MY FAVORITE JULY 4TH SONG - BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN "AMERICAN LAND"

(this image is from Wikipedia commons, anyone is allowed to use it, so I'm using it!)

It's hard to write about America and do a good job at it.  Obviously, it's easier to rebel about things that you don't like than it is to celebrate America, and that's often the rub with art. Rebelling is easier than celebrating. But I think that July 4 is a good time to be thankful to live in the U.S.A., without getting too flag-wavvy about it.

In recent years, there's been a few attempts at writing what could be referred to as "The Great American Song." U2 wrote "The Hands That Built America" for Martin Scorsese's 2002 film Gangs Of New York. Good song, but not a great one.  Bruce Springsteen took a few whacks at it: "This Hard Land" from his 1995 Greatest Hits album felt like an attempt, as did "Land Of Hope And Dreams" which he started playing on the 1999 reunion tour with The E Street Band. The latter stayed in Bruce's setlists for a long time, but I didn't feel the song was as good as he seemed to think it was.

During Bruce's tour with The Seeger Sessions Band for the 2006 album We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions, he started playing a new song "American Land."  I felt he nailed it. Bono has talked about how America isn't just a place, it's an idea. I don't think the idea of America has ever been better expressed in a rock song than in "American Land." He romanticizes the idea from the perspective of immigrants ("There's diamonds in the sidewalk the's gutters lined in song/Dear I hear that beer flows through the faucets all night long/ There's treasure for the taking, for any hard working man /Who will make his home in the American Land?") in a way that can make all of us proud that we do call this place home.  It also points out that a fair immigration policy is one of the things that made us great. At the same time, he expresses some of his core values: the plight of blue collar workers ("They died building the railroads worked to bones and skin/They died in the fields and factories names scattered in the wind/They died to get here a hundred years ago they're still dyin now/The hands that built the country were always trying to keep down").  And also the fact that everyone deserves a shot, no matter their race or color ("The McNicholas, the Posalski's, the Smiths, Zerillis, too/The Blacks, the Irish, Italians, the Germans and the Jews /Come across the water a thousand miles from home/With nothin in their bellies but the fire down below").

That's why I choose the above photo for this post.  No matter what you think of The President, when Bruce was growing up, or even when *I* was growing up (I'm much younger than Bruce), the idea of an African American president seemed unlikely to say the least.  The fact that Bruce worked so hard for President Obama - who campaigned on a platform of hope and change, some of which has arguably been fulfilled - makes this photo really powerful.

Bruce has nothing to prove anymore. The fact that he still works so hard to fulfill what he sees is his responsibility to himself, his audience, and his country, is inspiring.  Like any other great artist, sometimes his reach exceeds his grasp, but on "American Land" he hit a grand slam.  It's not just a classic that stands up next to his catalog, it also stands next to Woody Gurthrie's.

("American Land" was the only song from The Seeger Sessions that Bruce played with The E Street Band, and you can see their version - played in Hyde Park, in England, here. )

SMOKEY, DYLAN, LEGEND PAY TRIBUTE TO THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT

In honor of Black History Month (February), The White House is hosting "A Celebration of Music from the Civil Rights Movement" on February 11 at 8 pm ET. President Barack Obama and The First Lady will be there and performers include Smokey Robinson, Bob Dylan, Jennifer Hudson, John Legend, John Mellencamp, The Blind Boys Of Alabama, and more, with Morgan Freeman and Queen Latifah hosting (c'mon, Queen, you're not gonna do "U.N.I.T.Y."?).

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN AT KENNEDY CENTER HONORS

(images taken from Backstreets.com)

Last night, Bruce Springsteen was one of the artists who was honored at the annual Kennedy Center Honors ceremony in Washington, DC. I'm glad that he got it this year - it was nice for him to receive the medal from Barack Obama. I mean, what would George W. have had to say about Bruce? The President's speech was predictably great, and you can read it on the White House blog. Jon Stewart also paid tribute, but the real tributes were in the performances: John Mellencamp performed "Born In The U.S.A.," Ben Harper did "My Father's House" (which he first covered for a tribute to Bruce's Nebraska that came out a few years back on Sub Pop), Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland did "Glory Days," Ben and Jennifer did "I'm On Fire," Melissa Etheridge did "Born To Run," Eddie Vedder and a gospel choir did "My City Of Ruins" and Sting with a bigger gospel choir did "The Rising." I can't wait to see this on CBS when it airs on December 29.

