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Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
‘So polarised': Bruce Springsteen's anti-Trump comments divide US fans
As the lead singer of a Bruce Springsteen cover band, Brad Hobicorn had been looking forward to performing at Riv's Toms River Hub in New Jersey on Friday. Then came a text message from the bar's owner, saying the gig was cancelled. Why? Because the real Bruce Springsteen had lambasted Donald Trump. 'He said to me his customer base is redder than red and he wishes Springsteen would just shut his mouth,' Hobicorn recalls by phone. 'It was clear that this guy was getting caught up in that and didn't want to lose business. The reality is we would have brought a huge crowd out there: new customers that are Springsteen fans that want to see a band locally.' The culture wars have arrived in New Jersey, the state of Frank Sinatra, Jon Bon Jovi, Whitney Houston, comedian Jon Stewart and TV hit The Sopranos. Springsteen – revered for songs such as Born In The USA, Glory Days, Dancing In The Dark and Born To Run – has long been a balladeer of the state's blue-collar workers. But last year, many of those same workers voted for the president. Related: Bruce Springsteen says Trump is running 'rogue government' and 'siding with dictators' Now their split loyalties are being put to the test. Opening a recent tour in Manchester in Britain, Springsteen told his audience: 'The America I love, the America I've written about that has been a beacon of hope and liberty for 250 years is currently in the hands of a corrupt, incompetent and treasonous administration.' He repeated the criticisms at later concerts and released them on a surprise EP. Trump responded by calling Springsteen highly overrated. 'Never liked him, never liked his music or his Radical Left Politics and, importantly, he's not a talented guy — just a pushy, obnoxious JERK,' he wrote on social media. 'This dried out prune of a rocker (his skin is all atrophied) ought to KEEP HIS MOUTH SHUT until he gets back in the Country.' Trump, 78, also posted a video edited to make it seem as if he had hit 75-year-old Springsteen with a golf drive. Trump called for a 'major investigation' into Springsteen, Beyoncé and other celebrities, alleging that they had been paid millions of dollars to endorse his Democratic opponent in the 2024 election, Kamala Harris. Harris beat Trump by six percentage points in New Jersey, significantly less than Joe Biden's 16-point winning margin in 2020. In Toms River, a township along the Jersey Shore, Trump received twice as many votes as Harris, helping explain why Riv's Toms River Hub got cold feet about hosting a Springsteen cover band. The bar and restaurant cancelled the 30 May gig by No Surrender, a nine-person band that has played Springsteen songs for more than two decades, despite it being scheduled months in advance. Contacted by the Guardian, owner Tony Rivoli declined to comment. Hobicorn, 59, from Livingston, New Jersey, says the band suggested a compromise of playing classic rock other than Springsteen's but Rivoli rejected the idea. Hobicorn also received some criticism from Springsteen fans for offering the partial climbdown. But he explains: 'That's where I made the point that not everybody in the band is aligned with Bruce Springsteen's politics. Everybody's got a different point of view but that's OK. You can still be in a Springsteen cover band and not 100% agree with everything he says.' He adds: 'My band is split. We're half red, half blue. We have civilised conversations and then we go and play the music and it's never been about politics. This thing got made into a political situation.' Springsteen is not new to the political arena. When former president Ronald Reagan referenced the singer's 'message of hope' at a campaign stop, Springsteen wondered if Reagan had listened to his music and its references to those left behind in the 1980s economy. Later, he was a regular presence on Barack Obama's presidential election campaign. He has also challenged his audience politically beyond presidential endorsements. Born in the USA told of a Vietnam war veteran who lost his brother in the war and came home to no job prospects and a bleak future. My Hometown described the kind of economic decline and discontent that Trump has exploited: 'Now Main Street's whitewashed windows and vacant stores / Seems like there ain't nobody wants to come down here no more.' Springsteen's 1995 album The Ghost of Tom Joad bluntly documented the lives of struggling immigrants, including those from Mexico and Vietnam. His 2001 song American Skin (41 Shots), criticised the shooting by New York City police officers of an unarmed Guinean immigrant named Amadou Diallo, angering some of the blue-collar segments of his fanbase. But taking on Trump is a cause of a different magnitude. His 'Make America great again' (Maga) movement has proved uniquely polarising in US culture, forcing many people to choose whether they are on the blue team or red team. The clothes people wear, the food they eat and the music they listen to have become signifiers of Maga. Even some in New Jersey, where Springsteen grew up and now lives in the town of Colts Neck, are having doubts. Hobicorn reflects: 'As the country has become more and more divided, there's certainly a real disdain for Springsteen and his politics in New Jersey. Most New Jerseyans are supportive of who he is, what he's done for the state, what he's done for our culture, what he's done for music. 