8 | August• 2017OUR SON JACK,aged five, is one of Australia’s biggest
Bruce Springsteen fans. He has cerebral palsy, which
affects all four limbs, and cortical vision impairment,
which means he struggles to see further that a metre.
He has inherited his Bruceness from me. I received
a copy ofBorn to Runfrom my uncle when I was 11- a dubbed tape containing my first taste of true rock ‘n’
roll, and it was love. My wife, Tamsin, is a respecter of
Bruce, if not a devotee. She’s been to two live shows now.
She thinks they are great, if a fraction long.
But Jack’s obsession takes mine to a different level. He
watches ‘Bwuce’ all day on YouTube. Jack is no ‘greatest
hits’ fan. He requests specific gigs, tracks, guest artists
(Bwian from The Gaslight Anthem with Bwuce!). He
knows all of the E Street Band by name.
We were so unsure whether to take him to see
Springsteen when he played in Melbourne in February.
On the one hand, he is seriously obsessed. On the other
hand, his lack of vision and his sensory processing issues
mean he can’t cope with loud music. He’s made
screaming exits from the school fete and dozens of other
similar scenarios. He hates it if it’s raining too loud on the
roof. So we thought he’d have no chance of coping; my
prediction was two minutes, max.
All day he said he didn’t want to go. “Maybe I’ll see
Bwuce later,” he said over and over. Then he’d cry,
A live concert enthralls a young Springsteen fan
MY STORY
Jack and the Boss
Tony Wilson is the
author of more than
a dozen books for both
adults and children.
His bestselling book
The Cow Tripped Over
the Moonis dedicated
to Jack. Tony started
the speeches website
http://www.speakola.com
in 2015.BY TONY WILSONPHOTO: (SPRINGSTEEN) GETTY IMAGES;(TONY AND JACK) COURTESY OF THE AUTHOR