Floom2

The likelihood that you know more about post 60’s American history than I do is zero

You are giving too much credit for empathy and open mindedness to the protagonist, who is, inescapably, an uneducated loser.

More on Obama

the challenges of communication in this manner are many. I have stated my point pretty clearly. While the superstar collaboration is eye-catching, it smacks more of ‘Hey look at me, I’m still relevant’ then anything else. And the truth is they simply aren’t relevant. Try to imagine if the most recent former President did this with Ted Nugent or Kid Rock. It’s the same thing. And a certain kind of person will buy the book and have their particular bias confirmed and nothing of substance will change. He’s just a singer in a rock and roll band. https://www.google.com/amp/s/slate.com/culture/2021/03/obama-springsteen-podcast-review-renegades-spotify.amp

Yup. I live and work in Philly. I don’t run after bad guys so much anymore, most police work isn’t that, anyway. my point about Bruce and Obama is pretty simple: change in this country isn’t going to start with this collaboration of giants. Change begins with us. Citizens ended the Vietnam War, just as citizens allowed the Iraq and Astan wars to happen. It’s us. We can either work towards a more perfect Union or we can screw it all to hell. By all means buy the fancy book and look at the pictures and celebrate the renown of these two cultural giants. But the sun has set on them. The change, if any, will be the kids coming up. Do they have what it takes to face down the coming storm? if you think I’m being overly dramatic, you aren’t paying attention.

I’m a police officer. Protect, serve, that kind of thing not a lot of glamour or money in it but every now and then I get to help someone. probably won’t get a book deal… or be on tv… but I try to do my part to make the day a little sunnier By the way, i like Obama and Bruce… I had a whole political rant teed up but I don’t want to get banned.

Kudos to these ultra high achievers. They certainly understand the struggles of everyday normal people. actually, you’re right. It’s not weird in the least. Nothing has more currency in modern culture like celebrity. I’d be more impressed if they got out in the world and did the hard work rather then just sit around talking about it.

The Jeep commercial is an obvious endorsement for money. This thing with Obama is… …something… for money.

I love both these guys. I don’t see their public collaboration changing any minds. The haters will never listen, let alone buy in, and the faithful need no persuasion. I mean, it’s m a huge fan and I can’t bring myself to care enough to buy the book or listen to their very predictable politics. now…if they were espousing some kind of revolution… I’m in.

Their monetization of the friendship is kinda weird. I can’t imagine what they thought they would accomplish. I didn’t listen to the podcast. I did watch CBS Sunday morning and the interview and it just strikes me as pointless. Be friends, sure, but you can’t just hang out without doing the podcast and the book? I suppose there may be some charity involved? I sure hope so cause neither one of these guys need anymore money. I voted for Obama twice and have been listening to Springsteen since ‘74. This thing just seems silly to me.

Ultimately, JJ, you do get to decide what all of this means. No worries. Be safe, be vaxxed. Love you. -Chris

You should try Katrina and the Waves There are listeners who will cling to their particular bias, no matter any evidence to the contrary. obviously a concert setting is going to be (at least with the full band) an exciting event. We are with 10’s of thousands of people, the anticipation of the show has been building all year and now we are HERE IN THE ARENA AND THERE HE IS AND THERE’s THE BANDANNA AND HERE’s THE SONG WITH THOSE UPLIFTING HAPPY LYRICS: BORN DOWN IN A DEADMAN’S TOWN! yeah, I get it. I actually do understand, sort of. I saw shows on that tour, I stood and sang the lyrics. But in the midst of my fan mania I didn't lose sight of the song and what it meant. Springsteen has said, many times, of his earlier shows, that if you want to get to the payoff of the exhilarating spine tingling rim shaking earth shattering BANG of the E Street Band that exists at the END of the show you've got to pay the price early in the show and listen to the tough stuff. JJ I do get your point. For me, rock and roll was sometimes about joy and celebration and sometimes about something else. I try to understand what the artist is trying to convey. Obviously I'm going to experience the art through the lens of my life, but I'm not going to, for example, mistake the movie Pulp Fiction for a romantic comedy, just as I am not going to ever hear Born in the USA as a happy gleeful celebration of the greatness of America. Peace, baby.

Listen harder. Sticking with the record at issue and ignoring the obviously gleeful and uplifting Nebraska, and Tom Joad: certainly if Springsteen’s music can be summed up simply: there are songs that include elements of tragedy, there are songs that include elements that are positive and songs that run the gamut between heartbreak and hope. We all, ultimately, get to choose our particular meaning that these songs provide us I prefer to use clues, like the lyrics, that will help me determine meaning. Even a song as seemingly upbeat as Working on the Highway…isn’t upbeat at all anyway, Springsteen is ultimately a man that seems to believe in hope and redemption But hope and redemption aren’t even necessary without sin and darkness No one who is perfect needs redemption and if life were always great and fabulous no one would need hope as an obvious aside, describing the song Born in the USA as happy, fun and uplifting requires real intellectual dishonesty. Nothing remotely happy fun or uplifting happens to the guy in that song. I do believe that Springsteen is all about forging ahead and fighting against the darkness but he also sings about the times when life’s dark forces prevail That’s kinda the whole point of his entire ouvre, and to miss that, after listening to the guy for decades… jeepers

I can agree with all of this except that the song is tinged with hope. ‘Nowhere to run, nowhere to go.’ unless of course we consider: ’I’m a cool rockin’ daddy…’ as a somewhat hopeful closing. I always thought that was a throwaway line, but maybe it’s Bruce’s way of saying that hey, life has been pretty terrible for me but I can still dance.

Uh…