Set Lusting Bruce: The Bruce Springsteen Fan Podcast

Set Lusting Bruce celebrates its 1,500th episode with congratulatory messages from fellow podcasters, friends, and listeners, praising Jesse Jackson’s consistency, kindness, interviewing skill, and the community he’s built. Jesse is joined by Chris Jackson for a milestone conversation covering Jesse’s regrets about guests he hasn’t booked, how his signature opening question helps people share their music origins, and why storytelling is central to the show. They discuss podcasts they enjoy, parallels between Bruce fandom and WWE—including “hate watching,” nostalgia, and escapism—and how music functions as a time machine tied to life memories. Chris shares favorite...

Jesse welcomes JB and Rob back to Set Lusting Bruce to discuss their return to podcasting and the relaunch of Bruce Springsteen Sings the Alphabet. JB shares updates on life in North Georgia, while Rob explains his transition from pastor to banker during COVID, personal struggles, and how reconnecting with JB revived their creative spark. They outline the show’s new format: covering Springsteen album-by-album (collections included) in alphabetical order while discussing tracks in sequence, breaking up Tracks by recording sessions, and adding occasional mini-series, with “Episode Zero” planned for September 4 and the first new episode on September 7 starting with A...

Host Jesse Jackson welcomes returning guests Brian K. Pagels and Stephen Russ of Brian K and the Parkway to discuss their musical partnership, their preferences for live performance versus studio work, and the creation of their second album, “Roses and Kerosene,” out September 4. They recount how the project evolved from demos into a full band after a 2021 trip to Asbury Park, then detail recording most of the new record in four days at The Brink studio in Richmond with Kat Popper on bass and Rob Flores on keys, mixed by Sean Sullivan. Brian explains writing the duet “Roses and Kerose...

Host Jesse Jackson welcomes back music journalist and author Steve Rosen to discuss his new Jeff Beck book, rewritten and expanded from a Japan-only 1978 biography originally commissioned by Player magazine. Rosen recounts growing up in Culver City listening to early rock, discovering Jeff Beck through the Yardbirds and seeing the Jeff Beck Group in 1969, and how learning guitar fueled a deep-dive curiosity that led to music journalism. He describes his earliest reviews for school papers, the LA Free Press, and eventually major rock and guitar magazines, plus meeting and befriending Eddie Van Halen in 1977. Rosen explains why Beck was...

Sylvan opens an August 20 intro to a special John Hiatt birthday episode, sharing news that the November Nashville Concert for Cumberland Heights will be a John Hiatt tribute and inviting listeners to join via perfectlygoodpodcast@gmail.com. A clip follows with Kyle Williams explaining how Cumberland Heights’ scholarship funds, music therapy, and a pro music professionals program support people in recovery, especially in Nashville’s music community, and describing the long-running Ryman benefit concert founded with Hiatt and others. The episode then revisits Rolling Stone writer David Wild discussing his 1989 “Clean and Sober” Hiatt profile, his note-taking and reporting process...

In this episode of Set Lusting Bruce, host Jesse Jackson and guest Joe K step off the Springsteen track to honor Dolly Parton following news of her death on August 25, 2026, reflecting on her six-decade career as the “Queen of Country,” her landmark songs, acting roles, business success with Dollywood, and rare talent for reimagining other artists’ work. They share personal first memories of Dolly, discuss the story behind “I Will Always Love You,” and highlight her unmatched warmth, humor, talk-show brilliance, and ability to unite diverse audiences while advocating tolerance. Much of the conversation centers on her philanthropy—especially the Imaginat...

Host Jesse Jackson welcomes Boston-based consultant and lifelong Springsteen fan Andy Freed to discuss Freed’s book, "Lead Like The Boss: The Bruce Springsteen Framework to Elevating Your Leadership." Freed shares how discovering "Born to Run" at age eight sparked a fandom that’s led to nearly 100 shows, and explains how the arc of a Springsteen concert maps to practical leadership and communication lessons—preparation, staying on message, energizing an audience, building trust, and empowering a team. They talk about Bruce’s onstage habits like thanking every band member nightly, the importance of adapting to audience feedback, and the purpose...

