Livin’ in New York City Post 18: You Can’t Start A Fire Without A Spark

Seeing Bruce Springsteen live has been one of the highlights of living in this city.

Greetings from the benevolent desk of a writer/filmmaker in Brooklyn. I can safely say that I’m a changed man. Why? Because I have seen something so majestic and so pure that it has completely altered my molecular structure. Of course, I am speaking of seeing Bruce Srpingsteen and the mighty E Street Band on April 3 at the Barclays Center. 

As an early gift, my parents were kind enough to get a ticket for my upcoming twenty-third birthday and I grew eager as the day drew nearer. For years, I have considered myself a fan of Springsteen and I think of him as one of the greatest singer/songwriters of all time. His work is incredibly honest with songs that speak to both the triumphs and tragedies of America. What’s even more impressive is how, exactly fifty years after his debut album “Greetings From Asbury Park,” Bruce Springsteen is continuing to make new music with recent albums like “Western Stars” and “Letter to You” being some of his strongest work. 

However, due to Springsteen’s slate of solo Broadway shows he did in 2017 and 2018 and the COVID-19 Pandemic, he hasn’t done a proper tour of America since The River tour back in 2016. Well, I can safely say that he hasn’t lost his touch as one of the greatest performers in the history of rock and roll. Seeing him and the E Street Band perform was like a spiritual revival only. Despite being at the highest point of the arena and four rows from the back, I felt so close with this music as it blared throughout. 

The day before the big concert, I found myself waking up at 6:30 on a Sunday morning which, I assure you, is a rarity for me. Even preachers don’t get up that early. So why was I? Well, I had to take a few trains from Bed-Stuy to Long Island City to Grand Central Station to the Upper East Side to the Lexington Candy Shop. I’ve written about this place before and how outstanding it is. It also continues to be the only place in New York where their Coca-Cola is mixed by hand. After I wrote about the lunch counter for the first time, I was informed that Bruce Springsteen himself is a fan of the place. 

Well, using logical reasoning, I assumed that since Springsteen and the E Street Band played Madison Square Garden on Saturday April 1 and would play at the Barclays Center on Monday April 3, Sunday would be the best day for him to stop by. So, I made the trek to the Upper East Side to get to the Lexington Candy Shop right as it opened. After ordering some bacon and scrambled eggs, with a few slices of toast and a cup of coffee, I sat in a booth that was used as a filming location for a conversation between Woody Allen and John Turturro (whose spot I took) in the film “Fading Gigolo.” 

I spent eight hours at this amazing restaurant waiting to see if Bruce Springsteen would show up for a bite to eat.

While I waited for The Boss, I began to look around the place and marvel at its timeless nature as well as its use in film and television. After all, this was the lunch counter Robert Redford’s character visited in the tense thriller “Three Days of the Condor.” When I saw John, the owner of the place, in a picture that was at least 40 years old, back when his hair was black, with a man that looked famous, I asked him who he was standing with. His answer was “you’re too young.” I then explained that I knew who Robert Redford was and that I saw “Three Days of the Condor” which seemed to impress him enough to tell me who was in the photo. It was Telly Savalas. As in “The Birdman of Alcatraz,” “The Greatest Story Ever Told” and “The Dirty Dozen” Telly Savalas. 

As the hours went by, I started to befriend the staff and a few of the regular customers as I explained my plan to see if Springsteen would show up. I wouldn’t even bother the guy. Just to see the guy who wrote such amazing songs would be more than enough. They also confirmed the rumor that Springsteen was a fan of this restaurant. In fact, he stopped in for a bite just before the 2023 tour with the E Street Band began. 

However, if you’re reading this to see an incredible selfie of me and Bruce, I’m going to have to disappoint you. Bruce Springsteen never showed up. But that’s completely understandable considering that he was probably resting up following a night of rocking. I’ve never played in front of a sold out crowd at Madison Square Garden for three hours but I’m sure that it must be exhausting. 

It’s not like the day was wasted. As I sat and occasionally ordered a muffin, a Coke or another cup of coffee, I started to read Bruce Springsteen’s 2016 autobiography. By the time the lunch rush had arrived, I had read the 500 page book cover to cover. To be honest, sitting at the lunch counter gave me a much greater understanding of Bruce as an artist and a person as I read his many great stories. 

Through my eyes, I saw the liveliness of this restaurant and saw how much character it truly had. There was a rhythm of silverware clinking, coffee being stirred and orders being begged and barked. Towards the end of the counter, where I found myself seated from lunchtime onward, there was a collective of stools that served as the pit stop for every waiter and cook as they shouted to each other what they needed. Sandwiches, salads, ice cream floats, egg creams, French Toast, soup and more all floated past my eyes as I kept holding out hope that I might see Bruce. 

