Last Sunday CBS Sunday Morning aired a touching Bruce Springsteen segment, including a short walk with Bruce in his hometown Freehold, New Jersey.*  I was lucky to catch it after meeting a grueling deadline.  This great interview delivers three valuable lessons: (1) Bruce was nicknamed “Springy” in his middle school, and my dog, who is so jumpy that he requires a leash with tension springs, happens to share the same nickname, (2) the heartfelt story about dealing with the loss of Clarence Clemons, and (3) the candid account about how Bruce dealt with his own depression, including memorializing it by writing ‘This Depression.’  

On a similar note, when being asked about his concentration camp experience in a 2004 interview, French writer Jorge Semprún beautifully explained: “When I write, I make my memories tangible, and in this way I can get rid of them.”  In light of that perspective, songwriting as a defense mechanism for Bruce makes total sense.  I am always more intrigued to learn about how great people overcome their sufferings than about their glories under the spotlight.  Needless to say, I will be reading his highly anticipated autobiography Born to Run and listening to its soundtrack Chapter and Verse as soon as they hit the shelf.  

Born on September 23, 1949, Bruce is turning the springiest 67-year-old this year.  Sorry Brucebuds, I had to box away my prized Springsteen bootleg collection for a little while, as I recently suffered a major betrayal from the biggest Springsteen fan that I know of, whom I mistakenly trusted for years.  I am not a writing type, so this is my defense mechanism.  However, for the occasion, here are a couple of excellent Springsteen covers of Bob’s songs that are still on my hard drive (and a bonus).  Enjoy!

* ICYMI: http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/bruce-springsteen-on-writing-his-autobiography/?ftag=CNM-00-10aab8c&linkId=28920708 .


Born to Run

An elusive soundcheck moment at the Omni, Atlanta 3/23/1988 (The Tunnel of Love Express)


One of Us Must Know

Bruce Springsteen with Wolfgang Niedecken & Band. Live at Cafe Eckstein, Berlin, 07/09/1995.

Born to Run

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