In 1983 Bruce Springsteen and Little Steven Van Zant of The E Street Band and the Sopranos were kicked out of Disneyland because of the way they were dressed. Here was Steve's response
THE HAPPIEST PLACE ON EARTH
I
was thrown out of Disneyland today. The psychic scars this caused date
back to a seven-year old who faithfully watched Mickey strike up the
band every afternoon and lusted after Annette until about 15 years later
(I still need a shot of Skippy peanut butter now and then).
I had heard about discrimination back in the Sixties, having to do with
“Longhairs” not being allowed in. Although even then I somehow figured
this rule – if it existed – would probably apply to long-haired guitar
players and not, say, long-haired violin players. I think that double
standard would also apply today because I found that the rule I couldn’t
believe existed is in fact being strictly enforced. The fact is this
visual discrimination, the concept of a dress code at all, is a serious
flaw in our legal system and is nothing short of legalized prejudice.
At Disneyland, enforcing this ridiculous law is also an attack on rock
and music and all the people who believe in it. They’re telling me
nobody rocks in the Magic Kingdom. Nobody expresses their individuality
in the Magic Kingdom except maybe that guy in the rodent suit. It’s the
ideal fairground for James Watt.
As a country we
made great strides in the Sixties, mostly in the area of civil rights
for blacks, and that was great. But now we have an ever growing number
of the population, of which I am a part, who express themselves
visually; those whose appearances are an important form of
self-expression.
Every human being is born with a
uniqueness which society eventually forced him to suppress. I believe
that when young children are forced to conform in this way, the
frustration creates serious problems later on. The lack of
self-expression becomes self-destructive, often resulting in violence or
drug use or excessive drinking or any number of outlets of which I am
sure Walt Disney wouldn’t have approved.
The idea
of a dress code is a gaping loophole in the very civil rights laws
everyone fought so long and hard to get passed. For example, if
Disneyland didn’t want to admit black people, all they would have to say
is that they don’t like the way they are dressed. Twenty years of
humanitarian progress down the drain.
Of course,
the most blatant prejudice a dress code suggests is against the poorer
segments of society who perhaps can’t afford to attire themselves in
clothing of which the security guard approved (depending on his mood
that day).
Obviously dress codes don’t begin and
end at Disneyland. They are an embarrassment to our society in whatever
restaurant, club or public facility they exist. But I think any place
billing itself as “The Happiest Place On Earth” is a good place to
start.
So I think it is time to boycott
Disneyland until the vague and unfair dress code they enforce is
abolished once and for all. The First Amendment to the Constitution is
freedom of speech and expression. People who live their lives expressing
themselves by the way they look, doing no harm to anyone, are entitled
to the same rights that allow the Nazis and Ku Klux Klan members to run
around protected by our tax dollars. Everyone should be entitled to the
same protection under the law. Abolish legalized prejudice. Abolish all
dress codes now.
Little Steven, 1983
Disciples of Soul
Manhattan, New York.
Showing posts with label E Street Band. Show all posts
Showing posts with label E Street Band. Show all posts
Clarence Clemons - Goodbye and Goodbye E Street Band
“….For 15 years, Clarence has been a source of myth, and light, and enormous strength for me onstage. He has filled my heart so many nights, so many nights. And I love it when he wraps me in his arms at the end of the night. That night when we first stood together, I looked over at C., and it looked like his head reached into the clouds, and I felt like a mere mortal, scurrying upon the earth. But he always lifted me up - way, way, way up. Together we told a story of the possibilities of friendship; a story older than the ones that I was writing, and a story that I could never have told without him at my side. I want to thank you, Big Man - I love you so much.”
That was what Bruce said in 1999 being inducted to the Rock Hall Of Fame. ...now if thethe "15 years" he mentions seems short, it was Bruce honestly taking in to account the years Bruce played with someone else...and I can tell you from seeing those "F Street Band" performances as they were called, it felt VERY empty when a song came up that needed Clarence on Sax ...was not the same without him, as the music world never will be without him today. I've seen Bruce a dozen times ---first time in 1975 at Burruss Hall in Blacksburg for $4.50. and the arena was always electric when Clarence stepped into the spotlight. I also had one of the times of my life when "Clarence Clemons and the Red Bank Rockers" played to about 300 faithful during a huge ice storm at Radford University until the wee hours of the morning in the early 80's . Somehow, those of us who saw the band the past few years had to realize we were seeing the end of something . At the end of the shows, with the crowd prompted by the screens, we all hailed
The E Street Band!
The E Street Band!
The heart-stopping, pants-dropping, house-rocking, earth-shaking, booty-quaking, Viagra-taking, love-making -
Le-gen-dary E - Street - Band!
The E Street Band!
The E Street Band!
The heart-stopping, pants-dropping, house-rocking, earth-shaking, booty-quaking, Viagra-taking, love-making -
Le-gen-dary E - Street - Band!
Guess you know I will miss him.
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