As I was working on my second Coke, a man sat down next to me and ordered scrambled eggs with french fries since that was the only kind of potatoes that the Lexington Candy Shop had. When I complimented his choice in sides, he noticed my copy of Springsteen’s autobiography and we got to talking. 

As it turns out, this man was Larry Shapiro, a producer and filmmaker who had worked with Bruce Springsteen on a few music videos from his 1987 album “Tunnel of Love.” For the next hour, I picked his brain about his career and working on things like the one take black-and-white music video for “Brilliant Disguise,” the music video for “Dirty Dancing’s” “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life” and producing the 1995 documentary “Brian Wilson: I Just Wasn’t Made For These Times.” 

Through this conversation, I picked up on a lot of what I can do to further myself as a filmmaker like paying attention to the techniques of music videos as much as films and to never quit working on what I ultimately want. As Larry told me, “If you want to be a writer and a filmmaker, that’s just what you have to do. No matter what’s going on.” It was refreshing to hear this, especially in an industry that relies on smooth talking bullshit. Plus he paid for my check which was incredibly nice. 

As the day went on, I began to feel the effects of waiting around in the restaurant. My legs felt nonexistent on this barstool and my arms began to feel like weights were attached. With the restaurant about to close, I packed up my books and left with the staff saying how much they admired my dedication. And just for the record, I did not throw in the towel, the towel was thrown to me. There’s a big difference there. 

With the day still sunny and bright, I made my way to Central Park before heading home. I needed to just bask in the sunshine and spring air. While some might have viewed my excursion as a waste of time, I was content with my long wait at the Lexington Candy Shop. After all, a do-nothing day in New York is still better than a do-nothing day anywhere else. 

The horn section of the E Street Band at it in the Barclays Center in Fort Greene, Brooklyn.

That next night, I spent three hours on my feet having a blast with a crowd of thrilled Bruce fans as we cheered the massive levels of energy he and the E Street Band put into their performance. After years of listing to the albums, watching music videos and viewing concert films, it was incredible to see The Boss perform alongside legends like guitarist “Little” Steven Van Zandt, drummer “Mighty” Max Weinberg, “Professor” Roy Bittan, Nils Lofgren, Garry Tallent and Soozie Tyell as well as new blood like Charlies Giordano and Jake Clemons. Unfortunately, Patti Scialfa, one of the band’s guitarists and Bruce’s wife, was not at this show but a fun time was still had. 

To pick a favorite moment is damn near impossible as the concert was just a continuous barrage of great tunes both old and new. Since the 2016 River Tour, Bruce Springsteen has released three albums. An album of country influence songs called “Western Stars” in 2019, his latest album with the E Street Band called “Letter to You” in 2020 and a collection of R&B and soul music covers called “Only The Strong Survive” in 2022. What was refreshing about the concert was that, out of the 26 songs performed, seven of them were from albums released in the 21st century. This wasn’t just a collection of his greatest hits from the 1970s and 80s but a clear showing of his talent spanning multiple decades.

When his song “Letter to You” broke out, it was reassuring just how many people were singing along to this relatively new tune. This wasn’t just a group of people who wanted to hear “Born in the USA,” which was not played, they were excited to hear a variety of songs spanning Springsteen’s entire discography. 

With that said, there were plenty of classic hits that we all went nuts over. When Bruce started the harmonica intro for “The Promised Land,” that entire crowd was in the palm of his hand. And the solos. Oh, those guitar solos. I don’t think people give Bruce Springsteen credit for how skilled he is as a guitar player. Yes he’s working with other talented guitarists like “Little” Steven and Nils Lofgren but Springsteen can also shred like you won’t believe. And shred he did. 

On average, many Springsteen shows can go on for nearly four hours but this one was a tight three. The reason for this was that Springsteen didn’t tell as many stories in between songs as he used to. To be fair, with the release of his autobiography and the taping of his Broadway show on Netflix, there’s really no reason for him to do so, especially since this performance was all about endurance and adrenaline. 

However, this made the one story Springsteen did tell all the more meaningful. Before performing a solo acoustic version of “Last Man Standing” from “Letter to You,” Bruce took to the microphone and told us about the band he was in as a teenager called The Castiles. A few years ago, his bandmate George Theiss died of cancer which made Bruce the last living member of that band. Along with the deaths of E Street Band members Danny Federici and Clarence Clemons in 2008 and 2011 respectively, it’s not hard to guess where “Last Man Standing” came from. It represents a sobering reality that Springsteen is facing. The ideas of mortality and death. 

