Everybody has a hungry heart…and a Bruce story. At times comical, informative, and opinionated, author Greg Miller embarks on a casual jaunt through the timeline of Springsteen’s early career. From the diverse perspectives of unusual encounters and interviews, the author observes the emerging career of rock 'n roll's premier entertainer and explains why he is The Boss. .

Spanning a career of 47 years, Bruce has logged more than 1,750 concerts to date. There are fans and there are superfans. Springsteen A Notion Deep Inside interviews the superfans, one who attended 795 Bruce concerts (including all 113 on The Darkness tour), and explains why his fans know him as The Boss. Meet a fan with a 25-foot Bruce man cave mural and a fan who grew up with the family and reveals the location of Greasy Lake and an educated guess of where The River flows, and another fan who explains the science of getting those impossible-to-obtain Bruce tickets.

While the author shares stories of fans he met in the Caribbean, Peru and Ireland, fans who wanted to share their Springsteen stories, as with nearly all things Bruce, the journey begins and ends in New Jersey.

For the uninitiated, The Shore is explained, top to bottom, Keyport to Cape May, Shoobies and BENNYs, Mt. Mitchell, The Upstairs, The Student Price, and The Stony Pony, Jenks to Jimmy Byrne’s—they’re all in the book.

As a final observation, the author locates Bruce in the all-time rock ’n roll pantheon, and chisels his place on Rock’s Mt. Rushmore.

The companion website lists every Springsteen concert (and shows cancelled), unique memorabilia, rock lists, never-before-seen concert photos, and suggests road trips and further reading to explain the origin of the darkness that seeped into Bruce’s edge of town.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Acknowledgements

Section 1— Hors d'oeuvre—How to use this book

Section 2―Everybody Has a Hungry Heart

The French West Indies—of all Places

The Boss Almost Played Loyola in 1972

The Best Seats to See Bruce Were Free

Memorabilia- A Piece of the Boss

Intimacy–You Talking To Me?

Section 3—The Performer—New Jersey Finds Its Pride in Springsteen

When The Boss Outranks the Chairman of the Board

The Payoff—I’m On the Cover of Time and Newsweek

Getting tickets – Shut Out of the Meadowlands in 1984

A Hard Act to Follow

Growing Up—Variations on a Theme

The Venues—The Bottom Line

Section 4―His Music – More than Just an E Street Shuffle

Sparks Fly on E Street

Rock ’n roll Fusion

What Rock ’n roll Isn’t

At Its Best Rock is Inspirational

Bruce’s Music—“Lapsed-Catholic” Rock

Why are Bruce’s Songs So Dark—Connecting the Shadows

Jersey Calling—9/11

Section 5—The Fans and the Super Fans —Tramps Like Us

Philip “PJ” Petchers—A Bruce Concert Veteran

The Joe Lamm Interview

The Man Cave of John Norjen

Jim Erdman―In a League of His Own

Will O’Connor—The Professional Fan—A Local Hero

The B Street Band—The Replacements

How Long Can Bruce and the E Street Band Continue?

Section 6—Backstreets

Bruce and his Politics

Making Rock ’n roll Lists

What to Take to the Island—Rock ’n roll Lists

Being In the Conversation

Section 7—Trying to write this book

References—Sources and Suggested Reading Materials

About the Author

Also By The Author

Road Trips to Consider

If eBooks Had a Back Cover—This Would Be It

Endpiece