Isn't it cool how old influences can lie dormant in artists until the time is right? Thanks to Rose's picture, I now know something about the "Palace" in Asbury Park, New Jersey, USA. From Rose's informal portrait, I'd say the "Palace" was a roller-skating rink in better days. In decades-old paint, a section of an outdoor wall now foreshadows a Springsteen album title. How fecking *COOL* IS THAT?!?! That wall sat there for decades, a musty memory in the brain of Asbury Park's favorite son until his personal life brought it screaming to the fore.
== A similar sense of deja-vu happened last week when I was listening to Jeff Bisch's new album "40 Watt Stars". A few lucky, sleep-deprived JMDLers heard him preview a new song called "Daddy Swing Me Higher" in Ashara's rec room. I won't give it away but upon the fourth listening I noticed that Jeff did something fecking BRILLIANT in the lyric. In the first refrain, he tells us about his daughter's favorite thrill as a kid in the park. In the double-length third verse when his daughter comes of age, her beau's favorite thing about her mirrors exactly what she loved as a child. (Like I said, I won't spoil it because it's better to find some treasures for yourself.) I was listening on headphones at work when I "found" it and I bellowed out "*WHOA*!!" and tore the 'phones off! Thanks, Jeff. Thanks Rose. Life is finally good again. Lama
