I DON'T WANT TO GO HOME

The inside stories about the Jersey Shore venue that Bruce Springsteen made famous.

The Stone Pony is practically synonymous with Springsteen. In the 1970s, the Asbury Park venue, rising from a riot-torn city, was key to his rise to superstardom, as he and other acts spearheaded a vibrant bar-band scene. Springsteen gets the first and last word in this entertaining oral history, and plenty of the words in between. Corasaniti, a political writer for the New York Times who used to be the Jersey correspondent, devotes many pages to the Boss’ support of local songwriters, his enthusiasm for softball and baseball (the E Street Band and Stone Pony teams had an ongoing rivalry), and his legendary impromptu visits to the Pony stage. But the story isn’t strictly Springsteen’s alone. The author weaves in stories about Asbury Park’s ever-shifting fortunes and the Pony’s occasional rescues from the brink. Though it lost its classic rock-and-soul vibe by the late ’90s, it became a haven for glam metal, punk, emo, and jam bands. Corasaniti has a well-stocked Rolodex of sources: He gathers input from Pony staffers and owners; DJs and promoters; musicians like Jack Antonoff, Bouncing Souls, Blues Traveler; and politicos like former governor Chris Christie, one of the hardcore Boss fans hoping for a surprise Pony appearance. (The sole big name missing is Jon Bon Jovi.) Inevitably, this book is largely of interest to Boss fans, and it has charming bits of Springsteen-iana; one local musician, for instance, recalls how he got a pocket lecture on contract language in the Pony’s men’s room. Like any rock ’n’ roll story, there are scenes of drugs and debauchery, but the main theme is of a community stubbornly determined to survive amid adversity, a theme echoed by a certain songwriter.

Lively chatter and especially fun for Springsteen fans in particular and rock fans in general.