PRESERVING “THE BOSS”: HOW THE BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN ARCHIVES & CENTER FOR AMERICAN MUSIC CAME TO BE

> GOOD EVENING AND WELCOME TO 'METROFOCUS,' I'M JACK FORD.

IF YOU KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT MUSIC ICON BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN, YOU KNOW HE'S A JERSEY GUY.

MOSTLY, THE JERSEY SHORE, TO BE PRECISE.

SO, MIGHT NOT BE A SURPRISE TO LEARN THAT THE BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN ARCHIVES HAVE FOUND A HOME THERE AT MONMOUTH UNIVERSITY.

BUT YOU MIGHT BE SURPRISED AT THE EXTENT OF THE ARCHIVES, HOW THEY ARRIVED AT THEIR HOME AT MONMOUTH AND HOW THE PROJECT HAS EXPANDED TO CONSTITUTE THE CENTER FOR AMERICAN MUSIC.

THE ARCHIVES AND CENTER PROVIDE A FASCINATING COLLECTION OF A ARTIFACTS AND PROGRAMS FOR FANS, SCHOLARS, HISTORIANS, AND THE SIMPLY CURIOUS.

JOINING US NOW TO TALK ABOUT THE CREATION OF THE ARCHIVES AND THE CENTER AND WHAT THEY HAVE TO OFFER IS BOB SANTELLI, THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AND GRAMMY-AWARD WINNER, AND A FRIEND OF MINE FROM MANY YEARS BACK.

BOB, THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.

THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME, JACK.

SO, LET'S START AT THE BEGINNING, WHICH IS ALWAYS A GOOD PLACE TO START IN THESE CONVERSATIONS.

HOW AND WHY DID THE IDEA OF GATHERING UP THE BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN ARCHIVES AND PLACING THEM AT A PARTICULAR LOCATION COME ABOUT?

THE BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN ARCHIVES HAS ITS ORIGINS IN ASBURY PARK.

THERE WAS AN ORGANIZATION THAT BEGAN TO ASSEMBLE PHOTOGRAPHS, NEWSPAPER ARTICLES, MAGAZINES, ET CETERA, AND PUT THEM IN ASBURY PARK LIBRARY.

THE ASBURY PARK LIBRARY COULDN'T HANDLE IT IN TERMS OF ITS SIZE, MYSELF AND MY COLLEAGUE EILEEN CHAPMAN, WE GOT INVOLVED AND REALIZED THIS WAS TOO VALUABLE TO HAVE IT SIMPLY DISAPPEAR OR NOT HAVE IT AT THE DISPOSAL OF PEOPLE.

SO, WE MOVED IT TO MONMOUTH UNIVERSITY.

AND MONMOUTH UNIVERSITY WAS VERY RECEPTIVE TO THE IDEA, THEY GAVE US A PLACE TO STORE THE MATERIALS AND FROM THAT POINT ON, WHICH WAS ABOUT EIGHT OR NINE YEARS AGO, THE COLLECTION HAS GROWN SIGNIFICANTLY, TO THE POINT NOW, WE'RE UP TO 37,000 PIECES.

LET'S TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT MONMOUTH UNIVERSITY AS THE REPOSITORY.

WHY DID THAT WORK AS THE LOCATION?

JACK, YOU KNOW, MONMOUTH WORKS SIMPLY BECAUSE OF TWO OR THREE REASONS.

NUMBER ONE IS THAT BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN'S EARLIEST FANBASE, WHEN MONMOUTH UNIVERSITY WAS MONMOUTH COLLEGE, THAT'S WHERE THE FANS CAME FROM.

A FEW BLOCKS AWAY FROM MONMOUTH UNIVERSITY, BRUCE WROTE 'BORN TO RUN.'

WHEN I WAS A STUDENT AT MONMOUTH UNIVERSITY, THEN MONMOUTH COLLEGE, I MUST HAVE SEEN BRUCE PLAY, OH, A COUPLE OF DOZEN TIMES AT THE UNIVERSITY, OR AT THE COLLEGE AT THE TIME.

