October 22, 2024 • 37 mins
Join @thebuzzknight for this in-depth conversation with film director Thom Zimny, discussing the new Bruce Springsteen Hulu Documentary "Road Diary." The film chronicles Bruce and the E Street Band and their latest global tour. You'll love this music interview podcast episode as Thom shares his passion and love for the Boss and his dedication to his craft.
For questions or comments write Buzz@BuzzKnightmedia.com
Connect with Buzz on Twitter @TheBuzzKnight and Instagram @takinawalkpodcast.
Like this show? Share with your friends and leave us a review. Review
Support the show: https://takinawalk.com/
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Taking a Walk Road Diary was one of those great
things in reflection where I suddenly had the amazing task
of how.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
Do you convey something that you can't.
Speaker 1 (00:13):
Even put into words, which is the experience of Ea
Street in the pit, looking at this band.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
Seeing people. How do you film that?
Speaker 1 (00:23):
How do you get across sonically the power of the
live band.
Speaker 3 (00:26):
Welcome to the Taken a Walk Podcast, where Buzz Night
talks with artists of all kinds about their passion for
music and their art. Today is no exception. Buzz is
joined by film director and editor Tom Zimony. Tom won
an Emmy Award in two thousand and one from his
work on the Bruce Springsteen Concert Special Live from New
(00:47):
York City. Tom has worked on a variety of television
and movie projects, but today he joins Buzz to discuss
his latest project, Road Diary, Bruce Springsteen and the East
Street Band. It's coming later this month to Hulu. Tom
takes a deep dive into the process of putting this
tour together, including rehearsal footage, backstage moments, and reflections from Bruce.
(01:10):
Viewers will be treated to a never before seen experience
with Bruce and the East Street Band Tom discusses how
it all came together and what we can expect to
see on Taking a Walk right now with buzz Night.
Speaker 4 (01:24):
Hi Tom, it's an honor to have you on the
Taking a Walk podcast and I have to tell you
Road Diaries is an absolute triumph. It is amazing. Congratulations
on it. I want to ask you who are some
of the filmmakers and their work that shaped you.
Speaker 2 (01:42):
It's a great question.
Speaker 1 (01:43):
My history in filmmaking, there's a strong influence with Martin Scercenzi.
Speaker 2 (01:51):
It's always been a go to for me over the years,
and with Road Diary.
Speaker 1 (01:56):
I actually when I was editing this documentary, I kept
some of Scorsese's films in my computer to easy access,
just to bring up those images, the power of Scorsese's
cutting light. For years, I've I've gone to it, studied it.
Also filmmakers also like John Ford, Frank Borzhy, classic Hollywood filmmakers,
(02:23):
Billy Wilder. I spent a lot of time, just like
people will listen to music, I spent a lot of
time watching films over.
Speaker 2 (02:31):
And over again, studying them. So it's a big part
of my journey.
Speaker 4 (02:37):
So the film started as an invite from John and
Bruce to come film rehearsal. At what point did the
project start taking shape and how did that occur?
Speaker 1 (02:49):
You know, the point that the project started taking shape
where you could declare it a film was after the
group of rehearsals I filmed in New Jersey, the very
initial rehearsals. So it was at that point I sat
in the edit room with John and sat in the
edit room with Bruce and started to see a story unfolding.
(03:12):
And that story, for me ended up being a big
part of Road Diary was the story of Bruce building
this new show, the set list, the details of what
would go in, how he would interact with the band.
As a filmmaker and as a fan, I knew I
was capturing things that were not shared before in Bruce's
(03:33):
library and catalog of the films, but.
Speaker 2 (03:36):
Also even the casual fan.
Speaker 1 (03:39):
It was something great to be that fly on the
wall unpacking the process of Bruce and e Street getting.
Speaker 2 (03:45):
Ready for a new tour.
Speaker 4 (03:46):
So it's anything but a straight concert video. I mean,
it deals with the various themes, some of them very
heavy themes. Did you talk to Bruce and John during
the process or were you just sort of allowed to
do your own thing.
Speaker 1 (04:03):
You know, I always talk to them, and I always
when I say them it's John and Bruce. I always
get influences from the conversations, and that's it's not something
that I'm bringing to Bruce's attention that I'm seeing certain themes.
Speaker 2 (04:21):
At times, I feel.
Speaker 3 (04:23):
Like the.
Speaker 1 (04:25):
Dialogue is a dialogue of trust, which gives me a
lot of space to create. But at the same time
I'm in sync with them and constantly being given this
great thing which is trust. Trust to be in the
space to film things, trust to be around, trust to
have time with this footage and figure it out. So
(04:46):
it's not something like they just let me go off
and run to do the film. We start a conversation
and we continue it till the very end, whether that's
the details of mixing or or and sometimes there's things
that just work out naturally, and there's other times items
that you just end up discussing a lot more and
(05:08):
trying different things.
Speaker 4 (05:10):
The fan aspect being included is really amazing and really
touching for me. It was one of as a fan,
one of the most emotional parts. Just seeing the pure
joy and you know, just brings tears to your eyes.
You know, going back in time from my own experiences,
(05:31):
have you ever seen anything like his connection to his
fans and any other artists?
Speaker 1 (05:39):
You know, in my my experience in listening to live
music and also just filming the concert footage itself. To me,
there's no I have no reference, there's nothing, there's nothing
like this. When I was filming Roe Diary, especially in Europe,
there's this magical thing that was happening with with the
(06:00):
stage lighting and outdoor settings where you would capture these
fans and their eyes in a way that could demonstrate
many ideas. And for me as a filmmaker, what I
was seeing was this moment of reflection, and that.
Speaker 2 (06:17):
Reflection is all part of the show.
Speaker 1 (06:20):
So as a fan, I've witnessed this transformation, this musical
transformation that happens in the middle of a Bruce concert.
For me and I wanted this film Rode Diary to
have that element, which is you're having a great time,
You're feeling the spirit of rock and roll, You're deep
in the pit in the community of other fans, You're
(06:41):
recognizing maybe some people you saw before, You're having the
experience of bringing somebody for the first time. All these
different feelings happening. I wanted my film to reflect those eyes,
those faces that are going through that experience, and there
is no way that I would have been just able
(07:03):
to make this film five years into my journey. I've
been working with Bruce and John for twenty four years,
so I've been educated in the world of E Street
and I've experienced a tremendous amount of the music and
the power of Bruce the artist, the writer, and the performer,
but also John the producer, being a strong influence in
(07:23):
my life as a filmmaker.
Speaker 2 (07:25):
So I took all these elements and this was the
perfect storm.
Speaker 1 (07:28):
Because this film and the album Letter to You are
dealing with many themes, and these themes are reflected in
Bruce's live show, which is reflection joy, power of rock
and roll, the power of the moment, the power of
reflecting on the past, who we've lost. It's a lot
of different feelings. I don't think I came up with
(07:49):
those themes. If anything, I was looking at Bruce's live
show and trying to stand in the shadow of that
and pick up that energy with this film.
Speaker 4 (07:59):
Can you talk about your first connection with Bruce and
how that occurred way way back.
Speaker 2 (08:04):
Sure.
Speaker 1 (08:05):
The very first connection with Bruce was in a summer
resort town in Point Pleasant growing up, where I sat
before a slam and shut record player and put down
Darkness on the edge of town and looked at the
typewriter font and then all of a sudden realized he
(08:25):
was singing about a world around me. He was singing
about my father, he was singing about my neighbor, he
was singing about that guy in high school. This was
a narrative and a style and a force of writing
for me that opened up a door that was a
(08:45):
sonic and cinematic dreamscape. As a teenager, I could think
about these songs and really go to that place of
sort of brain spotting where you imagine a world and.
