Credit: Danny ClinchBruce Springsteen was a longtime fan of New York electronic-punk pioneer Alan Vega, who died Saturday at age 78, and the Boss has penned a tribute to the Suicide frontman that was posted on his official website on Monday.
“Over here on E Street, we are saddened to hear of the passing of Alan Vega, one of the great revolutionary voices in rock and roll,” writes Bruce. “The bravery and passion he showed throughout his career was deeply influential to me.”
He adds, “I was lucky enough to get to know Alan slightly and he was always a generous and sweet spirit. The blunt force power of his greatest music both with Suicide and on his solo records can still shock and inspire today. There was simply no one else remotely like him.”
Springsteen often incorporates part of Suicide’s “Dream Baby Dream” into his live performances of The River‘s “Drive All Night,” doing this most recently on Sunday in Rome during his show with the E Street Band. Bruce also recorded “Dream Baby Dream” as part of a series of vinyl-only Suicide covers released in 2008 in honor of Vega’s 70th birthday, and included a version of that song on his 2014 studio album High Hopes.
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