The Questlove Show - Questlove Supreme: Bruce Springsteen

Episode Date: November 9, 2022

Bruce Springsteen joins Questlove Supreme to talk about covering classic Soul and R&B songs for his new album, Only The Strong Survive. The Boss also discusses his approach to creativity, album-making, and putting on one of the best live shows in all of music. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me. Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media.

Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifers Show. This is a place for raw, unfills of conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to The Clivert Show on the I-Hard Radio app,

Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok podcast network on TikTok. When a group of women discover they've all dated the same prolific con artist, they take matters into their own hands. I vowed, I will be his last target. He is not going to get away with this. He's going to get what he deserves. We always say that trust your girlfriends.

Listen to the girlfriends. Trust me, babe. On the IHart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, all. wherever you get your podcast. This week on the Sports Slice podcast, it's all about the NFL draft, and we've got a special guest. The director of the NFL's

East West Shrine Bowl, Eric Galco, joins the Sports Slice podcast to break down what really matters when evaluating draft prospects. From hidden traits teams look for to the biggest mistakes franchises make, to the players flying under the radar.

This is the insight you won't hear anywhere else. If you want to understand the draft like an insider, you don't want to understand the draft. miss this episode. Listen to the Sports Slice podcast on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow

Timbo Slica Life 12 and TikTok podcast network on TikTok. Questlove Supreme is a production of Iheart Radio. What's up, man? Hello. How you doing? What up? I'm good. How are we? We're great. We're good.

We're good. Thank you for doing this, sports, man. Of course. How are we? Oh, we're great. Doing good, brother. Better now. Where are you right now? It's good to see you. I'm at my home.

It's my studio. Okay. I couldn't tell what it was. The background, I don't know. It was a hockey rink or, yes, I now see it's a studio. It's a studio. Got it. All right.

Ladies and gentlemen, this is Questlove Supreme. I'm Questlove. We're with Team Supreme. Fonticle, brother. How are you doing? Good, man. Good, man. Sitting with the boss.

Yes. Yes, we are. It's pretty damn good. Hello, how are you? I am living the American dream, friend. Living the American dream. Mr. Steve. Yes, how's everybody doing?

I got a couple of bosses in here, so I'm going to behave. I got a few bosses, too, in here. Shout to my boy, John Landau, who's listening. Wait, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, Bill, like, did he go out for cigarettes and didn't tell us or? Yeah, I just thinking that man is working, man. I think he's just working.

On another Tony Award winning production is coming soon, I think. Yes, yes, I know. Okay. Okay. Well, ladies and gentlemen, this is Questleaf Supreme, and I will simply say that our guest today is one of the great master storytellers. He is one of the most respected and well-loved craftsmen of song. He's literally the embodiment of the working class hero.

the everyday American, you know, representative of the people. And he's basically giving us the honor today of celebrating with him the release of his 21st, 21st album entitled Only the Strong Survive. And if that idiom is familiar to you and you're a sole record officiado, and then you pretty much know that that classic was pinned by, I'm from Philadelphia, so any chance to pick up Kenny Gamble Leon Huff. And of course, Chicago's own, the Iceman, Jerry Butler, that's where that song title derived from, that classic song. And, you know, our guest today has basically been bestowed with every honor worth having in this field.

Over 135 million LP sold, 20 Grammys. He has an Oscar, a Tony, two Golden Globes. shit, all he needs is an Emmy to get his Egot. That's not like I'm in trouble. My wife just won one, no. She got the Emmy. All right, so he's, you're quad by EGOT. She won't the Emmy.

All right. As a combination, as one, we got EGOT status here. You're also in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the songwriters' Hall of Fame, Kennedy's Center Honor. You receive the presidential medal freedom. All this before the ripe old age of 21. So everything. Yeah, pretty much.

That's crazy, man. Let me just say, let me just say that I literally, my very first Springsteen show, I literally saw this man climb the speakers and the wall of the Apollo Theater to the balcony level. And it's 20 years my senior. So that means I got to step my game up. And ladies and gentlemen, please, please, please,

Please welcome. The one and only, the boss, Bruce Frederick Joseph Breenstein. I like that. You got my, yes, you have my, and you have my confirmation name. Wow. Wow. I come from a long line of Fredericks. That was my dad and my grandfather.

We were all Fredericks. Wow. Okay. So first of all, you know, congrats on. the new album. I always wanted to know how do you determine the pivot or the direction of how an album will go? Like I love when artists, you know, they feed their fan base, what their fan base needs and what their fan base wants. And then sometimes you have to give them what they need and what they don't expect. And you're often known, you know, it's almost like a push and pull where we

will get that classic Jersey Springsteen sound, but then you'll do a departure record, like a Nebraska or the Ghost of Tom Jones, that sort of thing. So for you, what was the sort of mind state of where you wanted to go for this album? Well, I knew I was done writing for a while. So that had a lot to do with it. I made a record with the East Street band called Letter to You. And I hadn't written for the band in quite a few years. And then I wrote most of that record in about a week and a half or two weeks. And we made it in four days. And it was very, yeah, it was very summational. In other it was sort of like, this was my story up to this point. And it just felt like, and we made a film that went with it. And it felt like after that, I just felt like, well, I'm done. I don't have anything

I feel I want to write about at the moment. So we're in the middle of COVID. And also, I enjoy the active recording. I like being in the studio, you know, making sounds. And so basically, I started, it's like, well, maybe I'll record some things I haven't written, which I haven't done very much. I did a sort of an Americana record called Seeger Sessions a while back, but I hadn't, you know, I'm usually writing my own material. So this was an instance where I said, well, I'm going to try and sing some other things, you know.

And so I just started doing that, just coming in the studio, taking a song and seeing what my voice sounded like on it. And I made a record with basically sort of singer-songwriter overtones or some rock overtones. And I put it away. It was it. Pretty much I recorded all of it. We didn't mix it. But when I listened back to it, it wasn't focused enough.

