Talk About a Dream: The Essential Interviews of Bruce Springsteen (67 page)

“I wouldn’t trade these guys for nobody.” The
Darkness
-era E Street Band [L-R]: Garry Tallent, “Miami” Steve Van Zandt, Max Weinberg, Bruce Springsteen, Clarence Clemons, Danny Federici, and Roy Bittan. New York, NY, 1978. © 1978 Lynn Goldsmith

“The audience is not brought to you or given to you, it’s something that you
fight
for.” Note Springsteen’s photo in the newspaper article touting “SOAP: The Sound of Asbury Park.” At home in Holmdel, NJ, 1977. © Eric Meola

At soundcheck on the European leg of the
River
tour, listening as the band played “Hungry Heart.” Photographer Jim Marchese: “Bruce would walk all around the arenas, checking every corner of the room, so that the sound was perfect for every fan. If a slight adjustment had to be made to the PA speakers that would give a better sound to the last seat, Bruce would correct it. And then he would sit and listen as the band played.” Brussels, Belgium, April 26, 1981. © JimMarchese.com

“At the end of the
Born in the U.S.A
. tour and after we made the live album, I felt like it was the end of the first part of my journey.” Shortly before the release of
Tunnel of Love
, Springsteen works at home at his writing table (which would later be displayed at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame). Rumson, New Jersey, 1987. © Pam Springsteen

“The whole idea with the band was to get back together but move very consciously forward.” At Convention Hall, on the Asbury Park boardwalk, Springsteen warmed up the newly rededicated E Street Band with a pair of intimate rehearsal shows before setting out to tour the world. Asbury Park, NJ, March 1999. © Danny Clinch

After five years playing with the reunited E Street Band, Springsteen goes it alone again with
Devils & Dust
. “With my audience, one of the things I’ve tried to do is retain the complexity of human life or human experience. I want to see and be seen within those parameters. That’s where your freedom is, and that’s where your true dialogue, a deeper dialogue with your fans, can take place.” Colts Neck, NJ, 2004. © Frank Stefanko

Monmouth County, NJ, 2010. © Danny Clinch

Ray Coleman, “Springsteen Crazy,”
Melody Maker
, November 1975. Used by permission of IPC Media.

Dave DiMartino, “Bruce Springsteen Takes It To the River: So Don’t Call Him Boss, OK?,”
Creem
, January 1981, full interview published in
Backstreets
. Used by permission of Dave DiMartino.

Robert Duncan, “Springsteen is Not God (and Doesn’t Want to Be),”
Creem
, January 1976. Used by permission.

Mark Hagen, “The Midnight Cowboy,”
Mojo
, January 1999. Copyright Bauer Media Group.

Mark Hagen, “Meet the New Boss,”
The Guardian
, January 17, 2009. Used by permission of Guardian News and Media Ltd.

James Henke, interview,
Rolling Stone
, August 6, 1992. Used by permission. Copyright
Rolling Stone
LLC 1992.

James Henke, “The Magician’s Tools,”
Backstreets
89 (Summer 2010). Used by permission of
Backstreets
.

Robert Hilburn, “New York Serenade,”
Melody Maker
, August 24, 1974. Used by permission of IPC Media.

Nick Hornby, “A Fan’s Eye View,”
The Guardian
, July 17, 2005. Used by permission of Guardian News and Media Ltd.

Patrick Humphries, “Springsteen,”
Record Collector
, February 1999. Used by permission.

“Lost Interviews,” excerpted in
Backstreets
57 (Winter 1997) and
Backstreets
58 (Spring 1998). Used by permission of Charles Cross and Christopher Phillips.

Dave Marsh, “Springsteen,”
Musician
, February 1981. Used by permission of Dave Marsh.

Dave Marsh, interview, SiriusXM, transcribed and reprinted as “Will It Go Round in Circles,”
Backstreets
84 (Summer/Fall 2006). Used by permission of Dave Marsh and
Backstreets
.

Gavin Martin, “Hey Joad, Don’t Make It Sad (Oh, Go On Then),”
New Musical Express
March 9, 1996. Used by permission of IPC Media.

Scott Pelley, interview,
60 Minutes
, October 7, 2007. Used by permission of CBS News Archives.

Will Percy, interview,
DoubleTake
, Spring 1998. Used by permission.

Christopher Phillips, “Citizen Bruce,”
Backstreets
80 (Summer/Fall 2004). Used by permission of Christopher Phillips and
Backstreets
. All rights reserved.

Christopher Phillips, “This Is What Will Be,”
Backstreets
87 (Spring 2008). Used by permission of Christopher Phillips and
Backstreets
. All rights reserved.

Robert Santelli, “Bruce Springsteen: From E Street to the World,” February 2013. Courtesy of Robert Santelli and Grammy.org. © 2013 The Recording Academy®. This interview first appeared in the 55th Annual GRAMMY Awards® program book, February 10, 2013.

Barbara Schoenweis, “Springsteen Takes the City Aloft,”
Asbury Park Evening Press
, February, 1973. Used by permission of
Asbury Park Press
.

Roger Scott and Patrick Humphries, “American Heartbeat: The Bruce Springsteen Interview,”
Hot Press
, November 2, 1984. Used by permission of
Hot Press
.

Ed Sciaky, interview, WMMR-FM, November 3, 1974. Used by permission of Judy Sciaky.

Paris press conference, Theatre Marigny, February 16, 2012. Originally published on Backstreets.com.

Phil Sutcliffe, “You Talkin to Me?”,
Mojo
, January 2006. Copyright Bauer Media Group.

Neil Strauss, “Human Touch,”
Guitar World
, October 1995. Used by permission.

Ken Tucker, “Springsteen: The Interview,”
Entertainment Weekly
, February 28, 2003. Used by permission of Time Inc.

Judy Weider, interview,
The Advocate
, April 2, 1996. Copyright 1996 by Liberation Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission

Christopher Phillips
has been covering the career of Bruce Springsteen for 20 years as the editor and publisher of
Backstreets
, the premier Springsteen magazine. He also created and maintains Backstreets.com, the primary web destination for Springsteen fans. He lives in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

Louis P. Masur
is a professor of American studies and history at Rutgers University and the author of many books, including
Runaway Dream:
Born to Run
and Bruce Springsteen’s American Vision
. He has appeared on E Street Radio with Dave Marsh and on WFUV with Dennis Elsas, and has written about Springsteen for
Slate, Salon
, and other publications. He lives in New Jersey.

Introduction copyright © 2013 by Christopher Phillips and Louis P. Masur

With the exception of minor alterations and corrections for style and readability, all interviews appear as they were originally published.

You may not copy, distribute, transmit, reproduce or otherwise make available this publication (or any part of it) in any form, or by any means (including without limitation electronic, digital, optical, mechanical, photocopying, printing, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the publisher. Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages. For information address Bloomsbury Press, 1385 Broadway, New York, NY 10018.

Published by Bloomsbury Press, New York

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA
Talk about a dream : the essential interviews of Bruce Springsteen / edited by
Christopher Phillips and Louis P. Masur.
eISBN 978-1-62040-073-9
1. Springsteen, Bruce—Interviews. 2. Rock musicians—United States—Interviews. I. Phillips, Christopher (Christopher Blake), 1971–, editor.
II. Masur, Louis P., editor. III. Springsteen, Bruce.
ML420.S77A5 2013
782.42166092—dc23
2013007766

First U.S. Edition 2013
This electronic edition published in August 2013

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