Born to Drive

I went to see a film this week,

Bruce Springsteen and I

, expecting to see a biog about the life of this notoriously private superstar.

Instead it was a series of self-made videos by fans about why they love him interlinked with old concert footage showing his raw animal energy.

(Of course I love The Boss only for his song-writing skills.)

There were some surprisingly eloquent comments by his fans and not so loving ones by one poor, long-suffering sod who was sick of being dragged all over the world to Springsteen concerts by his girlfriend.

I think I first got hooked on Springsteen's music because it was so good to drive to. Darkness on the Edge of Town was the first of his albums I bought - it was a cassette that was soon destroyed by all the dust flying into the car's cassette player. But boy it was great driving music.

And of course Born to Run was any self-respecting roadie's anthem, perfect for exploring wide, open highways.

My iPod is still full of The Boss, interspersed with a strange mix of heavy metal, Punk and country rock. No accounting for tastes, I guess.

Open roads, highways, bush tracks, corrugated strips of red earth, they all welcome that Jersey boy.

It doesn't matter if you're driving a ute, a four wheel drive or a pickup truck.

And he's not bad listening for a long plane trip either. Just don't do what I have been known to do without realising it: sing out loud with your headphones on. Now that's NOT cool.

Bruce Springsteen's former rented home in New Jersey where he is said to have penned Born to Run

Photos: Diana Plater