TWO EX-EXPLOYEES SUE THE BOSS

Two former Bruce Springsteen employees, whose descriptions of Springsteen as a mean-spirited boss and control freak were highlighted in a recent New Musical Express (NME) cover-story expose, aren’t just content to see their charges in print.

They’re taking their case to court--and are hoping to put Springsteen on the witness stand.

Stephen Schueler, an attorney for Mike Batlan and Doug Sutphin--who each worked for Springsteen for a decade or more--said the pair filed a six-count complaint last week in New Jersey Superior Court. The civil suit claims the ex-staffers suffered tax penalties on severance bonuses and were also wrongfully fined by Springsteen during the course of his “Born in the U.S.A.” world tour in violation of New Jersey wage and hour laws.

“This isn’t a multimillion-dollar attempt to gouge a superstar,” Schueler said. “These guys loved Bruce. They were loyal and did everything for him. And they just want the money they feel they rightfully earned. Springsteen has this moniker ‘the Boss.’ But during this case, you’re going to see how the Boss treated his own employees, as opposed to how he portrays himself to the media.”

Was Springsteen really such a tight-fisted employer? According to his ex-staffers’ suit, when they left his organization they received bonuses totaling $10,000 for each year of service--Batlan got $125,000, Sutphin $100,000. (At issue is how the bonuses were paid to the duo.)

To an outside observer, that sounds pretty generous. “Not necessarily,” said Schueler. “These guys had no benefits, no health insurance and they never received any overtime. So it’s really not all that petty for them to receive what they were promised.”

Don’t expect a verdict anytime soon. Schueler predicted it could be “up to two years” before the case goes to court, adding that he is asking for a jury trial. Does that mean Springsteen will make an appearance? “I would expect to see Bruce come out and testify,” Schueler said. “I think that would be the best way for him to try to refute these charges.”

A spokeswoman for Springsteen said he would have no comment on the suit.

MOVING RIGHT ALONG: This latest development puts a startling new spin on the series of charges--some troubling, some seemingly petty--leveled by veteran journalist David McGee in his NME attack on Springsteen and his confidante/biographer, Dave Marsh, which was headlined “Blinded by the Hype.” McGee finally surfaced last week, giving skeptics a chance to pursue several unanswered questions.

What soured McGee--a longtime fan and sometime pal--on his former idol?

“I don’t know if sour is the right word,” he said. “But when I met with Bruce backstage, at the outset of his ‘Born in the U.S.A.’ shows, he seemed very strange--and dramatically changed as a person. It was like he was a pod person, right out of ‘Invasion of the Body Snatchers.’ He had Bruce’s hair, Bruce’s body--but someone else was inside. It was very troubling. There was a callousness, a cynicism and a self-centeredness that I’d never encountered before.”

Why wouldn’t any U.S. publication print the story?

“First off, I had nothing to do with the whole introduction in NME, where they said no one would dare touch the story. Actually, I didn’t offer it to any U.S. publications. Rolling Stone had already done a major review . . . and too many writers were unhappy with the way they’d been treated at Spin.”

Asked why he didn’t approach the Village Voice, McGee voiced reservations that the New York-based weekly would give it a fair hearing, saying that Voice editor Kit Rachlis was a “close” friend of Dave Marsh. McGee added that he did show the piece to an editor at the LA Weekly, who he said told him he didn’t think it would be “appropriate” for them. “He said it was more of a national piece.”

Is the story colored by McGee’s relationship with Marsh, an ex-friend whom he fired from Rolling Stone’s defunct the Record--at publisher Jann Wenner’s behest? (Marsh has labeled McGee’s piece as “all junk.”)

“Dave just happened to be the guy who wrote the book (“Glory Days”),” McGee said. “It’s nothing personal at all. I guess Dave’s getting fired ended our friendship, because I never heard from him again. But I guess that means our friendship existed solely for professional reasons.”