First things first: I worship Bruce Springsteen.
I converted in 1980. A lunatic had just murdered John Lennon. My sister, recognizing my despondency, recommended The River. The needle touched down, and the heavens opened.
But this is not a paean to Bruce, however tempted I might be to pen one. Rather it is simply to note the backlash he's receiving from conservatives over his new CD, Magic (which is, in this expert's opinion, on par with some of his best stuff). And the relation between said conservatives and their religious tendencies.
Springsteen's appearance on 60 Minutes last week provoked the expected backlash from the neo-cons. Bill O'Reilly--Fox's resident sexual harasser and tiny-penised commentator--has officially called Bruce a "pinhead" and tried to bait him to come on his show. I particularly liked when O'Reilly, while interviewing Kinky Friedman, mischaracterized Springsteen's comments, accusing him of cowardice, and then saying "he won't come into a forum like this and answer any questions about it. I think that's irresponsible."
Isn't it irresponsible to pose as an objective news show when you're really a front for the far right wing of the Republican Party? Of course, this is the same pinhead who "threw in with Jesus" because it just made far more sense to him than Richard Dawkins' world view. (If O'Reilly would ever shut the fuck up, he might learn a few things, as well as avoid a few sexual harassment suits.)
But I was particularly fascinated today when I happened upon boycottliberalism.com. A site that, you guessed it, has Bruce's Magic right at the top of its boycott list. This is also a site that has a "Daily Prayer Request," and, when listing and commenting on its "Liberal Hall of Shame--the Top 100 Liberals in America," it includes the caption, "Repent and you will be forgiven and removed from the list."
Amazing. I guess these religious nuts have missed the fact that Bruce--though emotionally abused during his own Catholic upbringing--has written eloquently, and inclusively, about religion and the search for meaning in this god-forsaken world (so well that this agnostic almost feels the spirit when listening to Bruce.) Or maybe they haven't missed it. The thing is, so much of religion is about following the rules. You have to be a sheep, after all, to follow a shepherd. And the fact that Bruce, and other "liberals," would dare question our incompetent government...well, that's a sin. Just like questioning God himself. Or even daring to suggest he doesn't exist to begin with.
If you'd like to email the pinheads at boycottliberalism.com, you may do so by sending a note to Editor@boycottliberalism.com. I plan to do so myself:
Dear Editor, not only can Bruce Springsteen run this country far better than George Bush, he can run the universe better than your bullshit God.
xoxox.
