Bruce Springsteen on WTF with Marc Maron

Bruce Springsteen guested on this Monday's episode of Marc Maron's WTF podcast (interview starts around the 15 minute mark).  As far as I can tell, this is the Boss's first podcast experience.  The two Jersey boys reminisce about growing up in the Garden state, as well as dive into Bruce's own history (this is part of the promotion for Born To Run, which I assure you I'm just about 100 pages away from finishing!).  Springsteen's interviews of late have re-hashed themes that are thoroughly covered in the book, and this podcast ventures down that road at times.  However, in this interview, Springsteen is able to dive deeper and expand upon topics such as his father's illness, being a control nut, his "biological clock", and his mental health.  While I'm not the biggest Marc Maron fan (he does laugh at a few inappropriate times during the interview), it is still worth checking out.

Springsteen on Colbert, September 23rd

As mentioned previously, Bruce's book tour is in full swing, with new interview galore.  Last Friday (Springsteen's 67th birthday), Bruce sat down with Stephen Colbert for an extensive interview:









Like a Springsteen concert, this interview went extremely long past its scheduled time.  It was interesting to hear Colbert interview him, as, unlike his counterpart Jon Stewart, Colbert isn't a fawning Springsteen fan.  He spends a lot of time studying Springsteen's words in his book, and tries to tie it to his own life.  Colbert is an outsider to the Springsteen phenomenon, and does his best to understand it.  There isn't much new here for the die-hard Springsteen fans, but we do get an top 5 (or 6) list of Springsteen's favorite songs.

Springsteen on CBS Sunday Morning

With his new autobiography and his return to America, we're about to get our annual Springsteen media blitz (last seen when promoting the River Box Set, which seems like just yesterday).  So, sit back, relax, and enjoy this nostalgic trip back to Springsteen's hometown and school.  It's a ten minute interview that gets very deep and emotional, with the conversation turning towards Clarence Clemons, Bruce's battle with depression, and his relationship with his father.  Keep your eyes peeled for even more appearances in the future - he'll be on Stephen Colbert's show this Friday, his 67th birthday!

Weird Al Interviews Bruce Springsteen

We've previously spotlighted the joint friendship between Clarence Clemons and "Weird Al" Yankovic, but, in this clip, we see the true friendship between "Weird Al" and the Boss himself.  In this short interview, we learn the origins of Al and Bruce's friendship, Bruce's opinion on Al's current music, and listen to Bruce rattle off some of his favorite numbers.  Enjoy!

Also, happy 66th Bruce, from all of us at LOS!

Exclusive: Living Proof Shampoo!

It was a morning like any other.  I groggily arose from bed and stumbled into the shower.  As the warm streams of water washed the sleep from my eyes, I was greeted by a completely unexpected Springsteen reference.  My girlfriend, unbeknownst to me, had acquired Living Proof shampoo!  Being as this is Women's History Month, I sat down with my girlfriend to get the full story behind Living Proof shampoo.  Here's the exclusive interview:

LOS: How is your experience with Living Proof shampoo?

GF: It makes my hair feel clean, and it smells good.

LOS: How do you think the shampoo relates to the Springsteen song, "Living Proof" from the album Lucky Town?

GF: Well, the shampoo and the song have the same name.  Also, I think Bruce has sexy hair, so I thought maybe this hair care product would make me as sexy as him.

LOS: In "Living Proof", Bruce sings, "I put my heart and soul, I put 'em high upon a shelf, right next to the faith, the faith that I'd lost in myself."  How has this influenced your choice in placing the shampoo on the shower caddy?

GF: It actually made me want to put it on your section of the shelf, but since I am an only child I want to keep it on my shelf.  However, I did make sure that it was prominently displayed.

LOS: Are there any other Springsteen shampoos you would be interested in trying?

GF: I think "Tenth Avenue Freeze Out" could be a good one.  It could make your head cold in the summer.

LOS: Or maybe they could call it "Tenth Avenue Frizz Out"!

GF: No.

This concludes are exclusive deep-dive into the Living Proof shampoo.  There are, apparently, dozens of Living Proof beauty products, so perhaps there is more to explore.  Now, I ask you, the reader: what other Springsteen-related beauty products have you come across in your life?  Which ones would you love to see?  Let us know in the comments!

Ed Norton Interviews Bruce Springsteen (Fresh Air, 2010)

Having recently seen and loved Edward Norton’s performance in Birdman (I found the movie itself a bit wearing half-way through), I was eager to listen to Norton’s interview on Fresh Air. A quick Google search and I was there, but to my great surprise “Edward Norton Fresh Air interview” yielded a second, fascinating link: Ed Norton Interviews Bruce Springsteen On 'Darkness'.

