Journey keyboardist-guitarist Jonathan Cain has called Bruce Springsteen “an annoying, bitter old man” who should “shut up” about politics.
During an appearance on The Complete Disaster Network’s Tom Barnard Podcast, Cain — a staunch MAGA supporter whose wife Paula White-Cain is President Trump’s senior advisor to the newly created White House Faith Office — shared his feelings about Springsteen and other left-leaning celebs who use their platform for political discourse.
“We’re blessed to live where we live,” said Cain. “And I’m obviously a conservative. I used to be a Democrat back in the old days, but I couldn’t go there anymore. I thought [Barack] Obama maybe, but then I saw where he was going and I’m, like, ‘Okay, we can’t have this anymore.’ So I’m a diehard conservative. And guys like Bruce Springsteen should shut up. Honestly, shut up, Bruce. Who’s the other one? Robert De Niro. I mean, who cares, guys? Really? Do your art.”
Cain continued, “Now people say, ‘Well, you’re a Christian and you’re a conservative,’ and I’m, like, ‘So what?’ I don’t preach it on stage. I don’t spend 10 minutes talking about it. That’s who I am. And that’s okay. Again, I just don’t think it’s cool to have celebrities going there. It’s a bad look. And Bruce, I mean, what the heck? I used to like him, and now he’s just annoying. He’s an annoying, bitter old man. I mean, stop it. Really. You were born in the USA, weren’t you, dude? So act like it. But even that song [‘Born in the USA’], if you look at the lyrics, it’s a kind of a diss to our country.”
Despite calling him a “bitter old man,” Cain happens to be the same age as Springsteen, as they are both 76 years old. The Journey musician went on to say, “Me and Kid Rock, we’re probably on an island. There’s a few of us, and I stand there with my flag on that island, and if anybody’s got a problem with me, America and Jesus, then bring it.”
Earlier this year, Cain released a song called “No One Else” in honor of slain right-wing activist Charlie Kirk, and he also recently unveiled the tune “The Winds of Freedom: A Salute to America” in tribute to the 250th birthday of the United States. He and Journey will kick off the fall North American leg of their “Final Frontier” farewell tour in September (tickets available here).
Springsteen, meanwhile, completed his “Land of Hopes and Dreams Tour” in May, strongly criticizing the Trump administration at each and every stop.
