Post by singhtjunior on Jun 10, 2004 4:14:19 GMT -5
Springsteen Posts Gore's Anti-Bush Text
Thu Jun 10, 2004 12:33 PM ET
By Barry A. Jeckell
NEW YORK (Billboard) - Although open with his political opinions on stage, Bruce Springsteen generally shies away from such issues when not on the road and in the public eye.
The artist has broken from that tradition by posting the full text of a speech former Vice President Al Gore gave late last month during a MoveOn.org-sponsored appearance at New York University in the "news" section of his official Web site (http://brucespringsteen.net).
Springsteen, whose staunchly anti-war stance is well known to fans, calls Gore's remarks "one of the most important speeches I've heard in a long time. The issues it raises need to be considered by every American concerned with the direction our country is headed in. It's my pleasure to reprint it here for my fans"
At a time when most opposed to the George W. Bush White House have backed off rhetoric in the wake of former president Ronald Reagan's death, the site gives Gore's anti-Bush criticisms a new forum. As a result, it has sparked a firestorm of conversation in Springsteen discussion groups on the official site and elsewhere on the Net.
Only once in recent memory has Springsteen used his site in a political manner. In April 2003, he publicly supported the Dixie Chicks while the group was suffering a backlash following singer Natalie Maines' remarks distancing the Texas trio's lineage from Bush, the state's former governor, during a London concert appearance.
"Right now, we are supposedly fighting to create freedom in Iraq, at the same time that some are trying to intimidate and punish people for using that same freedom here at home," Springsteen lamented at the time.
Aside from a few private benefit performances, Springsteen has been quiet since ending his world tour with the E Street Band in support of his 2002 Columbia album "The Rising." Although rumors of new studio work have yielded little concrete information, there is a possibility that the Boss may make a loud statement when the Republican National Convention gets underway in New York at the end of the summer.
The New York Daily News reported in May that Springsteen may play a free concert somewhere in the city on Sept. 2, the day Bush is due to address the convention and accept the Republican nomination for a second term as President. A representative for the Springsteen disavowed knowledge of any performance plans in 2004.
Links:
brucespringsteen.net/news/index.html
www.billboard.com/bb/daily/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000528508
Thu Jun 10, 2004 12:33 PM ET
By Barry A. Jeckell
NEW YORK (Billboard) - Although open with his political opinions on stage, Bruce Springsteen generally shies away from such issues when not on the road and in the public eye.
The artist has broken from that tradition by posting the full text of a speech former Vice President Al Gore gave late last month during a MoveOn.org-sponsored appearance at New York University in the "news" section of his official Web site (http://brucespringsteen.net).
Springsteen, whose staunchly anti-war stance is well known to fans, calls Gore's remarks "one of the most important speeches I've heard in a long time. The issues it raises need to be considered by every American concerned with the direction our country is headed in. It's my pleasure to reprint it here for my fans"
At a time when most opposed to the George W. Bush White House have backed off rhetoric in the wake of former president Ronald Reagan's death, the site gives Gore's anti-Bush criticisms a new forum. As a result, it has sparked a firestorm of conversation in Springsteen discussion groups on the official site and elsewhere on the Net.
Only once in recent memory has Springsteen used his site in a political manner. In April 2003, he publicly supported the Dixie Chicks while the group was suffering a backlash following singer Natalie Maines' remarks distancing the Texas trio's lineage from Bush, the state's former governor, during a London concert appearance.
"Right now, we are supposedly fighting to create freedom in Iraq, at the same time that some are trying to intimidate and punish people for using that same freedom here at home," Springsteen lamented at the time.
Aside from a few private benefit performances, Springsteen has been quiet since ending his world tour with the E Street Band in support of his 2002 Columbia album "The Rising." Although rumors of new studio work have yielded little concrete information, there is a possibility that the Boss may make a loud statement when the Republican National Convention gets underway in New York at the end of the summer.
The New York Daily News reported in May that Springsteen may play a free concert somewhere in the city on Sept. 2, the day Bush is due to address the convention and accept the Republican nomination for a second term as President. A representative for the Springsteen disavowed knowledge of any performance plans in 2004.
Links:
brucespringsteen.net/news/index.html
www.billboard.com/bb/daily/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000528508