So some way or another, I ended up recording this, Frank Wilson's, do I love you? And if people know Motown, they know Frank Wilson was more in the back line of Motown. but he did sing and perform, and he was a great singer, songwriter and producer and performer. And so he had this cut that was a hit in the northern soul scene in England, where they sort of dig up a lot of unusual Motown records and unusual soul records.

And so this was a, it was well known in that scene, but in the States it really wasn't known at all. And I said, this is an incredible song. So I'm just going to see if I can get up in that vicinity where Frank Wilson was singing and see if I can sing it and if we can get a production that is powerful enough to stand up to, of course, the incredible Motown records, you know.

So we cut that and I felt like I touched on to something. And then we did a few other, I think I did when she was my girl, the four tops, the Topps record that they had a big hit after they left Motown. And I said, oh, that's fun. It had a little disco thing to it. And I'm kind of in the range of Levi, you know, of Levi Stubbs. I mean, I can't sing like him, but I'm in his range.

Yeah, that baritone, rough baritone. Yeah, I got that gruff baritone. So I can sing those songs in those keys. And so I started to just, you know, I cut two or three soul things. And it felt very focused and fresh and like I hadn't done it before. and it also focused on my voice, which is something I haven't given a lot of focus to. Usually on the records, I'm focusing on my songwriting, if the lyrics are any good, if the song's powerful enough.

And then my voice is there in service of that material, of my songwriting and of my production. And it's usually, I don't start voice first and think, oh, what's going to sound great me singing? But in this case, I got a chance to say, okay, I'm going to just use my voice as the measuring stick of where I'm going to go. And if I can sing something well, in this genre, I'm going to take a swing at it and have some fun with it. But it really began as a result

of sort of feeling like I was done writing for a while. And I'd finished sort of what I had to say with my band for a moment. And then looking just for something to do, stay active and engaged and keep the conversation going with my audience

and my fans and just have some fun. Just have some fun with Okay, so you mentioned something with the, when you talked about the Seeger Sessions, which was that you recorded it in four days. Now, that was letter to you I recorded four days. I'm sorry. Yes. The Seager Sessions, we actually recorded very quickly also, but, but, and live.

As was the letter to you. So I have a question about that process because, you know, currently right now, I'm probably in the worst place where an artist can be, which is like I'm on the ninth year of working on the same album. Oh, I've been there. Not nine. I haven't been nine years, but I've been years. So I have a little bit of a feeling where you're coming from.

But the thing is, is that when you turn in an album in four days, well, first I got to know, is that your own accord, or is that John on your shoulders? Like, yo, you got a weekend to finish this shit. No, no. We never play it like that. We always play it like, nobody cares. How quick you made that record the day it came out.

If you rushed to make a bad record, why would you do that? Yeah, it's still a bad record. That's all. What's it mean to your fans and your audience? And if you're hurrying up to get a bad record out there, why? So you can go on to, you know, it just doesn't, it never made sense to me, and I never did it, right from when I was in my early 20s. If it took me a year, I took a year.

If it took me a month, I took a month. If it took me a few days, I made it in a few days. And I made records all across that spectrum, where it took me years and where it took me just days to put them out. And it depends on the album, the record itself, its quality, when I feel like I've achieved what I was after, then I put the record out. Like, at least with me,

I feel like I at least need to let it simmer for maybe a month or so before I feel different about it. Like, I'm excited about it when I, you know, when you drive home and you got that rough mix and the final mix and you're excited and you played a billion times and you test it for everyone. And then there have been times where, like,

maybe two months later, I don't get those goose. bumps anymore and then I readjust the song and then do something different. It doesn't, it doesn't scare you to quickly execute something that fast and... Well, I listen to my ears, you know? If my ears are telling me it's good, then I believe them, you know, and then I have, I also have John is my, is my sounding board. So I'll play something for him and he'll say, yeah, yes, no, he'll give me his opinion about it. So we've had a 45-year partnership where we've done that every single record, you know, for a very long

time. That's crazy. You know, and so we, you know, so we have a sort of a system. And, of course, I have the band, and, you know, they have their feelings and opinions. And so I just play it, I play it like that. And also, you have a certain amount of time. It takes just for the record company to get ready to release it, whether it's two or three months or so. And if I'm not sure, sure, I'll just sit on it. If I'm sure, I put it out. And if it's good, then I'm sure. But if I'm not sure, if I'm sort of like, well, I'm in the middle, I just sit on it.

And I wait for it to speak to me. I'm always just listening, listening, listening, listening for the music to speak to me, to tell me what it is, what it wants to be, what's the relationship between my fans and I that the record is going to inspire or instigate, you know, where is it going to take our conversation next? So, you know, I reasonably trust my ears. And if I get it done in a short period of time, then it's all for the better, you know. But if it takes time, I'll take it.

A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way,

this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes

of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment. And the next, we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me

or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. There's two golden rules that any man should live by. Rule one, never mess with a country girl.

You play stupid games, you get stupid prizes. And rule two, never mess with her friends either. We always say that trust your girlfriends. I'm Anna Sinfield, and in this new season of the girlfriends, Oh my God, this is the same man. A group of women discover they've all dated the same prolific con artist. I felt like I got hit by a truck.

I thought, how could this happen to me? The cops didn't seem to care, so they take matters into their own hands. I said, oh, hell no. I vowed. I will be his last target. He's going to get what he deserves. Listen to the girlfriends. Trust me, babe. On the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

This week on the Sports Slice podcast, it's all about the NFL draft. And we've got a special guest. The director of the NFL's East West Shrine Bowl, Eric Galco, joins the Sports Slice podcast to break down what really matters when evaluating draft prospects. From hidden traits teams look for to the biggest mistakes franchises make, to the players flying under the radar. This is the insight you won't hear anywhere else. If you want to understand the draft like an insider,

you don't want to miss this episode. Listen to the Sports Slice Podcasts on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slical Life 12 and TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Okay, so you're a bandleader of not just these arbitrary group of musicians, but you know, you're probably one of the last, last acts in which your fan base knows every last band member, almost every solo, you know,

like, you know, they have their favorites and whatnot. So as a bandleader that has a well-loved fan base of people that admire your musicians, how exactly does your band get the news that you want to do a solo flight? I guess the first time he did it was with Nebraska, correct? Yes, you know, and that was by accident, so I didn't know I was doing it at the time, but I did, but I managed to making that record. Yeah, but I mean, do you just tell them like, hey, layback guys, like, I'm going to do this one alone, or do you have to have a meeting?