In this B-side episode of Set Lusting Bruce, host Jesse Jackson talks with Joey Register, who records as itsrihhomie, about his path from growing up in Rochester, New York to making melodic rap as an emotional outlet and running his own studio to help others create. Joey describes his freestyle, bar-by-bar recording process, early influences from friends and artists like Juice WRLD and Lil Wayne, and how his album Population Mars pulled together songs written from ages 18 to 25 across sessions in places like Boston, Tampa, and Chicago. He discusses the challenges independent artists face in smaller markets, how streaming...

In this B-side episode of Set List and Bruce, Jesse welcomes back Dale Hansen for a wide-ranging conversation that begins with Hansen reflecting on long-winded interviews and leads into his love of Rod Stewart, first seeing him live at the Cowboys’ 1996 Super Bowl in Phoenix, and why Stewart’s persona, gravelly voice, and story-driven songs resonate with him—so much so that he’s planned Rod Stewart songs for his funeral. Hansen then shares memories of late NBA coach Don Nelson, including their first meeting tied to Nelson’s 1961 Iowa–Ohio State game and a darkly comic Maui poker story involv...

Host Jesse Jackson welcomes writer and musician David Starkey to Set Listing Bruce to discuss Starkey’s book On Track: Bruce Springsteen 1973–1987, Every Album, Every Song and his lifelong relationship to Springsteen’s recorded work. Starkey shares how growing up between Sacramento and summers in Beaumont shaped his musical tastes, from Johnny Cash and Aerosmith to discovering Springsteen via Greetings and being captivated by Born to Run and Darkness on the Edge of Town. They talk about the current tour, its political tone, Tom Morello’s guitar work, ticket prices, and setlist debates. Starkey explains his writing process, what he learn...

Pride Month Reflections, Bruce as Lifeline, and the Thunder Road “Mary” Question (with Beverly) Host Jesse Jackson welcomes Beverly, a longtime Bruce Springsteen fan from Missouri now living in Kentucky, to discuss how Springsteen’s writing—especially around gender and politics—has resonated throughout her life. Beverly shares growing up with little music at home, discovering Bruce through “Dancing in the Dark” at 17, and how Born in the U.S.A. became her gateway to the full catalog. She recounts missing the Born in the U.S.A. tour, first seeing Bruce on the Human Touch/Lucky Town tour, later seeing t...

Host Jesse Jackson welcomes John Gulla to Set Lusting Bruce for a wide-ranging conversation beyond Springsteen. John, a Miami native, describes discovering music early, teaching himself by ear, forming a high-school a cappella group that pursued recording contracts and moved from Miami to New York and Washington, DC, before he left the group around age 25 due to financial realities and marketing challenges. He discusses choosing bass guitar, being left-handed, and returning to the University of Miami by working there to complete a Classics degree and a master’s. A devoted Firefly fan, John recounts contributing to The Signal and at...

Host Jesse Jackson welcomes Springsteen fan Audrey Hunn, a Philly-born travel agent and craft business owner, who recalls discovering Bruce through The River at summer camp and building friendships via the E Street community and her nearly 10,000-member Facebook group, “Calling All Bruce Springsteen Fans.” Audrey estimates she has attended close to 200 shows, praises the latest tour’s sound, song choices, and the Morello “Ghost of Tom Joad” performance, and describes pivotal experiences: her first show in Philadelphia the night John Lennon was killed, getting a long-sought jacket autograph at the Sirius “Carousel” Promise event, enduring an overnight wait to be first at...

Host Jesse Jackson welcomes Denver-based Springsteen fan Tracey Konigsbauer, who grew up in Philadelphia and says Bruce has always been in her blood. Tracey shares her musical influences (soul, R&B, Prince, The Roots, classic hip hop, The Beatles), her own playing (saxophone inspired by Clarence Clemons, plus guitar), and her move to Colorado. She discusses how Tunnel of Love became her gateway to deeply absorbing Bruce’s lyrics, reflects on seeing Bruce seven times on the East Coast (including Meadowlands and Philly), and recalls an emotional 2012 Philly performance of “Jungleland” after Clarence’s passing as Jake Clemons took the solo...

