Renegades: Born in the USA
Presentation
Hosted by
Production
No. of episodes8

Renegades: Born in the USA is a 2021 podcast series hosted by former U.S. president Barack Obama and singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen.

Episodes

No.TitleRuntimeOriginal air date
1"Our Unlikely Friendship"53 minFebruary 22, 2021 (2021-02-22)
2"Race in the United States"42 minFebruary 22, 2021 (2021-02-22)
3"American Music"42 minMarch 1, 2021 (2021-03-01)
4"Traveling the U.S. & Finding Home"45 minMarch 8, 2021 (2021-03-08)
5"Money & The American Dream"48 minMarch 15, 2021 (2021-03-15)
6"Relationships with Our Fathers & Masculinity"38 minMarch 22, 2021 (2021-03-22)
7"Fatherhood"41 minMarch 29, 2021 (2021-03-29)
8"Looking Towards American Renewal"51 minApril 5, 2021 (2021-04-05)

Production

President Barack Obama (back) awards Bruce Springsteen (front) the Presidential Medal of Freedom in November 2016.

Springsteen and Obama became friends on the campaign trail for Obama's 2008 United States presidential election campaign.[1] Dan Fierman, the head of Higher Ground Audio, said that Michelle Obama's experience producing The Michelle Obama Podcast influenced Barack's decision to launch one himself.[2] In 2019, the Obamas' production company, Higher Ground Productions, signed an exclusive podcast deal with Spotify.[3] Comcast and Dollar Shave Club sponsored the series.[4]

The first recording session took place on July 30, 2020.[2] The podcast was recorded at Springsteen's home in Colts Neck Township, New Jersey.[5]

Reception

James Marriot of The Times rated the series four out of five stars.[6][why?] Slate's Jody Rosen criticized the series, writing that the series "promises difficult conversations about race, but it avoids the actual difficulties."[5] Jon Garelick, writing on NBC News, criticized Obama and Springsteen for partnering with Spotify.[7] David Klion described the podcast as "bland" and "boring" in his review for The New Republic.[8]

Book

In October 2021, a book was published based on the podcast.[9]

References

  1. ^ Daly, Rhian (February 22, 2021). "Barack Obama launches 'Renegades: Born In The USA' podcast with Bruce Springsteen". NME. BandLab Technologies. ISSN 0028-6362. Archived from the original on March 15, 2021. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  2. ^ a b Sisario, Ben (February 22, 2021). "Barack Obama and Bruce Springsteen: The Latest Podcast Duo". The New York Times. ISSN 1553-8095. OCLC 1645522. Archived from the original on June 29, 2021. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  3. ^ Steele, Anne (June 6, 2019). "Barack and Michelle Obama Strike Podcasting Deal With Spotify". The Wall Street Journal. Dow Jones & Company. ISSN 0099-9660. OCLC 781541372. Archived from the original on April 24, 2021. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  4. ^ Jarvey, Natalie (February 22, 2021). "Barack Obama, Bruce Springsteen Launch Spotify Podcast". The Hollywood Reporter. ISSN 0018-3660. Archived from the original on July 7, 2021. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  5. ^ a b Rosen, Jody (March 12, 2021). "Obama and Springsteen's Podcast Isn't What It Pretends to Be". Slate. ISSN 1091-2339. OCLC 728292344. Archived from the original on June 28, 2021. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  6. ^ Marriot, James (February 23, 2021). "Renegades: Born in the USA review — Springsteen and Obama are born to ruminate". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Archived from the original on April 5, 2021. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  7. ^ Garelick, Jon (February 26, 2021). "Obama-Springsteen Spotify podcast betrays its mission by using an exploitative platform". NBC News. Archived from the original on March 13, 2021. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  8. ^ Klion, David (March 3, 2021). "How Did Obama and Bruce Springsteen Make Such a Bland Podcast?". The New Republic. ISSN 2169-2416. Archived from the original on March 18, 2021. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  9. ^ Obama, Barack; Springsteen, Bruce (2021). Renegades : born in the USA : dreams, myths, music (First ed.). New York. ISBN 978-0-593-23631-4. OCLC 1277044177.((cite book)): CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)

External links

Barack Obama
Bruce Springsteen
Categories