Set Lusting Bruce: The Bruce Springsteen Fan Podcast

🎸 We want to be where the bands are every night—but not all of us can be in Minneapolis on Tuesday 3/31 for opening night of the Land of Hope and Dreams tour.

That doesn’t mean we can’t talk about it.

Join me, Jesse Jackson, host of Set Lusting Bruce, for a live fan discussion on April 1st (no April Fools joke here). We’ll rate, debate, and celebrate the setlist, the surprises, and yes—maybe vent a little about not being elbows on the stage or high in the nosebleeds.

📍 It’s happening over Zoom

🕗 It’s casual, fun, and full of Bruce energy

🎤 All fans welcome—whether you were there or just wish you were

Let’s keep the spirit alive. Follow the link and let’s talk Bruce!

https://app.ggv.rs/s/04bG
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Host Jesse Jackson opens with reactions to a leaked Springsteen rehearsal set list, predicting a more political “Land of Hope and Dreams/No King” tour. Returning guest Maryanne Janosik, a historian researching Springsteen’s Catholic upbringing and its influence, discusses the tour as a spiritual, “gospel-like” continuum tied to servant leadership, roots music, and civic engagement, noting the symbolic arc from Minneapolis to Washington. The conversation shifts to film, including why Ryan Coogler’s Sinners resonated (genre-blending, music mythology, culture), Oscar-season dynamics, mixed feelings on Deliver Me From Nowhere, a review of Project Hail Mary, and a strong recommendation for Baz Luhrmann’s restored Elvis concert film EPiC.

00:00 Prepared Tour Statement

02:53 Meet Marianne Again

04:02 Catholic Roots And Purpose

07:44 Stewardship Over Rapture

10:45 Frankenstein And Redemption

12:14 Art Life And Our Town

15:56 Tour Arc And Activism

17:28 Just Here For The Music

21:14 Roy Orbison Transformation

24:39 From Tour Talk To Movies

27:50 Why Sinners Matters

33:31 Barn Dance Breakdown

34:56 Bold Films vs Safe Picks

36:17 Why Anderson Won

37:40 Jordan’s Award Season Edge

39:14 Marty Supreme Campaign Backlash

41:09 Age Bias in Best Actor

42:49 Why Jordan Beat the Bias

44:28 Springsteen Biopic Misses Spark

49:46 Project Hail Mary Review

53:36 Elvis Concert Film Revival

58:43 Wrap Up and Farewell
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Host Jesse Jackson welcomes pop-culture lecturer and illustrator Arlen Schumer back to Set Lusting Bruce to discuss his three passions—Bruce Springsteen, comic book art history, and Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone. Arlen explains what drew him to Twilight Zone imagery and storytelling, its influence on modern creators, and its early diversity and social themes, then connects Serling’s dramatic voice to Springsteen’s writing and speeches. The conversation shifts to Bruce fandom and live performance, including Arlen’s deep focus on the September 19, 1978 Capitol Theatre broadcast and rare early footage like the Gaslight performance and “Wings for Wheels.” Arlen promotes a March 31 New York Adventure Club webinar on Springsteen live history and a planned June multimedia event tied to a New Jersey exhibit. They also discuss Springsteen’s politics, “Streets of Minneapolis,” and Arlen’s critiques of unreleased/altered outtakes like “Roulette.”

https://arlenschumer.com/

https://arlenschumer.com/springsteen-live-retrospective-webinar-via-ny-adventure-club-3-31/

