NOW, WE'RE HERE WITH BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN.
( CHEERS ) HE'S GOT A NEW BOOK, MEMORIES OF
HIS LIFE CALLED "BORN TO RUN."
YOU JUST PLAYED YOUR-- YOU'RE 67 YEARS OLD.
>> YES, I AM.
>> Stephen: AND YOU JUST PLAYED---
>> IT'S MYING ABOUT THE TOMORROW.
>> Stephen: YOU JUST PLAYED YOUR LONGEST U.S. SHOW, FOUR
HOURS, THREE MINUTES, AND 46 SECONDS.
WHY DO YOU DO SUCH LONG SHOWS?
>> I DON'T KNOW.
>> Stephen: WHY DO YOU DO SUCH LONG SHOWS?
DO YOU GO IN THINKING, "YEAH, YEAH, THIS ONE'S GOING TO BE A
LONG WON."
>> NO.
>> Stephen: YOU'RE WAITING FOR THE MAGIC SHOW.
>> I ALWAYS THINK IT'S GOING TO BE A GOOD DEAL SHORTER.
NOW, THE BAND DOESN'T COMPLAIN --
>> TO YOU.
>> EXCEPT AROUND-- AROUND THREE HOURS AND 40 MINUTES.
IT'S THAT LAST 20 MINUTE THAT FOR SOME REASON EVEN GETS THE E
STREET BAND SLIGHTLY-- SOMEONE MAY MENTION IT TO ME, YOU KNOW.
( LAUGHTER ).
>> Stephen: DURING THE SHOW OR AFTER THE SHOW?
>> NO, AFTER THE SHOW.
WHY THEY GO THAT LONG?
I'M NOT EXACTLY SURE.
I'VE BEEN DOING IT FOR A LONG TIME.
>> Stephen: I'VE SEEN YOU UP THERE, YOU GET PRETTY SWEATY.
>> I DO.
>> Stephen: AND HOW MUCH TALCUM POWDER DO YOU GO THROUGH?
BECAUSE THOSE ARE PRETTY TIGHT JEANS FOR A MAN YOUR AGE.
>> THERE'S A LOT OF-- THERE'S A LOT OF CHAFING THAT DOES GO ON,
SO.
( LAUGHTER ) I'M SHOVELING IT IN THERE AFTER
THE THE SHOW.
>> Stephen: YOU SAID IN THE BOOK THAT YOU CALLED PERFORMING,
"THE ONLY LANGUAGE I'VE EVER KNOWN TO FIGHT OFF THE NIGHT
TERRORS."
>> YEAH, WELL, IT-- I USED ITED-- IT WAS MEDICINAL.
I WAS THIS INCREDIBLY NEUROTIC YOUNG KID, A LOT OF ANXIETY,
WHICH I DIDN'T KNOW HOW TO CHASE AWAY.
SO ALL I FOUND OUT WAS AFTER I PLAYED, I CALMED-- I CALMED
DOWN, AND I FELT VERY CENTERED.
AND IT WAS REALLY THE FIRST THING I DID TO KIND OF MEDICATE
MYSELF, YOU KNOW.
AND IT MAY EXPLAIN WHY IT GOES ON SO LONG, YOU KNOW.
( LAUGHTER ) IT WAS AN EASY DRUG TO TAKE.
BUT IT'S STILL-- IT STILL AFFECTS ME LIKE THAT.
I MEAN, THE NIGHT JUST-- THE NIGHT HAS ITS OWN LIFE.
AND, I MEAN, I'M COMING OUT, SO I KNOW I'M GOING TO PLAY-- WE'RE
GOING TO PLAY TWO AND A HALF HOURS, WE'RE GOING TO PLAY THREE
HOURS.
I KNOW THAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN, BUT I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING TO
HAPPEN AFTER THAT.
AND THE NIGHT-- IT'S SOMETHING THAT'S ORGANIC AND IT DEFINES
THE OWN TIME AND SPACE.
AND ONCE I GET TO A CERTAIN POINT, I-- I'M-- I'M NOT
THINKING ABOUT THE TIME, YOU KNOW.
I'M HERE TO-- I'M HERE TO TAKE YOU OUT OF TIME.
