Set Lusting Bruce: The Bruce Springsteen Fan Podcast

Jesse Jackson hosts a full Set Lusting Football panel—Wendy, Holly Mack, Joe K, and Rich—for weekly NFL talk with music detours, including Jesse battling a cold and ongoing NFC East frustration. Joe focuses on the Commanders’ future with Jayden Daniels and lessons from RGIII, while Rich laments Philly’s six-game losing streak and defensive decline but hopes a Giants win keeps the division alive. Wendy recaps attending the Bills game in the new stadium, praising its design, tailgating, and the Bills’ post-bye performance while looking ahead to Monday Night Football vs. the Vikings and possible defensive trade help. The group critiques Jerry Jones’ ownership and coaching philosophy as Dallas loses again, discusses upcoming matchups, and closes with Jesse’s Nashville trip for an all-star John Hiatt tribute concert and a note about Rush Sphere shows.

00:00 Show Kickoff Intro
00:45 Meet The Panel
02:25 Commanders QB Watch
03:32 Bucs Win Recap
04:04 Bills Stadium Day
06:30 Eagles Season Spiral
08:07 Cowboys Another Loss
08:44 Jerry Jones Problem
15:53 Bills Trade Talk
18:14 Wentz Injury Debate
18:54 Packers Patriots Preview
19:35 Blind Refs Costume Drama
20:42 Eagles Giants Stakes
21:11 Joe Milton Gamble
21:56 Draft Pick Despair
23:56 Cowboys Rams Outlook
25:25 Travel Plans Concert Night
26:50 Rush Sphere Buzz
28:07 Playoff Reality Check
29:04 Division Wrap Up
29:51 Final Blessings Sign Off

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Host Jesse Jackson welcomes returning guest Joe Schwartz, a retired corporate technology executive who began experimenting with AI music to explore creativity and deliver message-driven songs. Joe describes his career (from programmer to VP of application development at Hyatt) and how agile, test-driven thinking shaped his evolving process: starting with an idea, drafting lyrics, generating many genre variations, then refining sound, structure, and wording through iterative “covers,” mixing, and meta-tag direction. He discusses using AI to challenge constraints, the tension between creativity and promotion/analytics, and learning that art is about finding an audience rather than being “good” or “bad.” Joe shares politically influenced songwriting, including “Ready for Doom,” built around the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, and an updated “John Henry” reimagined as musician vs. tech. He reflects on goals, audience reach, and making music for intellectual and creative stimulation.

Artist name on all platforms:

Joseph SchwartzHere is my website: https://joespi.carrd.co

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1i0YtjdzwndXd3oQqiiLoT

00:00 B-Side Welcome

00:37 Meet Joe Again

01:12 Corporate Tech Career

03:50 Discovering AI Music

08:01 Test Driven Songmaking

12:42 Joe’s Creative Workflow

15:43 Heart and Rants

17:02 Reimagining John Henry

19:43 Evolving Tools and Genres

22:58 Promotion and Analytics

29:01 Breakthrough Ready for Doom

32:35 Politics in the Lyrics

35:37 Goals After the Peak

40:49 Finding Your Audience

41:58 Wrap Up and Where to Listen

44:08 Closing Blessing I Wish You Well
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The Democratic Party had a good night, but there is a lot of work to do!
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Jesse Jackson is joined by Lou and Karen on JKL Media/Set Listing and Bruce for a pop-culture detour focused on Star Trek as they react to the losses of Walter Koenig (Chekov) and Patrick Stewart (Picard). They share how Star Trek shaped their lives, discuss generational connections to Kirk vs. Picard, and highlight Stewart’s broader career (Professor X and other roles), screen presence, and personal complexities. They reflect on Koenig’s limited material on the original series, his writing work, and his standout turn as Bester on Babylon 5, including a story from J. Michael Straczynski about promising to write a role worthy of Koenig’s talent. The conversation emphasizes grief, gratitude for performances, and the reminder of mortality, before closing with Jesse’s podcast plugs and a call for kinder fan culture.

00:00 B-Side Welcome

00:37 JKL Media Introductions

01:20 Star Trek Losses

02:33 Karen Remembers

05:00 Lou Reflects

08:28 Chekov And Bester

14:06 Icons Of Youth

15:35 JMS Tribute Story

19:53 Picard Legacy Talk

22:10 Final Thoughts Roundup

26:37 Podcast Housekeeping

29:06 Closing Sign Off
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On the eve of Bruce Springsteen’s birthday, host Jesse Jackson welcomes returning guest MaryAnn, a historian and film scholar behind the blog “MJ at the Movies,” to talk about the intersections of music, spirituality, and American identity. Mary Ann discusses her upcoming Monmouth University “Music America” conference paper connecting the film Sinners, American roots music, and Springsteen’s Seeger Sessions, and they reflect on Coogler’s filmmaking. The conversation also covers Springsteen’s live “revival” energy, artists being political, and concerns about free expression and the press. Jesse and Mary Ann share personal cancer experiences—his prostate cancer treatment and her early-stage breast cancer—and how music, especially “The Long Walk Home,” helped them endure. They close by previewing future discussions on films about the music industry.

00:00 Podcast Welcome
00:48 Mary Ann Returns
01:25 Scholarship And Conferences
03:18 Sinners And Seeger Sessions
06:37 Coogler And Genre Layers
09:43 Bruce Tour Revival Energy
10:51 Artists Politics And Free Speech
17:48 Rock And Roll Intellectuals
20:46 Fall Movies To Watch
23:08 Popcorn Films And Bridges
25:02 Sound Of Music Memories
27:46 Shared Media Then And Now
31:22 Theater Experience And Michael
33:10 Live Music Connection
34:04 Nolan Odyssey Critique
34:56 Writing Women Onscreen
39:07 Art Versus Artist Debate
41:53 History Context And Flaws
43:33 Gone With The Wind Memories
46:25 Cancer Treatments And Music
52:28 Songs As Lifelines
58:36 Favorite Books And Comfort Media
01:01:33 Wrap Up And Next Topics
01:03:42 Closing Blessing Song

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