Speaker 2 (08:55):
You see it and you believe it.
Speaker 1 (08:58):
This music was a deep, deep, deep force of positivity
and a messenger for me as a teenager. I grew
up in the environment too that the music was taking place,
So some of the earlier music that I went to
with Greetings and the other albums were reflecting the beauty
(09:20):
of the summers that I had and in the melancholy
of winter on the boardwalk. There was an early connection
to this that just put me in the world in
a certain place that it gave me a chance to dream,
dream sonically.
Speaker 5 (09:37):
What was your first Bruce concert experience? Do you vividly?
I'm sure you remember it.
Speaker 2 (09:43):
Yes, I do.
Speaker 1 (09:43):
I you know, my first Bruce concert experience came from
my best friend's mom secretly trying to get tickets in
the mail for us and letting us go to the
place of we.
Speaker 2 (10:00):
Ordered our own tickets.
Speaker 1 (10:02):
Back in the day you would have to send a
letter and hope to receive tickets in the mail.
Speaker 2 (10:08):
We got nothing. It was for the River Tour, and
she appeared.
Speaker 1 (10:13):
To us with tickets and it was in a magical
moment because she was a huge influence for me in
my life. And she took us to the River Tour
and that was the start of me understanding the whole
other side of Bruce and the band, which is the
live performances.
Speaker 2 (10:30):
And it was at the new brendan Burn Arena.
Speaker 1 (10:33):
So I remember all these details vividly, But I carry
all these things in the edit room. When I was
making Road Diary, I would have conversations with that sixteen
year old and pull out those memories or I never
let myself forget.
Speaker 2 (10:50):
Even though I've been around a lot of.
Speaker 1 (10:53):
The things for years now, I never take it for granted.
So that space of gratitude is not only a place
that mind you, but it fuels your creativity. You have
to remember how important it is to see the band
walk into a room and the beginning of Road Diary,
there's guys, the guys are hugging and you see this
brotherhood of EA Street. I'm witnessing that and I'm filming it,
(11:15):
and as a storyteller, I carried my past a little
bit and bring it forward in the edit room. I
know that a lot of times that sixteen year old
will arrive and just be excited to see the EA
Street band and Bruce.
Speaker 4 (11:32):
So your first project with Bruce was Wings for Wheels,
that making a Born to Run. What was it like
for you to gain the insights from obviously an album
that you adored.
Speaker 1 (11:46):
You know, the very first project was live in New
York actually, and that was a live concert. But to
answer your question, the first doc I made was Wings
for Wheels and Born to Run, and that was a
start of something really important that I actually ended up
exploring again in Road Diary, which is how do you
(12:07):
tell this story? That goes beyond the uber fan connecting.
How do you make an emotional story? Roe Diary ended
up being that way too, where those questions would come
to mind, because it's not a simple concert film, and
it's not a simple telling of the guys coming back
and going on the road. It's going in and out
(12:29):
of themes and that's first film. Wings for Wheels was
that in many ways, where I'm unfolding a story in
the moment, but I'm also looking back and then I'm
reminding you of.
Speaker 2 (12:43):
This artist in the moment.
Speaker 1 (12:45):
There's a great thing about Bruce's presence and this band
is that they are never in the space of living
on greatest hits. Bruce and Road Diary is introducing all
kinds of new music to a new audience, new songs,
and he's putting them together with songs of the past,
creating a new feeling that the docs that I work
(13:07):
on really try to stay close to that structure, because
I just don't want to do a simple unpacking of
Born to Run or Darkness on the Edge of Town.
Bruce is such an artist in the moment, I want
a sense of how he has that urgency to create
(13:28):
and the importance of him looking back but also looking forward.
Speaker 4 (13:33):
Is it fair to say that some aspect of the
creation of this took you in a good way out
of your comfort zone, you know, as a creator on.
Speaker 1 (13:45):
Bro Diary was one of those great things in reflection
where I suddenly had the amazing task of how do
you convey something that you can't even put into words,
which is the experience of EA Street in the pit
looking at this band, seeing people.
Speaker 2 (14:07):
How do you film that?
Speaker 1 (14:09):
How do you get across sonically the power of the
live band. How can we tell a story where we
honor lost band members and bring them back in some ways?
How can we describe Clarence Clemens and Danny Federici and
bring them into the storytelling Roe Diary was one of
my you know, it was an amazing experience for being
(14:32):
with John and Bruce on this because I also went
deep into the vault and found things that just work
perfectly with this story. A young Bruce Springsteen playing Spirit
in the Night and then realizing, well, wait a minute,
that song is a staple. That song is part of
the DNA of EA Street. Let's put together five versions
(14:54):
and show the band growing, and show him evolving as
an artist. Let's do that in a montage, but then
also have the band talk about their different contributions that
they bring to Bruce the band leader, Bruce the performer.
Speaker 2 (15:10):
So a lot of.
Speaker 1 (15:10):
These ideas are things that are are challenging in the moment,
and Rode Diary definitely was one of those films that
took me to a new place with the filmmaking and choices.
And I had an amazing support on this because I
had John and Bruce giving me full access to the tour,
(15:32):
all the shows that were filmed, letting me film and
run up and down, you know, the seats all over
Europe and America, going to fans homes. Those are the
tools I got to play with. And my biggest inspiration
is Bruce. Because every album is different. There's no born
run too, so we never lean filmically on a story
(15:55):
device that's been done before. The film before this was
in black and white Letter to You and in a studio,
very contained shot, cinematically, very different feeling. Before that it
was Western Stars, which was saturated color and now barn
and then before that it was Broadway. In some ways,
(16:16):
these films are all linking and bring you to Roe Diary.
Speaker 2 (16:19):
If you watch them all.
Speaker 1 (16:20):
That it's a continuation of Bruce having a conversation with fans.
Speaker 3 (16:26):
We'll be right back with more of the Taking a
Walk podcast. Welcome back to the Taking a Walk podcast.
Speaker 4 (16:37):
So there was this point where Bruce began to you know,
clearly want to document more about the band and you know,
certainly the behind the scenes. And he picked you as
you know, someone that he trusted to curate this. How
does that make you feel?
Speaker 1 (16:58):
You know, when I think of it, in that space
of being picked, I am, you know, both.
Speaker 2 (17:04):
With John and Bruce.
Speaker 1 (17:05):
This is a huge, huge honor to be able to
work with this history but also work with the new.
Speaker 2 (17:12):
Music and go to that space of collaborating with them.
Speaker 1 (17:19):
I mean we have had twenty four it's almost twenty
five years, and that amount of trust in shorthand to
have is is something that I wouldn't dream when I
was sixteen. I couldn't dream this up. So I'm enormously grateful.
I take it very serious. For me, I enjoy it and.
Speaker 2 (17:41):
I take it serious.
Speaker 1 (17:42):
But I also have a great grounding space of every
time I get a call, I really do start from
ground zero.
Speaker 2 (17:52):
I start.
Speaker 1 (17:53):
I don't rely on my history in any way to
make it comfortable. If anything, I look back at the
things and say, well, we're.
Speaker 2 (18:02):
Not going to do this, but we could try to
do this.
