That’s what’s wrong with America.  Everybody apologizing.  No one can own their behavior, or their identity.  Which in the case of Bruce Springsteen is CEO of a moneymaking juggernaut.

He said he was doing it for the money, that’s why he was playing the Super Bowl.   Didn’t you see that "New York Times" article?  This is how you promote an album in the twenty first century.  "’At my age it is tough to get word of your music out,’ Springsteen said."  Is that really the problem, people going to Springsteen concerts not knowing he’s working new product?  Isn’t that kind of like Deadheads showing up at these new Dead shows expecting to see Jerry Garcia?  A dedicated fanbase, built upon a plethora of live shows and album-length works, is familiar with your efforts. It’s not like seeing the opening act of a three act package.  Sure, someone there for the value of seeing Journey and Heart might not know that Cheap Trick has a new record, but are we really to believe that you go to the Meadowlands to see the  Boss and this is the first you hear of "Working On A Dream"?

And that’s all that counts when you’re a classic rocker.  If no one is interested in a new Madonna record, after she works with Timbaland and duets with Justin Timberlake and whores herself out to every news outlet in the world, what are the odds the average punter cares about Springsteen’s new project?

Low.

And don’t expect a gargantuan bounce after his appearance tomorrow.  It’ll help his concert ticket sales, but it won’t sell a million albums in a week. NO ONE sells that many, unless they’re a rapper who’s been giving away free tracks for years, stoking the fire.

But this isn’t about the new album, this is about the OLD album.  The greatest hits Bruce is selling at Wal-Mart.  Insiders were aghast.  Is this the same guy who lobbied for unions and the working man?

But it was a small fire.  It was a greatest hits efforts and so many boomer Bruce fans don’t shop at Wal-Mart.  But now that he says he made a mistake, this is the biggest news story since the gossip sites said Jessica Simpson was FAT!

You did catch that, right?  With her sister coming out and defending her?  Isn’t that like Corey Haim coming out and defending Corey Feldman?

But she wasn’t the only one.  Her ex, every tabloid figure in America is weighing in.  What was a small story is now gargantuan.  As is Bruce admitting the Wal-Mart deal was a mistake.  That utterance was gasoline on a smoldering fire.  Now, suddenly, EVERYBODY knows about Bruce’s faux pas, and nobody’s buying the excuse.

Yup, you didn’t vet it, you acted too hastily.  As if Wal-Mart worked that quickly.  As if you could manufacture product that quickly.  As if Bruce was known for making off the cuff decisions.  This is a guy who ponders his every move, is notorious for being a control freak regarding his image, but when it comes to the biggest retailer in the land, hated by so much of his audience, THIS decision he made quickly without thinking it through?

Hogwash.

But that’s not the point.  By admitting his mistake, Bruce made a small story HUGE!  Now everybody knows Bruce fucked up.

If you’re going to do something heinous, better to let it fade away than apologize for it.  The Net lives on shit like this.  The Net is about bringing the big man down to the level of the little.  The way you win on the Net is to not take yourself too seriously, to put yourself on the level of the common man from the GET-GO!  Which is what Bruce Springsteen USED to do.

He’d have been better off ignoring the question.

But when you’re performing at the number one television event of the year, a national rite, you’ve got to do the press.  That’s why you’re doing the show!

So it comes out that you’re not a football fan.  And, you’re editing your songs to fit the NFL’s restrictions.  Isn’t this the guy who famously played all night?

It’s like Bruce and his handlers don’t own a computer.  Like they didn’t conceive that all of their efforts and their motives would be scrutinized by a celebrity obsessed public, eager to topple baby boomer icons from their pedestals, illustrate that they should have died before they were revealed to be just like you and me.

That’s the problem with fame.  People want to keep it.  Along with their lifestyles.  They don’t realize times change.  That you’ve got to be thankful for the success you’ve had.

If Bruce hadn’t squeezed Andy Lack for such a gargantuan advance, this Wal-Mart deal never would have happened.  But if you take the money, you play their game.  If you play the Super Bowl, you play by the NFL’s rules.

Wasn’t rock and roll about breaking the rules?