'I feel like it's not a lot of stuff in the middle like, yeah, he's OK. It's one way or the other. In New Jersey it's mostly in a positive way: people love and respect Bruce for everything. But some are going to paint the picture of him: he's a billionaire and he doesn't give a crap about anybody but himself. That's what they do.' No Surrender has found an alternative venue. After the cancellation of its Toms River gig, Randy Now's Man Cave, a record shop in Hightstown, New Jersey, stepped in and will host the band on 20 June. The shop will produce flyers and T-shirts that say: 'Free speech is live at Randy Now's Man Cave.' Owner Randy Ellis, 68, says: 'The state is proud of Bruce Springsteen. He should become the state bird for all I know.' But he admits: 'In the last election, Harris won the state but there were many more people for Trump than I ever expected in New Jersey. It's so polarised now. We may have people in front of my store saying Springsteen sucks and all that. Who knows?' At a time when many of Trump's critics have kept quiet, Springsteen is arguably his leading cultural foe. In 2020 he said: 'a good portion of our fine country, to my eye, has been thoroughly hypnotised, brainwashed by a conman from Queens' – knowing the outer-borough reference still stung a man who built his own tower in Manhattan. Related: 'This dried out prune of a rocker': Donald Trump attacks Bruce Springsteen after musician's fiery speeches Dan DeLuca, who grew up in Ventnor, New Jersey, and is now a popular music critic at the Philadelphia Inquirer newspaper, says: 'The thing about Bruce that people love is this idea of being a truth teller. You see what you see and you need to speak on it. There's a lot of people who are muttering things or speaking in private about what's going on in America who are not speaking out for whatever reason. Maybe they don't believe that politics and art should mix. Maybe they're worried about their fanbase or something. 'As he said, there's a lot of crazy shit going on and it's happened since he was last on the road. It's good that he's speaking his mind and he's speaking what a lot of people want to hear but maybe are afraid to hear and it's maybe giving some people courage.' But as the case of No Surrender demonstrated, there is a significant minority in New Jersey who see things differently in this hyper-partisan era. DeLuca reflects: 'I grew up in south Jersey, which is less densely populated, less urban, and it's Trump country now. 'Springsteen has been true to what he sings about and the people he sings about and the blue collar concerns but then he's open to target because he's rich or hangs out with Obama. They probably think that Bruce has turned into a knucklehead socialist or something. I'm sure there are plenty of people who probably do have some divided loyalties.'
ITV News
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- ITV News
Sam Fender surprises pub crowds with performance after Newcastle United earn Champions League place
Newcastle United fans who followed the club's road to the Champions League in one North Shields pub had a day to remember in more ways than one, when Sam Fender took to the stage for an impromptu performance. On Sunday afternoon, Magpies fans watched the Manchester United vs Aston Villa game on TV at The Murphy bar nervously, knowing only a United win would allow Newcastle to secure a coveted place in Europe's top club competition. To the delight of Newcastle fans, the Red Devils secured a 2-0 victory over Villa, meaning the Magpies finished the season in 5th place. As if sealing a golden ticket to the Champions League wasn't enough, fans who had followed the action alongside one of Newcastle United's most famous supporters, were then treated to a live performance from the Brit Award winner. Video courtesy of The Murphy, North Shields Sam took to the stage in the pub to belt out a cover of the Bruce Springsteen hit 'Born To Run'. Daniel Ormonde, General Manager of The Murphy said: "Sam arrived with Jonny Blue Hat, grabbed a seat at a table with some regulars, enjoying the football and live music from local talent Logan Barclay, before joining him on stage to sing Bruce Springsteen's Born to Run. "The whole bar went mad with excitement, and it was the perfect way to celebrate the Toon making Champion's League football. Where it all began, Sam singing Springsteen in Shields!" It comes just a few weeks before Sam will perform in front of crowds of thousands at St James' Park on 12, 14 and 15 June.
