About this Event
Fleeing her family, a woman finds unexpected solace in an empty hotel. Following a shattering professional failure, a therapist becomes convinced someone is watching his every move. A coach’s disciplinary tactic doesn’t so much backfire as it implodes his players’ lives. Inhabiting a (mostly) midwestern landscape, Alex Pickett’s characters specialize in breaking rules. Believing themselves to be good people, they try to bend their situations to fit their needs or fulfill their desires. The results are rarely completely disastrous or successful, but are tinged with a humor that rides comfortably alongside embarrassment, regret, and longing—and in the process remind us that it is achingly hard to live up to expectations.
Alex Pickett is a Wisconsin-born writer based in London and author of The Restaurant Inspector. His stories have appeared in numerous publications, including The Southern Review, Subtropics, Passages North, and Green Mountains Review.
---
On June 4, 1984, Columbia Records issued what would become one of the best-selling and most impactful rock albums of all time. An instant classic, Bruce Springsteen’s Born in the U.S.A. would prove itself to be a landmark not only for the man who made it, but rock music in general and even the larger American culture over the next 40 years.
In There Was Nothing You Could Do, veteran rock critic Steven Hyden shows exactly how this record became such a pivotal part of the American tapestry. Alternating between insightful criticism, meticulous journalism, and personal anecdotes, Hyden delves into the songs that made—and didn’t make—the final cut, including the tracks that wound up on its sister album, 1982’s Nebraska. He also investigates the myriad reasons why Springsteen ran from and then embraced the success of his most popular (and most misunderstood) LP, as he carefully toed the line between balancing his commercial ambitions and being co-opted by the machine.
But the book doesn’t stop there. Beyond Springsteen’s own career, Hyden explores the role the album played in a greater historical context, documenting not just where the country was in the tumultuous aftermath of Vietnam and Watergate, but offering a dream of what it might become—and a perceptive forecast of what it turned into decades later. As Springsteen himself reluctantly conceded, many of the working-class middle American progressives Springsteen wrote about in 1984 had turned into resentful and scorned Trump voters by the 2010s. And though it wasn’t the future he dreamed of, the cautionary warnings tucked within Springsteen’s heartfelt lyrics prove that the chaotic turmoil of our current moment has been a long time coming.
How did we lose Springsteen’s heartland? And what can listening to this prescient album teach us about the decline of our country? In There Was Nothing You Could Do, Hyden takes readers on a journey to find out.
Steven Hyden is the author ofLong Road,This Isn’t Happening,Twilight of the Gods,Your Favorite Band Is Killing Me, and (with Steve Gorman)Hard to Handle. His writing has appeared in theNew York Times Magazine,Washington Post, Billboard, Pitchfork,Rolling Stone, Grantland, The A.V. Club, Slate, and Salon. He is currently the cultural critic at UPROXX. He lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota with his wife and two children.
About Events at M&Q:
These are guidelines only, and if you have questions about the most up to date information, you can always call us at 612-822-4611.
Q: Do I need to register?
A: Please do if at all possible! Use the registration button above. Registering ahead of time helps us with scheduling, book ordering, and other decisions that are made several weeks prior to the event. The more info we have ahead of time, the better.
With a registered list, we can also easily and directly communicate event updates such as postponements or cancellations.
If you are unable to sign up online, please call or visit the bookstore and register with a bookseller.
Walk-ins are always welcome, but seating decisions are made based on registered attendance and seating priority is given to registered attendees first.
Q: Are in store events free?
A: Yes, Magers & Quinn events are free and open to the public unless otherwise noted.
Q: Are masks required?
A: Masks are not required to browse in the store or at most events. Some events may come with a request for masking for the health and safety of the author. If so it will be noted here whenever possible.
Q: How should I get there?
A: Please see our Directions & Parking page for the best tips on getting to Magers & Quinn.
https://www.magersandquinn.com/directions
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Magers & Quinn Booksellers, 3038 Hennepin Avenue, Minneapolis, United States
USD 0.00