Photo: By Takahiro Kyono from Tokyo, Japan (Bruce Springsteen) [CC BY 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
Well, talk about choking on your bagel. While I was sitting peacefully in my car this morning outside Smithtown Bagels sipping my morning coffee and enjoying a warm everything bagel, my breakfast was suddenly ruined by an insane comment by Jason Fitz and his partner on New York’s ESPN 98.7 Golic and Wingo radio show. Everyone is entitled to their opinions, but come on at least be rational. We are talking about a New York radio show with a large audience during morning drive. The first comment I heard was that Jason Fitz stated that he would rather listen to the Backstreet Boys than Bruce Springsteen. Fitz went on to then state how overrated he thought Springsteen was. Let’s just take a moment and think about what Jason Fitz said, “I would rather listen to the Backstreet Boys than Bruce Springsteen.”
For a second I thought, maybe I am still sleeping. Is it possible this delicious bagel is not real and that the insanity I am listening to on the radio is just a dream? In fact, I started to think maybe the past year and a half has been just a dream also. But let’s not go there, you all know what I am talking about. Sadly I am awake, shaking my head and wishing I could find a Back To The Future Delorean that will take me away from this madness and bring me back to 1978.
What made the conversation even more ridiculous was that they even started claiming that The Beatles were overrated. At that point, I realized these were just two kids on the radio that probably never heard Springsteen’s “Jungleland,” or “Rosalita”. They never listened to side one of Revolver or side two of Rubber Soul. They never sat as part of an audience experiencing the true rock and roll salvation of a Bruce Springsteen and E Street Band rock concert. They have no idea as to how the Beatles changed not just the direction of music and culture, but inspired a generation of artists in so many fields. These were two radio hosts that just don’t know rock and roll or anything about true history. Two guys that have missed the boat, two guys that I will never waste my time listening to again.
Listen to this Jason!
Let’s go ESPN, take a listen to this and try to tell us again that The Beatles are overrated.
Skip Anderson has written for various musical journals and historical periodicals. Skip spends his times writing and cooking a mean barbecue on his ranch in Southern Georgia.