Another song that touched on this was the incredible performance of “The Rising” from the 2002 album of the same name. Telling the story of a firefighter climbing up the stairwells of the World Trade Center on 9/11, the song and the album it's from are a testament to the victims of the attacks and offer a beautiful message of hope. In Brooklyn, you felt such a strong sense of community during that song as so many people in the crowd were here in the city on that day, watching as the towers burned and fell. It was just so powerful to hear those words and that music in this city. 

During the performance of “Rosalita (Come Out Tonight),” you saw Bruce and the band explore their silly sides. At one point, Jake Clemons (the nephew of Clarence who took over “The Big Man’s” duties on the sax) and “Little” Steven began playing with Springsteen as he was singing. They would pull his ears, pat his head, honk his nose and Bruce would make funny sounds to correspond. You just felt the goofy comradery of this dynamic group. 

But my personal favorite moment of the night came with my favorite song by Bruce Springsteen, “Dancing in the Dark.” This song is just a real pick-me-up for whenever life seems like it takes more than it gives. The lyrics don’t really offer any solution or show a guy putting his life together but this song does show that Springsteen understands that feeling. Sometimes know that someone else knows what trouble you’re going through is enough. During the performance, everyone around me was on their feet and dancing to the upbeat tempo even though we only had one or two square feet for each of us to dance in. But, by God, we made the most of that square foot. At the end of the song, Bruce earned his nickname of The Boss by dominating that stage as he threw his Telecaster to a roadie (which is always cool) and then tore his shirt open to reveal that he is truly jacked. I think every guy in the arena, including myself, immediately felt inferior to how good looking this guy was at 73-years-old. 

Before the last two songs, Bruce had a demand of us. He yelled into the microphone,  “I want you to go home tonight and I want you to wake up all your hipster neighbors and I want you to tell them that YOU’VE JUST SEEN the heart stopping, pants dropping, earth shocking, heart rocking, booty shaking, earthquaking, love making, Viagra taking, history making, legendary E STREET BAND!” 

And then the song started with “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out” not only being a crowd pleaser but also serving as a tribute to Clarence Clemons and Danny Federici. Following that and a solo acoustic version of “I’ll See You In My Dreams” being the necessary song to calm down a crowd that had just spent three hours rocking out. On the subway ride home, I was surrounded by Bruce fans all trying to get back to their hotel rooms and their apartments when I met a couple named Peter and Oh who attended the show. Peter, a lifelong fan, was taking his wife to her first Springsteen show. When it comes to talking to random people in New York, it’s like Pringles. Once you start, it’s hard to stop until you’re holding the empty can. 

Along with the Springsteen show, my life in New York has largely consisted of going around the city in this newfound warm weather and collecting footage. Currently, I am working on a documentary which means that I’m going to need a lot of B-Roll of the city. Rather than rely on some stock footage website, I’ve been spending my free days going to so many places in the city, Brooklyn and Queens to get footage of whatever I need. I’ve been collecting footage of places like The Strand Bookstore, Washington Square Park, The World Trade Center, The Long Island City Piers, the subway, Central Park and so much of the street art that permeates the city. 

I think this building should be condemned. There's serious metal fatigue in all the load-bearing members, the wiring is substandard, it's completely inadequate for our power needs and the neighborhood is like a demilitarized zone.

One day, as I was heading to the World Trade Center, I found myself walking on a familiar street. I turned to the left and I saw that I was standing in front of the firehouse made famous by the film “Ghostbusters.” I was able to get some footage and even got a nice couple to take a photo of me in front of the firehouse. Here’s a word of advice for New Yorkers exploring the city on your own, if you want your picture taken with something, just wait for a touristy couple to take a selfie with the location. Then, you ask them if they’d like you to take a proper photo of them. If they say yes and you oblige, they will always return the favor. It works every time. 

During my explorations, I’ve uncovered some truly unique stuff. While walking around the Lower East Side, I found a used book store called Sweet Pickle Books that sells homemade pickles along with books. Because when you’re reading Tom Wolfe, you also need a tasty dill spear. The Lower East Side is abundant with swell, landmark eateries. There’s the famous Katz’s Delicatessen along with pizzerias like Scarr’s and Williamsburg. But I stumbled upon a great landmark that I still can’t stop thinking about. That is the Yonah Schimmel Knish Bakery. 

