For Everyman

Remember that guy who was just starting to hit it big back in the late 1970s? He was very active politically, but was still known for his impressive songwriting credits. During the eighties, he frequently performed at benefit concerts for causes he believed in, including Farm Aid, Amnesty International, making several appearances on the 1986 A Conspiracy of Hope Tour. He has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Three of his albums have been selected by Rolling Stone magazine as among its choices for the five hundred best albums of all time.And you might guess that I am writing about Bruce Springsteen.
Nope. Not this time. This one is about Jackson Browne. I wore out my copy of "Runnin' On Empty" long before I owned "Greetings From Asbury Park." That album, along with "Hold Out" helped define my coming of age in the Reagan years. Jackson Browne wrote the songs that informed my initial relationships with girls. He was always so sensitive. Maybe that's why I was surprised to find out that he had hooked up with Daryl Hannah. This seemed to me somewhat on a par with Bruce Springsteen marrying Julianne Phillips. Ah, so many parallels.
And then there's the fact that it was Jackson Browne who twisted David Geffen's arm until he signed Warren Zevon for his first album. He also sued John McCain and the Republican Party for using his 1977 hit, "Running on Empty," in an attack ad against Barack Obama without his permission. Who else but Mister Springsteen would be the one to induct him into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? Jackson Browne is the real deal.
On Sunday afternoon, when the E Street Band shows up in the middle of Super Bowl Forty-Three, I imagine Jackson will be tuning in, just to see how much fun it would be to be the halftime entertainment. I don't suppose he's got much to be jealous of, but I wonder if he sometimes he doesn't start looking off into the distance and begin composing his own set list. Maybe next year.