SO, HIS ROOTS ARE VERY STRONG THERE, PLUS, WE WANTED TO BE ESTABLISHED WITH AN ACADEMIC INSTITUTION.

MANMOUTH UNIVERSITY ON THE JERSEY SHORE IS IT.

IT JUST MADE TOTAL SENSE.

YOU MENTIONED THAT YOU WENT THERE, YOU TAUGHT THERE, I'VE TAUGHT THERE IN THE PAST, I WAS ON THE BOARD FOR A FEW YEARS, MANY YEARS BACK, AND IT'S BECOME -- IT'S GROWN, IT'S BECOME A NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED DOCTORAL INSTITUTION WITH SO MANY FACILITFACILITIES, AND THI PART OF THAT.

I MENTIONED WE HAVE THE BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN ARCHIVES WHICH MAKES SENSE, BUT ALSO THE CENTER FOR AMERICAN MUSIC.

HOW DID THAT COMPONENT COME ABOUT?

WHEN WE REALLY BEGAN TO BE AMBITIOUS ABOUT WHAT THE BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN ARCHIVE COULD BE, I WENT TO BRUCE AND SAID, BRUCE, YOU KNOW, IN ADDITION TO THIS COLLECTION THAT WE HAVE HERE, I HAVE BIGGER, BOLDER, MORE AMBITIOUS IDEAS FOR THIS COLLECTION.

AND I EXPLAINED TO BRUCE, WHAT WE WANTED TO DO, AND HE WAS VERY SILENT, I WAS TALKING TO HIM, AND I COULDN'T TELL WHETHER HE WAS RECEPTIVE TO THE IDEA OR NOT.

AT THE END, HE SAID, WELL, YOU KNOW, IT'S A GREAT THING THAT YOU'RE DOING, HOWEVER, PUTTING ALL THE ATTENTION ON ME IS NOT RIGHT.

I'M A CHAPTER IN THE ONGOING STORY OF AMERICAN MUSIC.

IF WE CAN ENLARGE THIS TO MAKE IT MORE ENCOMPASSING, MAKE THE STORY BIGGER, WHICH I AM APART, THAT WOULD WORK.

AND QUITE HONESTLY, JACK, THAT'S WHAT I HAD IN MIND ALL ALONG.

I ALWAYS ENVISIONED BRUCE BASICALLY BEING THE CATALYST OR THE POSTER BOY FOR THE INSTITUTION ON AMERICAN MUSIC, BECAUSE HE REPRESENTS SO MANY ASPECTS OF IT.

AND SO WE STARTED TO BROADEN THE IDEA AND INCLUDED NOW EXHIBITIONS, NOT JUST COLLECTIONS, BUT EXHIBITIONS, PUBLIC PROGRAMS, EDUCATIONAL WORKSHOPS, ET CETERA, SO, WE'RE ALMOST A FULL-BLOWN INSTITUTION NOW, THE KIND THAT WE ENVISIONED ABOUT SIX OR SEVEN YEARS AGO, WHEN I FIRST WENT TO HIM WITH THE IDEA.

I WOULD SUSPECT THAT WHEN PEOPLE HEAR THAT STORY, THEY WOULD BE SURPRISED, ESPECIALLY AT THE ELEMENT OF SOMEBODY AS BIG A STAR AS BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN, SAYING, NO, NO, I DON'T WANT THIS TO BE ALL ABOUT ME.

I AM APART OF SOMETHING BIGGER.

YOU KNOW, YOU'VE BEEN INVOLVED IN THE GRAMMY MUSEUM, THE ROCK 'N' ROLL HALL OF FAME, YOU ARE A MUSIC HISTORIAN AND EDUCATOR.