I think this record came up where it was like, we cut letter to you, had an incredible time, probably the best sessions I've ever done with the East Street Band, in the studio. We made it in no time. We did two songs a day, every day, and we very, very minimal, minimal, minimal overdubs. A guitar solo here or a guitar solo there. So, of course, then you did it all live? Yeah, all live. Singing vocals? Vocals too. Whoa. Everything. Everything. Everything is cut live in the studio, singing, playing, no overdubs. What was the reasoning behind that? It's just how it worked out. I was assuming. I was going to re-sing the vocals, and then when I went to re-sing them, they weren't as good as what I cut live, and so I left them. You know, it was pretty basic, you know. So after that, I assumed, well, I'll do something else with the band, because, you know, we had such a great time. But that music just doesn't work. Like I have to, like I said, I'm not telling, I'm listening. You know, I'm not telling my talents where to go, or I'm listening to where they're telling me they want to go. You know,

and what I might be good at next. So on this record, I remember having a little conversation with Steve. We just said, gee, you know, Steve, he said, well, we were going to, you know, we were talking about how we were going to do a covers record. And then I realized, well, the covers record was a whole other thing. And it was, once again, I'm back into cutting a lot of material and choosing some of it. Like on the band record letter to you, I used everything I cut. But on this record, I cut a lot of material.

and I choose just some of it. You said you swung a lot of times to figure out which records you wanted. I was wondering how you narrowed the whole process down. Yeah, you know, so this was a record where I know it was going to take me a lot of concentrated studio time. And the guys at this point sort of, we don't go in and spend a year in a studio like we used to, you know,

that sort of, so it ended up being me and my producer, Ron Aniello and our engineer Rob Lebray. and we kind of just started doing, quote, of course, demos, and then everyone's end up being what you end up releasing, you know. Of course. This has happened to me many times. The band is used to this happening to me at this point, and it's a give and take a process that we're used to,

recording with the band, recording some solo music. And I don't know where it's going next myself. Like I said, I'm listening to find out also, like the all. audiences. I just want to know how many songs are on the floor. Like how many didn't make it. A lot. On this record, there was probably, well, there's 15 on. I don't even want to think how many were off. Any idea, Rob? Huh? Say that again? 40? Yeah. So there was 40. So in other words, I put out 15 and I left 40 down. Yikes. So I, you know, trying to find out what is going to be the best record, you know, or have to make the most sense to me and my audience, you know. So that's

not unusual. I've made records where I've cut 70 songs, 80 songs, and, you know, they come out on box sets in different places where, but on this particular record, there were 40, 40 songs we left, we left in the can. Okay. So since this album is essentially kind of, at least the spirit of it is a return to the music that you kind of fell in love with in your childhood. Sure. I guess I'll start with the first question I ask every guest on the show, even though this is like the fourth question. What was your very first musical memory? My first musical memory was Disney Records.

what was the seven snow white and the seven doors wow hi-ho hi-ho it's right on where we go so my first recollection was something like that you know or

you know those little yellow records that played on 78 speed I don't know if you guys are old enough to remember these oh not we remember oh yeah many and 78 yeah but they were little 78s

you know little kid colors red, yellow, blue, and they played at 78, and they were basically themes from movies. So that would be my first real musical memory as a child. But after that, my mother was young. She had me when I was, when she was in her early 20s, she played the radio. She had the radio on all time every day, you know, in the car and in the kitchen, and she listened to top 40. And so right from a very young age, I was exposed to like the great music of the 50s,

And that sort of was where, what kind of inspired me, you know. And really, I'm basically a top 40 influenced musician. That's how I kind of grew up. And I started there and then I went searching in blues and folk and a lot of different other places for influences. But really, I started out just listening to Top 40 on the radio. That's a little unusual, though, because I would think, I mean, I would consider you maybe like the second generation. a rock and roll. So you're not, I mean, you're not exactly a greaser. And I know that you, in your teen years, you know, it was the late 60s, but I, it's very unusual for me to see

not, not agreeable, but at least an amicable, musically amicable environment in the household. Because normally, like, the music of the kid is rebellious music. And the parents are like, turn that shit, you know, that's right, right. But you're saying that you're, you're, parents weren't like that at all like they well my dad was a bit like that but my mother no she was a young woman and she was into uh you know we're southern italians which means we like music we can sing and we can perform where that come where that come from you know if you're coming from Hey, hey. You know?

If you're coming from southern Italy, where I'm from only a generation or two removed. So I'm on that side of my family, I'm a new American. Okay. Wow. So if you're coming from there, and as a whole side of my family did,

they were all, you know, singers and dancers and all of that went on, you know. So. since you mentioned it, of those 40 songs that are on the floor is one of those songs, what's the song Steve? Wiggle, Waddle.

Oh, no, Wiggle Wobble, man. Wiggle Wobble. Wiggle Wobble. You played a hell of a version of Wiggle Wobble on the air that night. To this day, I'll say that, you know, I've been on the Tonight Show for,

for, you know, 13 years. And, of course, you and I know that was weird because I don't think he does his Springsteen impression in front of you as much as he does when you're not there. But that wiggle wobble moment doing the commercial, now I've got to explain. Back when I think you were celebrating, was it darkness or born a anniversary of darkness? It was a box set. Was the anniversary of darkness? Yeah.

