Watched the new documentary on HBO called The Promise. It concerns itself with Bruce Springsteem and the making of his album Darkness on the Edge of Town in 1977-78. It gives a real inside look at the creative process behind the album, highlighting the immense amount of work and effort that went into its creation.
I was intrigued by several things that were said in the film and was able to easily identify with the process that Springsteen employed in making his album. They talked about wanting to create a cinematic feel and sweep with the music, one that evoke a visual image with the sound. Sound pictures, they said. I immediately understood what they meant in that I have always viewed my paintings in the reverse of this, as being visual music. As though the message or feel he (and I) wants to get across is caught somewhere in between the two mediums.
They used the word feel often in describing how the songs came around, how Sprinsteen depended on an intuitive sense of rightness in finishing and assembling his songs. Again, I immediately understood what they meant, even the terminology they used which surprised me because I often struggle with words to describe the process. His obsessive-compulsive mania for his work also seemed somewhay familiar.
All in all, I found it pretty interesting and if you have an interest in the creative process or Bruce’s music, it’s well worth a watch. There’s a lot more I could write but I’ll let the film speak for itself.
Here’s the title track from a show in Passaic, NJ right after the album came out:
Redtree Times 