Meet the new Boss, same as the old Boss?
Bruce Springsteen told Variety in a recent cover feature that he would never run for political office (in New Jersey) because he has “no business in politics.” That, and he’s “not interested in policymaking enough.”
Springsteen also said that he didn’t throw his weight behind Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential run as early as some might’ve hoped because he didn’t believe he was “that essential a factor” in terms of tipping the balance. And that supporting too many politicians’ campaigns increasingly dilutes that ability to bring about change. That said, Springsteen did say that “I thought [Hillary Clinton] would have made an excellent president, and I still feel that way.”
Of late, Springsteen says he’s not been interested in writing “topical” songs, and that he’s “not driven to write any anti-Trump diatribe; that doesn’t feel necessary at the moment,” because that aesthetic is “everywhere and all over” right now. “It feels a little redundant to me at the moment.” In other words, why play follow the leader, when you’re the Boss?
However, Springsteen hasn’t given up on the notion that songs can be political and effect change, but he believes that audiences are seeking something “deeper.” “They want you to reach inside to their most personal selves and their deepest struggles with their daily lives and reach that place; that’s the place I’m always trying to reach.”
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