>> Stephen: WELCOME BACK, EVERYBODY.
HE IS AN AMERICAN ICON WHOSE MUSIC HAS ROCKED US FOR OVER 45
YEARS.
HIS LATEST ALBUM-- AND A NEW DOCUMENTARY-- ARE CALLED "LETTER
TO YOU."
PLEASE WELCOME TO "A LATE SHOW," BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN!
BRUCE, THANKS FOR BEING HERE.
>> THANKS A LOT, STEPHEN.
GOOD TO BE HERE.
GOOD TO SEE YOU.
>> Stephen: I WATCHED THE-- I WATCHED THE DOCUMENTARY THIS
AFTERNOON.
BEAUTIFUL.
>> THANKS.
>> Stephen: I'M NOT TELLING YOU ANYTHING YOU DON'T KNOW.
>> THANK YOU.
>> Stephen: BUT IT WAS ALSO GREAT TO SEE YOU BACK TOGETHER
WITH THE E STREET BAND.
THIS IS THE FIRST TIME YOU HAVE DONE IN HOW LONG, SIX YEARS?
>> YOU KNOW, I'D SAY, YEAH, SIX OR SEVEN LEAST, YOU KNOW.
>> Stephen: I HOPE-- THAT'S WHAT MY RESEARCH TOLD ME.
THEY WOULD BE IN TROUBLE IF YOU SAID SOMETHING OTHER THAN SIX
YEARS RIGHT NOW.
( LAUGHS ) I LOVE SEEING--
>> IT MIGHT BE A LITTLE MORE THAN THAT.
>> Stephen: I LOVE SEEING YOU GUYS TOGETHER, GUYS AND GIRLS
TOGETHER.
BUT IT WAS A LITTLE HEARTBREAKING TO SEE YOU BE ABLE
TO HUG EACH OTHER AND, LIKE, KISS EACH OTHER, AND, LIKE,
DRINK TOGETHER.
IT WAS LIKE A TIME CAPSULE WE WERE LOOKING AT.
>> REMEMBER THAT.
>> Stephen: YOU HAVE BEEN PERFORMING SINCE YOU WERE 16.
HOW DOES IT FEEL YOU HAVE AN ALBUM AND KNOW YOU CAN'T GO TAKE
IT ON THE ROAD RIGHT NOW.
>> WELL, I DO A LOT OF WORK IN FRONT OF MY BEDROOM MIRROR WITH
THE TENNIS RACKET.
( LAUGHS ).
>> Stephen: SO YOU'RE 16 ALL OVER AGAIN.
>> I'VE GONE BACK-- I'VE COMPLETELY GONE BACK TO WHEN I
WAS 16.
I PUT THE ALBUM ON.
I GET THE TENNIS RACKET, AND I GO FOR AN HOUR.
AS A MATTER OF FACT, I GO FOR THREE HOURS, JUST LIKE THE SHOW.
>> Stephen: WHAT IS THE-- >> BUT, ACTUALLY, IT'S A BIT OF
A DRAG.
>> Stephen: I HAVE TO IMAGINE IT IS, BECAUSE YOU--
PARTICULARLY, YOU TALKED ABOUT-- THE LAST TIME WE HAD A CHANCE TO
TALK, WHICH IS FOUR YEARS AGO NOW, YOU TALKED ABOUT THE MAGIC
TRICK, WHAT YOU DO WHEN YOU-- FOR LACK OF A BETTER WORD-- HOOK
UP YOUR JUMPER CABLES TO THAT AUDIENCE.
AND THEY TRANSFORM THAT ENERGY THAT YOU GIVE TO THEM AND THEY
GIVE TO YOU.
YOU TRANSFORM THAT INTO A SACRED SPACE BETWEEN THE TWO OF YOU.
WHERE ARE YOU FINDING YOUR SACRED SPACES NOW THAT YOU CAN'T
ACTUALLY BE DOING THAT IN FRONT OF THE AUDIENCE?
>> WELL, YOU KNOW, THROUGH WORKING THE ALBUM WITH THE BAND
AND THROUGH MAKING THE FILM, YOU KNOW, YOU SORT OF COMMEMORATING
THOSE PLACES AND...
THAT TOOK A LOT OF MY TIME.
THOUGH NOT NEAR AS MUCH AS IT USED TO BECAUSE WE RECORDED THE
ALBUM VERY QUICKLY, AND REALLY IN FOUR DAYS, AND WE LISTENED TO
IT ALL ON THE FIFTH DAY, AND WE SHOT THE FILM IN THE SAME AMOUNT
OF TIME.
SO THEY WERE DONE RELATIVELY QUICKLY, YOU KNOW.
BUT I'VE BEEN MANAGING TO STAY AS BUSY AS I CAN.
MY LITTLE RADIO SHOW THAT I DO BIWEEKLY, AND SOME OTHER
PROJECTS THAT I'M WORKING ON.
SO I'M NOT JUST WANDERING AROUND THE HOUSE AND GETTING IN PATTY'S
HAIR.
>> Stephen: THE INSPIRATION, AS YOU DESCRIBE IN THE
DOCUMENTARY FOR THIS ALBUM, BEING THE LAST MAN STANDING OF
YOUR FIRST REAL BAND, THE CASTILES, FOR THOSE WHO DON'T
KNOW, FROM '65 TO '68, YOU WERE IN A BAND CALLED THE CASTILES.
AND YOU WENT TO THE FUNERAL OF-- TELL ME THE STORY OF SORT OF HOW
YOU WERE INSPIRED BY THAT FUNERAL FOR THE ALBUM.
