Soundcheck

Bruce Springsteen performs with the Seeger Sessions Band at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival April 30, 2006 (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)

Is Springsteen a Sacred Cow?

Thursday, May 11, 2006

Bruce Springsteen is widely acknowledged as one of America's great songwriters, alongside Bob Dylan, Prince and Paul Simon. But he's also the most sacred of rock's sacred cows. Today we ask: is Springsteen overrated? Critic Rob O'Connor, who makes a spirited case against "Born in the U.S.A." in the book "Kill Your Idols," joins us. Also with us is Warren Zanes, vice president of education and public programs at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, where Springsteen was a 1999 inductee. Also on the show: Violinist Elizabeth Pitcairn gives an in-studio performance on "The Hammer," a rare Stradivari violin that is being auctioned off Tuesday at Christie's. The 1707 instrument is estimated to be worth $1.5 to $2.5 million.

• Listen to the whole show