Monday, November 03, 2008

The Night Before

The video below is of Springsteen playing a rally for Obama in Ohio. Springsteen has been a huge support of the Democratic candidate from Illinois so it isn't surprising that he's drumming up support in "battleground" states. Springsteen, being the master entertainer that he is, wisely choose songs that easily fit within the image that Obama wants to portray. Springsteen's public persona and his songs are co-opted by the American political machine. This is choice he's made. Bruce Springsteen has decided that this election (like the one in 2004) is important enough to allow his art to become a tool of propaganda. It sounds nasty and like he's selling out but let's consider some more factors

Springsteen has created this "everyman" professional image. His songs reflect the daily life of Americans, often of the working class variety. For a candidate like Obama, who has often been criticized has been elite, this works for him. Kerry has a similar problem and Springsteen's help didn't work. But Obama isn't Kerry. Everyone knows this.

I've lost my train of thought. It was something about how the question of whether or not music should be used for political gains. I just re-read Walter Benjamin's The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction. Makes a guy think about these things. If want to read it, look here. I also started thinking about Springsteen's image after watching the video he made for Halloween (I can't find the video at the moment), which reminded me of late Johnny Cash imagery.

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