In a video recorded for the New York Public Library’s annual Library Lions Awards on November 3, where he received the award, Bruce Springsteen said he now feels inspired to make more political music.

It is said that as a child, the library in his hometown of Freehold “gave me a greater sense of possibility…it was a refuge.”

He also said that in his writing, “what I do is wear my father’s clothes and write in his voice—a working-class voice that has suffered through the post-industrialization of the last half-century.

“Writers are always at their best when they have to face something. And there are so many things that an American writer has to face in this country today, so that’s what I’m inspired to do in the future.”

Springsteen also performed a solo acoustic version of “Thunder Road” at the event, along with fellow honorees Shonda Rhimes, James Patterson, Daniel Kehlmann, Louise Erdrich and James McBride.

The formal event was held in the main reading room of the NYPL’s Fifth Avenue branch.

Springsteen is reported to have said before performing “Thunder Road”: “I’ve played at fire fairs. I’ve played at bowling alleys. I’ve played at pizza parlors. I’ve played at hockey rinks. I’ve played at weddings. I’ve played at bar mitzvahs. I’ve played at asylums. I’ve played at football stadiums. But I’ve never played at a fucking library.”

After the song, it is said that he urged the audience to “Read the book!”