It was not until last summer that I discovered podcasts. I had obviously heard people mentioning them before but I didn’t think they were anything for me. That was before I knew there were podcasts about things that interest me. It this blogpost I intend to mention and review a few of my favourite podcasts (most of them Springsteen related):
My first ever podcast episode I listened to was from the podcast Set Lusting Bruce: the Springsteen Podcast, where my BruceBud Jennifer from the Netherlands told the host Jesse Jackson her Springsteen story.
The idea of this podcast is both simple and brilliant: host Jesse Jackson talks to various Springsteen fans from all over the world exploring their Springsteen story, presupposing that every Springsteen fan has a story to tell, no matter how many live shows he/she has attended. An episode is about one hour long and there are also special edition episodes such as Cage Match, where two songs battle each other, Newbie-episodes, where a Bruce Springsteen newbie gets 10 Springsteen songs to listen and react to. There are also Love Street-episodes, where people write to hosts Jesse and Donna (from Bruce Funds) to dedicate songs to loved ones and other special featured episodes such as album reviews and even an episode with Jennifer (who I mentioned earlier) and I (😱) discussing our top 10 Springsteen songs. What I like most about this podcast is that you, in a very relaxed way, get know (new and old) Springsteen fans from all over the world.
Recommended episodes: Dan French , Craig and Jennifer.
Bruce Springsteen Sings the Alphabet, is another of my favourite podcasts, where Rob Carmack and JB Clark talk about every Bruce Springsteen song in alphabetical order one by one. The episodes are usually around 30 min (perfect for my commute to work) and are released twice a week. I love the way Rob and JB humorously guide you through the vast Springsteen catalogue. Their insightful elaborations and skilful delivery of basic facts have made me even more aware of the lyrics of the songs than I was before and have also made me rediscover songs I forgot about.
Recommended episodes: None But the Brave (note the patreon story), Jungleland .
I’ve recently started listening to a brand new series of podcasts from Celebration Rock called “20th Century Boss” which is an in-depth series of podcasts on the Bruce Springsteen albums released in the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s, hosted by rock critic Steven Hayden. In every episode Hayden talks with a different musician about the different Springsteen albums. So far I’ve listened to the first two episodes; part 1 about Greetings from Asbury Park, NJ and The Wild, The Innocent, and the E Street Shuffle (with Brian Fallon of the Gaslight Anthem) and part 2 about Born To Run (with American musician and songwriter Jeff Rosenstock). Part 3 and 4 are already released and up next for a listen.
I like this podcast a lot. Steven Hayden is very knowledgeable without sounding too pretentious and he and his guests are fun to listen to. Each episode is around 1 hour.
Arcade Fire Sings the Alphabet is a brand new podcast by Alex Payandeh and Owen Heaney, both students in Vancouver, Canada. The podcast reviews every single Arcade Fire song alphabetically, one per episode. Recognise the format? Yes, this is a podcast directly influenced by Bruce Springsteen Sings the Alphabet and they are off to a good start.
A podcast that I’m curious about but haven’t checked out yet is The Great Albums podcast.
There are many so podcasts out there, not only for us who like music, (and if you like music, certainly not only Springsteen related ones). I hope this blogpost will open your eyes to this media, which biggest advantage is that it allows you to decide what, where and when.
Stray Bullet 
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