RIP Clarence Clemons

Without having checked the obits, I still knew, when both Haggatha and Bison dedicated numbers to Clarence Clemons last night, that the big man must have died. Devoid of context, Haggatha doing it might have just been some sort of weird ironic gesture - because their music has about as much in common with Bruce Springsteen as Springsteen has in common with Whitehouse - but Bison also mentioning Clemons made the significance of the gesture crystal clear. (You gotta feel fond of metal bands that will publicly tip their hats to Clarence!) And say what you will about Bruce Springsteen, but before I even knew, in my suburban pre-teen years, what "jazz" signified, I fell in love with Clemons' saxophone on "Born to Run," and I still carry it around with me, even if it's been some 25 years since I've listened to that song by choice. Rest in peace, big guy, and thanks for the music.