This fine establishment first started in 1910 and it’s been providing knishes to New Yorker’s ever since. For my goyish friends who, like myself until three weeks ago, have no idea what a knish is, I’ll happily spill it. A knish is Jewish dough that has been baked with a filling in the middle. In Yonah Schimmel’s case, they stuff their knishes with the likes of spinach, red cabbage, apple cheese, chocolate, garlic and onions and so many other great combinations of sweet and savory. However, for my first time, I elected for the simple, traditional potato knish. It’s one of the most delicious things I’ve eaten in this city. So savory. So filling. It was hard to tell where the dough stopped and the potato began resulting in a perfect blend of dough and spuds. 

Now that I’ve had a knish, a hot dog straight off the cart, a Katz’s sandwich and a slice at Joe’s, there’s one more New York staple that I’ve yet to try: the bagel. I have no idea where to get the best, most authentic bagel in New York so perhaps this requires greater research. I am open to suggestions at the moment. 

A view of the Empire State Building, United Nations and Chrysler Building all from the Long Island City docks.

At the café, there are definitely perks to being an employee. There’s the great food on your lunch break, you’re consistently jacked up on coffee and you’re always on your feet. But one thing I especially enjoy is that I feel in the know about interesting events happening in Long Island City. This has been the case with my past two Fridays which have found me at the Culture Lab completely immersed in the music of SUSS.

A local band, SUSS is a country ambience group composed of three guys: Bob Holmes, Jonathan Gregg and, my boss Terri’s husband, Pat Irwin. Recently, they released a double album on vinyl and they’ve been performing one side of the album every Friday starting March 31. Now, I’ve known Pat for a while and I’ve loved listening to the music of SUSS on streaming and vinyl so, of course, I bought tickets to see them perform. After seeing two of their gigs with two more on the way, it’s definitely been something I look forward to every week. 

Not only is the music spectacular, but it’s also been a good way to meet people that I see in the café outside of work. With that said, the music is still fantastic. This music isn’t easy to replicate outside of a studio space so it’s pretty incredible to see SUSS and a few other talented local musicians bring these sounds to life. 

There’s also been a cozy sense of showmanship with these gigs. The lighting is hazy and intimate while projectors play atmospheric footage of country roads. You feel like you’re going on a trip listing to this music. The space is also adorned with Persian rugs to the point where the entire experience feels like a relaxed psychedelic version of the basement of Big Pink where Bob Dylan and The Band came up with a plethora of excellent songs back in the late 1960s. With two dates left at the Culture Lab, I know exactly where I’ll be for the next couple of Fridays. 

Pat Irwin on the grand piano at SUSS’s second show at the LIC Culture Lab on April 7.

In between these gigs was the holiday of Easter which was wildly different than anything I’ve ever experienced. For the first time in 22 years, I was celebrating Easter without any family present. To say this was odd would be an understatement. It was bizarre. While I did go to church (that hasn’t changed), I wasn’t quite sure what to do for the day. So, I went to the ost beautiful place I could think of: Central Park. 

While I spent a couple of hours just wandering the park and collecting footage, I eventually made my way to Strawberry Fields where a Beatles cover quartet called The Meetles was performing. The sun was out, the music was peaceful and I was surrounded by a bunch of New Yorkers and tourists all entranced by the music. As far as ways to spend Easter go, this wasn’t bad. 

While The Meetles played well, they also had good banter going on with each other and they made it clear that they don’t just perform in Central Park. As their drummer said, “we’ll play anywhere for anybody. As long as you’re not Marjorie Taylor Greene.” I don’t blame them for that exclusion. 

You see, while our ex-commander-in-chief was being indicted for business fraud and for using campaign funds in a hush money cover up, Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia joined a group of pro-Tump protestors. Afterwards, she went on Tucker Carlson’s show on Fox News and called New York “disgusting” and “a terrible place.” Who does she think she is? You don’t get to waltz up to our city, show your idiotic support for a dopey wannabe autocrat and then call New York “filthy.” Only we get to call it that. New York may have trash on the sidewalks. We may have rats. We may have a living, breathing lie in Congress named George Santos. However, we also are a place where you can take a subway to get a knish then catch a film still in limited release before going to Central Park to hear your favorite Beatles songs live. 

So go back to Georgia and try to get that golden fiddle back from Johnny. Go back and tell yourself that New York is where they build the Jewish space lasers (because where else would they be built?). Do whatever you need to do, you terrible, terrible woman. Because this city isn’t going anywhere. You are.

The Meetles in action in Strawberry Fields, Central Park.