Episode 442: Steven Hyden Revisits Springsteen’s ‘Born in the USA’

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By Brendan O’Meara

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We’ve got Steven Hyden today (@steven_hydenwriter on IG). He returns to the show to talk about There Was Nothing You Could Do: Bruce Springtseen’s ‘Born in the USA’ and the End of the Heartland. It is published by Hachette Books.

Steven Hyden is a music critic for Uproxx, producer of “Break Stuff,” the podcast about Woodstock 99, story producer for the the documentary “Yacht Rock,” and the author of Twilight of the Gods, This Isn’t Happening, Hard to Handle, and Long Road. For Steven, he keeps his critic brain and his fan brain fully intact. One needs the other.

Gosh, we recorded this back in June, and I’m just about caught up with the really old recordings. In this episode we talk about connections and culture, how a critic has the power to ruin a band or album for you, and losing control of a generational narrative. Really great chat about Pearl Jam, Bruce, and writing a book that provides context to the current time and the era it was forged.