Several prominent reviews of Springsteen on Broadway mention “wreaths of black cables” hanging on the walls of the set. While the reviews of Springsteen on Broadway are frequently positive, the reviewers are correct for focusing, perhaps unintentionally, on a piece of set decoration. Those patch cables, when carefully chosen and placed by a Tony winning set designer, transitioned from a tool to a symbol of work, making them an apt metaphor for the cultural position of Bruce Springsteen. As a symbol of work and workers, Springsteen is enshrouded with a patina of truth that other artists are not afforded. Springsteen’s elaborate spectacles, both on Broadway and off, complete with makeup, costumes, and choreography comfortably fit a narrative of a working-class hero who grinds away against the nefarious forces of economic uncertainty, unfulfilled desires, and even time itself. This message is delivered, however, by a millionaire over a hundred times over who flies home after every show in a private jet rather than dare spend a night in the Midwest. This contradiction is reminiscent of Roland Barthes’ notion of mythology as capable of organizing a world without contradiction. This presentation looks to unpack the way Springsteen fandom is a form of cultural identification that shields its adherents against external “degenerative” forces. The coupling of liberal politics and the aesthetic of Nixon’s southern strategy reveals a uniquely American mythology that enshrouds expressions of white working-class culture as a genuine expression, even as the tropes of this expression are well-defined and ready for appropriation. Through this understanding, and a new historical reading of the cultural climate that propelled Springsteen into super-stardom, this paper will seek to expose a mythology of whiteness not limited to aesthetic judgments but as a politically organizing force.
About the presenterMatthew Ussia
Teaching Assistant Professor at Duquesne University.