I used to hate Bob Seger.

In the beginning

In the beginning … I liked Bob Seger. As a kid immersing myself in FM radio during the early ’80s, I could dig songs like “Nine Tonight” and “Makin’ Thunderbirds.” (Why this blue collar storytelling spoke to me and Springsteen’s didn’t, I’m not sure. Could be a Midwest thing.) Then a few things happened to make me loathe the very thought of the man and his music.

First, Risky Business came out. Inclusion in a movie can really push a song over the top. And verily, the pantsless Tom Cruise did for “Old Time Rock and Roll” what NASA’s Project Gemini did for Tang. You say, “made iconic and ubiquitous;” I say, “made me want to fucking stab myself.” The tune was bad enough as a sort of period piece lurking within Stranger in Town. Then it became a staple of every jukebox, homecoming dance and cover band in the land … and the wallpaper to my most boring nightmares.

Second, I joined one of those aforementioned cover bands. Hey, cut me some slack: I was 17 and took the gig playing bass with a few older guys. We played a lot of shows and made a few bucks purveying the likes of .38 Special and Bryan Adams … and Bob Seger. While “Get Out of Denver” is a jam, dozens of takes on “Betty Lou’s Gettin’ Out Tonight,” “Turn the Page,” and (you guessed it) “Old Time Rock and Roll” were turning my brain to mush.

Third, our old friend FM radio adopted Seger and drove him into the ground. Going to school at Iowa State University, one was subject to Des Moines’ KGGO. If through unfortunate circumstances you were forced to listen to this station, you were guaranteed high doses of “Hollywood Nights” and “Night Moves.” In fact, I was so put out by the preponderance of Seger music on the air that at one point some coworkers and I started keeping a tally of what songs were played and when. The results of the extremely non-scientific study indicated that Bob Seger comprised fully 2% of the station’s entire playlist, +/- 300%. That’s a lot for one artist. Gahh. It was dreadful.

Gateway
Why don’t you turn off the goddamn radio, you might ask. That’s exactly what I did—and it was a great idea. Ignoring classic rock radio in general has returned some bands to favor. I’m no longer completely sick of Led Zeppelin or Boston, I suppose. And, I’ll be damned: I don’t have the urge to scream when  I do hear a Bob Seger song. You know, I even look forward to a few.

I recently went through a garage rock renaissance during which I stumbled onto a few overlooked items. “Innervenus Eyes” from the 1969 Bob Seger System album Noah, for example, is downright filthy. I feel unclean just mentioning it. Meanwhile, “East Side Story,” the last heard from the Last Heard in 1966 is a fuzzy Detroit rock and roll blueprint. I’ve even reacquired the urge to hear some of the overplayed numbers: what made me think of all of this was hearing “Against the Wind” and being pretty moved by it. How the hell did this happen? Maybe now I personally devote more thought to what to leave in, what to leave out. Furthermore, with time and distance I’ve even come to enjoy … The Distance.

For the record however, I will never listen to “Shakedown.” Thank gawd Beverly Hills Cop II didn’t pull a Risky Business on that piece of shit. Ahh … it does feel good to hang on to a little of the old Seger vitriol I guess.

Seger on the turntable. On purpose.

The Rack - Meditations on a Music Collection is what Troy Van Horn is thinking of when you assume he’s just staring at the wall.