It Has Come To This:

A Fan's Surrender

Date: Sun, 20 Oct 1996 23:34:40 -0700 (PDT)

I've fought it for a long time, I've tried to deny it, to keep it contained. For years now I've been fighting the brave fight, to show to all outward appearances that I was still a sane human being. I've tried to keep it from taking over my coversations, from consuming my civilian life. However, it that is now long past. My license plate frame reads "Just a prisoner of rock 'n' roll"; my hard drives are named after Springsteenian locations; Bruce Springsteen comprises the lion's share of my music collection. This vice has taken over my life.

Consider the history:

In 1989, during the home stretch of my senior-year AP English class, Born To Run helped me get out of the worst writer's slump I've yet to experience.
In 1990 the rap in the LIVE 75/95 version of "Growin' Up" crystalized what I'd been trying to understand for years: "Tonight, you both are just gonna have to settle for rock 'n' roll."
In 1992 I was at Tower Records at 12:00am on a very cold night.
In September of 1992 I screamed my head off at the LA Sports Arena.
In 1993 I bought my first bootleg - Piece de Resistance.
In 1995 I wrote to LuckyTown with the story of how I became a fan, My Drive Down Thunder Road.
In November of 1995 I waited in line for the ticket dump outside the Wiltern Theater for six hours.
In November of 1995 I paid back an old debt; I took my own "Bobby Jean" (she gave me my first copy of LIVE 75/85) to see Bruce Springsteen at the Wiltern.

Now, however, I must renounce any pretense. Over the next ten days I will see six concerts, God, Ticketmaster and ticket dumps willing. I'm taking my mother to Tempe. Two roommates and my supervisor are meeting me in San Diego. "Bobby Jean" and her fiance are going with me to San Jose. I'm taking my best friend from high school to Portland.

Now and forever, I wear the label of Tramp.

See you on the other side.

-Andrew

Andrew Laurence                         atlauren@uci.edu
Office of Academic Computing            http://www.oac.uci.edu/~atlauren/
UC Irvine