Seeing Bruce Springsteen in Concert Again Has Me Even More Excited For ‘Deliver Me From Nowhere’

Last night, I saw Bruce Springsteen in concert once again. This was my fifth or sixth time seeing The Boss, depending on whether you count the surprise mini show he put on during the premiere party for Blinded by the Light. Springsteen is my favorite musician, by far, so I’m what’s known as a big fan. Moreover, he’s a fascinating human being, contributing to art in several ways. I’ve previously written about Springsteen here when I ranked his songs being used in films. Today, however, on the high from the show, I wanted to mention how excited I am for the upcoming biographical movie being made about him. Bring on Deliver Me From Nowhere ASAP!

For those unaware, the film is based on the book of the same name by Warren Zanes. This is the synopsis for the book, as per the Penguin Random House website:

The fascinating story behind the making of Bruce Springsteen’s most surprising album, Nebraska, revealing its pivotal role in Springsteen’s career

Without Nebraska, Bruce Springsteen might not be who he is today. The natural follow-up to Springsteen’s hugely successful album The River should have been the hit-packed Born in the U.S.A. But instead, in 1982, he came out with an album consisting of a series of dark songs he had recorded by himself, for himself. But more than forty years later, Nebraska is arguably Springsteen’s most important record—the lasting clue to understanding not just his career as an artist and the vision behind it, but also the man himself.

Nebraska is rough and unfinished, recorded on cassette tape with a simple four-track recorder by Springsteen, alone in his bedroom, just as the digital future was announcing itself. And yet Springsteen now considers it his best album. Nebraska expressed a turmoil that was reflective of the mood of the country, but it was also a symptom of trouble in the artist’s life, the beginnings of a mental breakdown that Springsteen would only talk about openly decades after the album’s release.
 
Warren Zanes spoke to many people involved with making Nebraska, including Bruce Springsteen himself. He also interviewed more than a dozen celebrated artists and musical insiders, from Rosanne Cash to Steven Van Zandt, about their reactions to the album. Zanes interweaves these conversations with inquiries into the myriad cultural touchpoints, including Terrence Malick’s Badlands and the short stories of Flannery O’Conner, that influenced Springsteen as he was writing the album’s haunting songs. The result is a textured and revelatory account of not only a crucial moment in the career of an icon but also a record that upended all expectations and predicted a home-recording revolution.

This film will star Jeremy Allen White as Springsteen, with Jeremy Strong playing his manager Jon Landau. Scott Cooper is writing and directing. The period in time of Springsteen’s life is one of his most pivotal, as well as when some of his most interesting music would arise from. So, Cooper and company have fertile soil to till.

Now, the movie may wind up being too dark for Academy members, but I think it’s poised, if it turns out well, to be a real Oscar player. White in Best Actor seems like one of the safest bets, a year or so out. I’m going to be bullish on it when I do my Year in Advance predictions next season. There’s so much potential here…

Regardless of how the flick turns out, I’m very excited. Plus, I’m just coming off of the high of three hours of amazing live music. Now, the two hours I spent stuck in a rental car on the highway while an accident was handled? Not so much. That being said, Wreck on the Highway is a Springsteen song from around this era that the film will be tackling, so you know what? It somehow works. Bring on this project!

Stay tuned for more on the Bruce Springsteen biopic Deliver Me From Nowhere!