This is a test. Testing spinning

This is a test. Testing spintext

This is a test. Testing spintax

This is a test. Testing spinning

This is a test. Testing spinning

Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging!

The news of Bruce Springsteen's long-awaited Darkness On The Edge Of Town box set (wasn't it supposed to be in 2008 to commemorate the 30th anniversary?) was officially released today and, holy Christ, does it sound amazing.

Columbia Records will release Bruce Springsteen's 'The Promise: The Darkness on the Edge of Town Story' on Nov 16.

Elizabeth: How can I say in a few minutes what it's taken me a lifetime to understand?
Dr. Frankenstein: Won't you try?
Elizabeth: Alright.

Earlier today I got the news via Twitter that today is the 35th anniversary of the release of Born To Run.

My sister posted this on her Facebook page yesterday and it's been in my head ever since. Tyler Gildin and Evan Krumholz's rewrite of Jay-Z's "Empire State Of Mind" for my hometown of Nassau County, Long Island.

It captures the mentality of living in Nassau County so poetically, especially the couplet, "Westchester's for pussies/Nothing stinks like Jersey.

Back in the days of the WFW Podcast, I always had Nils Lofgren in the back of my mind as a potential guest. It was one of those things that made sense for a whole bunch of reasons. I just wanted to wait until the time was right before making the contact. But then the E Street Band went on tour in late 2007 and by the time they stopped, I stopped the podcast.

I first heard this when it came out about a year ago and, while I'm not surprised it's become a big hit in the past few months, I do wonder what took it so long to find its audience. Still, I can't think of a song that's left me so conflicted as to what to think of it.

The chorus is about as perfect as any concept ripped off from a Billy Joel song can be.

On Friday, my girlfriend and I biked the North Branch Trail up to the Chicago Botanic Garden up in Glencoe, about 14 miles each way. Unfortunately, the combination of a late start on the day and plans later in the evening meant that we didn't get to see as much of it as we would have liked, but what we saw was beautiful.

A few weeks ago it struck me why rock has been in such a horrible state for so long. I realized it's because rock n' roll has already achieved perfection. It happened during a Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band concert at Cleveland's Agora Theatre 32 years ago today. So, in honor of its anniversary, I thought I'd discuss it.

Yesterday Aaron tweeted a link to this article by Simon Kuper, the noted author of several excellent books that look at world soccer through political and economic angles. The World Cup would normally be a perfect opportunity for his brand of analysis, which is why I was disappointed by his piece.

One of my favorite things about Chicago is the sheer amount of live music that comes through town on a regular basis. This increases exponentially in the summer, when neighborhood street festivals and the parks bring in a lot of big-name acts, and there's a lot of potential for conflict when you have to choose.