>> Stephen: HEY, EVERYBODY!
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) WE'RE BACK WITH THE AUTHOR OF
"RENEGADES."
YOU KNOW THIS GUY, IT'S BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN.
ON TOP OF THE WEEK AND THE PODCAST THAT YOU CAN DOWNLOAD,
YOU ALSO HAVE -- LET ME BE SURE TO GET THIS RIGHT, IT IS A
CONCERT FILM OF THE LEGENDARY "1979 NO NUKES CONCERT."
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) THERE YOU GO.
>> NOW, THERE IS ONE PROBLEM WITH THIS ALBUM COVER.
EVERY BAND MEMBER IS ON IT EXCEPT FOR ROY BENTON.
ROY BENTON IS NOT ON THIS ALBUM COVER BY MISTAKE, AND I'M IN
VERY DEEP ( BLEEP ) ABOUT IT, WHICH IS WHY I BRING IT UP THIS
EVENING.
SO, ROY, YOU ARE NOT HERE, BUT YOU ARE HERE IN MY HEART.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) >> Stephen: SO FOR THE PEOPLE
WHO DON'T -- I REMEMBER, I WAS THE RIGHT AGE TO BE LISTENING TO
THE CONCERT, THE NO NUKES CONCERT.
I WAS 15.
FOR THE PEOPLE WHO DON'T KNOW, WHAT WAS THE NO NUKES CONCERT?
>> THE NO NUKES CONCERT WAS A BENEFIT CONCERT FOR NO NUKES.
>> Stephen: THERE IT IS.
THERE YOU GO.
>> AND, AT THE TIME, I WAS KIND OF TALKED INTO IT BY JACKSON
BROWN AND THE THREE MILE ISLAND NUCLEAR ACCIDENT CONVINCED ME TO
TAKE PART.
SO THAT'S WHAT THE SHOW WAS.
THERE WERE ALL KINDS OF PEOPLE -- TOM PETTY, JACKSON
BROWN, CHAKA KAHN, JAMES TAYLOR, BONNIE RAITT, THERE WERE A LOT
OF GREAT MUSICIANS.
WE PLAYED MADISON SQUARE GARDEN FOR I THINK TWO NIGHTS, ONE OF
WHICH WAS MY BIRTHDAY WHEN I TURNED 30, AND IT WAS A GREAT
SHOW.
THE E STREET BAND PLAYED FOR AN HOUR AND A HALF, AND THIS FILM
COMING OUT MOMENTARILY IS A FILM OF THAT SHOW.
>> Stephen: AND WE HAVE A CLIP HERE OF I THINK THIS IS THE END
OF YOUR SECOND NIGHT OUT THERE.
>> OKAY.
>> Stephen: SO YOU'VE ALREADY TURNED 30, I THINK.
>> YEAH.
>> Stephen: AND THE CROWD IS TRYING TO GET YOU TO DO ONE MORE
SONG.
JIM.
>> I CAN'T GO ON LIKE THIS!
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) I'M 30 YEARS OLD!
MY HEART'S STARTING TO GO ON ME!
I CAN'T!
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) I CAN'T!
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) I DON'T WANT YOU TO BEG.
I DON'T WANT YOU TO BEG.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) ♪♪
♪♪ ♪♪
♪♪ ( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE )
( LAUGHTER ) >> Stephen: YOU'RE 30!
YOU CAN'T GO ON, YOU'RE 30!
>> I CAN'T GO ON LIKE THAT, I'M 30 YEARS OLD!
THAT'S IT!
>> Stephen: WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN YOU NOW AND
THAT 30-YEAR-OLD GUY AND WHAT'S THE SAME?
>> WELL, IT'S FUNNY, ON STAGE, I DON'T KNOW IF THERE'S A LOT OF
DIFFERENCE, YOU KNOW.
( APPLAUSE ) YOU KNOW, WE STILL COME OUT, AND
WE TAKE IT ALL THE WAY EVERY NIGHT THAT WE'RE ON STAGE, YOU
KNOW.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) SO, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, THAT'S A
COMPLETELY DIFFERENT PERSON.
AT 30, I WAS STILL A KID, AND THAT WAS MY ENTIRE LIFE, WHAT
YOU'RE VIEWING RIGHT THERE, YOU KNOW.
SO THAT'S -- >> Stephen: NO ART-LIFE
BALANCE THERE.
>> NO ART-LIFE BALANCE.
NO, JUST WORK WORK WORK WORK.
SO THAT WAS DIFFERENT.
BUT BASICALLY, I STILL FEEL ABOUT IT THE WAY THAT KID WOULD
HAVE.
THAT HASN'T CHANGED AT ALL, YOU KNOW.
>> Stephen: WE'RE SO LUCKY YOU'RE GOING TO BE DOING A SONG
FOR US TONIGHT.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) ♪♪
♪♪ >> Stephen: MR. BRUCE
SPRINGSTEEN, WHAT WILL YOU BE PLAYING?
>> I WILL BE PLAYING THE RIVER.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) WHICH WAS A SONG -- IT'S A SONG
I WROTE WHEN I WAS THAT YOUNG MAN RIGHT THERE, I WROTE IT
PROBABLY ONLY WEEKS OR MONTHS BEFORE THAT SHOW.
I WAS 29 WHEN I WROTE IT, YOU KNOW, AND IT'S HELD UP PRETTY
WELL, AND IT WAS REALLY THE BEGINNING OF A CERTAIN KIND OF
MY NARRATIVE WRITING THAT LED TO A RECORD I MADE CALLED NEBRASKA
AND THE RECORD CALLED THE GHOST OF TOM JODE AND DEVILS AND DUST.
>> Stephen: I REMEMBER WHEN IT CAME OUT.
I WAS 16, JUST GOT MY LICENSE, I WAS LATE COMING HOME, I WAS WITH
A FRIEND OF MINE FROM BOSTON AND HE INTRODUCED ME TO YOUR MUSIC,
AND HE SAYS, YOU HAVE TO LISTEN TO THIS, AND WE LISTENED TO "THE
RIVER."
I WAS RIVETTED ABOUT IT.
I KNEW IT WAS SOMETHING NEW.
I'M CURIOUS, WHAT DID THAT SONG MEAN TO YOU THEN, AND WHAT DOES
IT MEAN NOW?
>> I WROTE THE SONG "MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT," I WAS LIVING IN
NEW JERSEY.
I CAME HOME FROM THE STUDIO, I WENT UP TO MY ROOM, AND I'M NOT
SURE WHAT THE INITIAL INSPIRATION WAS.
I THINK I HAD BEEN LISTENING TO SOME HANK WILLIAMS, AND HE HAD A
SONG ABOUT GOING DOWN TO THE RIVER, AND THE RIVER WAS DRY,
SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
SO IT STAYED IN MY HEAD.
AND MY SISTER WAS -- WHO LIVED ONLY HALF AN HOUR AWAY FROM ME
WAS SORT OF LIVING MY PARENTS' LIVES, YOU KNOW, THEY WERE JUST,
YOU KNOW, LIVING A VERY BLUE-COLLAR LIFE, HER HUSBAND
WAS A CONSTRUCTION WORKER, IT WAS THE '70s RECESSION, THERE
WASN'T A LOT OF WORK TO BE HAD, AND I STARTED -- REALLY, SHE WAS
THE INSPIRATION -- SHE AND HER HUSBAND WERE THE INSPIRATION FOR
THE CORE OF THAT SONG.
AND ONCE I GOT THE OPENING LINES THAT I COME FROM DOWN IN THE
VALLEY, MR. WHEN YOU'RE YOUNG THEY BRING YOU UP TO DO LIKE
YOUR DADDY DONE, THE REST FELL OUT AFTER THAT.
( APPLAUSE ) >> Stephen: BRUCE, THANK YOU
SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
THANKS FOR PLAYING.
ALWAYS WONDERFUL TO TALK TO YOU.
THE BOOK IS "RENEGADES," THE MAN IS BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN.
WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK WITH A SONG.
STICK AROUND.
♪♪