Somehow, I missed this back in 2010 – I’ll chalk it up to podcasts being less prevalent. Since we’ve recently been looking back at The Promise here on the site, I thought this would be a perfect time to resurface the interview between this unexpected pairing. The Fresh Air interview is an extract from an in-person interview conducted at the Toronto Film Festival. For those who don’t want to sit through the 40-minute interview (and if you don’t, why are you reading this blog?), the website has a few topline excerpts. But I encourage you to listen to it to hear these two performers who take their craft very seriously alternating between light-hearted jabs and serious musings on the art form.

Book Recommendations From Bruce Springsteen

In a brief interview with the New York Times, the Boss opened up about his literary influences.  While he admits to not becoming an avid reader until his late 20s, the amount of authors he cites here is numerous and diverse.  It's a great article if you are looking for book recommendations, but be warned: there are TONS of books Bruce rattles off - by my count, there are over 30 individual books named and another 30+ authors names listed.

While I am unfamiliar with most of the works listed by Bruce in the article, there is one part of the article I did have some expertise in.  At the top, we have this cartoon of Springsteen:

This is the work of comic illustrator Jillian Tamaki.  I recently read her graphic novel This One Summer, a coming-of-age tale that is poignantly written and beautifully illustrated.  So, if you didn't feel overwhelmed by all the book recommendations in the article, allow me to add one more to your reading list!

Exclusive Interview with John Murray of Springsteen Prov

We are excited to present our exclusive interview with John Murray, the man behind Springsteen Prov. We mentioned John last year (along with his interview in none other than Esquire; he was also covered in Rolling Stone) when he debuted Springsteen Prov at the 15th annual Del Close Marathon in New York City. For those who aren’t familiar, the Del Close Marathon (DCM) is an annual improv festival where NYC’s premier improv theater Upright Citizens Brigade hosts three days of non-stop improv featuring performers from across the country.

John and his group of Bruce acolytes reprised Springsteen Prov this past weekend at the 16th annual Del Close Marathon. Read on for our exclusive interview, video from the performance and the full roster of performers.

Legends of Springsteen: What is your earliest Springsteen memory?

John Murray: My earliest Springsteen memory is listening to my uncle's cassette tape of Born in the USA. This was probably when it came out in '84 or the year after. I loved the album so much I made my Dad take me to a Bradleys (Remember those stores? Anybody?). They didn't have it, so my Dad got Greetings and Billy Joel's Greatest Hits. I didn't take to Greetings, it sounded so different from Born in The USA I couldn't understand it (Everyone cut me some slack I was six, I've come around to Greetings since.) We got Born in the USA the following week and the rest is history.

LOS: What is your favorite Springsteen song?

JM: This is a tough one. I'm not sure I can name a specific favorite but I feel like I usually lean towards the more depressing songs. Don't get me wrong I love the stadium anthems and the party songs but it's the quieter songs that usually hit me the hardest. There's an intimacy to them, when Bruce explores emotional pain he really brings you on the journey. So I'd say "One Step Up," "New York City Serenade," "Wages of Sin," "The Losing Kind" (wish this one was released on Tracks, great song) & "County Fair." Just to name a few.

LOS: What is your least favorite Springsteen song (if you had to pick)?

JM: You're just going to have to shoot me, I'm not answering this question. :)

LOS: Do you have a favorite Springsteen concert memory?

JM: I have a collective favorite memory. I've seen the Boss five times in five very different ways. Let me list them:

A Christmas Show at the Asbury Convention Center
MSG Playing all of The River
At the Apollo Theater being interviewed by Elvis Costello for Spectacle
A tour rehearsal at the Asbury Convention Center for the Working On Dream Tour
On the floor of MSG for the Wrecking Ball Tour

All of these different shows have stories and memories to why they’re important to me. For example for the Wrecking Ball show I waited in line all day. When I got into the show I was general admission and got to touch The Boss. Amazing, right? But that's just one memory, I wouldn't put it over any of the others. Like that Christmas show is important to me cause we were invited to that after my Dad died. It was something Bruce was doing for 9/11 victim's families. This is just a long way of me saying what I said at the top: all the concerts are great and full of awesome memories.

LOS: How did you get the idea to do Springsteen Prov? Is there anything in particular about Bruce as an artist that makes it a fit for this art form?

JM: My good friend and fellow improviser Brian Barrett (now the editor and chief of Gizmodo) and I used to joke that we should do a DCM show of bunch Bruce Springsteens performing. I could never figure out a hook but Brian was always encouraging me to submit. Last year I said, "Ah screw it, I'll submit it and figure it out." It got in and was a hit. (Sadly Brian has yet to be in it, he's too busy.) It's actually ridiculous that I sat on the idea for so long because the whole Springsteen ideology is perfect for DCM. Bruce's live shows and music are very much about bringing people together to have a good time and build something cathartic. That's what improv and DCM are all about as well, it's a time for the improv community to come together. Springsteen Prov is just an incarnation of the greater theme of DCM.

