October 7, 2023

Springsteen Recommendations

As a supplement to the class I am teaching for the Western Institute for Lifelong Learning on the music of Bruce Springsteen, I am providing these supplemental resources. Enjoy!


South by Southwest Keynote Address (2012)

Springsteen's 50-minute talk about his musical influences. The embedded video below contains the entire keynote address. 


Blinded by the Light directed by Gurinder Chadha (2019)

A film based on the true story of journalist Sarfraz Manzoor, a British-Pakistani Muslim who became obsessed with Springsteen's music as a teenager in the 1980s. Available for streaming on Amazon Prime and Apple TV.

 


Springsteen on Broadway (2017)

Available for streaming on Netflix. Also available as an audio recording on CD from Amazon.



From Spotify

Renegades: Born in the USA (2021) – trailer

Six-hour conversation between Barack Obama and Bruce Springsteen on topics ranging from fatherhood to the American Dream.


The Live Series Collection – playlist


Springsteen Acoustic – playlist


Recommended Books

Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen (2016)

Springsteen's autobiography. (Purchase on Amazon)












Long Walk Home: Reflections on Bruce Springsteen by Jonathan D. Cohen, June Skinner, et. al. (2019)

A collection of essays from diverse writers describing how they have been moved, shaped, and challenged by Springsteen's music. (Purchase from Amazon)









Mary Climbs In: The Journeys of Bruce Springsteen's Women Fans by Lorraine Mangione and Donna Luff (2023)

A book of feminist studies, examining how women from around the world have been affected by Springsteen's music. (Purchase from Amazon)


 







Meeting Across the River: Stories Inspired by the Haunting Bruce Springsteen Song, edited by Jessica Kaye and Richard Brewer (2005)

A collection of twenty-one short stories based on Springsteen's song, "Meeting Across the River." (Purchase from Amazon)









Trouble in the Heartland: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Songs of Bruce Springsteen, edited by Joe Clifford (2014)

A collection of forty-one short stories by a variety of writers creating, creating works of fiction based on the songs of Bruce Springsteen. (Purchase from Amazon)



March 9, 2023

El Sistema for Lifelong Learners

I am currently making a presentation on El Sistema for  members of the ARTE Lifelong Learning Institute in Las Cruces, NM. As a supplement to the presentation, here are a few links:

Understanding Venezuela's Recent Economic Problems

Venezuela: The Rise and Fall of a Petrostate,” (Originally published by the Council on Foreign Relations on January 24, 2019, updated on December 29, 2021.


Gustavo Dudamel and the Political Problems in Venezuela

"Why I Don't Talk Politics" (Los Angeles Times, September 29, 2015)

"A Better Way for Venezuela" (New York Times, July 10, 2017)


Resources for Learning about El Sistema

Documentaries


Books

For an alternative — and quite critical —view of El Sistema, see a book by Geoffrey Baker titled El Sistema: Orchestrating Venezuela's Youth.


As an introduction to the rebuttals of Baker’s claims, I have provide a link to two online articles. I would like to add, however that these articles only scratch the surface of how one might challenge Baker’s complaints about a program that has received worldwide acclaim.


Mahler, Symphony No. 2 in C-minor (1895)


Performed by the Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela and conducted by Gustavo Dudamel (BBC Proms, 2011)