Set Lusting Bruce - Bruce Springsteen Deep Dive with David Starkey | On Track 1973–1987, Touring, Poetry & Thunder Road’s Mary

Host Jesse Jackson welcomes writer and musician David Starkey to Set Listing Bruce to discuss Starkey’s book On Track: Bruce Springsteen 1973–1987, Every Album, Every Song and his lifelong relationship to Springsteen’s recorded work. Starkey shares how growing up between Sacramento and summers in Beaumont shaped his musical tastes, from Johnny Cash and Aerosmith to discovering Springsteen via Greetings and being captivated by Born to Run and Darkness on the Edge of Town. They talk about the current tour, its political tone, Tom Morello’s guitar work, ticket prices, and setlist debates. Starkey explains his writing process, what he learned by re-listening (especially the importance of piano), and why 1987 marks an era’s end. The conversation also touches on poetry vs. lyrics, Starkey’s interview series The Creative Community, upcoming projects, and the “Mary question” from Thunder Road. https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Bruce-Springsteen-1973-1987/David-Starkey/On-Track/9781789524710 00:00 Podcast Welcome 00:39 Meeting David 02:03 Early Music Obsessions 03:44 Family Sounds and Travel 06:59 Johnny Cash Tangent 09:04 Finding Springsteen 10:03 Live Shows and Politics 13:54 Ticket Prices Debate 14:28 Writing and Poetry 18:08 Why This Bruce Book 20:05 Born in the USA Memories 22:14 Researching the Albums 23:53 Why Stop at 1987 25:43 Concert Banter Debate 26:59 River Tour Pacing 27:55 Writing More Personally 29:33 Hot Takes On Songs 30:51 Family Discovers Nebraska 32:06 Biopic Who Is It For 34:35 Bruce Creative Evolution 36:46 Never Repeating Himself 39:41 His Interview Show Origins 41:09 Next Books And Memoir 44:12 Where To Find The Book 45:54 Final Thanks And Signoff 46:24 Podcast Housekeeping Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices