Full Description
Bruce Springsteen might be the quintessential American rock musician but his songs have resonated with fans from all walks of life and from all over the world. This unique collection features reflections from a diverse array of writers who explain what Springsteen means to them and describe how they have been moved, shaped, and challenged by his music.
Contributors to Long Walk Home include novelists like Richard Russo, rock critics like Greil Marcus and Gillian Gaar, and other noted Springsteen scholars and fans such as A. O. Scott, Peter Ames Carlin, and Paul Muldoon. They reveal how Springsteen's albums served as the soundtrack to their lives while also exploring the meaning of his music and the lessons it offers its listeners. The stories in this collection range from the tale of how "Growin' Up" helped a lonely Indian girl adjust to life in the American South to the saga of a group of young Australians who turned to Born to Run to cope with their country's 1975 constitutional crisis. These essays examine the big questions at the heart of Springsteen's music, demonstrating the ways his songs have resonated for millions of listeners for nearly five decades.
Commemorating the Boss's seventieth birthday, Long Walk Home explores Springsteen's legacy and provides a stirring set of testimonials that illustrate why his music matters.
Contents
Introduction: Why Springsteen?
Jonathan D. Cohen and June Skinner Sawyers
Part I Springsteen Stories
1 Growing Up with Bruce Springsteen
Eric Alterman
2 How Bruce Springsteen Made a Middle-Aged Woman Believe in the Magic of Rock and Roll
Nancy S. Bishop
3 From the Backstreets to the Badlands: My Springsteen Journey
Deepa Iyer
4 The Ripple Effect
Frank Stefanko
Part II Springsteen, Politics, and American Society
5 The Role of the Popular Artist in a Democratic Society
Jefferson Cowie and Joel Dinerstein
6 Starting a Fire: Bruce Springsteen's Political Journey from "Born in the U.S.A." to "American Skin (41 Shots)"
Gillian G. Gaar
7 Springsteen's American Dream
Louis P. Masur
8 At the River
Paul Muldoon
9 The Ties That Bind
A. O. Scott
Part III Springsteen Live
10 Live at the Roxy
Greil Marcus
11 The Magic Circle
Wesley Stace
12 Twist and Shout
David L. Ulin
Part IV Springsteen the Artist
13 Brilliant Disguise: The Completely True Fictional Adventures of Bruce Springsteen
Peter Ames Carlin
14 Interview with Martyn Joseph by Irwin H. Streight
15 This Train: Bruce Springsteen as Public Artist
Colleen J. Sheehy
16 Born to Write: Bruce Springsteen, Flannery O'Connor, and the Songstory
Irwin H. Streight
17 Ten Great Springsteen Moments (and Five Iconic Concerts)
Kenneth Womack
Part V Springsteen, Sex, Race, and Gender
18 Our Butch Mother, Bruce Springsteen
Natalie Adler
19 Springsteen's Women: Tougher Than the Rest
Gina Barreca
20 Shackled and Drawn
Lauren Onkey
21 American Skin: Springsteen and Blackness
Elijah Wald
Part VI Springsteen and Aging
22 Summer's Fall: Springsteen in Senescence
Jim Cullen
23 Work and Play: Mid-Life Music
Daniel Wolff
Part VII Springsteen beyond Borders
24 Bruce Springsteen's River in Dublin
Dermot Bolger
25 The Boss in Bulgaria
Richard Russo
26 We Take Care of Our Own
Wayne Swan
Acknowledgments
Notes on Contributors
Index