In a cross over episode, JKL Media Reviews discusses Rebecca Ross’s YA romantasy Divine Rivals, chosen by Karen after previous picks by Lou and Jesse. Lou, not a romance fan, says the book didn’t change his view of romance novels and critiques passive characters, trope-heavy misunderstandings, and underdeveloped worldbuilding, especially the vague setting and limited exploration of the warring gods Dakra and Enva. Jesse enjoys the premise of a WWI-like magical war, likes the characters and love story, and praises elements like the magic typewriters, Roman’s conflict with his family, and supportive elders. The group debates the ty...

Host Jesse Jackson welcomes John Mountain, a longtime Bruce Springsteen fan now living in Bakersfield, California, who first connected with Bruce through the 1981 “No Nukes” concert film and was especially moved by “The River.” John shares his early musical influences, love of movies and horror, and how Springsteen’s songs feel cinematic, including connections between “Nebraska” and Terrence Malick’s “Badlands.” He recounts seeing Springsteen live three times—finding the “other band” show disappointing, loving the solo “Ghost of Tom Joad” tour stop, and praising the 1999 E Street Band reunion. John also discusses Springsteen’s politics, favorite artists and albums, and picks standout Bruce...

Jesse Jackson welcomes retired Dallas sportscasting legend Dale Hansen, who reflects on covering the Cowboys across decades, loving sports more for drama than wins and losses, and feeling lucky throughout a 41-year TV career. Hansen discusses his 2019 journalism speech about speaking truth to power and worries about U.S. politics and media capitulation, then traces his lifelong connection to music through radio, his eclectic tastes, and why Bruce Springsteen’s live shows—especially the Austin concert—still amaze him. He shares stories about Elvis, Waylon and Willie, Rod Stewart gifting him a signed soccer ball, meeting icons like Staubach, Nickla...

Host Jesse Jackson welcomes Dallas sportswriter Tim Cowlishaw to Set Lusting Bruce, beginning with a discussion about Dallas teams potentially leaving the American Airlines Center area and the impact on fans and downtown. Cowlishaw shares his upbringing in Tulsa, New Jersey, and Texas, early musical influences like Beatles and The Who, and how a King Biscuit Flower Hour Columbia Records ad led him to Bruce Springsteen’s The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle. He recounts a canceled 1974 Dallas show and finally seeing Springsteen up close at The Bottom Line in 1975, leading to roughly 30 concerts over the years, in...

Host Jesse Jackson welcomes new guest Dr. Rob Yonover, a Hawaii-based scientist, inventor of military survival gear, and lifelong music fan. Rob recalls seeing Bruce Springsteen in Miami in 1975 and shares his connections to Perry Farrell, along with a deep love for Bob Dylan and a desert-island album pick list (Dylan’s "Highway 61 Revisited," Jane’s Addiction’s "Nothing’s Shocking," and Sublime’s "40 Ounces to Freedom"). Jesse shares his own three albums and how seeing Springsteen live in 2002 sparked an obsession that led to 20+ shows. They discuss album-focused listening, the downsides of phones and streaming culture, favorite concert stories, R...

Host Jesse Jackson welcomes Mireille Cameron, his Zendesk account manager, to Set Lusting Bruce to discuss her South Louisiana and North Carolina upbringing, early musical influences (Cajun, Zydeco, jazz, bluegrass, Prince), and how music shaped her life. Mireille shares why she finally saw Bruce Springsteen for the first time on the current tour in Cleveland over Memorial Day weekend, drawn by his longevity, message, and the communal, family-oriented concert culture. They talk about the show’s powerful opening, standout moments like “Long Walk Home,” the band’s energy and size, Bruce’s three-hour no-break performance, and audience reactions. Mireille and her hu...