Former E Street Band drummer Vini “Mad Dog” Lopez recently weighed in on Bruce Springsteen’s recent onstage attacks on President Donald Trump, saying the singer should show basic respect for the office even if he disagrees politically.
In an interview with the New York Post, Lopez said, “He is the president of the United States. And if I was standing there talking to him, I would have mucho respect for the man,” Lopez said, adding with a chuckle, “I wouldn’t talk to him about anything that’s going on” politically.
The comments come after Springsteen criticised the administration during his “Land of Hope and Dreams” tour, describing the White House as “corrupt, incompetent, racist, reckless and treasonous,” and referring to Trump as “our wannabe king,” according to the report. Lopez, said he would not raise politics if he were speaking directly with the president, but would still treat him with “mucho respect.”
Lopez also told the outlet that he avoids turning his current project, The Wonderful Winos, into a political platform, saying the group doesn’t “go there” in its music. He said he played with Springsteen for about six years, including on “Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J.,” before leaving because he was “too jazzy” for what Springsteen wanted at the time.
While disagreeing with Springsteen’s approach, Lopez said he supports the singer’s right to free speech and described their relationship as “perfect,” adding that they occasionally still speak by phone. The remarks underline how Springsteen’s outspoken political stance continues to draw reactions not only from critics but also from musicians within his own extended circle.