Perth Now
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Bruce Springsteen release new live EP from Manchester with anti-Donald Trump speeches
Bruce Springsteen has released a new live EP 'Land of Hope and Dreams' featuring his anti-Donald Trump speeches. The 'Born To Run' legend has completed a three show run at the Co-Op Live arena in Manchester on May 14, 17 and 20, and now he's made four songs available digitally along with the introductions from the concerts. The listing on his official website reads: "On May 14, Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band opened their Land of Hope and Dreams Tour in Manchester, England. "Highlights from that first night are now available digitally as the 'Land of Hope and Dreams' EP – including the title track, 'Long Walk Home,' 'My City of Ruins' and the band's cover of Bob Dylan's 'Chimes of Freedom.' " At one point during the concert, he described Trump's administration as "corrupt, incompetent and treasonous". He told the audience: "In my home, the America I love, the America I've written about, that has been a beacon of hope and liberty for 250 years is currently in the hands of a corrupt, incompetent, and treasonous administration. "Tonight, we ask all who believe in democracy and the best of our American experiment to rise with us, raise your voices against authoritarianism and let freedom ring!' The rocker – who has been a staunch critic of Trump – made another attack on the White House chief and his political ideology as he introduced 'City of Ruin'. He said: "There's some very weird, strange and dangerous s*** going on out there right now. In America they are persecuting people for using their right to free speech and voicing their dissent. This is happening now. "In America the richest men are taking satisfaction in abandoning the world's poorest children to sickness and death. This is happening now. "In my country they're taking sadistic pleasure in the pain they inflict on loyal American workers. They're rolling back historic civil rights legislation that has led to a more just and plural society. "They are abandoning our great allies and siding with dictators against those struggling for their freedom. "They are defunding American universities that won't bow down to their ideological demands. They are removing residents off American streets and without due process of law, are deporting them to foreign detention centres and prisons. This is all happening now." Trump responded with a lengthy rant via the social media platform Truth Social. Describing The Boss as "dumb as a rock", he wrote: "This dried out 'prune' of a rocker (his skin is all atrophied!) ought to KEEP HIS MOUTH SHUT until he gets back into the Country, that's just 'standard fare'. Then we'll all see how it goes for him! He added: 'Never liked him, never liked his music, or his Radical Left Politics and, importantly, he's not a talented guy - Just a pushy, obnoxious JERK.'
Yahoo
08-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
On this day: Dog health business recognised by Dragons' Den star
On this day in 2024, the East Anglian Daily Times reported that a Suffolk-based dog health business was recognised by a prominent entrepreneur. Born To Run, located in Thurston near Bury St Edmunds, provides pain management support for dogs suffering from mobility issues, including arthritis, through tailored massage and exercise programmes. Angela Day, the owner of the business, expressed her gratitude after winning a small business award from Dragons' Den star Theo Paphitis on February 12, 2024. The Small Business Sunday initiative, established by Mr Paphitis in 2010, aims to support local firms across the UK and has celebrated thousands of winners. Owner of the business Angela Day (Image: Angela Day) Ms Day said: "We never thought that we would stand out over the hundreds of incredible product-based businesses who took part. "We work very hard to make every client feel like the special dog owners they are." She added: "But to be chosen as a winner of Small Business Sunday and be mingling with CEOs of some of the best-known household brands is just incredible." The support from Mr Paphitis has been invaluable for Ms Day, who said: "It's fantastic to have support from Theo because as a small business it's difficult to be in enough places to raise your profile to the level that's needed to reach more dog owners, who may not even be aware of the help available for their dogs when they struggle with mobility and pain from conditions like arthritis. "Theo has recognised our hard work and helped spread the word about what we do. "I am beyond grateful." In addition to this accolade, Born To Run had also been announced as a finalist for the Animal Star Awards. Mr Paphitis said: "My vision is that everyone who has ever won an #SBS re-tweet from me becomes part of a friendly club of like-minded individuals who can share successes and learnings." [From the East Anglian Daily Times of March 8, 2024]