>> I HAD A RELATIONSHIP OVER THE PAST THREE OR FOREYEARS WITH MY
OLD FRIEND GEORGE THEISS, WHO WAS ONLY-- HIM AND I WERE THE
LAST SURVIVING MEMBERS OF OUR FIRST BAND.
AND GEORGE GOT VERY ILL, AND HE WAS ILL FOR SEVERAL YEARS.
AND WE STAYED IN TOUCH THE WHOLE TIME.
SO I GOT TO VISIT HIM TOWARDS THE END OF HIS LIFE, AND I CAME
HOME AND HE PASSED AWAY SHORTLY AFTERWARDS.
AND I GUESS BEING THE LAST-- LAST GUY IN MY FIRST BAND TO
REMAIN ALIVE SORT OF... I DON'T KNOW, IT MUST HAVE-- IT MUST
HAVE BROUGHT THINGS UP FOR ME.
BECAUSE A SHORT WHILE LATER.
>> STARTED TO WRITE WITH THE THEMES OF MORTALITY AND LIFE
SPAN AND WRITING ABOUT TAKING MUSIC, WHICH IS A SUBJECT I HAD
WRITTEN ABOUT BEFORE, WHAT IT WAS LIKE BEING IN A BAND WHEN
YOU WERE YOUNG, WHAT IT WAS LIKE BEING IN A BAND 50 YEARS LATER
WITH THE SAME PEOPLE.
YOU KNOW, IT'S AN UNUSUAL EXPERIENCE.
BUT THERE'S SOME COMMON HUMANITY IN ALL OF IT.
SO I JUST KIND OF DOVE INTO-- IT-- IT JUST OPENED A VEIN OF
CREATIVITY THAT-- THAT LASTED FOR ABOUT SEVEN DAYS, IN WHICH I
WROTE ALMOST ALL THE SONGS FOR THE ALBUM.
AND THAT'S THE WAY IT HAPPENS SOMETIMES.
>> Stephen: THE PUBLIC ALL KNOWS YOU AS THE E STREET BAND
TOGETHER.
TELL ME ABOUT THE CASTILES AND WHAT THEY MEANT TO YOU IN YOUR
DISCOVERY OF MUSIC, OR DISCOVERY ABOUT BEING IN A BAND.
I KNOW FOR MY BUSINESS, THOSE PEOPLE THAT I FIRST DID COMEDY
WITH AT THE BEGINNING OF MY CAREER, EVEN IF I DON'T WORK
WITH THEM ANYMORE, I KNOW WHAT I LEARNED FROM THEM.
I HAVE A SPECIAL LOVE FOR THOSE PEOPLE.
>> YEAH.
>> Stephen: AND I WAS INTRODUCED TO THIS IDEA THAT
THIS MIGHT BE MY LIFE TO THOSE PEOPLE.
WHAT DID YOU LEARN BEING IN THAT FIRST BAND?
>> YOU KNOW, WELL, I LEARNED I LIKED BEING IN A BAND.
I LEARNED I LOVED PLAYING MUSIC.
I ENJOYED THE CAMARADERIE OF BEING IN A BAND, EVEN THOUGH,
YOU KNOW, IT'S FILLED WITH THE USUAL TENSION AND EBB AND FLOW
OF-- OF LIFE, YOU KNOW.
BUT I KNEW IT WAS SOMETHING I ENJOYED.
AND EVEN THOUGH I WAS SIGNED AT COLUMBIA AS A SOLO ARTIST, I
KNEW THAT I WANTED TO HAVE A BAND.
I WANTED TO HAVE A REGULAR GROUP OF MUSICIANS THAT I FELT I WAS A
PART OF.
AND, YOU KNOW, SO I MEAN, THE E STREET BAND, GOES BACK TO WHEN I
WAS 16, GARY, 18, YOU KNOW, THESE GUYS WERE THERE FOR A
LONG, LONG TIME.
SO IT'S-- I ALWAYS TELL PEOPLE, I SAY, "IMAGINE THIS, PEOPLE
YOU'RE GOING TO HIGH SCHOOL RIGHT NOW, WHEN YOU'RE 70 YEARS
OLD, THOSE ARE THE EXACT PEOPLE YOU'LL BE WORKING WITH AND WILL
HAVE WORKED WITH THEM FOR THE PAST 50 YEARS."
THE ONLY PLACE THAT THAT HAPPENS IS IN ROCK 'N' ROLL.
AND IT DOESN'T HAPPEN MUCH FOR THE VERY SIMPLE REASON BECAUSE
PEOPLE CAN'T STAND IT.
YOU KNOW.
IT'S LIKE-- YOU KNOW-- THEY CAN'T STAND EACH OTHER FOR THAT
LONG.
IT'S A MIRACLE.
>> Stephen: AND THE AUDIENCE DOESN'T ALWAYS STICK AROUND FOR
50 YEARS.
>> NO, THEY DO NOT.
SO IT'S A-- IT'S A CONFLUENCE OF VERY, VERY SPECIAL EVENTS AND
SOME LUCK AND MAGIC INVOLVED THAT ALLOWS YOU TO HAVE A LONG
LIFE AND CAREER LIKE WE'VE BEEN BLESSED ENOUGH TO HAVE.
>> Stephen: WE HAVE TO TAKE A QUICK BREAK, BUT STICK AROUND,
EVERYBODY.
WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK WITH MORE BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN.