Page 14 - aruba-today-20201027

A14 people & Arts
Tuesday 27 OcTOber 2020
Remembering his friends, Springsteen pens ‘Letter to You’

By MESFIN FEKADU our spirits,” Springsteen
AP Music Writer said. “The record also did
NEW YORK (AP) — Last year encompass the thoughts
as Bruce Springsteen re- of losing them and how
flected on the death of his that feels at this point in
friend and teenage band- time. That was a part of
mate George Theiss, who the journey of this particu-
died in 2018, he grabbed lar record.” “It was heavy.
his guitar and pen and be- It was emotional. We’ve all
gan writing a song about had to learn our life inside
being the sole living mem- the band and outside the
ber of his first band. band, how to coexist with
He wrote about the New the joy of life and the sad-
Jersey clubs where the Cas- ness of loss,” added E Street
tiles played their first shows. Band player Nils Lofgren.
And the flannel shirts and “This album — Clarence
thrift store jeans he and his was with us every track sit-
bandmates wore onstage. ting on all of our shoulders
Reminiscing about his first and it shows. So is Danny.”
musical experiences as Reflecting on his first band
well as his longtime friends excited Springsteen about
who have died, 71-year- the E Street Band, who he
old Springsteen sings the last performed with in 2016.
refrain: “Somewhere deep Bruce Springsteen performs during the closing ceremonies of the Invictus Games in Toronto on This time, they recorded
into the heart of the crowd/ Sept. 30, 2017. Associated Press a full-length album in just
I’m the last man standing days.
now.” Alone, he wrote songs “Quite a storm to write. ers Clarence Clemons and “We cut one song every
“Last Man Standing” about his off-and-on friend- “That song was specifi- Danny Federici as well as three hours. In four days,
brought the emotions out ship with Theiss, who invited cally written, I’d say, using his longtime assistant Terry we were done. The fifth
of The Boss, and after writ- a teenage Springsteen to my memories of George Magovern. Album opener day we sat around, drank
ing it, more songs came. join the Castiles as its gui- and my youth and what it “One Minute You’re Here” and listened to them,”
The album “Letter to You,” tarist six decades ago. Ten- felt like if you had a close finds Springsteen singing Springsteen explained.
released last week, was sion rose in the young band friend who you knew all about being on his own. He “The band is at its very best.
born. as Springsteen began to the clothes they wore, the soul searches on the title We’ve learned our lessons
“It was the key to the rest move to the front of the books they read, the re- track. And on “I’ll See You over the years.”
of the record,” Springs- stage, outshining Theiss. The cords they listened to and In My Dreams,” which clos- The recording process was
teen said of “Last Man group eventually broke up. all of those things meant es the album, he’s ready to captured last November
Standing,” the first song he They connected later on something to you,” he said. “meet and live and laugh for the black-and-white
wrote for his new album. in life, but then Theiss be- The 12-track “Letter to You,” again” with his late pals. Apple TV+ documentary
“My friend George passed came ill and died. Springsteen’s 20th album, “Clarence is never out of “Bruce Springsteen’s Letter
away. Him and I were the Springsteen said pen- has the rock star looking to our thoughts and neither is to You,” also released last
last guys from my first band, ning lyrics about his friend the past as he sings about Danny. They’ll always be in week. It includes funny and
which meant it left me sort wasn’t an easy process. Of the ones he’s lost, including the E Street Band. ... They’re tender moments between
of on my own.” the track “Ghosts,” he says: Theiss, E Street Band play- an ongoing living part of Springsteen and his long-
time friends. “The funny
thing was — I didn’t real-
Fox News anchors quarantine after virus exposure on flight ize it happened until I saw
the film. I was sitting behind
By DAVID BAUDER dential debate, accord- him and I was just listening
AP Media Writer ing to The New York Times, to the track and I went,
NEW YORK (AP) — Several which first reported the de- ‘Hey, that’s pretty good’
Fox News Channel on-air velopment. when it was done,” Spring-
personalities were exposed Fox cited privacy concerns steen said. “I knew the
last week to someone on in not identifying who had song was very intense. It’s
a private plane who later tested positive or was ex- about people who have
tested positive for COV- posed. However, the net- passed on ... I’m glad that
ID-19, leading the network work's top news anchors, he agreed to leave it in the
to take extra precautions Bret Baier and Martha film.”q
this week. MacCallum, anchored
The network said in a Fox's debate coverage Solution Sudoku
memo to staff members on from Nashville on Thursday,
Monday that there had re- and commentators Dana
cently been "a few" positive Perino and Juan Williams
coronavirus tests among its were also on site.
employees, leading to their Fox News Media President
quarantine. Jay Wallace was also on People pass the News Corporation headquarters building and
At least one person who the flight, the Times said. Fox News studios in New York on Aug. 1, 2017.
tested positive was on a Baier, speaking on col- Associated Press
flight that ferried Fox per- league Brian Kilmeade's ra-
sonnel to New York from dio show on Monday, said "I've tested negative three week," he said. "And we'll
Nashville, Tennessee, the all precautions are being times now and I'll be doing be in preparation for Elec-
site of last week's final presi- taken. the show from home this tion Day."q Puzzle on Page 13