Barrtalk: Bruce Springsteen and the deadly Streets of Minneapolis

Bruce Springsteen has put out a poignant new song, ‘Streets Of Minneapolis’, condemning the recent ICE executions in the US city, and calling out “King Trump’s private army” for inflicting “state terror” on its people.

We need more brave disciples like him to stand up to the wannabe tyrant, who’s causing increasingly irreparable damage to the once-great United States and the rest of the world along with it.

Springsteen angrily sings of how “Trump’s federal thugs” left Alex Pretti and Renee Good “to die on snow-filled streets”.

That the Boss should have to write such a lyric about the winter of ’26 in his own country is depressing beyond belief, not to mention surreal, but here we are. This is happening.

In a social media statement, Springsteen explained: “I wrote this song on Saturday, recorded it yesterday and released it to you today in response to the state terror being visited on the city of Minneapolis. It’s dedicated to the people of Minneapolis, our innocent immigrant neighbors and in memory of Alex Pretti and Renee Good. Stay free.”

Bruce continues to stay free and fight the good fight against Trump and his cronies.

Earlier this month, he condemned the administration’s “Gestapo tactics” after immigration officers had targeted a concert, warning that the nation’s founding principles “have never been as endangered as they are right now”.

And at a show last May in the UK, he said: “In my country, they’re taking sadistic pleasure in the pain they inflict on loyal American workers. They’re rolling back historic civil rights legislation that led to a more just and plural society. They are abandoning our great allies and siding with dictators against those struggling for their freedom.”

Just when I thought I couldn’t love Bruce any more than I do already.

His new song is also a timely reminder – if one were needed – that there are many more great and good Americans than there are followers of the hateful Trump cult.

Aren’t we so blessed in this country that we have ‘ordinary’ political parties like Fine Gael, Sinn Fein, Fianna Fail and Labour who want to do the best for people, rather than divide them and tear them down?

Anyway, go listen to ‘Streets Of Minneapolis’ on YouTube! It’s already racked up millions of views and, you just know, every single view will sicken the Narcissist-in-Chief just a little bit more. I have it on repeat.

Kneecap a class act

And staying on the topic of ‘speaking truth to power’, I note the brilliant Kneecap have a new album due out soon, with the Belfast Irish language hip-hoppers set to release ‘Fenian’ on April 24.

“The Paddies are back,” they’ve written in a typical statement. Class. Looking forward to it already.

There’s a lot of hype around Kneecap, particularly since their ‘terrorism’ court debacle in the UK last year, but make no mistake, their music is superb, with their debut album ‘Fine Art’ gaining a rare five stars in the usually stingy Irish Times.

These guys [Mo Chara, Móglaí Bap and DJ Próvaí] have got the skills to pay the bills.

Carrick ball

“It’s Carrick, you know, hard to believe it’s not Scholes.”

I’ve sung that many a time at Old Trafford down the years for Michael Carrick, who was always an unsung hero of Fergie’s title-winning sides, often going under the radar among other bigger names.

But with five Premier League medals in his pocket [three more than LFC], Carrick was no dozer.

And, judging by the early evidence, he’s certainly no dozer when it comes to management either, because he’s already managed to instil a sense of belief and hope among players and fans that has been missing from Manchester United for what seems like eons.

Is it too early to declare ‘United are Back’? Probably, but at least we have some pizzazz back, not to mention wins against the best two teams in England, City and Arsenal.

I’ve even invested in a snazzy piece of Man Utd kit [the new Stone Roses track top] for the first time in decades.

As Van Morrison would say: “When I woke up in the morning; Felt like I was coming down to joy.”

Footnote: I’ve written this piece before United’s game against Fulham on Sunday afternoon, so I’m praying they haven’t gone and let me down again – otherwise it’ll just have been a bad dream and another false dawn.

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Exhausting Netflix

And finally this week, Her Indoors and me have finally hit a wall. It had to happen eventually.

Yep, we’ve run out of things to watch on Netflix, and we’re now thrust into some sort of TV abyss that includes endless flicking in the vain hope that something will turn up, though it never does.

There must be a term for it, having exhausted everything worth watching on Netflix? But if there is, I don’t know it. How about Notflix? Or Netdone?

It’s a first-world problem, I concede, but an annoying one nonetheless.

All suggestions will be greatly received to help us break the deadlock. We’ve even run out of rewatch options – having watched Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, The Sopranos, et al three times or more at least.

We’re hearing good things about The Diplomat, but is it worth the next three weeks of our lives? These are uncharted and difficult waters.