He has made a career of being derivative. As he ripped off this guitar carving, "R-O-C-K In The USA" was a transparent ripoff to cash in on the preceeding hit "Born In The USA." "Pink Houses" borrowed the sneering theme from a folk song, "Little Boxes", popularized by fellow-traveller Pete Seeger---the song also ridicules the hopes and dreams of the people who buy a house and go to work everyday.
Oh---but the guy is unpretentious, it's said..? A guy who has changed his name FIVE TIMES is unpretentious??