Paul DiSclafani

Meeting Bruce Springsteen

Life for young adults was very different in the late '70s.

A group of friends came together over shared interests in music and partying, resulting in road trips and encounters with famous and not-so-famous people along the way.

Join pals Bruce and Disco, who delighted readers with their hijinks in author Paul DiSclafani's first book in 2020, Burning Through the West Coast, as they team up with The Big Man, the Dowers, Slim, Uncle Bob, Matty, and Little Disco in a series of adventures (and misadventures), this time on the East Coast.

Meeting Bruce Springsteen is a collection of six short stories about life and friendship in the late '70s.

SPIRITS IN THE NIGHT – Meeting Bruce Springsteen: Another impromptu trip into New York City ends up at the Palladium, where Springsteen was performing, but what's a person to do without tickets? A mysterious stranger and a crooked security guard combine to get us inside (for cash). Afterward, we discovered that our car (parked around the block by a warehouse) was across the street from the backstage entrance to the Palladium. After a long, long wait, our hero emerges...

CRAWLING FROM THE WRECKAGE – Super Bowl Weekend in the Poconos: As guests in a house loaded with adults, kids, and skiers, we never intended to ski. We never intended to end up in the emergency room after spending the morning playing floor hockey with fruit, get kicked out of the house, or drive home in a snowstorm with a car that was losing electrical power. But we did…

FILE MILES TO THE TURNPIKE – The Tale of the White Whale: Seven guys in a customized van, including a full keg of beer, are heading down to Great Adventure in New Jersey for a Southside Johnny concert. What could possibly go wrong?

IT'S HARD TO BE A SAINT IN THE CITY – Studio 54 and the Wino: A trip into Manhattan includes a stop at Studio 54, a public bathroom encounter to forget, a rumble in the back of a taxi, and a mad dash to Penn Station to make the last LIRR train out of town.

AND SO IT GOES – The Excommunication of Jeff Luft: A weekend of partying led to a Sunday afternoon trip deep into Staten Island to interview Southside Johnny before the Jukes concert at The Factory, the single most out-of-control venue we had ever experienced. Who's Jeff Luft, and why was he Excommunicated? What was he excommunicated from? What the hell is excommunication? This is a story you have to read to believe.

MEETING ACROSS THE RIVER – The Night Matty Almost Bled to Death: It's hard to imagine that after drinking unlimited beer at Beefsteak Charlie's, stopping off at another bar for Happy Hour, and then walking uptown, a bartender at Rosie O'Grady's would refuse to serve us. How dare he? This incident led to a series of serious yet comical misfortunes.

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Long Island Living

Long Island Living is a collection of Paul DiSclafani's favorite stories from his Award-Winning column, Long Island Living. The Press Club of Long Island (PCLI) awarded Long Island Living with First Place in the Narrative-Column category in 2021.

If you enjoy reading stories about everyday life by writers like Long Island's Ed Lowe or Dave Barry, this is the book for you.

Each story for this collection has been chosen by the author and includes an introduction to give you a little more insight. His stories are simple, quick reads that will entertain you from beginning to end.

His unique writing style has thrilled readers since 2017 with his storytelling ability, ranging from humorous tales to more serious subjects. This collection will take you back to less complicated times, bringing you the sights, sounds, and smells inside his grandmother's kitchen for an Italian Thanksgiving.

Inside this collection, you'll find stories of appliances plotting against him and his never-ending battle with mosquitos and Cave Crickets. Learn about how his father is dating a redhead in heaven or how he lives in a "stupid" house.

Learn about why women married for a long time will never marry again or spend a few hours with him inside the Department of Motor Vehicles. Then, read his letter from the future to his 14-year-old self, or how he will be a multi-millionaire after helping a Nigerian Prince.

Paul's not afraid to share his feelings with his readers. Feel the sadness of losing a relative to the Corona Virus or how viewing a simple photograph of his father brought him to tears.

His columns also tell stories. Read about his Uncle Sammy, a Silver Star recipient and a true hero in World War II. You'll also learn why we should respect the flag and learn about the sacrifices of our veterans. Then, feel the power of Super Storm Sandy as he chronicles the dramatic story of a family's struggle to survive as their home collapsed around them and the streets turned to rivers.

The stories are paced like you would read them in his weekly column. When you turn the page, you never know what you will get.

You'll laugh, you'll cry, and who knows, you might just learn something!

One thing is guaranteed, you will enjoy this journey through the mind of a newspaper columnist…

Burning Through the West Coast

Take a trip back in time (before political correctness ruined everything) with three guys from New York on a West Coast adventure in the summer of 1978.

Join author Paul (Disco) DiSclafani, his cousin Sal (The Catman) and their friend Bruce (Mr. B) as he transports you back to those carefree days in the late '70's, recalling a zany but true trip as they burned their way through Southern California and Arizona.

Stand next to them on the line as they use their New York attitudes to resolve car rental SNAFU's, lost luggage, and useless hotel room vouchers.

Be part of The Tonight Show audience as Johnny burns them on National TV.

Spend a couple of foggy days in Arizona for a visit with their crazy friends, Felix and Kozshekka, as a flood of biblical proportions strands them across the street from the airport.

Travel down Arizona's Salt River with our inebriated heroes as they hold on for dear life when their lazy float turns into a white-water disaster.

Experience the miracle of finding a bag of weed when they arrive in Los Angeles. Participate along with them in the "Pause that refreshes" every time they hear a Bruce Springsteen song.

Burning Through the West Coast is a lighthearted romp, with original photographs from the trip and chapter illustrations by John Colquhoun, which will make you smile every time you turn the page. 6,000 Miles, 576 Beers, 4 states, 3 Guys from the East Coast, and a bag of weed.

What could possibly go wrong?

Published by Red Penguin Books.