsteen. Some are great and many are not. Over time, I've even become cynical when I hear about new books. In the last few years, there have been a plethora of coffee table book releases in the Springsteen world. Each one in itself is a gorgeous work of art that will glisten on your polished coffee table. However, chances are you are still missing the ultimate Bruce Springsteen keepsake: For You. When I heard about this book a year ago, I dismissed it thinking I didn't really need yet another glorified coffee table book. I was wrong… dead wrong. For You takes the reader on a magical, mystical and poignant journey through forty years of Bruce Springsteen's life. It's a time machine to the past where tickets were once $7, the E Street Band was a boy's only club, Steve Van Zandt looked like a member of Jimmy Buffet's band and most of the members of the E Street Band could have begun their own television show - 'Stashin'.' I wasn't impressed with the book, I was bowled over.
For You was worked on meticulously for a two-year period and is a self-published book limited to 2,000 copies filled with unbridled passion. Editor Lawrence Kirsch had very ardent and strict rules compiling this book; only scans from original negatives and slides were considered. I don't know anyone who would hold a book to standards this high today in the age of internet scans and cell phone photos. I'm glad he did, as For You is staggering in its detail, vastness and variety of concert shots. Kirsch dug his heels in, shot for the moon and the stars while putting this book together and succeeded wildly. It's an awe-inspiring book that should be on your book shelf even if you aren't a Springsteen fan because it would convert you without hearing a note of his music; it's that impressive. It encompasses every Springsteen tour in detail (organized by decades) and has over 400 pictures. The book contains 200 stories from fans explaining why this music and this band mean so much to them. The good news for fans is that the largest section (close to 70 pages) is the 1970s and many of these photos I didn't even knew existed and let me tell you, they are a sight to behold. They range from epic concert poses to random softball games where someone was fortunate to have a camera on hand. The 1980s is a close second in coverage with 53 pages dedicated to the decade and even the most current decade has a whopping 50 pages dedicated to it. You see pictures of Bruce with assorted musicians through the years including John Eddie, Southside Johnny, Jon Bon Jovi and Neil Young.
The difference between For You and most other books commissioned by the artists themselves is that there wasn't a 4th quarter release or special anniversary being exploited dictating the contents or the constraints of it. The book is held together by passionate and resourceful fans whose main objective was to provide fans with the best damn book possible. Saying that Kirsch succeeded would be saying that Born in the USA was a semi-successful. For You is a photographic passage through forty years of Bruce Springsteen's career. The photographs are not just revealing and are more than mere images, but part of a larger story of just not Springsteen's life, but many fans as well. The detailed anecdotes make the pictures jump off the page and come to life. For You provides a better history lesson of who Bruce Springsteen is better than any album, DVD or book has done to date.
For Youis an epic visual storytelling time machine that encourages you to hop on for a ride down thunderous roads to simpler times for a journey through the heart of darkness where the fans feel so close and intimately personal with Springsteen like he's an old college buddy. This book is not just a fine addition to your collection, but is essential for any Springsteen fan. It is a treasure trove of pictures and stories that will not just take you for a ride down memory lane, but will leave you with an impenetrable sense of hope much the same way you feel cruising down the highway and having 'Thunder Road' blast from your speakers with the wind in your hair. When was the last time the written word did that?"
Anthony Kuzminski
www.antimusic.com
"Lawrence Kirsch, fotógrafo canadiense, mordió la fruta prohibida a finales de 1975, cuando compró dos entradas para ver a Bruce Springsteen y la E Street Band en el Place des Arts de Montreal. Cuestionado al respecto, aclara: «En el 75 yo no era un gran fan de Springsteen, me tiraban más Bob Dylan, David Bowie o los Rolling Stones. Aquella noche, cuando apagaron las luces, olvidé todo e inicié mi viaje con Bruce y con Roy Bittan (pianista de la E Street). Arrancaron con una versión acústica de Thunder Road. Nunca había sido testigo de una apertura de concierto tan sencilla y, sin embargo, tan efectiva y apasionada. Bruce cantaba con tanta convicción que parecía revivir sus temas. El concierto duró tres horas, mucho más que cualquiera que yo hubiera visto antes, y al final la audiencia estaba exahusta. Abandonamos el teatro sabiendo que habíamos visto algo especial».
Treinta y tres años, y setenta conciertos de Springsteen más tarde, Kirsch publica (mejor reedita: la primera edición, limitadísima, se agotó hace meses, al poco de salir) For You. Ofrece testimonios de cientos de seguidores del de Nueva Jersey contados en primera persona. Sus vivencias alumbran toda una épica. Van de la anécdota descacharrante al bosquejo de una vida enroscada en torno a la música. Demiurgo, socio, compañero y maestro, Springsteen proyecta entre sus seguidores una imagen atípica. Trasciende su papel asignado (megaestrella) y se transforma en algo más, tal vez el buen pastor que consuela sin arengar, cronista implacable del sueño americano y sus desvelos.
Convocados por Kirsch para enviar textos y fotografías, los seguidores respondieron con entusiasmo. Había que documentar décadas de conciertos masivos y secretos, de los estadios de fútbol a los bares donde a veces, muchas, Springsteen rocanrolea hasta la madrugada, explicar porque se trata de uno de los dos o tres artistas más pirateados de la historia, contar, como hace Kirsch, porque «Springsteen nos da esperanza. Si se limitara a entretenernos, sería estupendo. Pero hace más, ha contribuido a nuestra educación, nos pide mantener la mente abierta y receptiva hacia los problemas sociales y (desde 2004) la situación política de los Estados Unidos. Algunos fans no están de acuerdo con éste último aspecto, pero es su problema». Kirsch, él mismo uno de tantos tramps (vagabundos, por Born to run) que planean sus vacaciones con la idea de ver tantos conciertos de Springsteen como sea posible, apostó todo en For You, dispuesto a colocar el espejo en el lado contrario.
Arrancas For You inquieto, fascinado con sus fotografías y, sí, temoroso por la perspectiva de un aluvión de cartas del tipo Bruce salvó mi vida y blablablá, y vale, bueno, algunos mensajes turban por ingenuos, pero en el cómputo final pesan infinitamente más las increíbles historias de gente corriente y los nudos que el mejor arte sugiere, haciendo de la ecuación música/biografía fascinante sucesión de lágrimas, risas, polvo y sudor, besos y estrellas, que viaja de lo divertido a lo mágico sin derrapar en el misticismo barato. For you, al cabo, termina por ser un canto de amor, pero no el previsto desde la trinchera cínica. Gozoso, vibrante, lírico y poético, demuestra que si bien «lo más difícil es conservar tu idealismo tras perder la inocencia» (Springsteen dixit), siempre nos quedará la música (nuestro París de Fenders)."
Julio Valdeón Blanco
El Mundo(Spain)
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