Right. And so, you know, you and Stephen were basically just reminiscent. of like the singles and the 45s that really bonded you two together. And that to me, that was the first time that, you know, usually when a guest mentions a song or that sort of thing during the segment, the roots basically have like one minute to learn that song. Like, I'm already on YouTube and we're like, I'm impressed. Right.

But that was such a, that was such a moment for Jimmy. Like he still tells, I hear that. I hear that story like once a week for the last, like literally he only tells that story about how excited you were about that. I was, I mean, come on, it's not that well-known a record, even though it was a hit, Ben, you guys nailed it

in about 60 seconds. So for a band leader, for a band leader, that's impressive. See, well, you know, I'm also a kid of hip-hop in which you have to know songs, you know, as a producer. And so, like, Herbie Hancock did a cover that, on one of his albums. So, well, speaking of which, do you remember the first album that you purchased with your own money, not like album that's already in the house, but like, I got to have this.

Like, first album and first 45. First album, believe it or not, I think I bought an album of surf rock because I like to picture on the cover. There was a guy surfing some 100 foot wave. And so it was like a dollar 99 or something. It was really, it was a knockoff record and it was really kind of cheap. And I bought it, though it might have had some Dick Dale on it, you know, King of the Starvedale. It might have had some, it might have had some Dick Dale. So I brought that home and that was my first album, I think. After that, really my album buying began. with the British invasion, I would say.

You know, that was when I started to really, you know, my album buying began when albums began to sell. Okay. Which really was the mid-60s, you know, when suddenly albums became the currency of the day and of the moment. And if you were going to make a name for yourself, you know, you were putting out not necessarily concept records, but full records, records that were,

where it wasn't filled with a lot of fodder, you know. Right. And plus it was a time when I'd started to get a little money of my own because I was playing in the band, so I had a few bucks, and I was able to purchase a record on my own back in the mid-60s when I was 15, 16 years old. Okay.

Since we're on records, me and Westlaw, are big record collectors and so forth. Has your, the records you bought back then, have they survived today? What did your record? a collection look like now does it include all that old stuff? No, you know, I had my 45s for a long time. They were at my mother's house for many, many years.

I could go in and visit my little stack of 45s. And then at one time I had obviously a huge album collection. I have no idea where it went where my socks went. You know, wherever my record collection is, that's where all my missing socks are. So it's somewhere, you know, it's all gone. Now, now I'm like a lot of people here. I got my entire record collection from when I was 13 to when I'm 73 in my pocket at all times. You're a streaming guy.

I keep it with me, yes. I had a specific question. Just tell me about how you met Clarence Clemens and y'all's creative. relationship over the years, man. I was looking for a saxophone player because I, my roots came out of, you know, out of show bands, which visited the Jersey Shore in the midsummer because Asbury Park was like a cheesy sort of Fort Lauderdale. And so there was a lot of top 40 music.

There were a lot of show bands and a lot of our influences came, and they were playing a lot of soul music. So a lot of our influences came out, came from those places. And so Clarence was in a band called Little Melvin and the Invaders. And they played locally in clubs. I think Gary Talent played bass with my bass player. And, but I was looking for a saxophonist. And it was hard to find somebody who was really into blowing rhythm and blues saxophone or rock and roll saxophone. And there were a couple guys in the area, you know, one guy's too crazy, another guy's not quite good enough. And so I had sort of, I had a couple of R&B influenced tunes that Clive Davis got me to write

at the last minute before we put my first record out because he said I had nothing that would be played on the radio. So I went home and I wrote two songs from my first record, and they were both, you know, They were both R&B influenced, and a song called Spirit and a night and a song called Blinded by the Light. They were on my first album. And I found Clarence to play on those two songs. He had been missing in action the entire album until finally one night.

He walked into this place I was playing called the Student Prince in Asbury Park. And he just came from the back of the room, this big presence. And he walked up to me and I was just on this little tiny stage of my guitar. I said, can I sit in? I said, sure. He got up, he sat in. It was a stormy night. There was nobody there in the club, you know, 30 people, 20 people.

And the minute he started playing beside me, I said, okay, we have some, there's some connection going on here. This is the guy I've been looking for for a large portion of my life. And maybe he felt the same way, you know, because we just connected. And so we just met Rainy Night, Asbury, Park and after that he came to the studio and and and sat in on those two cuts and then you know we eventually joined the band i love how you just casually mentioned blinded by the light like that's not a staple it's just like yeah yeah you know i had this song called when duff's grow i don't know

if you guys heard of me right right right no but um i personally wanted to know like i know the story of at least how the blues had an effect across the pond. For a lot of your contemporaries that were part of the British invasion, you know, these blues men

are now finding second win, second life over torn in Europe, during the army bases and whatnot. And of course, like teenage stones, teenage Beatles see this, and then suddenly the British invasion music is informed. you know, I don't think I've ever had an interaction with someone, you know, on American soil, on how, what music affected them. So for me, it's, I always wanted to know for your, for your

formative years at least. Yeah. What effect did Motown and Seoul and James Brown and all of these all these songs by like black artists have on you in Jersey at the time. Like was it controversial to have or was it, you know, because, you know, you're also coming of age in the civil rights period as well. Right, right, you know. And well, here's how it went. On your bimonthly dance at the high school, right, you go. Everybody's in their corners of the room, right?

You got the rah-ra's, the college-bound kids over here. You got your black kids over here. You got your leather greasers over here. The greasers over there. Over there, you know. And so, Duop gets played. The greasers come out and they got their girls and they're on the floor. You get surf music or some of the top 40 early Beatles.

He get the Rau Razzee come out on the floor. You know. But when Motown played, everybody came out. Everybody danced. It was the miracle of that music. It remains a miracle of that music to this day. Everybody danced, you know. So, and our job at the time is we're top 40 cover band, just like everybody else, you know.

