( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) ♪♪
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, I'M
EXCITED TO TELL YOU THAT MY GUEST TONIGHT CALLS HIMSELF A
HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATE FROM FREEHOLD, NEW JERSEY, WHO PLAYS
THE GUITAR.
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, MR. BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) ♪♪
>> Stephen: LOVELY TO SEE YOU.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING BACK.
>> MY PLEASURE.
>> Stephen: GOOD SEEING YOU AGAIN.
I KNOW YOU'RE A BUSY MAN ALL THE TIME.
YOU HAVE BEEN SPENDING A LOT OF TIME WITH FORMER PRESIDENT
OBAMA.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) >> Stephen: FAIR AMOUNT OF
TIME.
YOU HAVE A NEW BOOK "RENEGADES," BORN IN THE U.S.A.
IT COVERS THE SERIES OF PODCASTS YOU MADE WITH HIM.
DID YOU MAKE THE CUT FOR HIS 60th BIRTHDAY PARTY THIS LAST
AUGUST?
>> WELL, I HEARD YOU WEREN'T GOING SO I DIDN'T GO.
>> Stephen: I WAS GOING, AND I GOT CUT.
>> OH, OH!
>> Stephen: YEAH, YEAH, YEAH.
THERE WAS NOBODY INTERESTING THERE, ANYWAY.
>> Stephen: THAT'S RIGHT.
YOU WEREN'T THERE AND I WEREN'T THERE.
>> THAT'S IT.
>> Stephen: SURE.
BEYONCE.
>> JAY-Z!
>> Stephen: THIS IS A REALLY IMPORTANT QUESTION TO ME, HAS HE
INVITED YOU TO CALL HIM BARACK?
>> UH, WELL, I ACTUALLY ASKED HIM ABOUT THAT.
I SAID, HOW DO YOU WANT TO BE REFERRED TO?
AND I ASSUMED MR. PRESIDENT, BUT HE SAID, CALL ME BARACK.
>> Stephen: WOW.
YEAH.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) >> Stephen: WAS THAT HARD?
THEN HE ASKED HOW I WANTED TO BE REFERRED TO, AND I SAID,
MR. BOSS, PLEASE.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) >> Stephen: MICHELE HAS BEEN
KINDLY ASKED ME TO CALL HER MICHELLE, AND I HAVE NOT HEARD
ANYTHING FROM THE FORMER PRESIDENT.
I JUST SAY, MICHELLE, YOUR HUSBAND --
( LAUGHTER ) HOW DID THE PODCAST AND BOOK
COME ABOUT?
WHOSE IDEA WAS THIS?
>> IT WAS THE PRESIDENT'S IDEA.
HE CALLED ME.
I THOUGHT HE HAD THE WRONG NUMBER, BECAUSE HE'S A COLUMBIA
GRADUATE, TEACHER OF CONSTITUTIONAL LAW, UNIVERSITY
OF CHICAGO LAW SCHOOL, FIRST AFRICAN-AMERICAN PRESIDENT OF
THE UNITED STATES.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) I AM A GUITAR PLAYER.
I AM A FREEHOLD HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATE.
( LAUGHTER ) >> Stephen: I WILL EMAIL YOUR
RESUME TO YOU.
IT'S A LITTLE BIT LONGER THAN THAT.
( LAUGHTER ) >> Stephen: YOU WRITE IN THE
INTRODUCTION OF THIS BOOK, YOU SAY THESE ARE TREACHEROUS TIMES
WITH MUCH AT STAKE, WITH EVERYTHING AT STAKE.
I AGREE WITH YOU, BUT WHAT DO YOU MEAN ABOUT THAT,
SPECIFICALLY?
I MEAN, IT'S HARROWING.
>> OH, IT'S HARROWING.
DO YOU WANT MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE, MATT GAETZ, RON
DeSANTIS AND OUR EX-FEARLESS LEADER DECIDING THE FATE OF THE
AMERICAN EXPERIMENT?
( BOOING ) >
>> Stephen: I AGREE WITH THAT DANGER.
BUT KEEPING YOUR HOPE UP, I THINK, IS A MORAL COMMANDMENT
>> THAT'S CORRECT >> Stephen: I SAY YOU DO NOT
WORRY.
SO HOW DO YOU KEEP YOUR HOPE UP?
>> YOU HAVE TO BE A FIGHTING OPTIMIST, I BELIEVE, YOU KNOW,
IN THE SENSE THAT, WELL, THERE WAS AN ATTEMPT TO OVERTURN FREE
AND FAIR ELECTION, IT FAILED >> Stephen: BUT EVERY DAY, WE
LEARN THERE WAS MUCH MORE COMPLEXITY TO IT AND MUCH MORE
CONSPIRATORS >> YEAH, THAT'S JUST COMING OUT.
I MEAN, IT'S A CLICHE, BUT HOW DO YOU REMAIN OPTIMISTIC?
I'VE GOT YOUNG KIDS.
I HAVE TO, I DON'T HAVE A CHOICE.
>> Stephen: SURE.
( APPLAUSE ) >> YOU KNOW, I MEAN, THE OTHER
CHOICE IS UNTHINKABLE.
SO, YOU KNOW, I HAVE TO REMAIN OPTIMISTIC, AND SEEING THEM, YOU
KNOW, MY KIDS WERE OUT AT GEORGE FLOYD AND BLACK LIVES MATTER
PROTESTS, SEEING THE DIVERSE GROUP OF YOUNG PEOPLE IN THE
STREETS THE DAY AFTER THE ELECTION, YOU KNOW, IT'S A
CLICHE, BUT THAT'S WHAT KEEPS ME OPTIMISTIC.
I THINK THERE'S A GREAT GENERATION OF YOUNG PEOPLE
COMING UP WHO WILL BE INTERESTED IN PROTECTING AMERICAN DEMOCRACY
AND THINGS LIKE THE FUNDAMENTAL RIGHT TO VOTE, ALL OF WHICH HAS
BEEN A SORT OF AN ENDANGERED SPECIES AT THE MOMENT, SO,
ANYWAY, THAT'S MY HOPE.
>> Stephen: WE HAVE TO TAKE A QUICK BREAK, BUT STICK AROUND.
BACK WITH MORE BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) ♪♪