You know Bruce Springsteen, but did you know that he is a queer icon? Because The Boss Belongs to Us is a series presented by Jesse Lawson and Holly Casio that uses Bruce Springsteen as a lens through which to explore queer history, identity and politics. Through original reporting, tender personal narratives, and playful, sound-rich surprises, Jesse and Holly go on a journey to not only understand why The Boss low-key resonates with so many queer folks, but also what it even means to idolize a celebrity in this way.

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Jesse Lawson fell in love with Bruce Sprinsteen when they were 20. They knew who he was before then, but that’s the first time they’d properly heard his music. It went straight into their insides, pulling out feelings that they didn’t even realize they had yet, giving them new words as they were held up to the light.

It turns out, they are not alone. And Jesse has questions. What is it about Bruce? Why are queers so obsessed with him? And why don’t people know that Bruce is loved by queer people?

Show notes:

Read a transcript of today’s episode

Find more Butch Springsteen here.

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: Tom Rasmussen

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.

Jesse and Holly have anointed themselves with Queer Scientific Research Status and they’re ready to put The Boss to the test. Can he fulfill the first item on their checklist: CAMP?

Show notes:

Read a transcript of today’s episode

‘Can a cis guy be butch’ meme

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!

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: Eleanor Medhurst and Brooke Palmieri

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: Selena 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.