We're not necessarily playing all the top 40. We're playing a lot of blues and we're playing a lot of soul music and things that we're just picking up from our albums also. But we're also playing a reasonable amount of top 40 music just to get gig booked at your high school dances. When they would call you to book you, they would say, can you? play soul man? Can you play satisfaction? Then if you can't play those songs, you're not going to get the gig. You know, somebody else who can play them is going to get them. Get it. And so, you know, every week you learned a revolving door of two or three new things, depending on what hit that week. And whether it was black, white music or white music, you just learned what was hitting, you know.

And of course, you know, so Motown was had, I mean, Holland does your Holland and they had incredible, you know, so, so, so, it was, it was kind of basically like that. It, it, it, it, you didn't even give that much thought to it at the time. You just played what was hitting. And, and, and, and, and, and, and, but through doing that, you learn how Holland does your Holland, you learn, you learn Lennon, Lennon and McCartner, or gambling huff. You had to learn their songs. Yeah, song craft. That's it. You learned their structure. You learn their chord structure. You learn their production techniques. You learned, you know, and so one of the greatest times we had on making this record was we had to produce them all again. We had to, and I didn't try to make them different. I tried to make them the same, you know. I was like I was sticking to the original string parts, the original horn parts, the original vocal parts. You know, really we, we, we changed. changed. Obviously, you get a chance for a greater sound quality today. And my singer, that was all we really did differently. I wasn't interested in reinventing the wheel that was kind of perfect as it was, you know. So learning your craft came through studying and learning week after week after week all of these songs. The best bands to this day are bands that

maybe began as cover bands almost, because you had to learn all. different kinds of music, everybody's different writing techniques, everybody's different production techniques. And we had so much fun making this record because we were just remaking, we got to remake those records and going into a big string section with a, you know, players from the New York Philharmonic in watching them play Only the Strong Survive or someday we'll be together, you know? So it was just a tremendous, tremendously good time, just re-learning those incredible records again. Did you track and mix your entire album in your home studio?

Yes. All right, I got to know, what kind of board are you using? Because even with the mixing of the album, it hints towards, one could say, a vintage sound to it. What are we working on most of the time, Rob? This is SSL. Yeah, we're on our SSL board. Really? Okay.

I thought it was in, okay. You thought what? I thought it was in Neve. Yeah, I was going to say that. But I've worked on many Needs, but this is an SSL, you know. So, but the guys were really good at getting good sounds, you know, and getting authentic sounds. And the whole record is, it's just us three guys in a studio. Wow.

Can I ask a question? I'm curious, because I know that. And the process usually, when people do cover songs, there's no contact between the initial writers or artists or anything, but this is you. This is Bruce Springsteen doing covers of Motown, Gamble and Huff and everything. So I'm curious if,

and shout-outs to Deanna Williams, who kind of put this in perspective in the sense of this being a beautiful homage, because also all these writers are receiving the royalties from this, you know, this project, which is a beautiful thing. But yet, but has there been any contact? Did they know, like, ahead of time that you were doing anything? No one knew ahead of time,

because I'm afraid of telling anybody what I'm doing because I'll record something and then I'll throw it out a month or two later and it doesn't happen, you know? So I don't like to tell anybody. I've received a little connection with Gamble and Huff. So I'm going to – I haven't met them, but I'm going to meet them because they heard the kind of record I was making and some of their – and their influence, of course, is well on it, you know. So it's – no, it's mostly – it's just three guys in a room. That's what I'm. A win is a win. A win is a win.

I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated.

One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast, it's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me, or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Cliverts Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or we're wherever you get your podcast.

And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. There's two golden rules that any man should live by. Rule one, never mess with a country girl. You play stupid games,

you get stupid prizes. And rule two, never mess with her friends either. We always say that trust your girlfriends. I'm Anna Sinfield. And in this new season of the girlfriends,

oh my God, this is the same man. A group of women discover they've all dated the same prolific con artist. I felt like I got hit by a truck. I thought, how could this happen to me? The cops didn't seem to care. So they take matters into their own hands. I said, oh, hell no. I vowed.

I will be his last target. He's going to get what he deserves. Listen to the girlfriends. Trust me, babe. On the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. This week on the Sports Slice podcast, it's all about the NFL draft, and we've got a special guest. The director of the NFL's East West Shrine Bowl, Eric Galko, joins the Sports Slice podcast to break down what really matters

when evaluating draft prospects, from hidden traits teams look for to the biggest mistakes franchises make to the players flying under the radar. This is the insight you won't hear anywhere else. If you want to understand the draft like an insider, you don't want to miss this episode. Listen to the Sports Slice podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slice of Life 12 and TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. I was curious to know, Bruce,

you work with Jimmy Avine very early in his career as a producer. Were there any lessons that you kind of learned from him that you carried either into this record or any of your other records that you produced? No, Jimmy learned all his lessons from me. Yeah, that's what I'm saying. Say that. Okay.

And not, you know, not just. Just me, me, John, and then Jimmy was a sponge. He's a sponge for learning. He always was. He was just one of the smartest, one of the quietly smartest guys in the room is Jimmy Iveen. You know, he's still my great, great friend. And, but when Jimmy started, you have to understand,

when I walked in to do my first session at the record plan, all Jimmy was doing was pushing the start and stop button and putting the tape on and off. He wasn't engineering. or producing any records. He hadn't done that yet. Is it shocking to you to see, like, how he's now, like, a super mogul? Or, you know, this is the guy that once, like, got your coffee and whatever, like, and now he's like.

It's totally shocking. And it's remained shocking to all of us to this day, you know, is that, okay, Jimmy I'm being, is doing what? He made what? Right, right. He's got what? Yes, there's a lot of that. There's a lot of that that goes on. But Jimmy was just a super talented guy.

You know, he was, and he was a brave thinker, you know, his partnership with Dre, incredible, you know. And, you know, he was just a smart young guy, you know. And so I walked in one night and he went from the, pressing the start and stop button on the tape deck to sitting. sitting at the board. And I said, John, what's he doing at the board, man? You know?