MR PRESIDENT - DON'T STAND FOR ACTA

The other day, I was reflecting on how great I, and millions of other people in the United States and around the world, were feeling a year ago, when Barack Obama was elected President Of The United States Of America. I was so elated. So proud. So relieved. It was one of the happiest days of my life.

The celebrations were awesome. Some of the greatest artists on earth campaigned, hard, for the man. Including no less than Bruce Springsteen and Stevie Wonder. Bruce did a gig with Billy Joel (they played as one band, not co-headliners, it was Billy's first political type gig, and John Legend was also there). And of course, huge stars, including Bruce, Stevie, John Legend, and other great artists performed at the various celebrations. It was a historic moment in time, and a great one.

Of course, that wasn't the end, it was the beginning. Getting elected was the easy part. Not too easy, but he was running against a candidate who the Republicans had repeatedly said "no" to, who had choosen a running mate with a popularity cycle akin to that of an indie rock band (everyone loves her! no, she's overrated! no, we hate her, it was all a mistake!). But still, it isn't easy for a black man, or a politically progressive person to get elected, and he pulled it off. Since then, he has had to deal with the most partisan opposition I've seen in my lifetime (sorry, way worse than what the Democrats gave bush), and, as is his habit, he is trying to meet these people halfway. People will criticize him for literally anything. He wants to speak to students on the first day of school. "It's an outrage!" He is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, surprising even him. "It's worthless!" He tries to get the Olympics for Chicago. "We hope he fails!" I mean, come on. Why did he get the Nobel Peace Prize anyway? For not being bush. The award was for America as much as it was for Barack. It was for what he symbolizes.

Barack Obama isn't just a man, although he may wish he was. He represents a lot of things to a lot of people. He represents a hope for the future - bush's followers may have said the same about him, but bush used fear in a way that Barack doesn't, and doesn't need to. I think it is inevitable that Barack (I hope no one is offended by my using his first name) ends up letting some people down. I have a lot of hope for him, I think he will be one of the finest Presidents our country has ever had.

What does this have to do with my blog, other than that it is my blog? Well, as I wrote in my headline, there is this thing called "ACTA" going down - The Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement. It is, as the writer James Love puts it, a "patriot act for the internet." I'm not a great tech or politics writer, though, so check out what he has to say about ACTA. Is is ironic that a man who has benefitted so heavily from the internet would do something that essentially shuts it down, and would endorse meetings held with a rove-ian level of secrecy. I like to think that this hasn't really reached his radar yet, and when he finds out about it, he won't tolerate it.

BARACK OBAMA MEETS THE DEAD

Back in the '60s (or even earlier this decade) who would have guessed that former members of The Grateful Dead (now known as The Dead) would get to meet The President of the United States in the Oval Office.  But that's what happened earlier this week. Barack Obama repaid them for their support by meeting with the guys the day of their show. And then, they jammed with special guest drummer/PMRC co-founder Tipper Gore. What a long strange trip, indeed. 

In other Grateful Dead news, and most fans probably know about this, they just released To Terrapin Hartford '77, a live album of what is allegedly one of their greatest shows. They also put out Road Trips Vol. 2 Carousel 2/14/68 (Road Trips has taken the place of the Dick's Picks "bootleg" series).  Also, Pure Jerry, a live recording of Jerry Garcia with bass player John Kahn recorded in San Raphael on 2/28/86. 

WE ARE ONE

Yes, it was cold out, but I
have loved to have been at the We Are One concert at the Lincoln Memorial honoring Barack Obama. Lots of huge stars there - and it was really cool that Bruce Springsteen both opened and closed the show: he opened with "The Rising," backed by a huge multi-cultural choir, and closed with Pete Seeger doing "This Land Is Your Land." I didn't see the show - I don't have HBO - but I watched that performance, and it was so incredibly moving. 45 years after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have A Dream" speech, Seeger singing that song (including "banned" lyrics "The sign said private property / and on the other side, it didn’t say nothing / That side was made for you and me")... it was just so moving and powerful.

