Because The Boss Belongs To Us Podcast: Bruce Springsteen As A Gay Icon!

Every once in a while, a podcast comes along that defines the best podcasting has to offer and demonstrates the limitations of legacy media. 

I'm from New Jersey, or as locals and detractors call it -- "Jersey." The state has always suffered an image problem, and the media has only made it worse. The Sopranos came to embody what New Jersey was to million of viewers. Jersey Shore added an element of dim-witted young adults who care only for tan lines, hook-ups, feedback from their mirror, and the verbal dexterity to utter "Fuhgeddaboudit." 

It's not an exaggeration to say that Bruce Springsteen (The Boss) is one of the most talented musical artists to come from New Jersey, with all due respect to Mr. Sinatra. 

 The Boss represents New Jersey and life there, but also the lives of many hard-working Americans. He's a blue-collar singer whose keen sense of what makes us uniquely American explains his long-time popularity. If you've even seen one of his shows, Springsteen doesn't have performers swinging on cables or appearing in a puff of smoke in elaborate costumes. There are no lavish sets, or visually striking images. It's just dirt under your fingernails' music.

With that background in mind, let me introduce you to Because the Boss Belongs To Us, which is a narrative podcast series all about how, though you might not expect it, Bruce Springsteen is a queer icon. Over seven episodes, Jesse Lawson and Holly Casio go on a mission to get The Boss the queer icon credentials he deserves, and to explore what it even means to idolize a celebrity in this way.

The series was produced with Molten Heart, and is going out on iHeart Podcasts.

The trailer for the podcast reminds listeners of the well-known queer icons -- Britney, Mariah, Cher, and Christina. Co-hosts Jesse and Holly explain: "The series where two queer nerds who are obsessed with Bruce Springsteen try to get him recognized as the queer icon we know he is."

As the co-hosts say in the first episode: "Who wore it best? Bruce Springsteen or K.D. Lang?" 

I've listened to the first episode twice because there's so much there. First, we meet Jesse at a Drag performance playing a drag king, who is Bruce Springsteen.

Then, we learn about Jesse, a Londoner, and Holly, in Northern England, and the crucible they faced as pre-teens and teens as their sexual identity emerged. We learn that a 1988 U.K. law -- with its section 28 that prohibited the local promotion of homosexuality -- kept exploration of one's sexual identity a secret mission. Like so many others, Jesse and Holly suffered through an awakening that was fraught with risk of exposure, denigration, bullying, and even a criminal act.

Holly tells the listeners how they made a mixtape with The Boss's hit, Dancing In The Dark, on it, wondering why "Dad music" was included on her mixtape.

 

Holly tells listeners that after listening to the song numerous times, and focusing on its lyrics -- I check my look in the mirror,Wanna change my clothes, my hair, my face -- the tune -- and The Boss -- spoke directly to them. 

 

Once the co-hosts describe how they got together, the first episode proceeds to argue that Bruce Springsteen is indeed a gay icon. The co-hosts do make a compelling case, and this was only the first episode. In addition, listeners are treated to superior sound design, with its subtle background noises and catchy music that echoes the themes of the show. 

Who are the co-hosts of this crazy stew of music, queerness, sexual identity, cross-gender attraction, wild humor and sharp wit?

Jesse Lawson is an audio producer who produced Down the Rabbit Hole, which is an audio storytelling project. Lawson is also the co-founder and co-director of Boldface – a platform that works with community groups to produce audio, art and film. Jesse Lawson has also run a series of workshops – Intro to Podcasting, Interviewing, Presenting, and Editing – and designed a podcast format that facilitated as much independent work as possible for members of the youth network, so the authorship for the podcast came mainly from them.

Holly Casio (she/they) is a Dover-based queer artist, zine maker, and trade unionist. Holly makes queer zines and DIY comics about queer pop culture, fat bodies, libraries, mental health, and Bruce Springsteen.

I highly recommend Because the Boss Belongs To Us. I realize that this podcast will drive most American white evangelicals crazy and be ignored by political conservatives. And that's a shame, because Lawson and Casio are onto more than an image makeover for Bruce Springsteen. 

This podcast isn't just about "The Boss." Instead, it's about "Who's The Boss?" Are we the boss of our sense of fairness, or the servant of intolerance? Do we decide who to accept in society? Or do we allow a book, a person, or an institution to command us to denigrate those who are perceived as different? Do we cling to the security blanket of conformity? Or do we embrace diversity and distinctiveness? 

As actor Emma Stone said: "What sets you apart can sometimes feel like a burden, and it's not. And a lot of the time, it's what makes you great."