http://bit.ly/4l77iQT

00:00 Welcome and Arlen Returns

00:39 Arlen Background and Passions

03:00 Why Twilight Zone Matters

05:53 Twilight Zone Legacy and Influence

12:05 Connecting Twilight Zone to Bruce

16:23 Greatest Bruce Shows and 1978

19:44 First Bruce Show and Fan Journeys

22:01 Bruce Live Ethos and Spanish Harlem

23:54 Promoting the Bruce Webinar

26:15 Gaslight Footage and March 31 Plan

29:15 Rare 1975 Footage

30:00 Wings for Wheels Magic

31:50 Desert Island Thunder Road

32:34 High Hopes Show Memories

34:15 Dream Baby Dream Debate

35:27 Webinar and Links

35:57 June Exhibit Plans

37:30 Bruce and Politics

42:09 Roulette and Outtakes

45:40 Release Decisions Rant

48:32 True President Finale

50:16 Wrap Up and Goodbye

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Host Jesse Jackson opens a B-side episode of Set Lusting Bruce that steps outside the Springsteen universe to spotlight guest Cece’s creative joys, blending their shared love of Hallmark movies with music fandom and community. Cece, who grew up near Washington, DC, describes her family’s listening (ZZ Top, Southern rock, blues/R&B, show tunes) and how she gravitated instead to Prince, Michael Jackson, politically driven rap, and alternative/punk discovered through WHFS, MTV’s 120 Minutes, and films like Suburbia. She studied political science at Virginia Tech, attended law school at Temple, passed the New Jersey bar, but left legal work due to culture fit. Cece recounts becoming obsessed with live music—especially seeing Barenaked Ladies about 80 times, later following Steven Page’s solo work and Zoom concerts—and discusses the Avett Brothers fan song-tracking database, concertgoing community, and her current perfume hobby.

00:00 B-Side Detour Intro

00:37 Hallmark Meets Music

01:31 Cece Finds Hallmark Comfort

05:05 Growing Up Near DC

08:26 Finding Her Own Sound

10:33 Politics And Punk Identity

13:33 Films Over Books

14:57 Law School And Philly Bruce

19:17 Workplace Conformity Clash

21:55 Live Music Obsession Begins

22:29 Bare Naked Ladies Era

29:11 Setlists And Fan Databases

32:54 Chasing Rare Songs

33:24 Why See Bands Repeatedly

34:35 Concert Community Bonds

37:31 Music Recommendations Swap

39:54 Bruce Politics And Tours

41:35 Finding The Avett Brothers

43:39 Solo Shows And Fan Culture

47:11 Meeting Musicians Up Close

53:15 Where To Find Cece

53:35 Perfume Rabbit Hole

55:40 Final Thanks And Plugs
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Host Jesse Jackson welcomes back college professor Maryanne Janosik to discuss Bruce Springsteen’s newly released protest song, its rapid creative turnaround, and how it fits Springsteen’s history of politically charged music and themes of Catholic social justice. They compare the song’s naming of names to Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young’s “Ohio,” speculate about political expression at the Grammys, and reflect on concerns about free speech, polarization, and the shrinking space for teaching controversial art and history. The conversation shifts to film awards, including disappointment that “Deliver Me From Nowhere” received no Oscar nominations, debate about biopic fatigue, and Maryanne’s recommended under-the-radar films such as “Train Dreams,” Linklater’s “Blue Moon” and “Nouvelle Vague,” “Sorry, Baby,” and the baseball film “Eefus,” plus praise for “Sinners” and “Fruitvale Station.”

https://www.mjthemovies.com/

00:00 Welcome Back Maryanne

00:33 Meet Maryanne Janosik

01:50 Bruce Drops New Protest Song

02:55 How Artists Create Fast

05:26 Protest Music Context

07:38 Catholic Imagination Social Justice

08:45 Teaching Songs of Protest

11:07 Grammys Politics and Censorship

13:30 Academic Freedom Under Pressure

17:13 Reviewing the New Song

20:36 Super Bowl Halftime Culture

23:44 Oscars and Springsteen Films

24:37 Box Office vs Oscars

25:35 Deliver Me From Nowhere

28:36 Biopic Fatigue Debate

30:26 Good vs Great Movies

32:24 Why Sinners Works

36:48 Michael B Jordan Rise

39:23 Under the Radar Picks

45:08 Catherine O'Hara Tribute

47:02 Wrap Up and Farewell
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