Speaker 1 (18:04):
And I put myself through a lot of challenges, and
that's because I've watched Bruce do this for decades now,
where he has taken his storytelling to all different places,
whether it's Broadway or whether it's with a Cedar band,
or whether it's with East Street or a solo artist.
That's a huge influence for me. So at the end
(18:25):
of the day, I'm enormously grateful to have this in
my life because it brings such joy. Bruce's writing and
making the films together force you to a place of
examination and where you are as a person, an artist,
as a father. It's part of the fan experience where
(18:46):
you listen to this music and you think about your
life where you are. The films are no different in
the creating that process, and the big thing is that
they both have enriched my life in many ways. I
make other films and I have a sense of John
and Bruce and in all my art.
Speaker 2 (19:05):
So so for that I'm grateful.
Speaker 4 (19:08):
So the rehearsals were were less than a week and
Bruce gathered the band I guess like six times or so,
and Steve and John Lando both discussed, you know how
out of the norm that was.
Speaker 5 (19:26):
What's your takeaway about that?
Speaker 2 (19:29):
I think.
Speaker 1 (19:29):
I think Rod Diary explore is you know Steve as
a musical director in a way that shows the complexities
of Bruce the band leader. And in the doc I
got a chance to look at like Bruce didn't rehearse
the band a lot.
Speaker 2 (19:44):
It was six days, so.
Speaker 1 (19:47):
I felt like Bruce watching Bruce in these rehearsals and
hearing him talk, he was dying to get back on
the stage. He was ready. And Steve, on the other hand,
was looking at certain details with new players, and John
is observing everything. To me, that was the perfect metaphor
(20:09):
of the beauty of both Bruce the solo artist, the.
Speaker 2 (20:13):
Band leader, the collaborator.
Speaker 1 (20:17):
So having all those forces and all that energy was
a way of demonstrating to you the complexities of their creativity.
John lets things happen, and it's observing and not missing
a beat. Is there supportive in every form of whether
Steve wants to take the ban and rehearse on things.
Steve is wrapped up into certain details, and Max understands
(20:41):
that Bruce wants to keep it a little bit raw,
keep the excitement of mistakes, the beauty of accidents, not
over rehearsing. So there's this magical thing that's happening that's
not really being discussed until I got to the place
of asking questions about it and could unpack it in
(21:01):
the documentary. So Roe Diary gave me a great chance
to try to show a little bit of these mysteries,
mysteries of Bruce the bandleader, mysteries of what happens behind
the scenes, some of the different personalities on how they
contribute and collaborate in the scope of Bruce, and overall
it was just one of those moments that you witnessed
(21:26):
and you knew there was more to it.
Speaker 2 (21:29):
And what I mean by.
Speaker 1 (21:30):
That Steve being a musical director and then Bruce stepping
back for a second to let him work out those
details gave the show a certain polished layer, but also
not to a point that things felt rehearsed.
Speaker 4 (21:44):
Yeah, I'm so glad you delved into that because I feel,
and I think you probably do, there's too much perfection
that is sought after and the beauty and the rawness
of sometimes imperfection in a process I think is so
beautiful and fascinating.
Speaker 1 (22:02):
It's been demonstrated with me many times. Think John Landau
has been a huge influence to me for me to
approach something highly prepared but ready, much like he would
say to me for Bruce's audible, which means throwing a
song that's not on the set list. There's a set list.
You have some ideas, you have some things you might
(22:25):
want to chase. You want to film the band a
certain way, but all of a sudden you realize in
Europe that you can get a certain look in slow motion,
and you chase that. What's that slow motion giving you?
It's a storytelling advice And with Road Diary, at times
I slow things down to let you see details. And
(22:48):
that came from just the pure accident of getting something
great and slow mow and looking at it differently and saying, okay,
besides us being present for these lives shows, we've got
to break it down, to slow down the details so
things can be examined. And in that you see Bruce's
body and physicality, Bruce the band leader conducting the man.
(23:13):
Your eye would not see that if it wasn't explored
in the slow motion shot. It's exaggerating it too for drama,
and this film ended up.
Speaker 2 (23:23):
We screened this film in Toronto.
Speaker 1 (23:24):
And for me it was a completely different experience as
a filmmaker. It was the most emotional connection I saw
an audience have, and Bruce and John have said to
me that they're most happy with the story because it
is bringing people to an emotional space, much the way
the live shows have been, where there is that cathartic
(23:48):
feeling at the end.
Speaker 4 (23:50):
Well, speaking of emotional the Barcelona aspect of things, my goodness,
I mean, I love how you tackled that. But tell me,
though from an even deeper perspective, your perspective, what it's
like being at a show in Barcelona.
Speaker 2 (24:07):
You know, it's a great, great, great, great question.
Speaker 1 (24:10):
My favorite moment in Roe diary, in filming comes from
the space of watching the audience in Barcelona sing back
to Bruce and the band, every sonic beat, every detail,
every nuance, every earworm, every phrase, every drum beat of
(24:30):
Born in the USA at a volume that I never
experienced before.
Speaker 2 (24:36):
There was a.
Speaker 1 (24:36):
Force of energy that I could just feel throughout my
whole body. Just it was the most intense thing to film,
and by the end of the song, I had tears
in my eyes and I still don't know why, but
I couldn't put into words.
Speaker 2 (24:54):
I know why. It was the power of that night,
but it was the whole arc of the show.
Speaker 1 (24:59):
It was bill up to that moment, and we filmed that,
and the section of that is in the movie. It's
a small section, but it's one of my most pleasant
memories of being in a European audience. And I remember
coming back and thinking to my crew that this is
a moment that I need to clear up my eyes
because they're going to ask me why I was so emotional.
(25:21):
And I gathered with a crew of six people, very
small documentary crew, and everyone in the circle had tears
in her eyes. Everyone went through that same emotional experience.
I ended up realizing much later that this was a
common force of emotions and Barcelona being the first time
(25:44):
I really felt it while filming, and it stays with you.
We've really held onto these conversations and thoughts when mixing
the movie. This movie I mixed at Skywalker, so I
was really trying to put you in the pit and
feel the bass and the drums in a certain way.
It's not a passive movie where it's concert song to
(26:08):
song in a certain way. I really played with the
atmosphere so you feel like you're an empty stadium when
Bruce's rehearsing. You feel that the tininess of other rehearsals.
Like Rode Diary was one of those films I've been
wanting to make for a long time because experiencing Bruce
live in so many different venues in so many different ways,
there's a texture to it, and I want to try
(26:29):
to have this film get across those spaces.
Speaker 4 (26:33):
I believe music has a sort of therapeutic, you know,
healing powers.
Speaker 2 (26:39):
I believe you.
Speaker 5 (26:39):
Probably feel the same way.
Speaker 4 (26:42):
Are there any examples of that that you witnessed personally
that kind of further convinced you of music's healing powers
and Bruce's healing powers.
Speaker 2 (26:54):
Well.
Speaker 1 (26:54):
I spent hundreds up hundreds of hours looking at footage
that was shot of people taking in this music. And
there's moments in the film with Rode Diary that I
I have montages of what I consider that that transition,
(27:16):
and I, for me, as a fan and as a filmmaker,
I have always felt that that music has this healing
force that that it brings you to this place that
for me, it's very hard to articulate, but I hope
the movie gets it across, which is, you know, there there,
there is this moment.
Speaker 2 (27:33):
Of self reflection.
Speaker 1 (27:34):
I remember in I believe it was Dublin and seeing
the crowd listen to the river and and Bruce sing
along to that, and I remember the moment of people
singing back the chorus, and and and the expressions in
their and their faces.
Speaker 2 (27:52):
All this they.
Speaker 1 (27:52):
Carry a personal history that I don't want to project
too much onto. But the eyes are what I read
as a filmmaker and in wrote diary I've been you know,
and other Bruce films. It's one of the bit of
information that John gave me, which is, if you're searching
for drama within the scene, check out what Bruce is doing.
Speaker 2 (28:12):
His eyes will tell you.
Speaker 1 (28:14):
And and and Bruce's connection to the audience and his expression.
Speaker 2 (28:19):
The connection with the band he has and the communication they.
Speaker 1 (28:22):
Have in gesture all are elements of this thing that
I call like the healing power of music and and
and it's very hard to put into words, but I
feel like seeing wit and witnessing E Street Live has
been very emotional and and and and great.
Speaker 5 (28:41):
I think A.
Speaker 1 (28:43):
Curtis explains that in some sense, the experiences in the
USA and in Europe, it's like the church and people
come back, and I try to show this in the
film in America, and it's really there. It was an
amazing reception in America but also in Europe where you
see people engage in such.
Speaker 2 (29:02):
A deep, deep way.
Speaker 1 (29:04):
I think the eyes of the fans in the place
of listening to music go beyond that space of celebrity attraction.
You see people deep in thought, taking in the moment,
but also an awareness of truth, whether it's that they
love their partner, that they're happy to be there, they're
(29:26):
so happy not to have a mask on, they're happy
to be outside whatever, or they're just happy to be alive.
Bruce's show in this film Rode Diary has those moments
of celebration, and sometimes it'll just be shown in the
glance and the smile of a fan.
Speaker 4 (29:44):
And then the converse aspect, which I don't want to
give too much away, but the darker, sadder themes as well.
I mean, really take you on this incredible ride and
you capture that so beautifully.
Speaker 2 (30:00):
Thank you, Thank you.
Speaker 1 (30:01):
I think I think, you know, playing around with different
themes that explore all the avenues that we go through
as a community, you know, the acceptance of time, mortality,
losing people in our lives, you know, all those things
that I played with as themes in the documentary, they
(30:22):
really came from from Bruce's writing with the album Letter
to You, and also the structuring of the show, how
he plays together songs that had these themes, but also
play together songs that reminded you to carry on, to
laugh at yourself. It's totally the Bruce and the Band
(30:45):
Live are not one emotional ride. You go through the
craziness of glory days to the space of backstreets and
see you in my dreams, where you're feeling the emotions
of longing, loss and reflection. The film really tried to
hold on to those tones. And again, like I've said
(31:07):
many times, I'm standing in the shadow of Bruce's show
and listening and learning and picking up the energy, and
I wanted the film Roe Diary to reflect this.
Speaker 4 (31:19):
I want to give an alert to our audience that
you know, sometimes people film ends and they don't stick
around really through the true end of it when it stops.
What you did there with that montage at the end
with the band introductions is incredible. And then of course
(31:39):
the sweet moment you know with Bruce dancing with his
mother to the Glenn Miller song is just amazing. So
you know, people have to see this when it really ends,
you know, this.
Speaker 1 (31:54):
Film with Roe Diary at the end, I really wanted
to honor a lot of the people who for the
past twenty four years have been really supportive and and
it's images of crew and fans and and in a
way that I just wanted to break away from the
cliches of people looking directly at camera and being fans
(32:15):
and and and and sort of show them engaged, you know.
And you know the power of working with Bruce is
and and John is to be open to ideas and
and and try things that you would never dream of.
And this end credit sequence, we we found something really
(32:36):
magical and really special that every time I see it,
I get emotional. But it's it's something that I couldn't
take credit for. It was a conversation with Bruce and
and it was something that he brought forward to me
as an idea and I'm just so grateful to have
it in the film, and it's so special. So I
(32:59):
hope everyone watched it and has that same experience of
seeing themselves in the credit and a little bit more
of another sign of Bruce and a moment that we
all can relate to, which is a reflection on the
ones we've lost or loved.
Speaker 5 (33:16):
Thunder Road took a bit of a backseat. Is there
a reason?
Speaker 2 (33:22):
Nothing conscious of it.
Speaker 1 (33:25):
The placement of it in the narrative just didn't seem
in the storytelling as a story point that wanted to
be explored. You know, thunder Roade on this tour has
additional horns and their accenting moments, but the song itself
and lyrically, though it supports a lot of the themes
(33:46):
that the film was talking about. I tried to lean
into things that would surprise you by talking about night
Shift in a way that reminds you why Bruce might
have picked this song. The film teaches you about Eat
Street history, and it tells you two players are no
(34:06):
longer with us, Danny and Clarence. And then I go
to Nightshift and say, this is a homage to their
type of creative spirit in Bruce's world.
Speaker 2 (34:17):
That's what John sees.
Speaker 1 (34:19):
But then I also unpack how that song is performed live,
and I feel like Nightshift just was another way of showing.
Speaker 2 (34:29):
Bruce the artist in a contemporary way.
Speaker 1 (34:31):
Still exploring storytelling, still bringing things of his past into
the show, but also keeping it fresh and new. Thunder
Road though I completely obsessed with that song and I
love it dearly. That's the power of being an editor
and being influenced by these two guys, which is it
didn't move the story forward, and it's not to say
(34:54):
that it's not an amazing song, and it's great to
see live.
Speaker 2 (34:57):
Tom.
Speaker 4 (34:58):
In closing, is there anything that I surprised you or
you learned that you didn't expect to learn from this
process and this amazing work.
Speaker 2 (35:08):
Thank you first for this. It has been great to
talk with you.
Speaker 1 (35:12):
I had a lot of surprises with my interview with John.
I just you know, I've known him for the twenty
four years and I spent a lot of time talking
to him. But he also just went to this place
that as a filmmaker you stop and you go, oh
my god, that's got to be in the movie. And
(35:33):
he gave me so much time and detail and also
helped unpack what he was seeing that was different than
what the band was seeing at times, that was different
than I was witnessing.
Speaker 2 (35:46):
This was one of the most extensive interviews I did
with John Landau.
Speaker 1 (35:49):
And there's a moment in the film where he describes
Bruce as the Maestro and he just just describes Bruce
in this way of like knowing what he wants, knowing
what he's going to get, and a man grounded in
these ideals, and he is the maestro. John's saying that
was like one of those moments that I knew right
(36:12):
away that was going to be in the film.
Speaker 2 (36:13):
You stop and you just go, Okay, that's that's happening.
That's I could see that in the movie right now.
So the big surprise was I.
Speaker 1 (36:21):
Just didn't know what I was going to get from
the band and John that was This was the first
time I dip back into a little bit more history
of the band as opposed to a particular album, whether
it's Darkness or The River or Born to Run. This
was taking the band as an overview. So I'm grateful
for the time and the trust that they gave me,
(36:43):
and but John in particular, he really ended up giving
a lot of emotional soul to the film.
Speaker 4 (36:52):
Well, I'm grateful for your time and for your soul
and your spirit and you're just amazing where this is
a true triumph. It's premiering on Hulu on October the
twenty fifth, and it's just wonderful road diary Tom Zimney,
thank you for being on Taking a Walk.
Speaker 3 (37:12):
Thanks for listening to this episode of the Taking a
Walk podcast. Share this and other episodes with your friends
and follow us so you never miss an episode. Taking
a Walk is available on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts,
and wherever you get your podcasts.
Taking a Walk Road Diary was one of those great
things in reflection where I suddenly had the amazing task
of how.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
Do you convey something that you can't.
Speaker 1 (00:13):
Even put into words, which is the experience of Ea
Street in the pit, looking at this band.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
Seeing people. How do you film that?
Speaker 1 (00:23):
How do you get across sonically the power of the
live band.
Speaker 3 (00:26):
Welcome to the Taken a Walk Podcast, where Buzz Night
talks with artists of all kinds about their passion for
music and their art. Today is no exception. Buzz is
joined by film director and editor Tom Zimony. Tom won
an Emmy Award in two thousand and one from his
work on the Bruce Springsteen Concert Special Live from New
(00:47):
York City. Tom has worked on a variety of television
and movie projects, but today he joins Buzz to discuss
his latest project, Road Diary, Bruce Springsteen and the East
Street Band. It's coming later this month to Hulu. Tom
takes a deep dive into the process of putting this
tour together, including rehearsal footage, backstage moments, and reflections from Bruce.
(01:10):
Viewers will be treated to a never before seen experience
with Bruce and the East Street Band Tom discusses how
it all came together and what we can expect to
see on Taking a Walk right now with buzz Night.
Speaker 4 (01:24):
Hi Tom, it's an honor to have you on the
Taking a Walk podcast and I have to tell you
Road Diaries is an absolute triumph. It is amazing. Congratulations
on it. I want to ask you who are some
of the filmmakers and their work that shaped you.
Speaker 2 (01:42):
It's a great question.
Speaker 1 (01:43):
My history in filmmaking, there's a strong influence with Martin Scercenzi.
Speaker 2 (01:51):
It's always been a go to for me over the years,
and with Road Diary.
Speaker 1 (01:56):
I actually when I was editing this documentary, I kept
some of Scorsese's films in my computer to easy access,
just to bring up those images, the power of Scorsese's
cutting light. For years, I've I've gone to it, studied it.
Also filmmakers also like John Ford, Frank Borzhy, classic Hollywood filmmakers,
(02:23):
Billy Wilder. I spent a lot of time, just like
people will listen to music, I spent a lot of
time watching films over.
Speaker 2 (02:31):
And over again, studying them. So it's a big part
of my journey.
Speaker 4 (02:37):
So the film started as an invite from John and
Bruce to come film rehearsal. At what point did the
project start taking shape and how did that occur?
Speaker 1 (02:49):
You know, the point that the project started taking shape
where you could declare it a film was after the
group of rehearsals I filmed in New Jersey, the very
initial rehearsals. So it was at that point I sat
in the edit room with John and sat in the
edit room with Bruce and started to see a story unfolding.
(03:12):
And that story, for me ended up being a big
part of Road Diary was the story of Bruce building
this new show, the set list, the details of what
would go in, how he would interact with the band.
As a filmmaker and as a fan, I knew I
was capturing things that were not shared before in Bruce's
(03:33):
library and catalog of the films, but.
Speaker 2 (03:36):
Also even the casual fan.
Speaker 1 (03:39):
It was something great to be that fly on the
wall unpacking the process of Bruce and e Street getting.
Speaker 2 (03:45):
Ready for a new tour.
Speaker 4 (03:46):
So it's anything but a straight concert video. I mean,
it deals with the various themes, some of them very
heavy themes. Did you talk to Bruce and John during
the process or were you just sort of allowed to
do your own thing.
Speaker 1 (04:03):
You know, I always talk to them, and I always
when I say them it's John and Bruce. I always
get influences from the conversations, and that's it's not something
that I'm bringing to Bruce's attention that I'm seeing certain themes.
Speaker 2 (04:21):
At times, I feel.
Speaker 3 (04:23):
Like the.
Speaker 1 (04:25):
Dialogue is a dialogue of trust, which gives me a
lot of space to create. But at the same time
I'm in sync with them and constantly being given this
great thing which is trust. Trust to be in the
space to film things, trust to be around, trust to
have time with this footage and figure it out. So
(04:46):
it's not something like they just let me go off
and run to do the film. We start a conversation
and we continue it till the very end, whether that's
the details of mixing or or and sometimes there's things
that just work out naturally, and there's other times items
that you just end up discussing a lot more and
(05:08):
trying different things.
Speaker 4 (05:10):
The fan aspect being included is really amazing and really
touching for me. It was one of as a fan,
one of the most emotional parts. Just seeing the pure
joy and you know, just brings tears to your eyes.
You know, going back in time from my own experiences,
(05:31):
have you ever seen anything like his connection to his
fans and any other artists?
Speaker 1 (05:39):
You know, in my my experience in listening to live
music and also just filming the concert footage itself. To me,
there's no I have no reference, there's nothing, there's nothing
like this. When I was filming Roe Diary, especially in Europe,
there's this magical thing that was happening with with the
(06:00):
stage lighting and outdoor settings where you would capture these
fans and their eyes in a way that could demonstrate
many ideas. And for me as a filmmaker, what I
was seeing was this moment of reflection, and that.
Speaker 2 (06:17):
Reflection is all part of the show.
Speaker 1 (06:20):
So as a fan, I've witnessed this transformation, this musical
transformation that happens in the middle of a Bruce concert.
For me and I wanted this film Rode Diary to
have that element, which is you're having a great time,
You're feeling the spirit of rock and roll, You're deep
in the pit in the community of other fans, You're
(06:41):
recognizing maybe some people you saw before, You're having the
experience of bringing somebody for the first time. All these
different feelings happening. I wanted my film to reflect those eyes,
those faces that are going through that experience, and there
is no way that I would have been just able
(07:03):
to make this film five years into my journey. I've
been working with Bruce and John for twenty four years,
so I've been educated in the world of E Street
and I've experienced a tremendous amount of the music and
the power of Bruce the artist, the writer, and the performer,
but also John the producer, being a strong influence in
(07:23):
my life as a filmmaker.
Speaker 2 (07:25):
So I took all these elements and this was the
perfect storm.
Speaker 1 (07:28):
Because this film and the album Letter to You are
dealing with many themes, and these themes are reflected in
Bruce's live show, which is reflection joy, power of rock
and roll, the power of the moment, the power of
reflecting on the past, who we've lost. It's a lot
of different feelings. I don't think I came up with
(07:49):
those themes. If anything, I was looking at Bruce's live
show and trying to stand in the shadow of that
and pick up that energy with this film.
Speaker 4 (07:59):
Can you talk about your first connection with Bruce and
how that occurred way way back.
Speaker 2 (08:04):
Sure.
Speaker 1 (08:05):
The very first connection with Bruce was in a summer
resort town in Point Pleasant growing up, where I sat
before a slam and shut record player and put down
Darkness on the edge of town and looked at the
typewriter font and then all of a sudden realized he
(08:25):
was singing about a world around me. He was singing
about my father, he was singing about my neighbor, he
was singing about that guy in high school. This was
a narrative and a style and a force of writing
for me that opened up a door that was a
(08:45):
sonic and cinematic dreamscape. As a teenager, I could think
about these songs and really go to that place of
sort of brain spotting where you imagine a world and.
Speaker 2 (08:55):
You see it and you believe it.
Speaker 1 (08:58):
This music was a deep, deep, deep force of positivity
and a messenger for me as a teenager. I grew
up in the environment too that the music was taking place,
So some of the earlier music that I went to
with Greetings and the other albums were reflecting the beauty
(09:20):
of the summers that I had and in the melancholy
of winter on the boardwalk. There was an early connection
to this that just put me in the world in
a certain place that it gave me a chance to dream,
dream sonically.
Speaker 5 (09:37):
What was your first Bruce concert experience? Do you vividly?
I'm sure you remember it.
Speaker 2 (09:43):
Yes, I do.
Speaker 1 (09:43):
I you know, my first Bruce concert experience came from
my best friend's mom secretly trying to get tickets in
the mail for us and letting us go to the
place of we.
Speaker 2 (10:00):
Ordered our own tickets.
Speaker 1 (10:02):
Back in the day you would have to send a
letter and hope to receive tickets in the mail.
Speaker 2 (10:08):
We got nothing. It was for the River Tour, and
she appeared.
Speaker 1 (10:13):
To us with tickets and it was in a magical
moment because she was a huge influence for me in
my life. And she took us to the River Tour
and that was the start of me understanding the whole
other side of Bruce and the band, which is the
live performances.
Speaker 2 (10:30):
And it was at the new brendan Burn Arena.
Speaker 1 (10:33):
So I remember all these details vividly, But I carry
all these things in the edit room. When I was
making Road Diary, I would have conversations with that sixteen
year old and pull out those memories or I never
let myself forget.
Speaker 2 (10:50):
Even though I've been around a lot of.
Speaker 1 (10:53):
The things for years now, I never take it for granted.
So that space of gratitude is not only a place
that mind you, but it fuels your creativity. You have
to remember how important it is to see the band
walk into a room and the beginning of Road Diary,
there's guys, the guys are hugging and you see this
brotherhood of EA Street. I'm witnessing that and I'm filming it,
(11:15):
and as a storyteller, I carried my past a little
bit and bring it forward in the edit room. I
know that a lot of times that sixteen year old
will arrive and just be excited to see the EA
Street band and Bruce.
Speaker 4 (11:32):
So your first project with Bruce was Wings for Wheels,
that making a Born to Run. What was it like
for you to gain the insights from obviously an album
that you adored.
Speaker 1 (11:46):
You know, the very first project was live in New
York actually, and that was a live concert. But to
answer your question, the first doc I made was Wings
for Wheels and Born to Run, and that was a
start of something really important that I actually ended up
exploring again in Road Diary, which is how do you
(12:07):
tell this story? That goes beyond the uber fan connecting.
How do you make an emotional story? Roe Diary ended
up being that way too, where those questions would come
to mind, because it's not a simple concert film, and
it's not a simple telling of the guys coming back
and going on the road. It's going in and out
(12:29):
of themes and that's first film. Wings for Wheels was
that in many ways, where I'm unfolding a story in
the moment, but I'm also looking back and then I'm
reminding you of.
Speaker 2 (12:43):
This artist in the moment.
Speaker 1 (12:45):
There's a great thing about Bruce's presence and this band
is that they are never in the space of living
on greatest hits. Bruce and Road Diary is introducing all
kinds of new music to a new audience, new songs,
and he's putting them together with songs of the past,
creating a new feeling that the docs that I work
(13:07):
on really try to stay close to that structure, because
I just don't want to do a simple unpacking of
Born to Run or Darkness on the Edge of Town.
Bruce is such an artist in the moment, I want
a sense of how he has that urgency to create
(13:28):
and the importance of him looking back but also looking forward.
Speaker 4 (13:33):
Is it fair to say that some aspect of the
creation of this took you in a good way out
of your comfort zone, you know, as a creator on.
Speaker 1 (13:45):
Bro Diary was one of those great things in reflection
where I suddenly had the amazing task of how do
you convey something that you can't even put into words,
which is the experience of EA Street in the pit
looking at this band, seeing people.
Speaker 2 (14:07):
How do you film that?
Speaker 1 (14:09):
How do you get across sonically the power of the
live band. How can we tell a story where we
honor lost band members and bring them back in some ways?
How can we describe Clarence Clemens and Danny Federici and
bring them into the storytelling Roe Diary was one of
my you know, it was an amazing experience for being
(14:32):
with John and Bruce on this because I also went
deep into the vault and found things that just work
perfectly with this story. A young Bruce Springsteen playing Spirit
in the Night and then realizing, well, wait a minute,
that song is a staple. That song is part of
the DNA of EA Street. Let's put together five versions
(14:54):
and show the band growing, and show him evolving as
an artist. Let's do that in a montage, but then
also have the band talk about their different contributions that
they bring to Bruce the band leader, Bruce the performer.
Speaker 2 (15:10):
So a lot of.
Speaker 1 (15:10):
These ideas are things that are are challenging in the moment,
and Rode Diary definitely was one of those films that
took me to a new place with the filmmaking and choices.
And I had an amazing support on this because I
had John and Bruce giving me full access to the tour,
(15:32):
all the shows that were filmed, letting me film and
run up and down, you know, the seats all over
Europe and America, going to fans homes. Those are the
tools I got to play with. And my biggest inspiration
is Bruce. Because every album is different. There's no born
run too, so we never lean filmically on a story
(15:55):
device that's been done before. The film before this was
in black and white Letter to You and in a studio,
very contained shot, cinematically, very different feeling. Before that it
was Western Stars, which was saturated color and now barn
and then before that it was Broadway. In some ways,
(16:16):
these films are all linking and bring you to Roe Diary.
Speaker 2 (16:19):
If you watch them all.
Speaker 1 (16:20):
That it's a continuation of Bruce having a conversation with fans.
Speaker 3 (16:26):
We'll be right back with more of the Taking a
Walk podcast. Welcome back to the Taking a Walk podcast.
Speaker 4 (16:37):
So there was this point where Bruce began to you know,
clearly want to document more about the band and you know,
certainly the behind the scenes. And he picked you as
you know, someone that he trusted to curate this. How
does that make you feel?
Speaker 1 (16:58):
You know, when I think of it, in that space
of being picked, I am, you know, both.
Speaker 2 (17:04):
With John and Bruce.
Speaker 1 (17:05):
This is a huge, huge honor to be able to
work with this history but also work with the new.
Speaker 2 (17:12):
Music and go to that space of collaborating with them.
Speaker 1 (17:19):
I mean we have had twenty four it's almost twenty
five years, and that amount of trust in shorthand to
have is is something that I wouldn't dream when I
was sixteen. I couldn't dream this up. So I'm enormously grateful.
I take it very serious. For me, I enjoy it and.
Speaker 2 (17:41):
I take it serious.
Speaker 1 (17:42):
But I also have a great grounding space of every
time I get a call, I really do start from
ground zero.
Speaker 2 (17:52):
I start.
Speaker 1 (17:53):
I don't rely on my history in any way to
make it comfortable. If anything, I look back at the
things and say, well, we're.
Speaker 2 (18:02):
Not going to do this, but we could try to
do this.
Speaker 1 (18:04):
And I put myself through a lot of challenges, and
that's because I've watched Bruce do this for decades now,
where he has taken his storytelling to all different places,
whether it's Broadway or whether it's with a Cedar band,
or whether it's with East Street or a solo artist.
That's a huge influence for me. So at the end
(18:25):
of the day, I'm enormously grateful to have this in
my life because it brings such joy. Bruce's writing and
making the films together force you to a place of
examination and where you are as a person, an artist,
as a father. It's part of the fan experience where
(18:46):
you listen to this music and you think about your
life where you are. The films are no different in
the creating that process, and the big thing is that
they both have enriched my life in many ways. I
make other films and I have a sense of John
and Bruce and in all my art.
Speaker 2 (19:05):
So so for that I'm grateful.
Speaker 4 (19:08):
So the rehearsals were were less than a week and
Bruce gathered the band I guess like six times or so,
and Steve and John Lando both discussed, you know how
out of the norm that was.
Speaker 5 (19:26):
What's your takeaway about that?
Speaker 2 (19:29):
I think.
Speaker 1 (19:29):
I think Rod Diary explore is you know Steve as
a musical director in a way that shows the complexities
of Bruce the band leader. And in the doc I
got a chance to look at like Bruce didn't rehearse
the band a lot.
Speaker 2 (19:44):
It was six days, so.
Speaker 1 (19:47):
I felt like Bruce watching Bruce in these rehearsals and
hearing him talk, he was dying to get back on
the stage. He was ready. And Steve, on the other hand,
was looking at certain details with new players, and John
is observing everything. To me, that was the perfect metaphor
(20:09):
of the beauty of both Bruce the solo artist, the.
Speaker 2 (20:13):
Band leader, the collaborator.
Speaker 1 (20:17):
So having all those forces and all that energy was
a way of demonstrating to you the complexities of their creativity.
John lets things happen, and it's observing and not missing
a beat. Is there supportive in every form of whether
Steve wants to take the ban and rehearse on things.
Steve is wrapped up into certain details, and Max understands
(20:41):
that Bruce wants to keep it a little bit raw,
keep the excitement of mistakes, the beauty of accidents, not
over rehearsing. So there's this magical thing that's happening that's
not really being discussed until I got to the place
of asking questions about it and could unpack it in
(21:01):
the documentary. So Roe Diary gave me a great chance
to try to show a little bit of these mysteries,
mysteries of Bruce the bandleader, mysteries of what happens behind
the scenes, some of the different personalities on how they
contribute and collaborate in the scope of Bruce, and overall
it was just one of those moments that you witnessed
(21:26):
and you knew there was more to it.
Speaker 2 (21:29):
And what I mean by.
Speaker 1 (21:30):
That Steve being a musical director and then Bruce stepping
back for a second to let him work out those
details gave the show a certain polished layer, but also
not to a point that things felt rehearsed.
Speaker 4 (21:44):
Yeah, I'm so glad you delved into that because I feel,
and I think you probably do, there's too much perfection
that is sought after and the beauty and the rawness
of sometimes imperfection in a process I think is so
beautiful and fascinating.
Speaker 1 (22:02):
It's been demonstrated with me many times. Think John Landau
has been a huge influence to me for me to
approach something highly prepared but ready, much like he would
say to me for Bruce's audible, which means throwing a
song that's not on the set list. There's a set list.
You have some ideas, you have some things you might
(22:25):
want to chase. You want to film the band a
certain way, but all of a sudden you realize in
Europe that you can get a certain look in slow motion,
and you chase that. What's that slow motion giving you?
It's a storytelling advice And with Road Diary, at times
I slow things down to let you see details. And
(22:48):
that came from just the pure accident of getting something
great and slow mow and looking at it differently and saying, okay,
besides us being present for these lives shows, we've got
to break it down, to slow down the details so
things can be examined. And in that you see Bruce's
body and physicality, Bruce the band leader conducting the man.
(23:13):
Your eye would not see that if it wasn't explored
in the slow motion shot. It's exaggerating it too for drama,
and this film ended up.
Speaker 2 (23:23):
We screened this film in Toronto.
Speaker 1 (23:24):
And for me it was a completely different experience as
a filmmaker. It was the most emotional connection I saw
an audience have, and Bruce and John have said to
me that they're most happy with the story because it
is bringing people to an emotional space, much the way
the live shows have been, where there is that cathartic
(23:48):
feeling at the end.
Speaker 4 (23:50):
Well, speaking of emotional the Barcelona aspect of things, my goodness,
I mean, I love how you tackled that. But tell me,
though from an even deeper perspective, your perspective, what it's
like being at a show in Barcelona.
Speaker 2 (24:07):
You know, it's a great, great, great, great question.
Speaker 1 (24:10):
My favorite moment in Roe diary, in filming comes from
the space of watching the audience in Barcelona sing back
to Bruce and the band, every sonic beat, every detail,
every nuance, every earworm, every phrase, every drum beat of
(24:30):
Born in the USA at a volume that I never
experienced before.
Speaker 2 (24:36):
There was a.
Speaker 1 (24:36):
Force of energy that I could just feel throughout my
whole body. Just it was the most intense thing to film,
and by the end of the song, I had tears
in my eyes and I still don't know why, but
I couldn't put into words.
Speaker 2 (24:54):
I know why. It was the power of that night,
but it was the whole arc of the show.
Speaker 1 (24:59):
It was bill up to that moment, and we filmed that,
and the section of that is in the movie. It's
a small section, but it's one of my most pleasant
memories of being in a European audience. And I remember
coming back and thinking to my crew that this is
a moment that I need to clear up my eyes
because they're going to ask me why I was so emotional.
(25:21):
And I gathered with a crew of six people, very
small documentary crew, and everyone in the circle had tears
in her eyes. Everyone went through that same emotional experience.
I ended up realizing much later that this was a
common force of emotions and Barcelona being the first time
(25:44):
I really felt it while filming, and it stays with you.
We've really held onto these conversations and thoughts when mixing
the movie. This movie I mixed at Skywalker, so I
was really trying to put you in the pit and
feel the bass and the drums in a certain way.
It's not a passive movie where it's concert song to
(26:08):
song in a certain way. I really played with the
atmosphere so you feel like you're an empty stadium when
Bruce's rehearsing. You feel that the tininess of other rehearsals.
Like Rode Diary was one of those films I've been
wanting to make for a long time because experiencing Bruce
live in so many different venues in so many different ways,
there's a texture to it, and I want to try
(26:29):
to have this film get across those spaces.
Speaker 4 (26:33):
I believe music has a sort of therapeutic, you know,
healing powers.
Speaker 2 (26:39):
I believe you.
Speaker 5 (26:39):
Probably feel the same way.
Speaker 4 (26:42):
Are there any examples of that that you witnessed personally
that kind of further convinced you of music's healing powers
and Bruce's healing powers.
Speaker 2 (26:54):
Well.
Speaker 1 (26:54):
I spent hundreds up hundreds of hours looking at footage
that was shot of people taking in this music. And
there's moments in the film with Rode Diary that I
I have montages of what I consider that that transition,
(27:16):
and I, for me, as a fan and as a filmmaker,
I have always felt that that music has this healing
force that that it brings you to this place that
for me, it's very hard to articulate, but I hope
the movie gets it across, which is, you know, there there,
there is this moment.
Speaker 2 (27:33):
Of self reflection.
Speaker 1 (27:34):
I remember in I believe it was Dublin and seeing
the crowd listen to the river and and Bruce sing
along to that, and I remember the moment of people
singing back the chorus, and and and the expressions in
their and their faces.
Speaker 2 (27:52):
All this they.
Speaker 1 (27:52):
Carry a personal history that I don't want to project
too much onto. But the eyes are what I read
as a filmmaker and in wrote diary I've been you know,
and other Bruce films. It's one of the bit of
information that John gave me, which is, if you're searching
for drama within the scene, check out what Bruce is doing.
Speaker 2 (28:12):
His eyes will tell you.
Speaker 1 (28:14):
And and and Bruce's connection to the audience and his expression.
Speaker 2 (28:19):
The connection with the band he has and the communication they.
Speaker 1 (28:22):
Have in gesture all are elements of this thing that
I call like the healing power of music and and
and it's very hard to put into words, but I
feel like seeing wit and witnessing E Street Live has
been very emotional and and and and great.
Speaker 5 (28:41):
I think A.
Speaker 1 (28:43):
Curtis explains that in some sense, the experiences in the
USA and in Europe, it's like the church and people
come back, and I try to show this in the
film in America, and it's really there. It was an
amazing reception in America but also in Europe where you
see people engage in such.
Speaker 2 (29:02):
A deep, deep way.
Speaker 1 (29:04):
I think the eyes of the fans in the place
of listening to music go beyond that space of celebrity attraction.
You see people deep in thought, taking in the moment,
but also an awareness of truth, whether it's that they
love their partner, that they're happy to be there, they're
(29:26):
so happy not to have a mask on, they're happy
to be outside whatever, or they're just happy to be alive.
Bruce's show in this film Rode Diary has those moments
of celebration, and sometimes it'll just be shown in the
glance and the smile of a fan.
Speaker 4 (29:44):
And then the converse aspect, which I don't want to
give too much away, but the darker, sadder themes as well.
I mean, really take you on this incredible ride and
you capture that so beautifully.
Speaker 2 (30:00):
Thank you, Thank you.
Speaker 1 (30:01):
I think I think, you know, playing around with different
themes that explore all the avenues that we go through
as a community, you know, the acceptance of time, mortality,
losing people in our lives, you know, all those things
that I played with as themes in the documentary, they
(30:22):
really came from from Bruce's writing with the album Letter
to You, and also the structuring of the show, how
he plays together songs that had these themes, but also
play together songs that reminded you to carry on, to
laugh at yourself. It's totally the Bruce and the Band
(30:45):
Live are not one emotional ride. You go through the
craziness of glory days to the space of backstreets and
see you in my dreams, where you're feeling the emotions
of longing, loss and reflection. The film really tried to
hold on to those tones. And again, like I've said
(31:07):
many times, I'm standing in the shadow of Bruce's show
and listening and learning and picking up the energy, and
I wanted the film Roe Diary to reflect this.
Speaker 4 (31:19):
I want to give an alert to our audience that
you know, sometimes people film ends and they don't stick
around really through the true end of it when it stops.
What you did there with that montage at the end
with the band introductions is incredible. And then of course
(31:39):
the sweet moment you know with Bruce dancing with his
mother to the Glenn Miller song is just amazing. So
you know, people have to see this when it really ends,
you know, this.
Speaker 1 (31:54):
Film with Roe Diary at the end, I really wanted
to honor a lot of the people who for the
past twenty four years have been really supportive and and
it's images of crew and fans and and in a
way that I just wanted to break away from the
cliches of people looking directly at camera and being fans
(32:15):
and and and and sort of show them engaged, you know.
And you know the power of working with Bruce is
and and John is to be open to ideas and
and and try things that you would never dream of.
And this end credit sequence, we we found something really
(32:36):
magical and really special that every time I see it,
I get emotional. But it's it's something that I couldn't
take credit for. It was a conversation with Bruce and
and it was something that he brought forward to me
as an idea and I'm just so grateful to have
it in the film, and it's so special. So I
(32:59):
hope everyone watched it and has that same experience of
seeing themselves in the credit and a little bit more
of another sign of Bruce and a moment that we
all can relate to, which is a reflection on the
ones we've lost or loved.
Speaker 5 (33:16):
Thunder Road took a bit of a backseat. Is there
a reason?
Speaker 2 (33:22):
Nothing conscious of it.
Speaker 1 (33:25):
The placement of it in the narrative just didn't seem
in the storytelling as a story point that wanted to
be explored. You know, thunder Roade on this tour has
additional horns and their accenting moments, but the song itself
and lyrically, though it supports a lot of the themes
(33:46):
that the film was talking about. I tried to lean
into things that would surprise you by talking about night
Shift in a way that reminds you why Bruce might
have picked this song. The film teaches you about Eat
Street history, and it tells you two players are no
(34:06):
longer with us, Danny and Clarence. And then I go
to Nightshift and say, this is a homage to their
type of creative spirit in Bruce's world.
Speaker 2 (34:17):
That's what John sees.
Speaker 1 (34:19):
But then I also unpack how that song is performed live,
and I feel like Nightshift just was another way of showing.
Speaker 2 (34:29):
Bruce the artist in a contemporary way.
Speaker 1 (34:31):
Still exploring storytelling, still bringing things of his past into
the show, but also keeping it fresh and new. Thunder
Road though I completely obsessed with that song and I
love it dearly. That's the power of being an editor
and being influenced by these two guys, which is it
didn't move the story forward, and it's not to say
(34:54):
that it's not an amazing song, and it's great to
see live.
Speaker 2 (34:57):
Tom.
Speaker 4 (34:58):
In closing, is there anything that I surprised you or
you learned that you didn't expect to learn from this
process and this amazing work.
Speaker 2 (35:08):
Thank you first for this. It has been great to
talk with you.
Speaker 1 (35:12):
I had a lot of surprises with my interview with John.
I just you know, I've known him for the twenty
four years and I spent a lot of time talking
to him. But he also just went to this place
that as a filmmaker you stop and you go, oh
my god, that's got to be in the movie. And
(35:33):
he gave me so much time and detail and also
helped unpack what he was seeing that was different than
what the band was seeing at times, that was different
than I was witnessing.
Speaker 2 (35:46):
This was one of the most extensive interviews I did
with John Landau.
Speaker 1 (35:49):
And there's a moment in the film where he describes
Bruce as the Maestro and he just just describes Bruce
in this way of like knowing what he wants, knowing
what he's going to get, and a man grounded in
these ideals, and he is the maestro. John's saying that
was like one of those moments that I knew right
(36:12):
away that was going to be in the film.
Speaker 2 (36:13):
You stop and you just go, Okay, that's that's happening.
That's I could see that in the movie right now.
So the big surprise was I.
Speaker 1 (36:21):
Just didn't know what I was going to get from
the band and John that was This was the first
time I dip back into a little bit more history
of the band as opposed to a particular album, whether
it's Darkness or The River or Born to Run. This
was taking the band as an overview. So I'm grateful
for the time and the trust that they gave me,
(36:43):
and but John in particular, he really ended up giving
a lot of emotional soul to the film.
Speaker 4 (36:52):
Well, I'm grateful for your time and for your soul
and your spirit and you're just amazing where this is
a true triumph. It's premiering on Hulu on October the
twenty fifth, and it's just wonderful road diary Tom Zimney,
thank you for being on Taking a Walk.
Speaker 3 (37:12):
Thanks for listening to this episode of the Taking a
Walk podcast. Share this and other episodes with your friends
and follow us so you never miss an episode. Taking
a Walk is available on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts,
and wherever you get your podcasts.
Popular Podcasts
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Intentionally Disturbing
Join me on this podcast as I navigate the murky waters of human behavior, current events, and personal anecdotes through in-depth interviews with incredible people—all served with a generous helping of sarcasm and satire. After years as a forensic and clinical psychologist, I offer a unique interview style and a low tolerance for bullshit, quickly steering conversations toward depth and darkness. I honor the seriousness while also appreciating wit. I’m your guide through the twisted labyrinth of the human psyche, armed with dark humor and biting wit.