Because the Boss Belongs to Us

After all of this work, have Jesse and Holly succeeded on their mission? Is Bruce Springsteen a queer icon? In order to know whether The Boss does, truly, belong to us, Jesse and Holly need to persuade a Panel of Queers who are so far unconvinced.
Show notes: 
Read a transcript of today’s episode
Our friends have released 6 absolutely STUNNING bruce covers to celebrate the series. Find them all on our Queer Springsteen playlist <3 
Buy Jesse’s Gay Bruce Merch and support trans affirming surgeries and families evacuating Gaza xoxo
Resources for people interested in getting into audio. 
The Valhalla Suite
Gna miss us? Check out more of Jesse’s work here and here, and more of Holly’s work here and here. Follow Butch Springsteen here. 
Listen to Huw Lemmey’s Bad Gays 
Listen to Zakiya Gibbons’ Hang Up 
Read Joelle Taylor’s C+nto & Othered Poems
Credits:
Because the Boss Belongs to Us is a production of Molten Heart and iHeartPodcasts 
Creator: Jesse Lawson
Hosts and Executive Producers: Jesse Lawson and Holly Casio
This episode features: Zakiya Gibbons, Huw Lemmey, Joelle Taylor, Jazmine (JT) Green and Talk Bazaar
Producer + Sound Designer: Jesse Lawson
Production Assistant: Tess Hazel
Mix Engineer: Michelle Macklem
Original music and theme: Talk Bazaar
Show Art: Holly Casio
Molten Heart Executive Producer: Jazmine (JT) Green
iHeartPodcasts Executive Producer: Lindsey Hoffman
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jesse and Holly just have one checkpoint to go before we can officially crown Bruce Springsteen with queer icon status. Quite simply – is there a vibe? Do other queer people agree that Bruce is a queer icon? This is their last chance to collate their evidence, gather their findings, and prepare their ultimate arguments for the Panel of Queers next week.
Show notes: 
Read a transcript of today’s episode
Read Alana Kumbier’s seminal zine Because the Boss Belongs to us
Read Holly Casio’s Graphic Memoir Looking for Bruce
Follow Butch Springsteen and Georgeous Michael
Read Eve Kosofsky Sedgewick - You’re So Paranoid, I Bet You Think This Introduction is About You
Our friends have released 5 absolutely STUNNING bruce covers to celebrate the series. Find them all on our Queer Springsteen playlist <3 
Buy Jesse’s Gay Bruce Merch and support trans affirming surgeries and families evacuating Gaza xoxo
Credits:
Because the Boss Belongs to Us is a production of Molten Heart and iHeartPodcasts 
Creator: Jesse Lawson
Hosts and Executive Producers: Jesse Lawson and Holly Casio
This episode features: Alana Kumbier, Otto Wates and Afi Yellow-Duke
Producer + Sound Designer: Jesse Lawson
Production Assistant: Tess Hazel
Mix Engineer: Michelle Macklem
Original music and theme: Talk Bazaar
Show Art: Holly Casio
Fact Checking: Serena Solin
Legal: Rowan Maron and Feil
Molten Heart Executive Producer: Jazmine (JT) Green
iHeartPodcasts Executive Producer: Lindsey Hoffman
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