WERE YOU SURPRISED TO HEAR HIM SAY, NO, NOT JUST ME, I WANT THIS TO BE MUCH MORE EXPANSIVE?

YOU KNOW, I REALLY WASN'T, JACK, AND THE REASON WHY IS, I'VE KNOWN BRUCE A LONG TIME, AS MY -- DURING MY TIME WHEN I WAS THE ASBURY PRESS MUSIC CRITIC AND GOT TO KNOW HIM MANY YEARS AGO.

HE -- HE ALWAYS CAME ACROSS AS AN AMATEUR MUSIC HISTORIAN, IF YOU LOVE OF AMERICAN MUSIC VER STRONG.

AND HE REALIZES THAT HE IS APART OF IT.

HE IS A BIG PART, HOWEVER, ESPECIALLY IN THE 20th CENTURY, OF COURSE.

WHEN YOU LOOK AT, YOU KNOW, THE TI TITANS, THE BIG ICONS OF AMERICAN MUSIC, DUKE ELLINGTON, WOODY GUTHRIE, BOB DYLAN, BRUCE'S NAME IS ON THERE.

AND SO, HAVING SOMEONE THAT POWERFUL COME TO US AND SAY, YOU KNOW WHAT, IT'S NOT ALL ABOUT ME, THE STORY'S BIGGER, THE STORY THAT'S BIGGER NEEDS TO BE TOLD, I'D LOVE TO BE PART OF IT, BUT THE STORY'S BIGGER.

YEAH.

AGAIN, IF YOU KNOW, AND I KNOW BRUCE JUST A LITTLE BIT, BUT IF YOU KNOW HIM, IT MIGHT BE SURPRISING TO THE REST OF THE WORLD, BUT IF YOU KNOW HIM, IT'S NOT SURPRISING.

RIGHT.

LET'S TALK ABOUT THE PROCESS NOW OF GATHERING UP, AS YOU SAID, MORE THAN 30,000 ITEMS AND ARTIFACTS.

HOW DID YOU GO ABOUT DOING THAT, AND HOW DID YOU GO ABOUT POSITIONING IT, PHYSICALLY, AT MONMOUTH UNIVERSITY?

MANY OF THE PIECES THAT WE HAVE, NEARLY ALL OF THEM, JACK, ARE BASICALLY DONATIONS.

FANS WHO HAVE BEEN COLLECTORS OF BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN MEMORABILIA OR TAPES OR PHOTOGRAPHS, WHATEVER, THEY GET UP THERE IN AGE, THEY REALIZE THEIR COLLECTION HAS SERVED THEM PERSONALLY FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS, BUT NOW THEY'RE LOOKING FOR A PLACE TO PUT IT PERMANENTLY.

AND THEY HEAR ABOUT US, THEY CONTACT US, WHAT WE DO, ESSENTIALLY, WE REVIEW WHAT THEY HAVE, YOU KNOW, THE -- WE DON'T WANT TO BE A REPOSITORY FOR SOMEONE'S ATTIC, YOU KNOW, YEAH, I HAVE ALL THIS STUFF, TAKE IT, IT'S MORE FORMAL THAN THAT.

IN THE EARLY DAYS, MAYBE THAT WOULD WORK, BUT NOT ANYMORE.

AND WE'RE SIMPLY BURSTING AT THE SALES RIGHT NOW.

WE HAVE SO MUCH, PLUS WE HAVE ALL OF BRUCE'S ARCHIVES, AS WELL.

AND SO, WHEN YOU ADD ALL OF THAT UP, IT IS A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF MATERIAL.

IN ADDITION TO THE ACTUAL THREE DIMENSIONAL OBJECTS, AS WE SAY, WE HAVE A VERY LARGE DIGITAL COLLECTION OF INTERVIEWS AND ORAL HISTORIES AND TAPES AND PERFORMANCES, SO -- IT'S A FULL-FLEDGED INSTITUTION, WHERE IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT COLLECTIONS OF PHOTOGRAPHS AND MAGAZINES, IT'S FAR MORE THAN THAT.

