Across Timelines with Maddie Fry: Bruce, U2, and Music as a Spiritual & Political Awakening

Host Jesse Jackson welcomes London-based journalist Maddie Fry to a “timey wimey” episode of Set Lusting Bruce to discuss how she discovered Bruce Springsteen through a 2006 BBC broadcast of The Seeger Sessions, then worked backward through albums like Devils & Dust, Magic, and The River, becoming a deeper fan after a powerful 2013 London show and later attending the Liverpool concert where Paul McCartney joined Bruce onstage. Maddie also traces her lifelong devotion to U2, sparked in early-2000s adolescence by All That You Can’t Leave Behind and The Joshua Tree, and explains how music by Springsteen, U2, and Johnny Cash shaped her political awareness and led her into writing about religion, spirituality, and culture. The conversation explores faith’s relationship with power, modern politics, and ends with Maddie’s answer to the “Thunder Road” question and where to find her Substack, U2 and Us. https://www.premierchristianity.com/culture/faithless-the-story-behind-bruce-springsteens-soundtrack-to-a-lost-spiritual-western/20448.article https://u2andus.substack.com/ 00:00 Podcast Welcome 00:45 Meet Maddie Across Timezones 02:00 Growing Up and Early Music 04:07 Finding U2 First 06:23 Seeger Sessions Lightning Bolt 10:33 Working Back Through Bruce 12:40 Devils and Dust Deep Dive 14:12 2013 Show Turns Superfan 18:54 Concert Counts and Uncle Andy 20:45 U2 Origin Story 23:20 U2 Shows and Fandom Culture 24:52 Writing Religion and Politics 25:02 Music Sparks Meaning 26:24 Faith Through Lyrics 28:00 Reading Toward Belief 29:29 Faithless Research Journey 32:37 Religion And Power 36:13 Radical Gospel Ethics 41:01 Privilege Luck And Myth 44:03 Liverpool Show Reverence 46:06 Facing Cultural Mortality 48:24 Mary Gets In The Car 49:48 Where To Find Maddie 50:53 Podcast Wrap And Plugs Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices