Bruce Springsteen: Live - VH1 Storytellers [DVD]

Any inclination to put Bruce Springsteen into the mold of being a shallow pop performer is wiped away after watching "Bruce Springsteen - VH1 Storytellers".

"VH1 Storytellers" is an American television program where singer-songwriters perform some of their songs and tell about the how and why of each song's creation. One can argue that the program is more for the education and inspiration of budding songwriters than for fans of the artists invited to participate. Still, I'm reviewing this DVD version of "Bruce Springsteen - VH1 Storytellers" as a fan, not as an aspiring songwriter.

In this program Bruce sings eight songs, accompanying himself on guitar or piano. No band. On "Brilliant Disguise" he invites his wife Patti Scialfa to sing backup, but otherwise he is alone on the stage.

Between the songs Bruce tells the story behind each song. This results in about 40 minutes of music and 56 minutes of talk, at least for the PAL version of the DVD.

Bruce's discussion of his songwriting is very enjoyable, even confidence-inspiring. He comes across as a disarmingly honest person with perceptive insights into human nature. I found myself liking him a lot, much more than I had expected, having my prejudices regarding what show business and success does to people.

For example, Bruce mentions that he wrote up a lot of notes in preparation for this program. He then quips that on reviewing the notes he thought they made him sound very self-centered, and figured that for that purpose he didn't need notes!

And when discussing "Thunder Road", he dissects the line, "I got this guitar and I've learned how to make it talk." His verdict: "Probably the hokiest line I ever wrote - and I've written a few of them, let me tell you!"

Bruce presents both serious songs and fun songs. The serious songs are followed up by serious discussions of personal ideals vs. politics and reality, the influence of religion (his Catholic background) on his songwriting, and the multiple personalities that we each present depending on the situation. All of which I found fascinating - I was impressed by his understanding and his modesty.

Following the main program there is a 16-minute question and answer session. This too was very interesting, with Bruce talking about his feelings and motives as a songwriter. For example, when asked about "Devils and Dust", he mentions that he has a couple of boys who are 14 years old, so a parent's concern about his child going off to war has become relevant for him.

A few final notes about the DVD itself. As mentioned above, for the PAL version the program is 96 minutes and the Q&A session is 16 minutes, for a total of 112 minutes. Subtitles are available in Dutch, French, German, Italian and Spanish, but not, unfortunately, in English.

Highly recommended, even if you're not a Bruce Springsteen fan.

Rennie Petersen

The storytellers series has for a while now offered fans an inside look into their favourite artists music, so it is with some anticipation that we get to watch an artist as legendary and as legendarily tight-lipped about his work as Springsteen step into the VH1 studio. Perhaps only Dylan and McCartney rival Springsteen in terms of artists we'd most like to see, but for my money Springsteen is the most intriguing. McCartney has always been very forthcoming about his own work, and as for Dylan, well, even when he is espousing in interview, we still come away none the wiser. Springsteen on the other hand has strived to protect the mystery of his work, cautious that to reveal too many specific details will strip the songs of their universal appeal. That caution is at work here too, especially when discussing 'The Rising,' wherein he doesn't even mention 9/11 and talks only in the broad biblical metaphors that litter the song. Things do get more interesting when he does get specific, the hometown imagery of 'Blinded by The Light' and 'Thunder Road,' the cinematic and literary influences on 'Nebraska' and most amusingly an anecdote about Bruce frequenting strip joints and getting caught by a fan and how it relates to the relationship drama of 'Brilliant Disguise.' But even when Bruce is not revealing too much, he is still a thoughtful, engaging and witty talker, and one of the most eloquent speakers when it comes to Rock and Roll, what it means and what it is capable of. And what of the music, which ultimately will give this release lasting appeal. The selections are broad in terms of style and tone as well as taking in the whole scope of his career. Bruce performs mostly on guitar and his vocal delivery sometimes veers away from the original performances (though not as drastically as Dylan often does) and we get the impression that Springsteen is not so much revisiting his past as reinterpreting it as an older, wiser, more experienced artist. The highlights are when Springsteen sits at the piano for 'Jesus was an only son' and 'Thunder Road.' Eight songs may feel a bit stingy but the program itself does last for two hours, and is wholly satisfying. The filming is unobtrusive, and the sound recording crisp and professional. Hopefully a full concert from Bruce's current solo run will find its way to the DVD racks, but even then, this will still be an essential purchase for Bruce fans, and for those who are merely casual listeners, this is still well worth picking up.

I've been a fan of Bruce since 1984 and grown up with his music. It was his story telling skills (helped by the inclusion of song lyrics as liner notes) that drew me to his music and allowed me to sing along and join in with his music. I loved the characters, situations and glimpse of American lives and culture that Bruce sang about. This DVD focuses on this aspect of his style and we learn of Bruce's adoption of the story, the narrative voice of others and what evnts in Bruce's life influenced those story's and the themes he explores. I was particularly moved by the theme of Transformation told using the firemen who lost their lives on September 11th. This DVD really taught me a lot about Bruce's art and craftsman skills at song writing,as well as being entertaining and offering different takes of his songs.