Sound Affects (My Lost 15 Minutes of Fame)
VH1 here, home of such groundbreaking programming as "Pop Up Videos" and "Behind the Music." This could be a ticket out of obscurity and into the big time!
But in my mind, obscurity is underrated. I don't know if it's insecurity or shyness, but I really wasn't interested in having that spotlight shine in my direction. (Heck, I even avoid having my picture on my weekly newspaper column!) So, right up until deadline, I ignored the announcement, thinking that I wouldn't want to be on tv anyway. But when other editors mentioned hearing from the station, my competitive nature kicked in. (That, and the notion that maybe - just maybe - the Boss would be at home one night, flipping through those 57 channels, and might come upon the show and be interested in what someone said about him. And I'm not just someone - I'm someone with a business card proclaiming me a "Springsteen expert") I wrote my story and was immediately contacted by VH1, who wanted to use me in "Sound Affects".
Unfortunately, filming ran late in Philly and I got stuck in traffic on the way to New York, so I never did get to film my segment. Still, I want to share the story, so TV's loss is your gain. After all, Bruce had changed my life in ways beyond typical. In fact, if it wasn't for Bruce Springsteen, you may not be reading these words at all. (VH1 has promised to catch up with me during their next trip east - if "Sound Affects" is picked up beyond the original 13 episodes. So consider this your own exclusive preview and keep your eye on the TV Guide.)
The year was 1987. I was, believe it or not, a banker, working in the loan operations department of Lenape State Bank. (This was before Lenape became United Jersey, which later became Summit. It was also my "first out of college" job, before I became a teacher who later became a writer.) I had always been a fan of Bruce's, but some of my coworkers who shared a "banker mentality" (and I mean that in the most affectionate way) couldn't understand why I'd wait out overnight in the rain just to get concert tickets (even if the concerts in question have been compared to an epiphany.) It just wasn't done; sleeping on the streets for music - even great music - was something done by heathen or
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