I'M HERE TO TRANSPORT YOU SOMEPLACE ELSE.
I'M HERE TO ALTER TIME AND SPACE AND PLAY WITH IT MYSELF AND HELP
YOU MOVE IN AND OUT OF-- YOU KNOW, MOVE IN AND OUT OF THINGS
ON ANY GIVEN EVENING.
SO IT'S-- THE TIME THING IS JUST SOMETHING THAT HAPPENS.
IF IT WAS MY OWN PREFERENCE I WOULD PREFER NOT TO PLAY FOUR
HOURS.
( LAUGHTER ) BUT THAT'S WHAT HAPPENS.
>> Stephen: WELL, YOU SAY YOU'RE FIGHTING OFF THE NIGHT
TERRORS, WHAT ARE THE NIGHT TERRORS?
AND HAVE YOU HAD THEM YOUR ENTIRE LIFE?
ARE THOSE LITERAL NIGHT TERRORS?
IF YOU DIDN'T PLAY, THEY WOULD COME TO YOU?
>> IF I DON'T PLAY REGULARLY, I'M INSIDE MY HEAD A LOT.
AND I REALIZE I'M NOT MY OWN BEST COMPANY.
SO I'VE KIND OF HAD TO DEAL WITH THAT MY WHOLE LIFE A LITTLE BIT.
>> Stephen: YOU'RE OPEN IN HERE ABOUT HAVING DEPRESSION.
>> YEAH.
>> Stephen: AS AN ADULT.
AND YOUR FATHER DEALT WITH THE SAME THING.
>> YEAH, MY FATHER HAD-- WAS VERY ILL WITH IT, YOU KNOW.
AND THERE WAS A LOT OF REAL ILLNESS IN MY FAMILY, IN MY
FAMILY WITH IT.
IT REALLY SHOT THROUGH THE IRISH SIDE OF THE FAMILY.
AND THEN, YOU KNOW, I CAUGHT SOME OF IT.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, OCCASIONALLY IT COMES UP.
BUT IT'S-- YOU KNOW, I'VE HAD MY TUSSLES WITH IT, BUT NOT LIKE MY
DAD.
MY DAD HAD IT VERY, VERY SERIOUSLY, AND SO DID SOME OF MY
OTHER FAMILY MEMBER S.
>> Stephen: YOU TALK ABOUT YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR DAD
IN THE BOOK AND IT WAS A COMPLICATED RELATIONSHIP AND NOT
ALWAYS A HAPPY ONE.
BUT YOU DESCRIBE A BEAUTIFUL MOMENT OF-- WELL, SOMETHING LIKE
REDEMPTION BETWEEN YOU AND YOUR FATHER.
>> YEAH.
>> Stephen: THE DAY BEFORE YOUR FIRST CHILD WAS BORN.
>> OH, WOW.
>> Stephen: WOULD YOU MIND SHARING THE STORY OF THE
CONVERSATION YOU AND YOUR FATHER HAD.
>> MY DAD WAS VERY MANIC, SO HE WOULD TAKE THESE LONG DRIVING--
LONG DRIVING TRIPS.
AND HE SHOWED UP AT MY HOUSE ONE KAY, AND IT WAS JUST TO SAY
HELLO, HE SAID.
IT WAS A 500-MILE TRIP TO SAY HI.
AND HE CAME IN-- IT MUST HAVE BEEN SOMETHING ABOUT ME BEING ON
THE CUSP OF BEING A FATHER THAT WE SAT DOWN, WE HAD A COUPLE OF
BEERS, AND IT WAS LIKE A SUNDAY MORNING OR SOMETHING.
AND HE SAID, "YEAH, I WAS A LITTLE ROUGH ON YOU, YOU KNOW."
AND I REMEMBER SAYING, "YEAH, I KNOW.
BUT YOU DID THE BEST YOU COULD."
AND IT WAS A VERY SMALL MOMENT, BUT IT WAS-- IT WAS SORT OF A
MOMENT WHERE IT WAS ALL I NEEDED TO HEAR.
PLUS I HAD MUCH, MUCH GREATER INSIGHT INTO MY FATHER'S LIFE AS
I GOT OLDER.
