October 05, 2017
What's Bruce Springsteen rocking out to when he's not rocking out onstage? Turns out it's quite the mix.
Springsteen touched on a wide number of issues in a two-part cover story with Variety magazine published this week that included his thoughts on politics; growing up in Freehold, New Jersey; his recent "The River Tour" that ended in March; and, of course, music.
Variety published a list of Springsteen's favorite contemporary songwriters – a compilation of names that the New Jersey rocker read off of his iTunes account through a pair of "Benjamin Franklin-esque reading glasses." The magazine included a bit of an explanation on when he chose to share some of the picks, which included composer Lin-Manuel Miranda's "Hamilton" soundtrack, folk singer Lucinda Williams, indie legends Iron & Wine, The National, Sufjan Stevens and many others.
Springsteen also cited rapper Kanye West's 2016 release, "The Life of Pablo," as one of his favorites.
“I thought that was an amazing creation, especially the arrangements," he said.
Springsteen said he's "always on the lookout" for contemporary artists to check out.
"There’s a lotta good songwriting and tons of good music being made," he told Variety. "Music still excites me and it’s an exciting time, but the trick today is you really have to search for it to find it. But I listen quite a bit and it still holds that sacred place in my life."
The cover story appeared in Variety ahead of the star's debut solo show on Broadway, appropriately titled "Springsteen on Broadway." The show opened Tuesday at the Walter Kerr Theatre in New York City and will run until the beginning of February.
Check out the playlist here or part one of Variety's cover story on Springsteen here.
