Not that we're claiming we told you so, but we do think you heard it here first.

We have made no secret of our great affection for David Masciotra author of the fabulous Working on a Dream - The Progressive Political Vision of Bruce Springsteen, and while we could list the various reasons why, and no we are not just talking about his looks, one of the things we are convinced of, is that with the publication of this book we are seeing the birth of the next great public intellectual, a Douglas Brinkley or Cornell West. Well, we are happy to report that the movement to prove us right is now rapidly afoot, something we know more than ever because The Lecture Bureau clearly agrees with us. Now, what does this mean for you? It means that you probably want to get David to come speak at your events while you can, and while he's cheap, because we're guessing his price will soon far exceed the usual shots of Jim Beam on the house.