Nonprofit organization Home of the Brave released the first episode in a brand-new limited-run video series called Home of the Brave Backstage, which features frank discussions with some of the nation’s biggest musical acts about the Trump administration, fighting authoritarianism, and the future of our politics. The first episode features Bruce Springsteen, and can be viewed below.
The show is co-hosted by Ken Casey, frontman of Dropkick Murphys and a vocal, lifelong champion of protecting Americans’ rights from abuses by those in power; former MPD officer Michael Fanone, who defended American democracy at the US Capitol on January 6; and Sarah Longwell, who serves on Home of the Brave’s advisory board.
“America is an incredible place. I mean, I came from absolutely less than nothing. And I watched my parents struggle but build a life for themselves,” Bruce tells Ken. “I just grew up with a deep love and respect for what the country could be. And I believed it was part of my job to show the distance between American reality and the American dream. And to do my best to narrow that gap. That was my job here on planet Earth, if I had one.”
He continues: “If you grew up in the ‘60s, you grew up when music had a voice across the board. It came as part of what felt like your cultural responsibility. If you had a platform, you used it and you used it politically, and that was not controversial at the time. It was expected … So to me, music and politics, on some level, has always been intertwined … It’s an expression of freedom.”
In the coming weeks, they’ll release episodes featuring legendary singer-songwriter Joan Baez, Public Enemy’s Chuck D, Foo Fighters guitarist Chris Shiflett, and more. Each will focus on the necessity of artists using their platforms to speak out, how ordinary people can fight back, and the devastating consequences of staying silent in our moment of rising authoritarianism. This content was filmed on-site at the Power to the People Festival.