IT WAS VERY, VERY DIFFICULT.
MY FATHER WAS A-- IT WAS A REALLY INSIDE HE WAS A
SWEETHEART AND LOVING MAN.
BUT HE REALLY STRUGGLED SERIOUSLY WITH SOME ILLNESS.
SO IT TOOK ME-- I HAD TO GET PRETTY OLD BEFORE I UNDERSTOOD
HIM AND UNDERSTOOD WHERE SOME OF THE TROUBLES WE HAD CAME FROM,
YOU KNOW.
SO-- AND WE-- YOU KNOW, IT WAS-- INITIALLY, WE DIDN'T COMMUNICATE
VERY WELL.
SO I STARTED TO WRITE-- I WROTE MY SONGS.
I WROTE SONGS ABOUT HIM.
AND I'D BRING RECORD OVER.
WOULDN'T HEAR ANYTHING BACK.
WRITE ANOTHER SONG ABOUT HIM, BRING THE RECORD OVER.
I KNOW MY MOTHER HAD IT ON.
DIDN'T HEAR ANYTHING BACK.
AND FINALLY, ONE DAY-- AND HE WAS LITERALLY-- HE WAS IN BED,
AND HE WAS CLOSE TO HIS DEATH.
AND I SAID, "DAD "WE WERE TALKING.
AND I SAID, "WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE SONGS?"
"THE ONES ABOUT ME."
( APPLAUSE ) SO... SO IT WAS A NICE THING.
>> Stephen: WELL, THE NEXT DAY YOU BECAME A DAD YOURSELF.
>> YEAH.
>> Stephen: DID THAT-- HOW DID THAT CHANGE YOU?
YOU TALK ABOUT EVERYTHING ELSE GOES AWAY, YOUR-- IN THE BOOK
YOU HAVE A BEAUTIFUL-- THERE'S A BEAUTIFUL CHAPTER ON THE BIRTH
OF YOUR FIRST CHILD AND SAYING THAT ALL YOUR SELF-PROTECTION,
ALL YOUR SECRETS, ALL YOUR WORRIES ABOUT YOURSELF GO OUT
THE WINDOW INSTANTLY WHEN YOU HOLD YOUR CHILD.
DID THAT THEN-- DID THAT CHANGE YOUR WORK?
DID THAT CHANGE WHAT YOU WANTED TO CREATE?
>> YEAH, IT WAS-- IT WAS-- IT WAS A FUNNY EVENING.
I MEAN, FIRST I WAS JUST CONCERNED IF PATTY WAS GOING TO
HAVE ANY PAIN, YOU KNOW.
SO I WAS -- >> YOU THOUGHT MAYBE SHE WOULD
BE THE ONLY WOMAN WHO DID.
( LAUGHTER ).
>> SO I WAS-- BUT, YOU KNOW, ONCE THE-- ONCE THE BABY CAME
ALONG, YOU KNOW, IT WAS JUST EVERYTHING STOPPED.
AND ALL YOUR DEFENSIVE MECHANISMS, ALL THE THINGS YOU
DO ON PROTECT YOURSELF EVERY KAY, ALL YOUR-- ALL THE DANCES
YOU DO SUDDENLY JUST, THEY'RE HALTED, YOU KNOW.
UP TO RUN OUT INTO THE STREET AND SAY, "PEOPLE, STOP SHOPPING.
STOP.
GET OFF YOUR CELL PHONES.
STOP WATCHING TELEVISION.
A MESSIAH HAS COME."
THAT'S HOW YOU FEEL.
YOUR KIDS, YOU KNOW.
HERE, IN BABYLON, LOS ANGELES, A NEW SON OF NEW JERSEY HAS BEEN
BORN.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) >> Stephen: WELL, WE'VE GOT TO
TAKE ANOTHER COMMERCIAL BREAK AND THIS WAS ONLY SUPPOSED TO BE
THREE ACTS BUT I'D LOVE TO ASK YOU A FEW MORE QUESTIONS IF
YOU'D STICK AROUND.
>> YEAH.
>> Stephen: THAT WOULD BE GREAT.
THAT WOULD BE GREAT.
WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK WITH MORE BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN.