Bob Seger finds a political voice in his fight against climate change

New York (AFP) – One of Bob Seger’s most famous songs was a blatantly old-fashioned homage to music for music’s sake: “That rock ‘n’ roll from back in the day / That kind of music just soothes the soul.”

On Ride Out, his first album in eight years, the master of crowd-pleasing Midwestern guitar rock has stayed true to his musical roots but discovered a new passion to sing about: climate change.

“Let’s talk about shorter growing seasons / Let’s talk about what we’re gonna eat,” Seger says in “It’s Your World,” a song that essentially has an old-fashioned rock ‘n’ roll sound.

“Let’s talk about mining in Wisconsin / Let’s talk about breathing in Beijing,” he sings, asking the listener to “say a prayer for the victims of extinction / Say another for the redwood trees.”

The song culminates in a harsh condemnation of the role of money in the political system: “The rich keep on complaining and the rest of them wish they didn’t care. All these kids will have to deal with our mess one day.”

Seger – who is not related to the late Pete Seeger, the staunch left-wing folk singer – is not a complete newcomer to politics.

On Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Man, his 1969 debut album as The Bob Seger System, Seger rails more forcefully against the Vietnam War in the song “2+2=?”, screaming, “I just want a simple answer: Why do I have to die?”

Nevertheless, the former Eagles collaborator admits that not all of his longtime fans will be happy with his passion for fighting climate change.

“People are going to be mad at me. A lot of people might not come to the shows because of this,” Seger said in an interview with the Detroit Free Press in his native Michigan.

“But I just feel like I have to say this,” he said.

– A spiritual journey –

The 69-year-old is planning a three-month tour of North America, beginning November 19 at a Michigan arena named, perhaps ironically, after the Dow Chemical Co.

Seger followed a similar trajectory to other great figures in the blues-based, guitar-driven genre of heartland rock, such as Bruce Springsteen and John Mellencamp, whose left-leaning views were no secret to the attentive listener, but who over time became openly political.

In the opening track “Detroit Made,” a tribute to the city’s struggling auto industry, Seger returns to the blue-collar themes of heartland rock.

He sings about how he had no luck with girls as a young man in a farm truck. But he sings, “Now I’m driving my 225, they all wanna be my friend,” referring to a classic Buick. (He declined to advertise a hybrid.)

The song was originally written by Seger’s contemporary John Hiatt and is one of four tracks by other songwriters on the 10-track album.

Another cover – “California Stars,” an ode to the beauty of the Pacific state – was written by folk icon Woody Guthrie but never recorded and later performed by fellow protest singer Billy Bragg with Wilco.

In his own songs, Seger deals not only with politics but also with spirituality. In the album’s final track, “Gates of Eden” – which has nothing to do with the Bob Dylan song – Seger’s voice climbs the heights while he uses strings to give his guitar rock a gospel dimension.

“I remember searching and yearning for a deeper meaning,” sings Seger. “And it hit me like a diamond bullet right in the eyes.”