17 August 2008

The Gospel According to Bruce

NPR: Preaching the Bruce Springsteen Gospel.

At first I thought it ironic that a Unitarian Universalist pastor would write a "The Gospel According to..." book, but I guess it is a highly appropriate exercise of his freedom to find truth wherever he pleases. In any case, I wish someone else would've written this book - someone like me. You can't push the spiritual themes of Springsteen's work so far as to call it a "gospel," but there is definitely a richness there. I tried to do some of these themes justice in my Sojourners review of Bruce's 2005 album Devils & Dust (I could only find it posted online here, with several typos).

If you're in the market for an overblown hagiography of Springteen's life and work, I'd recommend Eric Alterman's It Ain't No Sin to be Glad You're Alive: The Promise of Bruce Springsteen.

P.S. I returned from Costa Rica last night, and will write about it soon. Perhaps a photo or two.

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