AND IT'S GOING TO REQUIRE ONE OF THESE DAYS FOR US TO GROW AND EXPAND AND ACTUALLY FIND A NEW HOME SOMEWHERE ON THE MONMOUTH CAMPUS, BECAUSE I HAVE TO TELL YOU, IF YOU WERE TO WALK INTO WHERE WE ARE RIGHT NOW, IT'S A -- IT'S A HOME THAT WE HAVE BASICALLY TRANSFORMED INTO AN ARCHIVAL SPACE.

WE ACTUALLY HAVE COLLECTIONS IN THE BATHTUB.

I GUESS THAT'S THE GOOD NEWS AND THE BAD NEWS.

EXACTLY.

EXACTLY.

THE GOOD NEWS IS, YOU HAVE SO MUCH, THE BAD NEWS IS, YOU HAVE SO MUCH THAT YOU HAVE TO UTILIZE THE BATHTUB.

EXACTLY.

LET ME ASK ABOUT SOME OF THE OTHER THINGS THAT THE ARCHIVES AND THE CENTER DO, BECAUSE I MENTIONED, YOU KNOW, A COLLECTION, AN ARCHIVAL COLLECTION, BUT I ALSO TALKED ABOUT EXHIBITS AND PROGRAMS.

TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT SOME OF THAT.

WELL, YOU KNOW, THAT'S WHERE THE IDEA, THE AMBITIOUS IDEA CAME FROM THAT I MENTIONED BEFORE, DIDN'T WANT TO BE JUST A COLLECTION, A REPOSITORY.

AN ARCHIVES, A TRADITIONAL ARCHIVES PRESERVES AND CELEBRATES A PARTICULAR ARTIST OR HISTORICAL ASPECT, WHATEVER.

WE WANTED TO PUT THAT TO GOOD USE.

AND THE IDEA THAT I PRESENTED TO BRUCE WAS, WE WANT TO BE ACTIVE.

WE DON'T WANT TO BE A PASSIVE INSTITUTION.

AND THAT WOULD MEAN HAVING CONCERTS, THAT WOULD MEAN HAVING SEMINARS, SYMPOSIUM, OUTREACH WITH EXHIBITIONS.

FOR INSTANCE, RIGHT NOW, WE HAVE AN EXHIBITION ON BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN IN LOS ANGELES, WHICH CELEBRATES BRUCE AS A LIVE PERFORMER.

NEXT WEEK, IN BOSTON, WE'LL OPEN UP A BOB DYLAN EXHIBIT THAT THE ARCH ARCHIVES CURATED.

IT'S A TRAVELING EXHIBITION ON BOB DYLAN.

WE HELD A MAJOR SYMPOSIUM CELEBRATING THE 50th ANNIVERSARY OF 'GREETINGS FROM ASBURY PARK.'

600 PEOPLE ATTENDED, SOLDOUT CONCERT FEATURING ONE OF THE ORIGINAL E-STREET BAND PIANISTS, DAVID SANCHEZ.

SO, WE'RE VERY, VERY ACTIVE, NOT JUST IN A COLLECTING PHASE, BUT ALSO IN THE EDUCATIONAL PHASE, AS WELL.

I'M CURIOUS, AND YOU AND I TALKED ABOUT THIS BRIEFLY, BUT I'M CURIOUS ABOUT WHAT DREW YOU HERE.

AND YOU TOUCHED ON IT A LITTLE BIT, BUT AS I MENTIONED BEFORE, YOU ARE A GRAMMY AWARD-WINNING MUSIC HISTORIAN, PRODUCER AND EDUCATOR, YOU WERE THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE GRAMMY MUSEUM.

YOU WERE INTIMATELY INVOLVED IN THE CREATION OF THE ROCK 'N' ROLL HALL OF FAME.

YOU'VE DONE A LOT AROUND THE COUNTRY.

