RENEGADES is a transcript of the conversations these two remarkable men shared on their groundbreaking Podcast which first aired on Spotify Feb-April 2021. Despite coming from two very divergent upbringings, they find they share more in common in terms of values, families, interests and outlooks on where our country is headed. Listening to the banter affords the opportunity to eavesdrop on two great minds being candid, jocular and profound. The exchange of confidences portends intimate and revealing conversations. We learn their life stories from what they tell each other about being teens in the 1960s and 70s. Springstein managed to evade the Viet Nam when most peers were culled into service. Obama's childhood took him from HI to Kenya and Indonesia. They discuss how their friendship began and the connection their wives developed. Obama and Springstein (O&S) credit their wives for their strength and support. The topic of race relations are discussed. They speak of their close ties with John Lewis and Clarence Clemmons. Other topics include income inequality and their lack of economic privilege growing up at home. Relationships with their fathers as well as how they see their roles as fathers were especially earnest and thoughtful. Balancing booming careers and families was an issue they both were intent on focusing. Pres. Obama set dinner time with Michelle and their girls whenever in the White House. Springstein took Patti's advice to wake early to spend time before school with their kids. He found this time to be the most rewarding. Their discussions pertaining to favorite artists and tastes in music was delightful. Both believed narrowing the parameters of cultural appropriation doesn't work. "The nature of humanity. That is the nature of culture. That is how ideas migrate. That's how music gets created." (Obama). Regarding the 'Born in the USA' Springstein maintains "The song has been appropriated because, one, it was so powerful, and, two its imagery was so fundamentally American..you hold two contradictory ideas in your mind at one time, that you can both be vey critical of your nation and very proud of your nation simultaneously." Included are photos, speeches. lyrics and handwritten notes of historic and personal significance. The intelligent questions asked of each other were probing. Springstein questioned the decision to run. "...when I questioned my decision, it was not the enterprise itself. it was my seeming inability to rise to the occasion...running for president is not actually about you. It is about finding the chorus, finding the collective." I highly recommend RENEAGADES. These are the most engaging and revelatory interviews garnered from both.
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