LOS: Having performed Springsteen Prov at Del Close Marathon twice now, did you notice any difference in the audience response between the two years?

JM: I would say the biggest difference was there was more of interest in participating this year than last. No one knew what it was last year. I had people asking me to be part of this year because either they saw it last year or heard about it from last year. As for the actual audience response, the audience gets to come up on stage and dance, then do scenes with us. So the response for both years is pretty positive because they're part of the show. If you're not having fun at Springsteen Prov, you only have yourself to blame.

LOS: Improv is all about specificity and details. Were you ever concerned your Bruce references would get too esoteric? How do you balance it enough to make it appeal to non-fans?

JM: Here's the thing, I feel like people have enough of general idea who Bruce Springsteen is and what he stands for. Those general ideas (like: "Fighting for the Working Man") are specific enough to build scenes. Our suggestion from the audience this year was "Unemployment Line". People get the show and are on the same page.

LOS: Was there a certain Springsteen reference that you were most proud of slipping into the set?

JM: Getting to do the call and response with the audience. You know what I mean, "NEW YORK CITY!!" crowd screams "YOU WANT'EM TO HEAR YOU IN JERSEY RIGHT? NEW YORK CITY!! crowd screams louder. It feels pretty awesome to be able to hype a crowd up like that, it makes ya understand why Springsteen is still doing shows at 64.

LOS: There's a popular Salon article that says millennials hate Bruce Springsteen, yet UCB audiences skew young. Were you concerned about the reaction you'd get? Did people see this act as paying a playful tribute to Bruce? Or lampooning him? And do you think there is any truth to millennials hating Bruce?

JM: Well first off I'm uncomfortable with that language because it generalizes, which I'm not a big fan of doing to people. I can only go off of my experience of doing this show and what I've run into the most is people just not being familiar with Springsteen's music. So it's been tons of fun when people ask me, "What should I listen to before the show to get ready?" I'm able to drop a huge list of songs and maybe get some people interested in the music. As for lampooning, that's not really what the show is about, it’s more a celebration. We're really trying to do comedy through the viewpoint of Bruce's music. Improv in general isn't about going for a quick joke, it's about commitment and bringing comedy to the scene by being truthful. Everyone who participated in the show is a committed Bruce Springsteen trying to do a scene.

LOS: How has Springsteen influenced your work outside of Springsteen Prov?

JM: Ah man, how hasn't he? I mean I'm 35 years old and started going to go to the gym regularly this year cause I read that's what Springsteen did when he was 35. My interpretation of Bruce's work and from what I can see of what he does as a person is to try and be helpful and understanding of others. That matches up with my own sense of self, which probably explains why I'm such a huge fan.

LOS: What else are you working on? Anything else coming up?

JM: Right now I'm shooting a web series with a friend Geoff Garlock. It's a web series about being married and being in your 30s. I'm always doing improv every Saturday at 9 p.m. at UCB with Death By Roo Roo. My sketch team Stone Cold Fox is always cooking up something new. In July, I'll have been hosting a show out in Williamsburg called Low Standards for a year. Low Standards is a show where we get stand ups to do a set then talk to us about their favorite bad movies. I'm gonna be on some podcast coming out. I'm always busy. Here's my website so everyone can keep up with what's going on with me: http://thejohnmurray.com

DCM 16 SpringsteenProv Cast:
John Murray, Connor Ratliff, Erik Tanouye, Brandon Gulya, Ben Rameaka, Casey Miko, Hannah Blechman, Maggie Maxwell, Mark Dowling, Jonathan Murray, Michael Drosos, Zeke Smith, Matthew Mancini, Ashley Medeiros, Orlando Olier, Mark Ledgerwood, Partrick Reidy, Kelley Quinn, Rafael Suero, David Greenslade, Chris Zalis, Matt Rubano, Jason Dewall, Chelsea Grogan, Courtney Cresap, Shenovia Large, Lisa Tanisawa, Chris Stewart, Michelle Pastor, Nicole Adsit, Joe Guzzardo, Richard Krysztoforski, Chris Schell, Julien Darmoni, Marisa Bramwell, Suzie Cho, Jeremy Chao, Par Juneja, James McCarthy, Ken McGraw Jr., Meg Shah, Matthew Mancini, Jillian Richardson, Sam De Roest, Jenna Short, Lauryn Torch, Stephanie VanDuinen, Alex Adan, Andy Bustillos.

Springsteen Prov from John Murray on Vimeo.

Video Credits: Ken Beck, Connor Ratliff, Denis Cardineau