WHAT MADE YOU COME HOME TO THIS?

MY WIFE KEEPS ASKING ME THAT, AS WELL, JACK, AND, YOU KNOW, IT'S A PRETTY CLEAR ANSWER TO ME.

NUMBER ONE, I'M A JERSEY GUY.

AND MY WHOLE LIFE HAS BEEN SOMEHOW, SOME WAY, CONNECTED TO NEW JERSEY MUSIC, NEW JERSEY CULTURE.

I'M A JERSEY SHORE GUY, AS YOU ARE, TOO, GROWING UP ON THE JERSEY SHORE, VERY, VERY SPECIAL PLACE FOR ME, FOR YOU, AND FOR BRUCE, RIGHT?

I WENT TO MONMOUTH UNIVERSITY, THEN MONMOUTH COLLEGE, IT'S WHERE I GOT MY START AS A JOURNALIST, I WON'T FORGET THAT.

I TAUGHT THERE.

AND THEN QUITE HONESTLY, I AM, YOU KNOW, I HAVE TO SAY, AS A MUSIC JOURNALIST, I RODE HIS COAT TAILS, JACK, IN THE '70s, WHEN I WAS JUST GETTING STARTED.

HE MADE HIMSELF AVAILABLE, I GOT THE INTERVIEWS, I WROTE A BOOK WITH MAX WINEBERG, THE DRUMMER, I WORKED ON BRUCE'S FIRST BOOK CALLED 'SONGS.'

HE'S GIVEN ME A LOT OF OPPORTUNITIES.

MY PAYBACK, MY SENSE OF SHOWING MY APPRECIATION FOR ALL OF THAT, FOR THE STATE, FOR THE REGION, FOR THE UNIVERSITY, FOR BRUCE, IS TO CREATE -- USE MY SKILL SET TO CREATE SOMETHING THAT'S LONG-LASTING, BEN FEFICIAL TO H, THE STATE, THE UNIVERSITY.

IT MIGHT BE MY SWAN SONG, BUT IT'S AN IMPORTANT ONE.

I GOT ABOUT 45 SECONDS HERE, SO, I'M GOING TO ASK YOU ONE QUICK QUESTION, BUT AN IMPORTANT QUESTION.

THAT IS, WHAT IS YOUR VISION FOR WHAT THIS MIGHT BECOME?

IT'S GOING TO BECOME A NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED INSTITUTION.

WHEN I FOUND OUT ON FRIDAY -- ON SATURDAY THAT PEOPLE CAME FROM DUBLIN, FROM LONDON, FROM CALIFORNIA, TO ATTEND THIS, I REALIZED THE POTENTIAL WAS PRETTY, PRETTY INCREDIBLE.

AND OF COURSE, WITH BRUCE GOING ON TOUR, STARTING NEXT MONTH, THE ATTENTION TO HIM AND THE E-STREET BAND WILL OLS ELEVATE AND ACCENTUATE WHAT WE'RE DOING AT THE -- AT THE ARCHIVES.

AND THE HOPE IS THAT WE FIND A PLACE ON AMERICA'S CULTURAL LANDSCAPE, AND MAKE A CONTRIBUTION.

I WANT IT TO BE USEFUL, I WANT IT TO BE IMPORTANT FOR HIM, AND TO FUTURE BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN FANS AND SCHOLARS.

WELL, IT'S THERE ALREADY AND IT'S ON THE WAY TO SOMETHING BIGGER AND BETTER.

THE BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN ARCHIVES AND CENTER FOR AMERICAN MUSIC, LOCATED AT MONMOUTH UNIVERSITY.

BOB, ALWAYS GOOD TO TALK WITH YOU AND CONGRATULATIONS ON WHAT YOU'RE DOING.

WE'LL KEEP AN EYE ON IT.

YOU BE WELL NOW.

THANK YOU, JACK.

YOU, TOO.

ALL RIGHT.