Originally Posted by
eastgermanautos
You know, this is an interesting topic, and I am gathering materials for a script about it. It's not only an American problem though. In England in the 19th century there was a lot of striving after epic forms, romances. This required an assessment of whether something was legitimate. Macpherson's Ossian of course was not an ancient Gaelic text, but was a fake created by Macpherson himself. Not to say that the result is devoid of quality. I actually, dare I admit it, like Ossian.
I like the classic Springsteen but I wrestle with the unselective Springsteen. Who doesn't like Darlington County or Nebraska? It's that stuff he did in the 90s or early 2000s which is problematic. He uses the blue-collar mantle to start yammering on about post-9/11 themes. In other words, he's parodying himself. Because I had questions about the authenticity of the original, I have those questions doubly when it concerns something which feels tendentious, rabble-rousing, coercive to the norm.
He's very very talented, but can we decide what's good and what's not good. Can we say to Springsteen, No, sir. Not that one!
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