The Ravings of Bruce The Piano Man (MP3)

When I was in college, a friend gave me a cassette containing the frustrated rantings of a guy named Bruce.   Bruce is a dad from suburban Jersey.  He tries to fix things around the house, like the family piano.  He does his own taxes.  And he uses very colorful language, some of which was caught on tape by his son.  Listen for yourself here  (6MB MP3 file, NSFW)

When I listened to this at 22, all I heard was Bruce's rage.  I thought it was hilarious.   Listening now...  Well, it's still hilarious.  But it's kinda sad, too.  His kids are no help.  Half his fucking papers have disappeared.  He can't even let himself go enough to really commit to his cursing. His goddamns are outnumbered by his goshdarns.  He even doggones once or twice.   It's tempting to read all sorts of things into this diatribe.  Is it really about the piano?  Or was he passed over for a promotion? Does he know his son is hiding somewhere nearby taping his every word?  Did the car break down?  Does his wife not appreciate him?  Have his glory days passed him by?  Who knows?  Poor Bruce.  If we can learn one thing from him, it's to spend the $300 and buy the right fucking tool.  Ya fucking moron!

Comments

[Chris L]

THANK YOU Therese! I've heard this before but never thought I'd come across it again. Phooey and nuts.

[bunbun]

Whoremaster!

[double fucking bullshit]

..... yeh.......

so this is what i (and alot of us) sound like in my/our unguarded, at-home moments ...

totaly sad and honest, when i hear this i hear a lot of things: a guy knowing any real control he may have over his situation is out of his hands, or at least recently slipped away ... i hear a guy cursing, in part, himself ... yeah, at 22 i would be laughing, but at 31 i feel this guys pain /

[michelle]

Bruce and his kid, true American heroes. In the middle of all that frustration and admirably hilarious profanity he sounds genuinely kind when he asks Joshua if he wants his synthesizer on. Great stuff.

[Dog Licker]

Poor, deranged, normal Bruce. I'm glad my kids didn't tape me.......or did they!!!!!!!!!?????????

[Sean Jarleth]

Unfortunately angry, frustrated & demented Bruce sounds disturbingly familiar.
Check out Phillip Larkin’s poem This Be The Verse.

[Bren C.]

Hey! If you're interested, I can email you the Mash-Up I made with Bruce cursing and swearing as Jandek plays his out of tune piano as featured on "The Beginning." It adds a certain vibrant richness to both recordings hitherto unforeseen independently of the other. Why didn't I think of it before? It's a match made in heaven (as seen from Hades)!