There are moments in life when a person realizes that they are getting ready to do some irreversible damage to their pride. Subscribing to a fan-zine is one of these moments. I mean, it’s cool to go to a rock concert. It may be annoying to rebelliously brag about owning bootlegged concerts or to fill people in on the small fortune you spent on your scalped concert tickets. It’s far from pitiful, though. It’s far from the looks and snickers that result from the words “fan-zine”. I speak from experience.

But, sometimes, you just can’t get enough. Hearing the music, going to the concerts, tracking down the bootlegs…these things aren’t sufficient. And, then you begin thinking, “Well, really… It’s not like I have a crush on him or anything…It’s not a sissy teenage-girl magazine…I just want to learn a little bit more about the guy and there’s not much out there to read on him”. And, the next thing you know you have your credit card out and you’re the proud owner of a new subscription to Backstreets magazine…assuming a Springsteen obsession…I mean interest.

At least the folks at Backstreets take things seriously. There’s no fooling around about the Boss. Well, there are puns by the bucket-load…and, plenty of jokes that only the dedicated fan will get (such as using the word telly-vision, ever since the Reunion Tour). But, when it comes to a quality representation of what’s important to the Bruce world, nobody has their finger on the pulse of what’s going on better than Backstreets magazine.

Backstreets is a quarterly magazine that provides detailed coverage of the Bruce Springsteen world. The magazine has been around since 1980 when a 4-page, newspaper version was handed out at a concert in Seattle. Since that first issue, the magazine has only increased in size, in color, and in quality.

Interviews
Springsteen fans will usually find several items in their issue of Backstreets. A normal month will usually have an interview with someone Springsteen-related. Occasionally, this is an E-Street band member, but often it’s someone with some sort of a Bruce connection. For any who may not be aware, the deeper you proceed into the Springsteen world, the bigger it becomes…there’s more to explore than just Bruce and the E-Streeters. For example, Backstreets gives space to New Jersey guys like Southside Johnny, Joe Grushecky, and Gary U.S. Bonds. If Springsteen is friends with a musician (as he is with these guys) then they’re a friend of Backstreets. Other artists who have interviewed with Backstreets over the years are: Eddie Veder, John Fogerty, Conor O’Berst, Patty Griffin, and more. In addition to musical artists, you also have photographers, authors, and directors who show up for Backstreets chit-chats.

Editorials
The editorials are also key parts of Backstreets. Perhaps the best monthly pieces are near the back as the bootleg recordings are discussed (by Fred Mills). For years they covered “professional” releases by groups such as Crystal Cat. Several years ago, they wisely added another column which only covers CDR trading (by Flynn McLean). This was key in that CDR and FLAC trading has increased so much over the years. The information here frequently gives the person interested in bootlegs (or Brucelegs, as some like to say) some good leads on quality recordings that they may not be aware of.

Concert Info
Backstreet subscribers are in for a special treat whenever tour-time kicks in. Backstreets editors put in extra hours when Bruce is on tour and provide detailed information and charts on all of the songs Springsteen plays. Of course, in the grand scheme of things having a chart of how many times each song is played and where it was played is not very useful…but, if you’re the type of person subscribing to a magazine totally dedicated to the Boss - then, this might be right up your alley.

Website
Related to this information, as the tour progresses the website keeps an updated list of each setlist as well as a short paragraph about the evening’s show. It’s a wonderful resource that keeps a person updated on the songs currently in Bruce’s rotation during the tour as well as any audibles that he might choose to call out.

The Backstreets website is also key in finding out the latest information about new releases associated with Bruce Springsteen. Rumors and releases are usually updated here before you ever hear anything from brucespringsteen.net. The magazine/website is also being used as more of an asset by the Springsteen camp. For example, to attend the taping of Springsteen’s VH-1 Storytellers episode a person had to submit a question through the Backstreets website. The editors read the questions and picked the winners. Additionally, Bruce gave his first Backstreets interview to support his Vote for a Change tour in a 2004 issue.

The website is a wonderful resource to find tickets to shows. The site’s message board has a section where you can list tickets for face value. I’ve used it several times to get tickets at face value (actually less, in two cases). The message boards are also a good place to find the latest Springsteen bootlegs as well as have any questions answered.

Christopher Phillips
Backstreets' publisher and editor is Christopher Philips. Each issue he writes an “Editor” type article to open the magazine; then, he usually writes either a more lengthy piece or conducts an interview. He’s a guy who knows the Boss about as well as any person still falling into the “fan” category. His articles (and questions) are typically thought provoking and reflect a lot of thought about what Bruce is up to.

As you can tell, Backstreets isn’t a magazine for your everyday magazine buyer. It’s probably almost impossible to find on a newsstand outside of New Jersey or New York, so you may need to think about a subscription (although, you can order single issues on the internet). A subscription is right around $5.00 an issue depending on how many issues you sign up for. If you’re a fan of Bruce Springsteen this is a small price to pay for the content of the magazine. Backstreets has become a key part of the Springsteen subculture.

And, if you’re worried about that whole “irreversible damage to your pride” thing…it’s not as bad as it sounds. At the very least you’ll be able to know that the 17th song Bruce played on March 31, 2000 (2nd night in Denver) was Light of Day, which was about one of only 10 songs that he played every night of the tour. I mean really, how are you going to have fast access to that kind of knowledge without a Backstreets subscription. So, if you want to take your Bruce knowledge to the next level…if you don’t want to sound like a dummy in the GA line…or, if you just like seeing lots of pictures of the Boss…then, Backstreets is the missing piece to your puzzle. It would be hard for me to recommend it higher.

Recommended: Yes