Bono was on the bill as a solo artist, but it turned out that all of U2 turned out to perform "Pride (In The Name Of Love" and "City Of Blinding Lights." I guess Bono is relieved that, for the next four years, if he hangs out with the President, his bandmates won't cringe and give him the silent treatment. I can't wait for the inauguration tomorrow: Barack is an extrodinary guy, but not a superhero, so I don't think that his inauguration will actually be the end of our long (inter)national nightmare: but hopefully it is the beginning of the end of it.

There were lots of artists from different genres there, but I was very glad to see Garth Brooks - the best selling country artist of all time - on board. He also played Al Gore's "Live Earth" concerts, so he's probably not the most red-state guy anyway, but still, he's country's biggest superstar, welcoming an African-Amerian Democratic President. Pretty awesome.

BRUCE, STEVIE, BONO AND OTHERS TO PLAY INAUGURAL CELEBRATION

I wonder if Washington D.C. has ever seen anything like the excitement for Barack Obama's inauguration. Certainly the concert that will take place on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial this Sunday for the We Are One celebration is kind of unprecedented: Bruce Springsteen, Bono, Stevie Wonder, Beyonce, John Legend, Mary J. Blige, Garth Brooks, Sheryl Crow, Herbie Hancock, John Mellencamp, Usher, Shakira, James Taylor and will.i.am are among the artists who will be performing at this historic event. The show will be open to the public: I think it is supposed to be freezing that day, but who cares? I wish I was going.

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN TO PLAY INAUGURATION, SUPER BOWL, ETC.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Bruce Springsteen in 2009 will be viewed in a very different way than Bruce Springsteen in 2002 through 2008. During those years, he was the millionaire rock star questioning the government and even (horror of horrors!) the President of the United States of America! Some people just don't like that - although many (like myself) identified with him even more for putting his popularity on the line.

But all of that is moot now: in 2009, Bruce is buddies with President-Elect Barack Obama, he's playing the Super Bowl halftime show, he has a greatest hits album coming out at Walmart, he's playing the Golden Globes, he'll most likely get an Oscar nomination and play that ceremony, and maybe he'll even play at the Grammys since "Girls In Their Summer Clothes" got two nominations. And now it looks like he'll be playing Barack's inauguration. According to the Washington Post's Inauguration Blog, he's going to play a free concert January 18 on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. Now that's pretty incredible. That's where noted liberal Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. made his famous "I Have A Dream" speech. It's a great year to be a Bruce Springsteen fan. Hell, it's a great year to be alive. Hopefully Barack will help lead us from the economic turmoil that the current administration has brought us to. But, decades from now, we'll all remember Barack Obama's inauguration as one of the great moments of our lifetime.

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN'S "WORKIN' ON A DREAM"

This picture is from Backstreets.

Bruce Springsteen (along with Patti Scialfa) performed one last gig as Barack Obama's support act. I'm glad it worked out, last time he opened for someone (John Kerry), the results weren't as good! He debuted a new song, "Workin' On A Dream." Now, word comes - according to the cool blog Stories In High Fidelity - that his next album will come out in January, in time for Barack's inauguration. And the Super Bowl. That's pretty exciting. The mood for his Super Bowl performance will be pretty great. He's not the liberal complaining about the Republican President. He will be the friend of the just inaugurated and very popular current President.

Other Bruce stuff: his cover of Suicide's "Dream Baby Dream," which he closed his solo shows on the Devils & Dust tour, is now available on iTunes. Also, he released a free mp3 of a new Halloween song, "A Night With The Jersey Devil" (along with a well produced video, with more acting than I think he's ever done in a video) on his formerly lame official website.

But what I want to know: will we ever get to hear any of his recent Barack fundraiser concert, where he and Billy Joel played as one band? And will he actually put out a Darkness On The Edge Of Town box set, a la his Born To Run box set from a few years ago?

NOT QUITE "VOTE FOR CHANGE"

The Obama/Biden campaign is selling a CD to help raise funds for their campaign. Yes We Can: Voices Of A Grassroots Movement features mostly previously released tracks by Buddy Miller, keb'mo, Stevie Wonder and Sheryl Crow. But the coolest track on the album is John Legend's cover of U2's "Pride (In The Name Of Love)." You can get the CD here. 

THE TIME 100

Since I'm writing about magazine issues, I remembered that I've been meaning to write about Time magazine's recent issue dedicated to the 100 most influencial people in the world today. I recently mentioned this in a post about Peter Gabriel.

