Is There Really an E Street?

Editor's Note: Matt Soniak is going to see The Boss in Philadelphia tonight. (And probably tomorrow, too.) Here's a look back at the Springsteen FAQ that Matt put together last May.

I love Bruce Springsteen and the E Street band in much the same way that a dog loves its master: unconditionally and with the kind of enthusiasm that makes gratuitous slobbering forgivable. The Boss is the patron saint of the Soniak family, one of the few things I have in common with my father that's not a genetic oddity (ask me about my crooked fingers sometime). Here's some Springsteen fanboy nerdery crammed into an FAQ for you.

1. When Bruce says that "they blew up the Chicken Man in Philly last night" in the song "Atlantic City," what the hell is he talking about?

The Chicken Man was Phil Testa, the underboss of the Philadelphia crime family under Angelo Bruno. Bruno was killed in 1980, and Testa, who got his nickname from his involvement in a poultry business, succeeded him as don of the family. His nine-month reign ended when conspirators in the family placed a nail bomb under his porch and detonated it when he walked out the front door.

2. Is There Really an E Street? Where?

E Street runs north east through the New Jersey shore town of Belmar. According to Springsteen lore, the band took its name from the street because original keyboard player David Sancious' mother lived there and allowed the band to rehearse in her house. The titular avenue of "Tenth Avenue Freeze Out" is also in Belmar.

3. "Tenth Avenue Freeze Out"? I'm glad you brought that up. What's that song about?

"Tenth Avenue" tells the story of how the band was formed. The "Bad Scooter" that's searching for his groove is a young Springsteen in search of a new backing band. The "Big Man" in the third verse is saxophonist Clarence Clemons. Springsteen met him while playing in a club in Asbury Park. It was a stormy night with strong winds and when Clemons opened the door to the club, it flew off its hinges. Clemons has become a larger than life figure in the band, their personal Paul Bunyan, and Springsteen likes to use the story as proof that Clemons can blow the doors off any room he's in. The horn intro was proposed and arranged by guitarist Steven Van Zandt, and at several concerts it's been performed by the Miami Horns, a horn section that includes La Bamba and Pender from Late Night with Conan O'Brien.

4. It seems like the E Street Band has been around forever, but what did these guys do before the band formed, and during the decade between the break up and the reunion?

In the late 60s and early 70s, the Jersey Shore had a lively music scene, especially in Asbury Park, and almost all the E Street musicians got their start in various shore bands like Little Melvin & The Invaders, The Downtown Tangiers Band, The Jaywalkers, Steel Mill and Dr. Zoom & The Sonic Booms. Springsteen himself cut his teeth in The Castiles, Steel Mill and even played with Chuck Berry, who toured without a band in the early 70s to save money. He would pick up local musicians at each tour stop to do a show or two, and Springsteen performed with him when he came to New Jersey.

Steven Van Zandt took the role of Silvio Dante on The Sopranos, released some solo albums, hosts the syndicated garage rock radio show Little Steven's Underground Garage and, in 2006, assembled and directed an all-star band to back Hank Williams, Jr. on recording of "All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight" for the season premiere of Monday Night Football that included Little Richard, Cheap Trick's Rick Nielsen, Aerosmith's Joe Perry, The Roots' ?uestlove and Bootsy Collins. Van Zandt was also the director of the music selection committee that picked the songs for the video game Rock Band.

Clarence Clemons also made a brief foray into acting and appeared as one of the "Three Most Important People In The World" in Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, and made a guest appearance on Diff'rent Strokes as a saxophonist who helps Arnold Jackson learn to play. He most recently appeared twice on The Wire as a Baltimore youth-program organizer. During the 80s, he also owned a Big Man's West, a nightclub in Red Bank, New Jersey.

Anyone else going to be at the show tonight? Here's a piece from The Morning Call about Springsteen's history with Philadelphia.