They’re back, baby. Jesse and Holly are donning their lab coats once again to see if Bruce Springsteen ticks off checklist point three: Good Music. Does Bruce Springsteen’s music help queer people access emotions that they have spent years learning to dissociate from? Or, in other works, can you dance to it, can you cry to it, can you f**k to it?
Show notes: 
Read a transcript of today’s episode
If this is your first time thinking about The Boss as a queer icon, and you want to explore these new feelings you’re having, me and Holly have made a playlist: Queer Springsteen. Think of it as a Queer Bruce 101 - it’s a combination of Bruce songs that we think are queer anthems, and then covers of Bruce songs by legendary queer artists. Some of them are their friends, who made the covers to celebrate the release of the show!
Buy Jesse’s Gay Bruce Merch and support trans affirming surgeries and families evacuating Gaza xoxo
Credits:
Because the Boss Belongs to Us is a production of Molten Heart and iHeartPodcasts 
Creator: Jesse Lawson
Hosts and Executive Producers: Jesse Lawson and Holly Casio
This episode features: Rudy Russell, Tasmin Bookey, Sergio Papini, Jazmine (JT) Green and Talk Bazaar 
Producer + Sound Designer: Jesse Lawson
Production Assistant: Tess Hazel
Mix Engineer: Michelle Macklem
Original music and theme: Talk Bazaar
Show Art: Holly Casio
Fact Checking: Serena Solin
Legal: Rowan Maron and Feil
Molten Heart Executive Producer: Jazmine (JT) Green
iHeartPodcasts Executive Producer: Lindsey Hoffman


See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Off the back of their conversations last episode, Jesse and Holly are really starting to doubt their mission. Sure, a lot of Bruce Springsteen's lyrics make them feel seen, but can they relate to actual Bruce Springsteen? He’s a multi-millionaire! And his fanbase is not representative of their identities and beliefs. Does that even matter?
Show notes: 
Read a transcript of today’s episode
If this is your first time thinking about The Boss as a queer icon, and you want to explore these new feelings you’re having, me and Holly have made a playlist:  Queer Springsteen. Think of it as a Queer Bruce 101 - it’s a combination of Bruce songs that we think are queer anthems, and then covers of Bruce songs by legendary queer artists. Some of them are their friends, who made the covers to celebrate the release of the show!
Buy Jesse’s Gay Bruce Merch and support trans affirming surgeries and families evacuating Gaza xoxo
 
Credits:
Because the Boss Belongs to Us is a production of Molten Heart and iHeartPodcasts  
Creator: Jesse Lawson
Hosts and Executive Producers: Jesse Lawson and Holly Casio
This episode features:  Jazmine (JT) Green, Lex , Tom Rasmussen and CJ Raey
Producer + Sound Designer: Jesse Lawson
Production Assistant: Tess Hazel
Mix Engineer: Michelle Macklem
Original music and theme: Talk Bazaar 
Show Art: Holly Casio
Fact Checking: Serena Solin
Legal: Rowan Maron and Feil
Molten Heart Executive Producer: Jazmine (JT) Green
iHeartPodcasts Executive Producer: Lindsey Hoffman
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s time to investigate item two on Jesse and Holly’s airtight queer icon checklist: Underdog Status. They need to find in him experiences of struggle that would make him relatable to queer people, so they can root for him as an underdog.
Show notes: 
Read a transcript of today’s episode
Live recording of The River where Bruce talks about his dad
If this is your first time thinking about The Boss as a queer icon, and you want to explore these new feelings you’re having, me and Holly have made a playlist:  Queer Springsteen. Think of it as a Queer Bruce 101 - it’s a combination of Bruce songs that we think are queer anthems, and then covers of Bruce songs by legendary queer artists. Some of them are their friends, who made the covers to celebrate the release of the show!
Buy Jesse’s Gay Bruce Merch and support trans affirming surgeries and families evacuating Gaza xoxo
Credits:
Because the Boss Belongs to Us is a production of Molten Heart and iHeartPodcasts 
Creator: Jesse Lawson
Hosts and Executive Producers: Jesse Lawson and Holly Casio
This episode features: Naomi Gordon-Loebl, Jazmine (JT) Green and Lex 
Producer + Sound Designer: Jesse Lawson
Production Assistant: Tess Hazel
Mix Engineer: Michelle Macklem
Original music and theme: Talk Bazaar
Show Art: Holly Casio
Fact Checking: Serena Solin
Legal: Rowan Maron and Feil
Molten Heart Executive Producer: Jazmine (JT) Green
iHeartPodcasts Executive Producer: Lindsey Hoffman
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.