Real news is the news we need to protect our freedoms. You get tabloid news, you get blood-and-guts news, you get news shot through with a self-glorifying facade of patriotism, but people have to sift too much for the news that we need to protect our freedoms. It should be gloriously presented to the people on a nightly basis. The loss of some of the soberness and seriousness of those institutions has had a devastating effect upon people's ability to respond to the events of the day.
....So you feel the call from your heart?
Yeah, I can hear the bells chiming. I've had a long life with my audience. I always tell the story about the guy with The Rising: "Hey, Bruce, we need you!" he yelled at me through the car window. That's about the size of it: You get a few letters that say, "Hey, man, we need you." You bump into some people at a club and you say, "Hey, man, what's going on?" And they go, "Hey, we need you." Yeah, they don't really need me, but I'm proud if they need what I do. That's what my band is. That's what we were built for.
And that's what you're great at Bruce, but do you really think the ultimate purpose of all that emotional and spiritual capital you have built up with your audience - your people - over 30+ years is to stump for John Kerry?
Seems an odd way to spend that capital to me, but it IS his capital and he seems to well understand the risks and the dynamic. I hope it's worth it to you, Bruce. I'm still on your team, but I think this is a mistake; I think it reduces you, and I would feel the exact same way if you were doing it for Bush.
Article comments
1 - bhw
Disclaimer: I'm a huge Bruce fan.
That said, I think the fact that after 30 years he's finally showing a distinct and purposeful partisan position tells us something: he really thinks another term with Bush in office would do the country serious harm economically and socially. It sounds like he'd prefer to keep his messages thematic, rather than partisan, but is afraid of what will happen if he doesn't speak up.
As is the case with many people in this election, it doesn't sound like Bruce is stumping for Kerry but is stumping against Bush.
The one thing the man is for sure is a thinker. You know he thought this over very carefully before making his decision.
2 - Vern Halen
Thisi is interesting. Bruce has tried to take a nonpartisan stance all his career, but if asked, I'd bet most people would say they believe he rarely votes Republican, or possibly even has never voted for the GOP at all. Is he just making explicit what was only implied all these years? More importantly, should it matter?
For me, I would hope that Springsteen's and every other artist's music surpasses mere politics. In the end, I don't think music can give answers to political problems, but I think it can inspire people to consider just exactly what are the right questions.
3 - Eric Olsen
bhw, no disagreement at all that this is very important to him and he has considered it carefully
Vern, excellent final point - to me that's the ideal relationship between art and politics: bringing up the questions that should be addressed, framing and providing context for those questions, shing light on the persoanl micro and the universal macro and not much bothering with the transient details in between.