Read this, just to see what I’m talking about. And then tell me if the central thesis makes any sense at all.
Look, I’d understand perfectly if a big Springsteen fan heard about his most recent adulterous affair and said, “That’s none of my business- that’s between him and his family.”
I’d also understand perfectly if a big Springsteen fan said, “Well that’s really a damn shame, but hey, I still love his music, and that’s all that matters.”
I could even understand if a pseudo-sophisticate said, “Ah, monogamy is for hypocritical Puritanical prudes! We should be like the French, who think cheating is a natural and wonderful thing.”
But does it make ANY sense at all to say, “Yes, Bruce is a cheating tomcat, but he’s a much more ADMIRABLE cheating tomcat than all the others”?
I don’t think ‘admirable’ was meant to be the conclusion, so much as ‘admirable by comparison to recent similar events’, or even ‘less tawdry than we’re used to seeing in these degenerate days’.
I sorta get why she’s saying that, based on this quote from the article:
“While, if true, Springsteen’s behavior was likely painful for his family, it seems on its face not to have been built on the degradation, objectification, hatred for or cruel treatment of wives or mistresses, but on appreciation for a specific, normal-looking 45-year-old woman who happened to be a dead ringer for his wife.”
I would have substituted “honest” for “admirable” though. If true, he really liked this woman, and that seems different from the horndog behavior we’ve seen from others. If she’d been a 20-year-old starlet, I’d feel differently.
One is always saddened and disappointed when someone one admires acts in ways that are not admirable. While the affair might not have been with a 20-year-old starlet bimbo type, it isn’t classy, even for The Boss. He’s still a cheatin’ tomcat.
Caveat: I am a huge Springsteen fan. I really admire him, but I don’t admire cheating on either Julianne Phillips or Patti Scialfa, or on any other partners he has had in his lifetime.
As long as it stays off the pages of the tabloids and ESPN, etc. it’s not my business. He may be a cheatin’ bum, but he’s no Tiger Woods. I understand that Tiger will be playing 72 holes this weekend at the Masters. I imagine that he is going to be quite tuckered out.