The Jersey Devil

Critical Essays in Jersey Devil Studies Vol. VII: in which we consider the song A Night With the Jersey Devil, by Bruce Springsteen, October 31, 2008

I like this song. Is it a folk song? Probably not. Is it pop culture? Maybe that’s a tougher question. It was produced by a very professional musician — probably the most professional pop rock and roller of his generation — one Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen, the poet laureate of my home state from now through all eternity — but Bruce didn’t put the song out on an album or anything. Continue reading →

In which Chris Carter channels the Kallikaks

The X-Files: “The Jersey Devil”
Air Date: October 8, 1993
Written by Chris Carter; directed by Joe Napolitano

Based on the evidence of my Twitter feed, Episode Five, Season One of The X-Files(“The Jersey Devil”) is beloved by neither fans of the classic 90s TV series nor fans of the cryptid. X-Files fans see it as a letdown after the promising four episodes that started the series. Chris Carter, for all his conceptual talent, maybe wasn’t a great screenwriter. Likewise Jersey Devil fans — particularly those who think this smiling fellow is photo realism and not a newspaper editor’s joke — object to the Jersey Devil’s depiction as a kind of feral hominid, particularly in an infamous drawing of the creature that looks like it was done by a five-year old. Continue reading →

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