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Host Jesse Jackson welcomes writer and musician David Starkey to Set Listing Bruce to discuss Starkey’s book On Track: Bruce Springsteen 1973–1987, Every Album, Every Song and his lifelong relationship to Springsteen’s recorded work. Starkey shares how growing up between Sacramento and summers in Beaumont shaped his musical tastes, from Johnny Cash and Aerosmith to discovering Springsteen via Greetings and being captivated by Born to Run and Darkness on the Edge of Town. They talk about the current tour, its political tone, Tom Morello’s guitar work, ticket prices, and setlist debates. Starkey explains his writing process, what he learned by re-listening (especially the importance of piano), and why 1987 marks an era’s end. The conversation also touches on poetry vs. lyrics, Starkey’s interview series The Creative Community, upcoming projects, and the “Mary question” from Thunder Road.