 May 21 2004: BRUCE'S MEDICAL RECORDS FOR SALE From today's NY Daily News Boss was itchin' Bruce Springsteen sings about being "Born to Run," but he was also born with a rash. The rock star's birth records are being auctioned on the Internet and bidders are expected to dole out a lot of green for the yellowing documents. Leland's Auction House in Seaford, L.I., put Springsteen's birth records from Monmouth Memorial Hospital in Long Branch, N.J., on the cyberspace auction block this week and will accept bids until June 3. Officials at Leland's insist that the papers are Springsteen's "actual 'Newborn Record.'" The documents, posted yesterday on thesmokinggun.com, are the handwritten notes of Dr. Frank Niemtzow and nurses who helped deliver the Boss on Sept. 23, 1949. The papers are signed by Springsteen's mother, Adele, and note the baby was born 19 inches long and weighed 6 pounds, 6 ounces. The records also note that Springsteen was born with a rash on his buttocks, and detail his bowel movements in the hours after his birth. Simeon Lipman of Leland's refused to identify whom the records belong to and how the person got them. Springsteen's spokeswoman, Marilyn Laverty, said the singer had no comment on the auction. From www.thesmokinggun.com Springsteen Medical Records For Sale Hospital documents from singer's 1949 birth hit auction block MAY 20--A New York auction house is attempting to sell confidential medical records chronicling the September 1949 birth of Bruce Springsteen, The Smoking Gun has learned. Nine documents from Monmouth Memorial Hospital in Long Branch, New Jersey are being offered for sale by auctioneer Leland's, which notes in a catalog description that that the records go into "great detail medically on the birth" of the 54-year-old rock star. The documents offered by Leland's include medical charts maintained by Dr. Frank Niemtzow and nurses who recorded the newborn Springsteen's skin rashes and bowel movements. Records from the hospital (which has since been renamed Monmouth Medical Center) also include biographical information provided by Springsteen's parents, Douglas and Adele. Below you will find three of the documents being offered for sale by Leland's, which posted the images on its web site, but has offered no details on how the confidential items were obtained. Simeon Lipman, a Leland's official, told TSG that the medical records were part of a larger Springsteen collection consigned by a collector who Lipman declined to identify. Asked whether it was legal to be selling someone else's medical records, Lipman said, "That's a very good question." Monmouth Medical Center spokesperson Kathy Horan told TSG that the hospital was concerned that the records were on the auction block, adding that officials had no idea how the material landed in private hands. Horan could not pinpoint when records from 1949 would have last been in the hospital's control, so it is virtually impossible to determine when the Springsteen documents could have been removed. "The only people who should have access to those are patients, their designated signee, or someone who gets access to them via a court order," added Horan. The Springsteen items are part of a large collection of Americana, bids for which close June 3. And in case The Boss isn't bothered enough by the sale of the medical records, Leland's is also selling his 1984 American Federation of Television and Radio Artists membership card, which prominently displays the singer's Social Security number. May 16 2004: LITTLE STEVEN SAYS NO NEW BRUCE/E-STREET ALBUM IN 2004 On May 12th Little Steven chatted with John DeBella on WMGK radio. Apparently Steven said that the E Street Band will not be actively working on anything this year. Steve said Bruce is always writing and DeBella talked about rumours of a Bruce solo tour but Steven did not know about that. Said he saw Bruce across the room briefly at the Kristen Carr benefit but it was so crowded they did not have time to talk. April 27 2004: BRUCE ROCKED THE PONY On Sunday April 25th, Bruce and Patti participated in the third year of private benefits for the Rumson Country Day School, along with Southside Johnny and Bobby Bandiera. The benefit took place at the Stone Pony in Asbury Park. Guests, besides friends and family, were parents and school supporters, who contributed $1000 per couple to the school for "admission," and RCDS teachers, who were invited for free. Audience recordings from any of the RCDS benefits have yet to circulate (and are very unlikely to have been taped at all). Apparently Bruce had a few Tequila shots throughout the night and had a lot of fun passing them around to the audience. One fan's account from the night: "spotlight on Mr. Small, he's the headmaster of educational disaster oh yeah, oh yeah" "spotlight on Patti Scialfa sassy sassy sassy sasyy, sassy sassy sassy sasyy, oh yeah, oh yeah, SASSY" between each of the last 10 songs, he waited until everyone in view had a fresh shot of tequila before asking "are ya READY!??" no autographs, didn't need em... the windmill was one hell of a memory basically, he was a "slightly tipsy" and as we were walking to the windmill, he was walking to his car (Patti and about 20 friends were inside) and he says to us "you guys look hungry! Come inside and eat something!" so of course we're just kinda standing there with our jaws dropped laughing that this is happening, and as much as I didn't want to let the opportunity slide, it was pretty clear that Patti wanted this to be a family and friends thing, so we didn't go in. Bruce was back in his car looking for his wallet, lifts his head up, and says "Where's my money, I don't have any money, who's got money?" looks at us and says "do you have money"? Of course I said yes right away as Patti intervened and kind of herded Bruce back inside... one of his assistants politely told us what we already knew that they wanted some privacy, and he would appreciate it if we could respect it... and unfortunately we are somewhat respectful people and complied, but one hell of a memory! And not a bad concert to boot! LOL Bruce sounded GREAT, Bobby's band was tight, and Southside showed up for "Havin a Party" People in New Jersey get all the fun! ;-) Setlist: "634-5769" - "Soul Man" - "Boogaloo Down Broadway" - "Shake" - "Tell Him" (Patti Scialfa) - "Seven Nights To Rock" - "From Small Things Big Things One Day Come" - "Green River" - "Hungry Heart" - "Darlington County" - "Everybody Needs Somebody To Love" - "Hold On (I'm Coming)" - "Twistin' The Night Away" - "Hey, Tonight" - "You Really Got A Hold On Me" - "Mustang Sally" - "I Thank You" - "Glory Days" - "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out" - "Twist And Shout" - "Havin' A Party" (with Soutshide)- "Sweet Soul Music"/"Tequila"/"Sweet Soul" April 26 2004: BRUCE ATTENDS KAC BENEFIT On Saturday night, it was time for the annual fundraising dinner and auction for the Kristin Ann Carr fund. Bruce and Patti attended the event, posing for pictures and signing some autographs. Little Steven was also in attendance. One of the items in the auction was a Telecaster guitar, signed by Bruce, which raised $5000. The Kristen Ann Carr Fund was created in 1993 when the daughter of Bruce friends and associates, Dave Marsh and Barbara Carr, died of sarcoma cancer. The fund provides grants for sarcoma cancer research. Read more about the fund. 
April 24 2004: NEW BRUCE ALBUM IN THE FALL?! taken from www.backstreets.com At the big Sony sales meeting this week, much of the excitement revolved around Prince's presence in the building. But to us (with all due respect to the purple one), the big news regards the Artist Currently Known as Springsteen. As an industry source tells Backstreets, label sales reps have just been informed by Sony that a new studio album from Springsteen is planned for later this year -- that's right, a mere two years and change after The Rising. No further details at the moment -- no title, no release date, no recording info (though word has it that Bruce has been logging hours in his home studio this year). And as always, we've gotta maintain a believe-it-when-we-see-it outlook when it comes to a new Springsteen record (he's changed his mind before). But according to the ones who'll be selling his Rising follow-up, it's not too much further up the road. April 19 2004: PATTI SHOWCASED NEW ALBUM. BRUCE SANG BACKUP. On Sunday April 18th, a hundred or so lucky winners saw Patti take the stage at the Hit Factory. The showcase took place in order to promote Patti's new album, 23rd Street Lullaby, to be released on June 15th. Backed by Soozie Tyrell and Nils Lofgren, amongst others, Patti played a nearly two hour set of both old and new songs. Bruce was there too and mainly stayed away from the spotlight, giving Patti her opportunity to shine. Bruce did sing backup vocals and played guitar on "Love Stand Up" and "As Long As I Can Be With You", two songs from her first album. The audience was told not to wear white as the entire evening was filmed... April 10 2004: BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN ROCKS AS 'HORSE SHOW DAD' AT WEF link to article By Randi Muster Apr 7, 2004, 11:12 Bruce Springsteen rocks as 'Horse Show Dad' at the Tournament of Champions in Tampa, Florida. Springsteen's daughter Jessica has been competing on the Winter Equestrian Festival circuit, which kicked off in Wellington in January and caps off in Tampa, April 3, with the $200,000 Budweiser American Invitational presented by Publix and The Tampa Tribune at the Raymond James Stadium. Photos: Randi Muster 
April 10 2004: SPRINGSTEEN DROPS IN ON TEEN BAND IN FLORIDA link to article I think it's time I find myself a band to join... The Boss drops in on band, courtesy of Mom By Leslie Gray Streeter, Palm Beach Post Staff Writer Friday, April 9, 2004  At their March 13 gig at the Veterans Park Green Market in Royal Palm Beach, Odd Man Out welcomed a special audience member: Rock legend Bruce Springsteen. Apparently The Boss, who visits Florida each year when his daughter rides in the Winter Equestrian Festival, works out at Ultima Fitness in Wellington. And that's where Grace Huber, mother of Odd Man Out drummer Michael and guitarist Matthew, is a personal trainer. "I went up to him and said, 'I work here, and my boys are in a band,' " Grace Huber said. "He was really nice. I told him about CBGB's and that they were playing a gig locally. He asked for directions." Alas, Springsteen didn't make it to that gig, although Grace Huber says he asked about it the next time he saw her. He even asked about their next gig -- "But he didn't come that time either," she said. "And then he went back north." So imagine Michael Huber's surprise when, a few weeks later, "we were in the car, and my mom's cellphone rang. I answered it, and (I hear) 'Hello, is Grace Huber there?' I said, 'Yes,' and he said, 'This is Bruce Springsteen.' " The third time, apparently, was the charm, because The Boss was coming back to town. And he finally caught the teen group's act, got his picture taken with them and chatted about music -- he knows a thing or two about being in a band, after all. "My mom was freaking out," bassist Kyle Krakow reports. "And my guidance counselor saw the picture and said, 'He touched your shoulder!' " guitarist Louis Johnson added. "She was hyperventilating." The boys admit that before meeting Springsteen they might not have recognized his face, "but we all knew he was famous, and a rock star," Louis says. "He was nice." Grace Huber says Springsteen, who she says has since called to say hello, thought the boys were pretty nice, too -- "He said he really enjoyed it. And he went out of his way to come see them," she says. "I think it meant a lot to them." Odd Man Out's webpage April 8 2004: PETA DOES THE E-STREET SHUFFLE MSNBC.com is reporting that the animal rights organization PETA pulled an ad concerned with "Obese In The U.S.A.". The ad was supposed to parody the BITUSA album cover, showing an overweight American. In a memo PETA wrote "Mr. Springsteen’s management felt that people might think we are spoofing Bruce himself, which was never the case.' Out of deference to the Boss, who has a pro-animal history, PETA is yanking the ads." April 4 2004: BRUCE SIGHTING IN TAMPA Bruce and his family have been seen in Tampa where his daughter, Jessica, is competing in horse jumping. The following article was published online and is courtesy of Keith St. Clair. Springsteen, the dad, shows up near Tampa By KEITH ST. CLAIR Published April 4, 2004 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TAMPA - Early Saturday morning, Bruce Springsteen sat alone watching a horse jumping competition, one of no more than a dozen people in the darkened Charlie Lykes Arena bleachers at the Florida State Fairgrounds. It's quite a change from Nov. 24, 2002, when Springsteen was last seen in Tampa. That night he could be found under a spotlight at the St. Pete Times Forum, working his way through a nearly three-hour, sweat-drenched set in front of packed house of 19,644. This time around, Springsteen was in the role of father instead of rock star. His 11-year-old daughter, Jessica, was competing in the equestrian Tournament of Champions, and he was here just being a dad. Even if you were looking for him, the 54-year-old musician was hard to spot. Wearing jeans, jacket and baseball cap, he blended in with the other horse show parents. "He always does," said Winter Equestrian Festival spokesman Mason Phelps Jr. "(The Springsteens) float around here like regular people." Bruce's wife and E Street Band member Patti Scialfa - also Jessica's mom - was at the horse show Saturday, as well. On Friday, Bruce had been spotted at the fairgrounds, cruising around in a golf cart with one of their two sons. Offstage, Springsteen is known for guarding his family's privacy. He didn't care to chat with a reporter on Saturday morning. "I'm just here with my daughter," he said as he walked toward the barn area a few minutes before Jessica rode in the Large Pony Hunter class. Saturday was the final day of Tournament of Champions, a two-week event that wraps up the Winter Equestrian Festival circuit. Phelps said Jessica has been competing every weekend on the circuit since its start in late January. Last year, she competed in a handful of events on the circuit, Phelps said. "She was a champion a couple times," he added, meaning she earned the most points in her division over the week. Phelps said he didn't know if the Springsteens were commuting to Florida on the weekends from their New Jersey home, or if Jessica was here for the season and using the circuit's tutoring service. Regardless, she was a winner again on Saturday morning. She finished first in her class, riding Liseter Clever Star. And the horse was circuit champion of the division, meaning Jessica could accompany it to the world-class horse competition Saturday night at Raymond James Stadium to pick up the award. Maybe she was born to ride. photos by Randi Muster 
April 2 2004: PATTI SCIALFA'S SECOND ALBUM TO BE RELEASED JUNE 15TH 11 years after the release of "Rumble Doll" Patti Scialfa's second album titled "23rd Street Lullaby" is scheduled for release on June 15th of this year. The following is taken from www.backstreets.com Patti Scialfa's second album scheduled for June No foolin'! Eleven years after Rumble Doll, it looks like Patti is finally taking her follow-up out of the oven. Her sophomore album, titled 23rd Street Lullaby, is currently planned for a June 15 release on Columbia, with 12 tracks: 23rd Street Lullaby You Can't Go Back Rose City Boys Love (Stand Up) Yesterday's Child Stumbling to Bethlehem Each Other's Medicine Romeo State of Grace Chelsea Avenue When You're Young in the City Patti performed "Rose" and "Love (Stand Up)" at Holiday Shows in 2000 and 2001; "Romeo" was used in the 1998 Ed Burns movie No Looking Back. No word just yet on who might have guested on 23rd Street Lullaby, but in any case Patti fans can finally exhale. March 30 2004: BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN IS "IMMORTAL" The latest issue of Rolling Stone #964, includes their latest list - "The Fifty Greatest Artists Of All Time". The top three is taken by The Beatles, Bob Dylan and Elvis Presley. Bruce Springsteen came in at #23. Fellow artists wrote tributes for each person on the Immortal list and Jackson Browne returned the R&R HOF favor by writing about Bruce - "In many ways, Bruce Springsteen is the embodiment of rock 'n' roll" March 16 2004: BRUCE'S FIRST LIVE PERFORMANCE OF 2004 24 hours after inducting Jackson Browne into the R&R Hall Of Fame, Bruce joined Jackson at his Beacon Theatre show in New York City. After standing in the audience, watching most of the show with Patti Scialfa, Bruce came out for the last encore, playing electric guitar and singing back-up on the final song of the night, "Take It Easy". March 15 2004: BRUCE INDUCTS JACKSON BROWNE INTO HALL OF FAME Once again, Bruce was responsible for inducting someone into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame. This time, Jackson Browne received the honor of having Bruce do his induction speech. In attendance along with Bruce were Patti Scialfa, Jon Landau, Dave Marsh, and Steve Van Zandt. Bruce did not perform at the ceremony. The following is Bruce's complete speech. "I first met Jackson Browne in the early seventies. It was at the Bitter End. I was brought down there by David Blue, a folk singer, after a set I did at Max's Kansas City. On David Blue's word, Jackson was kind enough to let somebody he'd just met get up on stage and play a song during his set. I watched Jackson play. That night he was accompanied by his great sideman, David Lindley. As I listened that night I knew that this guy was simply one of the best. Each song was like a diamond and my first thought was 'damn, he's good.' My second thought was 'I need less words.' The emotions of all the music was right out there on the sleeve and I've remained a major, major fan since then. I remember watching him that night and he was kind of quintessentially California, right down to, like, the lost surfer haircut; good lookin' guy, great songwriter and we became pretty friendly. So over the next few years, Jackson was gracious enough to let me open up at several of his gigs. Now being a little competitive, the first thing I noticed was Jackson didn't have much of a show. He just stood there in the baggy jeans and the t-shirt, singing his serious songs. That was it. Being a little competitive, I also noticed that Jackson drew and enormous amount of good looking women. Great lookin' women who stood there staring at the stage, entranced. His hair was perfect. And that was something I aspired to myself. Both the hair and the women. So, tonight this is an unlooked-at part of Jackson's work that I'd like to focus on for a moment. The great songwriting? Alright. I could