And John says, well, he says he can do it. And that was it. Jimmy Yvine ends up engineering born to run. Did you like his mixing? Yeah, yeah. Jimmy's technique was very simple. He mixed until you liked the way it sounded. Oh, that's all it's called for.

That's right. mixes and he just mixes until you like the way it sounds. And he just figured it out, you know. So, you know, but so Jimmy, we were all really beginners together, you know, honestly. And he, like the first time he was at that board, I walked in, I said, wasn't this guy like over just, can you do it, you know? But obviously he could, you know. Okay.

Oftentimes, I'll say that, you know, most artists, and I'm one of those, Like, I'm so uber obsessed with writers that, you know, this is basically my chance to play journalist. But, you know, oftentimes artists really aren't aware of their critical claim. And, you know, of course, the main narrative of your journey into rock stardom was definitely through a connection of, you know, our pal, John Landau, who's your manager. Landau, of course, famously, you know, wrote for Prime Rolling Stone and, you know, all these publications. And, you know, he's definitely one of the first generation critical thinking journalists out there. And, of course, he famously wrote that, you know, he saw the future rock and roll. Back when you first saw you play, I don't know, Boston, whatever, but he saw the future rock and roll and his name is Bruce Springsteen.

And I always wanted to know, like, okay, so from my side of the fence, those words in print could, be super crippling to an artist. I've known artists that are, you know, 27 years, 28 years in the game and they might have three records out. I know artists that have given up after their first record. For you at the time when literally the entire world is declaring that you're going to pick up this this this baton this this this this baton that's sort of like the remnant leftover of the folk movement and the singer-songwriter movement and the rock movement and whatnot was that any pressure in you or were you just shrugging it off like oh okay that's cool like 20 as a 25 year old kid so so i felt tremendous pressure you know but i felt two things

you know i think good artists always feel in the same way one they go i am a complete phony too they go i am the greatest thing you've ever seen and they believe both things right now believing that they're a complete phony keeps them working right it keeps you chasing your craft and trying to get better and uh and keep you working after it you know and thinking you're the greatest thing you ever say well you need to be you got to have some of that swagger man if you're going to make it and and no matter how humble you're going to fake it you're going to need some of that swagger to make it you're going to need some of that swagger to get yourself through, you know. So, but at the time, I felt tremendous pressure around it,

and it shook my world, and, you know, I just hunkered down, sat in, and we just played night after night, after night, after night, after night, after night. We played our hearts out in the best we could for year after year after year after year. At the end of the day, I was going to let the work speak for itself. You know, come and see me, come and listen to me, check my songs. And that's pretty much, that was my approach to it. But there was a lot of pressure at the time. And I went through a lot of, you know, mental anguish about it.

One question I had, man, was regarding one of my favorite records you did, the song you wrote for the wrestler, the Mickey Roy. Can you talk me about, like, when you're writing for film, do you get a copy of the film that they show it to you beforehand? Do they sing you notes? How do you approach writing songs for film? Well, it varies. You know, Jonathan Demi called me one time and said he was making a film

that was dealing with the AIDS crisis and he was looking for a song. So I didn't see the film. I think I saw a few minutes of its opening because that's where he was looking for a song for. And so I spent a couple of days and I ended up writing and recording his song Streets in Philadelphia. That was one approach or the other approach. I just, sometimes somebody will send me a small piece of film and they'll say this is the ambiance of the movie or this is where we're thinking of a song coming in. And in Mickey's case, Mickey Rourke, you know, I'd been friends with him for quite a while

and he said, man, this is a big movie for me and do you think you'd have anything that might work, you know? So I said, okay, what is this a guy about? This is a song about a guy whose whole thing is living with pens. You know, living with pain. That's how he processes his life. And so with that in mind, I just sat down and I think I wrote the song pretty quickly. That's what's up.

Now, it fit the movie perfectly, man. You did a great job. It really spoke to the character. Wait, was that song nominated for an Oscar or? There, could you, all right, I'm only asking. I don't know what happened. You'd be honest with you, because I won a Golden Globe for it. Right.

Okay. I want to go, and Mickey won the Golden Globe for acting, you know. So I have my thoughts on why Mickey, you know. When Mickey wrote gave his speech at the Golden Globes about his dog dying and everything, I knew instantly that was going to freak out the academy and thus. No, I still say that Mickey World should. won that award, but I know how the Academy thinks they're like, he ain't making a fool of us on our stage.

We're going to give that to Sean Penn. But I was wondering. But I wanted to know why, because they only have three songs in the category. And I was like, what the fuck is Bruce's song? And why is it? How many writers were? I was told something at the time that if the song wasn't within the body of the movie, it couldn't be nominated if it was just in the credit.

I mean, I got told some sort of thing like that. Whether that's true or not, I don't know. All I know is it didn't get nominated. Yeah, I thought you were shooting for that. So, okay, there's, I don't know if you read the friendship of you and Little Stephen to me is like, you know, one for the history books and the relationship that you two have with each other. And the way that he, you know, when his book came out, there's one of my favorite rock memoirs ever because he's almost a poet in describing like, especially the early days where you guys were playing these teen clubs like the hullo. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah.

Yeah. So can you, because the thing is we don't necessarily have that today, but what were the teen, first of all, were these teen night clubs at night or were they like afternoon things where you guys would play these nightclubs with teenagers in them? That's what it was. Here was the shocking thing

and it remains to me shocking to this day is that that doesn't exist anymore. Right. But there's kind of a reason and if you think about it like 1966, hullabaloo on TV, Shindig on TV,

you know, American bandston, where the, you know, there's all sorts of the soul train, you know, it's coming in, and there's all sorts of different music shows on. But at that time, if you wanted to hire a rock and roll band, you had to hire children.

Teenagers. Really? Yeah, teenagers are who played rock and roll. It wasn't a 40-year-old man playing rock and roll in 1966. Oh. Right? It was just 14-year-old men, not 40. Now you want to hire rock and roll band.

