Featured Post

Click Here for Excerpts (and Reviews) for New Book

Sunday, December 9, 2007

Springsteen on the Sixties

By the time you read this you may have already watched the Tom Brokaw special tonight on 1968. The History Channel sent around a video excerpt with Bruce Springsteen (who failed his draft physical that year at age 18) talking about his musical influences. He hails Dylan, of course, but back when I knew Bruce he was almost equally into Van Morrison -- and, here's a scoop, during the recording of the "Born to Run" single, he listened a lot to the Searchers. Anyway, here is Bruce from the clip on Dylan: "I've met Bob Dylan a few times. He said, 'Hey man -- let me know if there's anything I can ever do for you.' Anything you can ever do for me?" Bruce laughs. "It's been done!"

Update after seeing the show: If anyone cares, I was one of the "Clean for Gene" college students in 1968 and was later in that crowd outside the Hilton in Chicago--but AFTER the rioting stopped. Chicken.

No comments: