The Bruce Springsteen Story

An American Life


The Bruce Springsteen Story

BBC Radio 2 Broadcast 10th June 2003: FM Broadcast

Johnnie Walker presents a three-part series profiling the rock superstar. Notoriously selective about his interviews, Bruce Springsteen has opened up to Radio 2 exclusively and in-depth, talking about his life and music from the 1960s to 2003.

In the first programme, Johnnie follows Bruce's journey to stardom, culminating in the release of the hit single Born To Run and his first European tour.

We join Bruce, the son of a factory worker and a secretary in his childhood home in New Jersey and follow him through the trials and tribulations of a strict Catholic upbringing.

Bruce's mother bought him his first guitar, and he soon formed his first band, The Castiles. The Partridge Family songwriter turned star-maker, Mike Appel took Bruce under his wing and signed him to Columbia Records. Commercial success eluded the young Springsteen, however, until one day, in a tiny New Jersey shack, he came up with Born To Run and a meeting with the former journalist Jon Landau turned a near-disaster into glorious triumph.

Born To Run turned Bruce into a superstar, although his rapid rise to fame included a humiliating first visit to London. His career was once again sidelined when a vicious legal dispute stripped him of the rights to his own songs.

The programme features exclusive interview material with The Boss himself, along with comments from former band members and business associates. A selection of fellow songwriters, including Billy Bragg and Badly Drawn Boy, reflect on the enduring appeal of the man who remains something of an enigma even to his most devoted fans.

Quotes from BBC web site:

Bruce Springsteen
Blue-collared, many-sided, 100 % genuine rock 'n' roll superstar. For over 30 years Bruce has used his music to explore what it really means to be an American; with all the contradictions, wonder and pain that this entails.

What you do if someone doesn't understand your song, is to keep on singing your song.


BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN IN ONE MINUTE
"I have seen the future of rock and roll, and it's name is Bruce Springsteen" - Jon Landau, Rolling Stone Magazine, 1974
Bruce was discovered by A&R legend John Hammond, previously mentor to Billie Holiday, Benny Goodman and Bob Dylan
He's featured on the covers of Time and Newsweek magazines
Famed for his energetic 4 hour plus live shows
He won an Oscar for his track "Streets Of Philadelphia", written for the Tom Hanks' film Philadelphia
His protest song concerning the police shooting of Amadou Diallo, "American Skin (41 Shots)", caused outrage among elements of the NYPD
Explored the issues of a post-9/11 USA in 2002's The Rising