The Daily Sunday Special: Springsteen, Dylan and the Art of the Biopic
22 snips
Oct 19, 2025 
Lindsay Zoladz, a pop music critic for The New York Times, and culture reporter Joe Coscarelli dive into the world of music biopics. They explore the focus of the new Springsteen film on the making of 'Nebraska' and its themes of mental health. The duo discusses the common tropes in musician biopics, the economics behind them, and the thrill of hearing classic songs on the big screen. They also critique casting choices and celebrate unconventional films that subvert the tired cradle-to-grave formula, showcasing the genre's diverse storytelling potential.
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Zooming In Beats Cradle-To-Grave
- Music biopics often focus on a narrow, emblematic period rather than a full life story to capture artistic truth.
- Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere centers on the making of Nebraska to mirror the album's quiet, interior vibe.
The Biopic Beat Sheet
- Conventional music biopics follow a predictable set of beats: origin, rise, fall, and redemption or death.
- Those beats make the genre comforting and commercially reliable for audiences and studios.
Biopics As Catalog Marketing
- Studios and rights holders use biopics to monetize music catalogs and reintroduce catalogs to new audiences.
- Oscar-caliber performances add prestige, making biopics attractive investments for studios.