You got to hire 50-year-old. all men. You know? But at that time, at that time, you know, it was, it was youth oriented. And so there were all of these clubs that were on either two or three nights a week sometimes or certainly open on the weekends. And they were for teenagers only, really, there weren't even people in their 20s in them. And there was no booze served. But there were rock bands playing, you know, local rock bands and sometimes national acts where you honed your craft

night after night. You know, I played in, Stephen and I both played in who knows how many of these places. But they were all over the shore, we're probably all over the country at that time, you know, but what people forget is rock and roll bands were teenagers in those days. And there were, there was no such thing

as, like I say, the 40 or 50-year-old guy playing rock music, you know. But what shocks me now is that sort of venue no longer exists. These were places where everybody made their bones. You know, everybody, you played five hours a night. You played five sets. You know, you played 50 minutes on and 10 minutes off for five sets in a row. And you did this, you know, weekend after week after week after week after week.

And so, you know, Steve and I were craftsmen. You know, we're old school craftsmen like shoemakers, you know, or like seamstresses. You know, we're those kinds of guys. You know, we learned our craft bit by bit, piece by piece, song by song. And basically, that's how we perform on stage to this day. The East Street band is a band full of craftsmen. guys who came up, you know, learning their craft from first how to put it on the two and four.

And so that's different. Today, we have a kid in his bedroom two months later. He's got the biggest hit in the United States. He's on the radio. He may have never played a gig in his life, you know. There's something cool about that and that sort of it being there available to all is a wonderful thing, you know, and it was totally out of any type of, you couldn't even record yourself in 1966,

unless people didn't have studios or they didn't have tape players. I was going to ask, do you feel as though you're the father or the, yes, and I know, like, Todd Rundgren and Slide Stone and Stevie Wonder were all like, whatever, the bedroom musician or whatever, but the kind of legacy that is the Nebraska record, even though you said it was an accident and you were just, Right. You know, just putting some songs down on tape.

But do you sometimes credit yourself with the Nebraska album being like the really, one of the first early examples of that type of... Lo-Fi home recording. Yeah. Yeah. It just, you know, I can't claim any credit for it because I wasn't planning on doing anything that was unusual at the time. I was simply trying to hear if I had any good songs to record with the East Street band.

When we went in the studio and I was sick of wasting all my money with endless hours of studio time, throwing out 40 songs, leaving them on the floor. And so I said, well, I'm going to find out if I have some good songs and I'm going to go in and record those songs. But of course, the minute you hit the start button, things happen and things happen that aren't going to happen again. They're only happening right now in this particular moment in time. So I'm in my bedroom, and I just sent my guitar tick out to get a little four-track Tiac cassette player, which, you know, previous to that, all I had was my boombox to record our rehearsals on. You know, we're recording our rehearsals on the boom box.

And so I sat down and I started to play off these songs, and, you know, I played a certain amount. And then suddenly I went to record it with the band, didn't sound as good. I went to record it by myself in the studio, didn't sound it better, but, you know, was worse. And suddenly I realized that the little cassette I had in my pocket, that was my album. Who talked to you into, so you yourself said the cassette? This is the final album. This is all debate about if you read Steve's book, Steve says he said it was. If you read, I'm sure that's what he thinks he said it was. I think it was my idea. That's right. I think it was my idea. But who knows, you know? The promise of a rock god is is coming in the seven.

and, you know, I mean, you delivered with these records, you know, the river and born to run and, and darkness. But do you often find, and especially with how born in the USA was received, do you often find that sometimes you might have a fan that's more in love with the idea of Bruce Springsteen than the actual Bruce Springsteen? I mean, I know that you've had many a situation where like this particular unsavory political figure wants to use born in the USA. Oh, sure, yeah. Totally missing the fact that the song has nothing to do with a type of patriotism. So, you know, when this album comes out, are you at all aware or are you even in the mind space of not? knowing that you're about to go to, like, God levels that born to run wasn't taking you yet. Like, before born in the USA, did you just think, like, okay, well, I'll just coast out and do whatever,

or was there still a hunger in you to grab the brass ring? Yeah, yeah, that's been, that's never gone away, you know. And it started when I was a young kid, and I always tell people more than, rich more than good looking more than I wanted to be great I wanted to make great music I wanted to inspire people the way that I felt inspired and if I could do that that's my life's work you know I just want to inspire you with with what I created and my music the way that I was inspired by the people who touched my heart and my soul and my life with their music that's really what I like doing you know everything else great you know you want to

like to throw the money at me. Dynamite, you know? That's all fabulous too. But I just love, I love doing what I'm doing, and I love, I still love pursuing that golden ring. It takes a lot of different shapes as life goes on, you know. Sometimes it's in Nebraska or it's a born in the USA or it's the rising or something else or some other record, you know.

Speaking of born in the USA, what were your thoughts on band in the USA by two-lacru? Yes, please. Well, they asked me about it. I forgot that. Come on. They asked me about it and I said, sure, go ahead, you know. Wow.

The reason why I asked you that question about were you trying to grab the brass ring or did it just happen and it occurred, you know, without your planning is because I all, so this one, of course, you know, I'm one of the 12, This is the first Springsteen I ever owned. And I always wanted to know.

So, you know, there's six singles from this record. But for me, I always wanted to know why the monster ones were always just at the end of Side 2. Like, in my mind, like, Glory Day is dancing in the dark. Yeah. Even my hometown closes it. Like, that's buried at the end of Side 2. And normally the way that albums are structured, it's like, you're having to be a lot of It's like your heavy hitters are first and you're, okay, I'll let you write your song or whatever. Right.

That would be the Landau theory. The Landau theory is heavy hitters come first usually, you know. My theory is I'm looking for a narrative in the record. I'm taking the intellectual, I'm taking the intellectual point of view. I know John in this instance is taking the gut, is using his gut to make his judgments, and I'm going the other way. thinking like, well, what's kind of, what am I trying to say? What am I saying?