Of course, I was glad to see Bruce Springsteen included. It's too bad that his latest classic album, Magic, hasn't recieved the acclaim that, say, The Rising did back in 2002. But it shows him to be as relevent as ever. Sean Penn wrote a pretty cool essay about the man for the issue: back in the day Bruce wrote "Dead Man Walking" for Sean's film of the same name, and Sean actually directed a video for "Highway Patrolman" or "State Trooper."

Other people I was glad to see: The Dalai Lama (I wish he was even more influencial, the world would be a better place), Barack Obama, Peter Gabriel (not as an entertainer, but as a "pioneer"), The Coen Brothers, George Clooney and Chris Rock. I was surprised that Radiohead was included in the "Builders and Titans" section but good for them, and that Mariah Carey was included. Sorry, not to hate, but I was just surprised by that. I guess she's proven that she has an enduring career, I gotta give her credit for that. And even if I don't, millions of others do. There were lots of inspiring stories about people who I'd never heard of, like Randy Pausch, a guy with cancer and limited time left to live - so he's been giving lectures about following your dreams and having fun. And Oscar Pistorius, a double leg amputee who is a world class sprinter. A GREAT read, you should check it out.

THE LATEST ROLLING STONE

I don't usually review magazines, but I was pretty psyched to see Barack Obama on the cover of the new issue of Rolling Stone. I like the clean look of the cover. I know it runs counter to marketing but I just think a clean cover looks cooler than an image with copy all over it telling you every single thing that's going to be in an issue. I wish that the subscriber issues looked like this one. I'm looking forward to reading Jann Wenner's interview with the man.

I hate the spin that the press is taking on "what's on Barack's iPod" though. I've seen a few headlines that say "Bruce Springsteen, Jay-Z, Bob Dylan and ... Sheryl Crow?" Stop with the hatin'! Then again, her body of work will outlast most or all of the indie artists that these "journalists" probably adore. And also she's been a hardcore supporter of the Democratic party. When was the last time the Firey Furnaces tried to make the world a better place?

Another great thing about the issue, which I was surprised to find (since I didn't read about it on the cover) was a huge feature on Rush. They've been one of the bands that Rolling Stone has ragged on forever, and unlike former targets Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath they've never done a 180 on their stance. I haven't read the feature yet, but I'm looking forward to it. Of course, Rush don't need Rolling Stone or any other magazine, but it's still nice to see them getting a feature. I wonder if there's an equation to figure out the ratio of how many concert tickets Rush has sold compared to the amount of coverage they've gotten in corporate media. I'd love to compare their ratio to that of, say, Pavement. I think it would make Pavement look like a fairly unsuccessful (*ahem*) corporate rock band.

VOTE FOR CHANGE '08?

Although Bruce Springsteen's presence is rarely felt on his website, he has occasionally addressed his fans from that forum: to defend the awful treatment of The Dixie Chicks at the hands of country, to let everyone know what songs are on the mix tape that he plays before his concerts and now, that he is endorsing Barack Obama for President. I'm glad he's making his voice heard, and hopefully there will be some kind of tour during election time.

Although the Vote For Change tour of 2004 obviously wasn't successful, when Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band along with John Fogerty, Jackson Browne and Patti Scialfa played New Jersey on that tour, it was a very powerful moment. Maybe a second time will achieve the desired result. Here's hoping.

CAN HE KICK IT? (YES HE CAN!)

Black Eyed Peas' leader will.i.am has a "hit" youtube video with his pro-Barack Obama clip "Yes We Can." But now Q-Tip may actually get the hopeful future prez to contribute to his upcoming album.

Well, according to something called "page six" in the New York Post (no, I'm not linking) anway. Not the most accurate source for any information.

I know having rock stars, hip-hop stars, or other celebs endorsing candidates in public forums really bothers some people, but tough nails, I say. "How are they qualified to talk about politics?" they'll ask. I just say, our current president isn't really qualified to talk about politics either. They pay taxes, and even if they're not American, everyone is affected by the outcome of our elections.

So, here's hoping for another "Vote For Change" type event this year. I'm glad to hear that Tom Morello of System Of A Down's Serj Tankian are doing an Axis Of Justice tour this year.