Springsteen, Bruce

There's clearly a limit to what the former president will say —even on his own platform. Obama's conversation with the Boss is at its most fluid and introspective when the two discuss masculinity.

Magic, Bruce Springsteen's first studio album with the E Street Band in five years, came out earlier this month. The event has occasioned at least a pair of network-TV appearances — including a live morning concert on NBC's Today show and a mortifying 60 Minutes interview.

Fresh Air rock critic Ken Tucker says Springsteen's approach to promoting the album — and the way the news media are receiving it — says something about both the state of the media (precarious) and Springsteen's place in American pop culture.

Rock critic Ken Tucker reviews The Rising (Sony) the new CD by Bruce Springsteen, inspired by the events of Sept. 11.

Musician and actor Steve Van Zandt is a guitarist for Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. He's also recorded solo and has produced a number of records and written songs for other musicians. He plays hitman Silvio Dante in the hit HBO series The Sopranos. He's also now a radio DJ. His syndicated show, Hard Rock Cafe Presents Little Steven's Underground Garage plays Sunday nights on a number of classic rock stations across the United States.

Drummer and drum historian Max Weinberg. For over a decade, Weinberg was the drummer for Bruce Springstein's E Street Band. Now he leads the 7-piece band on Late Night With Conan O'Brien on NBC. Weinberg co-authored The Big Beat: Conversations with Rock's Great Drummers (Chicago: Contemporary Books, 1984). Now, he has produced and annotated a three-volume compilation of music performed by his favorite rock 'n roll drummers of the 50's, 60's and 70's. (Max Weinberg Presents: Let There Be Drums, Vols. 1-3. on the Rhino label.

Dave Marsh is a friend and biographer of the New Jersey rock star. He explains how Springsteen's work has matured, and the impact the artist's albums have had on the songwriter's fans.