deal with that. I don't need to stand here tonight and dwell on the obvious. But the gals that came to the show! Ya see, what most people don't realize, and for me this was a big part of Jackson's rock 'n' roll credentials, was that Jackson Browne was a bona fide rock 'n' roll sex star. And my wife says he still is. He tried to hide it but not too much, I guess. Now, being a little competitive, I also noticed that while the E Street Band and I were sweatin' our asses off for hours just to put some fannies in the seats, that obviously due to what must have been some strong homo-erotic undercurrent in our music, we were drawing rooms filled with men. Not that great lookin' men either. Meanwhile, Jackson is drawing more women than an Indigo Girls show. It's true that Jackson wrote some of the most beautiful breakin' up music, break your heart music of all: Sky Blue and Black, Linda Paloma, In The Shape of a Heart. I think that what drew women to Jackson, besides the obvious, was that they finally felt they were listening to a guy who knew as much about love as they did. And what drew men to Jackson, besidesthe obvious, I guess, was that when they listened to him, they realized they knew more about love than they thought they did. In seventies, post-Vietnam America, there was no album that captured the fall from Eden, the long, slow after-burn of the sixties; it's heartbreak, it's disappointments, it's spent possibilities better than Jackson's masterpiece, Late For the Sky. It's just a beautiful body of work. It's essential in making sense of the times. Before the Deluge still gives me goosebumps and it raises me to cause. Late For the Sky, when those car doors slam at the end of the record, they still bring tears. And there was no more searching, yearning, loving music made for and about America at the time. In this and so much of Jackson's writing, the slow meticulous crafting of the songs, the thoughtfulness. Jackson was one of the first songwriters I met who demonstrated the value of thinking hard about what you were saying, your subject. The Pretender, These Days, For Everyman, I'm Alive, Fountain of Sorrow, Running on Empty, For a Dancer, Before the Deluge, now, I know the Eagles got in first, but, let's face it, and I think Don Henley would agree with me, these are the songs they wish they'd written. I wish I'd written them myself, along with Like A Rolling Stone and Satisfaction. But, uh, Jackson's influence and his voice has always been his own. He's one of the true activist musicians I've ever known. World In Motion, Looking East, Lives In the Balance, he followed his muse wherever it took him. Risked his, and he paid whatever the cost. He's long put his mouth, his money, and his body where his politics are. Lives In The Balance sounds more urgent today than it ever did. The Beach Boys and Brian Wilson, they gave us California as paradise and Jackson Browne gave us Paradise Lost. Now I always imagine, what if Brian Wilson, long after he'd taken a bite of that orange the serpent offered to him, what if he married that nice girl in Caroline Know, I always figured that she was pregnant anyway, and what if he moved into the valley and had two sons? One of them would have looked and sounded just like Jackson Browne. Cain, of course, would have been Jackson's brother in arms, Warren Zevon. We love ya, Warren. But, Jackson to me, Jackson was always the tempered voice of Abel. Toiling in the vineyards, here to bear the earthly burdens, confronting the impossibility of love, here to do his father's work. Jackson's work was really California pop gospel. Listen to the chord changes of Rock Me On the Water and Before the Deluge, it's gospel through and through. Now I always thought that in our fall from Eden, besides the strains of physicality and the bearing of earthly burdens, our real earthly task was that an unbridgeable gap, or a black hole was opened up in our ability to truly love one another. And so our job here on earth, the way we regain our divinity, our sacredness, and our general good-standing is by reconstructing love and creating love out of the broken pieces that we've been given. That's all we have of human promise. That's the way we prove ourselves in the eyes of God and facilitate our own redemption. Now, to me Jackson Browne's work was always the sound of that reconstruction. So as he writes in The Pretender: we'll put our dark glasses on, and we'll make love until our strength is gone, and when the morning light comes streamin' in, we'll get up and do it again. Amen. Ladies and gentlemen, please join me in welcoming my very handsome friend, Jackson Browne into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame." |Awards| |Pictures| |My Shows| |You Know...| |