Any true artist of similar political beliefs as I could not have come out of the Springsteen Nightline interview feeling disappointed in what he had to say. His
op/ed in the NY Times today was a great addendum to what he spoke about last night. While he is deeply rooted in the fight to remove Bush from the White House come November 2nd, he also managed to stay as bipartisan as possible in acknowledging that even Kerry & Edwards don't have all the answers, yet have more motivation and curiousity to make honest choices for all regular Americans. It's this attitude and character that I appreciate most about The Boss.
Having explored jazz & funk a great deal in the last year and a half (and still am), I've recently started diving into singer/songwriter material to tailor and mold my own songwriting. In doing so, I bought four of the first five Springsteen albums (the one not yet bought is the timeless Born To Run), and started listening to how he wrote these tunes, some of which went on to become Springsteen classics like The River, Out in the Street, Darkness on the Edge of Town, The Promised Land, and Badlands.
But I ended up listening to these albums at a unique time - as I was driving to a gig, traveling through small, rural Georgia communities. There is something about listening to songs like Factory, Lost in the Flood, and The Price You Pay while traveling through poorer regions of the country; you get a deeper sense as to what Bruce was writing about. It also makes you look more introspective at where you are -
you should be so lucky for having a running car that is able to take you a city five hours from home to play a gig and live out your dream.
I can honestly say that I probably could not have picked a better singer/songwriter to begin my new studies than Bruce Springsteen. Right now, in my mindset, Springsteen's views and attitudes are where mine are. I will more than likely never be able to master the power and artistry that Bruce has been able to do for over 30 years. His songs and compositions are timeless, as well as his ability to translate them live on stage in a manner that leaves every man, woman and child breathless. But just as Springsteen followed a foundation built by Bob Dylan, you could say, so could I over that which Bruce hath built.
There is so much I want to say about my feelings on the state of the world, but conveying them in a manner that is able to grasp the attention of even the most feeble-minded person is an art that really only God or the spirits can give. Bruce has done it for years, and despite earning the right to be a part of that 1% the current administration, he hasn't forgotten those of us who struggle to make a living and pursue our dreams and goals in life. He conveys, in his songs, stories that wrap around the events and attitudes of the time and places we all know about. This time, instead of composed stories, he's going to do it in real-time, live on stage, in key battleground states that will determine the winner of this year's election.
I'm pumped for the Vote for Change Tour and what it could accomplish. Even I, at this infant stage of my career in this business, am writing and speaking on things I believe in, want to support, and want to change, for both myself and those around me that believe in the ideas of free speech & press, jobs that build us up not keep us stagnant or bring us down, health care for all, and more. Maybe it's fate that propelled me to now start seriously listening to Bruce and his music. I say it because a lot of what Bruce wrote about in those albums during the 70s and early 80s are relevant even today, and the fact that that is the case should really sicken us to the core. I think it's time, as Bruce gears up with Pearl Jam, the Dixie Chicks, REM, Dave Matthews, James Taylor, and more, to revisit that period of time, see how Bruce's vision of the world in the 70s-early 80s is similar to today's, if not worse, and mobilize our efforts to exert a real change in this country and world for the better.
As Bruce says, "Mister, I ain't a boy, no, I'm a man, and I believe in a promised land." So do I.