Pitchfork Editor Sam Sodomsky on Springsteen Obsession, Wrecking Ball Tour Magic, and His New Album “Take Leave”

Host Jesse Jackson welcomes Sam Sodomsky, senior editor at Pitchfork and musician behind The Bird Calls, to discuss how a childhood encounter with a “Dancing in the Dark” parody sparked a lifelong Springsteen obsession that led him to guitar, songwriting, and writing about music. Sam shares growing up in Reading, Pennsylvania, collecting bootlegs and books, and even creating a mock Springsteen biography, then traces his path through blogging, an MFA in nonfiction at Columbia, and a decade at Pitchfork. He recounts standout Wrecking Ball Tour memories, including receiving Bruce’s harmonica, singing “Waiting on a Sunny Day” at Jazz Fest, and briefly meeting Bruce and Jon Landau backstage in London. Sam also talks about his new record “Take Leave,” his interest in poetry, his thoughts on Tracks II, and answers the “Thunder Road” question. https://www.instagram.com/samsodomsky/ https://open.spotify.com/artist/4OvIlGI9oNdXSUBTggvQrC?si=qOxLiXqxRci2bWbMyG8zVQ 00:00 Podcast Intro 00:39 Opening Lyrics Montage 02:22 Meet Sam From Pitchfork 03:35 Growing Up In Reading 04:49 Why Bruce Hit Home 07:57 From Fan To Musician 09:40 Books Bootlegs And Obsession 12:08 Counting Shows And Setlists 14:50 Wrecking Ball Tour Stories 17:05 Onstage At Jazz Fest 20:39 Meeting Bruce Backstage 22:17 Pitchfork Writing Journey 25:08 Brian Wilson Tribute Essay 27:04 Beach Boys Mythos 28:49 Writing Beyond Journalism 30:11 Dream Interviews 31:25 Learning Songcraft 33:17 Springsteen Album Lessons 36:41 New Album Take Leave 40:20 Tracks II Deep Dive 45:30 Future Music Plans 47:23 Thunder Road Mary 50:59 Wrap Up And Plugs Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices