Friday, June 23, 2006

SPRINGSTEEN TEARS ANN COULTER, CABLE TALKING HEADS & BUSH NEW ONES

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When I woke up this morning the very first thing I saw was Soledad O'Brien interviewing Bruce Springsteeen (a tape from last night, backstage at his concert). Soledad isn't bad as corporate talking heads go. She has a bit more on the ball than most of the bland, raised-to-have-no-capacity-to-form-opinions imbeciles you see on CNN but... she stepped right into it and Bruce let her have it. He also let George Bush and Miss GOP, Ann Coulter, have it. Supposedly CNN has the whole interview "available" behind some hidden wall. I couldn't access it. The Center For American Progress has the video clip CNN showed this morning up and available.

A partial transcript:




O’BRIEN: In 2004 you came out very strongly in support of John Kerry and performed with him - your fellow guitarist, I think is how you introduced him to the crowd. And some people gave you a lot of flack for being a musician who took a political stand. I remember…

SPRINGSTEEN: Yeah, they should let Ann Coulter do it instead.

O’BRIEN: There is a whole school of thought, as you well know, that says that musicians – I mean you see it with the Dixie Chicks - you know, go play your music and stop.

SPRINGSTEEN: Well, if you turn it on, present company included, the idiots rambling on on cable television on any given night of the week, and you’re saying that musicians shouldn’t speak up? It’s insane. It’s funny.


O’BRIEN: As a musician though, I’d be curious to know if there is a concern that you start talking about politics, you came out at one point and said, I think in USA Today listen, the country would be better off if George Bush were replaced as President. Is there a worry where you start getting political and you could alienate your audience?

SPRINGSTEEN: Well that’s called common sense. I don’t even see that as politics at this point. So I mean that’s, you know, you can get me started, I’ll be glad to go. […] You don’t take a country like the United States into a major war on circumstantial evidence. You lose your job for that. That’s my opinion, and I have no problem voicing it. And some people like it and some people boo ya, you know?


Who do you trust? Bruce? Coulter? Bush? Cable TV talking heads?

3 Comments:

At 11:22 AM, Blogger Scott said...

I love it when he said it's common sense...damn right Bruce. But in this media infested country that has allowed GOP talking points to be passed off as facts...it isn't so common.

This whole idea that you are supposed to be marginalized if you are Democratic or even somewhat liberal musician is funny. I have seen that moron and idiot Ted Nugent interviewed and no one ever says he shouldn't have his alpha male, conservative apeman opinions and share them on tv.

It's enough to make you want to slap this talking head "journalist's" in the face to wake them up.

 
At 11:33 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I am so sick and tired of the bullshit that artists should repress themselves and withhold their views about the world.

It is the artists calling and obligation to reveal their perceptions and insights and anyone that tells them not to is a bone-headed jackass that has no grasp of society or culture or history.

I wrote on this subject last month and called for artists to rise up.: Creativism And The Rise Of The Art Insurgency

Thanks for the posting and the link.

 
At 1:21 PM, Blogger TSop said...

Nothing new for Bruce - He was one of the only public people to support the Chicks when they were being crushed for having the temerity to speak their beliefs. Makes Jersey proud!

 

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