Donald Trump vs. Bruce Springsteen
Opening his 'Land of Hope and Dreams' tour in Manchester, England, New Jersey rocker Bruce Springsteen called the Trump administration 'corrupt, incompetent and treasonous.' To be fair, Europeans are used to these kinds of leaders. President Trump fired back, calling Mr. Springsteen 'a pushy, obnoxious JERK, who fervently supported Crooked Joe Biden' and a 'dried out 'prune' of a rocker.' A billionaire slap-fest!
I'm claiming authority on this matter, as I did shots of Old Grand-Dad with Mr. Springsteen on his 35th birthday at Big Man's West in Red Bank, N.J. As with this feud, I wasn't invited. I just happened to be there.
Sure, both men think they're the boss, but it's more than that. Truth be told, Mr. Trump has been playing to Mr. Springsteen's original audience for quite a while. Think downtrodden, desperate, struggling, working class—though Springsteen fans are more likely middle-aged folks absolving their guilt through music, thankful they didn't grow up that way. 'Workin' in the field / You get your back burned / Workin' 'neath the wheels / You get your facts learned.' Anyway, the psyche fits the MAGA crowd, minus 50 years. No wonder these guys are feuding.
Mr. Springsteen had the perfect invented persona in the 1970s and '80s—as we emerged with fits and starts from an industrial era to a digital age, Slate called him an 'endearing Jersey wharf rat.' His music was rebellious. Nonconformist. 'I hid in the clouded wrath of the crowd / But when they said, 'Sit down,' I stood up.' Have problems? Just jump in your 'chrome-wheeled, fuel-injected' Chevy and roar down the highway 'jammed with broken heroes.' No one actually did this, but it felt good to think about. Now we doom-scroll instead.
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