What's, I knew my hometown was going to close it. I knew born the USA was going to open it. And everything else, I don't know how it ended up where it was. It just did. I just, man, it just always, to this day, like, I just, I've never seen an album. I'm a guy that obsessed over sequencing and songs and all that time. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, it's important. I just never seen an album built that way.

that it's such a staple of yours, but it's almost like, whatever, it's just those a song where I always wanted to know why like your heavy hitters were like way buried at the end of the album. I probably didn't know they were heavy hitters. I just thought they were another, it was another cut, you know? I mean, I knew when I wrote dancing in the dark

that that sounded like what I thought was a hit for me, you know? And I don't, you know, and which I do not have many other records I've cut where I said, oh yeah, that's going to be a top 40. I'm generally not a top 40 hit artist. I'm more of an album artist, you know. But I knew when I cut that one, I said, well, if I was ever to have a hit, it would sound like...

It's going to be that one. Yeah, yeah. That's right. And so it's sort of... That's a song that's just sustained itself over there. John Legend does a version of it. It sounds like Gershwin. Incredible.

He does a beautiful version of it, you know. And so... But why the thing ended up at the bottom of the second side? I really don't know. It doesn't make any sense. Lastly, I'm going to ask you, you know, you did a string of dates at Master Square Garden, and I got to witness about five of them.

Wow. And each show was, you know, your typical gargantuan, three and a half hour affair, whatnot. All the songs were different orders. this is almost like a new show every night. How are you able to, to, all that text, all those core changes, all those arrangements. And, you know, at one point I decided, I think on the third night, I decided I'm just going to walk in the stadium and watch the audience, watch you.

And they're singing everything verbatim. So it wasn't even like you were missing a step or missing a lyric or anything. How much pressure is it in putting those shows together and those songs. and how do you even craft your show? Well, two years, my band will have been together for 50 years. Okay. So we've got a lot of history, and we've got a lot of experience. And on the last tour, we played 200 songs.

Yes. Two hundred different songs. You know, we'll pull things out of the audience, or, you know, I'll just, my thing is on, usually, once the tour gets rolling, The show is regularly different on a night-to-night basis, you know, and I'll get with the guys, I'll send notes into the guys before showtime. I'll say, refresh yourself on this one from that album, this one from that album, this one from that album, because we might play it tonight.

So the guys will have, you know, hopefully they'll have an hour or a half hour to prepare themselves a little bit. And then we rehearsing the afternoon also. We don't just play three and a half hours a night. We're there in the afternoon. and we have done two-hour sound checks just trying to learn something new or the sound checks can go from 10 minutes to two hours, you know. But it's just because it's fun, you know, it's just all, it's still all just fun. Playing all, surprising that audience here and there is just, it's fun to do.

It's wonderful, you know, it's wonderful. I look, what am I doing? I'm standing looking in your face all night long every night. I'm watching how you're responding to what I'm doing. And then I'm responding to you. So there's this huge circle of energy going on. You're watching me. I'm watching you.

You're watching me. And then I'm watching you. And this is going on all night long with the beautiful faces in front of you. And it remains an honor to play for our audience. And that's the way that I approach it, and that's what I insist from the band on a nightly basis. As you come out, your name is on the line every single night. I don't care how long you've been doing it, right?

Your name is on the line that night. You have an opportunity to impact somebody's life tonight. I don't care how long you've been doing it. And it's somebody's first time seeing you. That could be someone's first time seeing you that night. It's somebody's first time. That's right. Every night is somebody's first night.

I want to play like it's my first night. night. You know, so that's, that's a mic drop right there. I'll say to our audience that, you know, if there's ever a show or a comfort zone that you have to leave and see someone that you've never seen before or someone outside of your zone, I absolutely 12,000, 12 million percent recommend that you see a Springsteen show because literally the show, like you perform like your life depends on it. And I've seen you, at least in the last 10 years,

I've seen you about 15 times. And like each, each, and I'm the guy that doesn't know everything by heart. Like I'm, I came, I've learned stuff backwards. I know well enough to now say, yes, I'm a Spring Steam fan, but even at the time when, you know, when I first saw you, like, I only know a few albums and a few cuts, but yeah, I highly recommend it's an education just to watch someone that passionate about their craft service a bunch of fans in the audience, which you, you know, and I'm going to shows now. And I'm not trying to be the old guy that's just like, man, I'm not not connecting anymore like I used to.

But yeah, for me, you know, you're one of the last Mohicans left, so I highly recommend. And I thank you for doing this with us. Thank you. Thanks, Wes. Thank you, thanks, guys. Thank you. Thank you, man. On behalf of Laiaen, Fonticelo, and Sugarsteeve, and Unpaid Bill, this is Questlove,

and we will see you next go round of Westlough Supreme. And thank you, Bruce Springsteen. All right. Questlove Supreme is a production of IHeart Radio. For more podcasts from IHeart Radio, visit the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me. Clivert Taylor the fourth. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career

in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Cliford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to the Cliford Show on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for For more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok's podcast network on TikTok. When a group of women discover they've all dated the same prolific con artist, they take matters into their own hands. I vowed. I will be his last target.

He is not going to get away with this. He's going to get what he deserves. We always say that trust your girlfriends. Listen to the girlfriends. Trust me, babe. On the IHart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or web. wherever you get your podcast. This week on the Sports Slice podcast,

it's all about the NFL draft, and we've got a special guest. The director of the NFL's East West Shrine Bowl, Eric Galko, joins the Sports Slice podcast to break down what really matters when evaluating draft prospects. From hidden traits teams look for

to the biggest mistakes franchises make to the players flying under the radar. This is the insight you won't hear anywhere else. If you want to understand the draft like an insider, you don't want to miss this. episode. Listen to the Sports Slice podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slica Life 12 and TikTok podcast network on TikTok. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.