The E Street Cafe Podcast

Meet Michael Waldman, who saw Bruce Springsteen around 50 times in 1974 and 1975. Yes, you read that right. Michael joins Jeff in the cafe to discuss his early memories of seeing Bruce in concert over 50 years ago and how a chance listening to '4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)' one day in college changed his life forever.

Our intrepid trio get together over coffee and treats from the cafe to discuss the mega month that was October. The 'Electric Nebraska' box set (or whatever you want to call it) and the biopic 'Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere' come under the scrutiny of Mikipedia, Dan and Jeff. Rosie keeps our hosts well watered during their deep(ish) dive into the two releases.

Sebla is a massive fan of Bruce Springsteen and lived in Istanbul until something changed her life. She has seen Bruce 97 times in concert and now lives in the USA with her husband Steve. Sebla pops into the cafe to share her special story with us.

When Warren Zanes popped into the cafe two years ago, little did we know that a brilliant film would be released based on the book. The book and subsequent film may have well inspired Bruce to dig out all the Nebraska stuff that all fans have been shouting out for - who knows! Relive Warren's brilliant chat with Jeff and Dan from 2023 to coincide with the Deliver Me From Nowhere film and the Nebraska box set ...

Today, we welcome Robert Lawson into the cafe to talk about his labour of love: his book about the legend, Stevie Van Zandt. Robert has been a Stevie fan for over 40 years and has written a very comprehensive record of his career including interviews with the man himself and numerous Disciples of Soul. To celebrate our first Stevie podcast, the cafe team pull out all the stops by creating a special menu which Jeff, Mike and Robert tuck into in between stories. 'Solidarity Forever: The Art and Soul of Stevie Van Zandt' is out now and available to purchase.

Jeff asks the questions. Dan and Mike battle it out for the special prize of a free ticket to the Gig Time Machine. Pit your wits against the boys as they go head to head with each other in a special Born to Run anniversary quiz. Sloppy Sue and Weak Knees are back from their holiday and join Rosie in the cafe to serve up the coffee and ice creams! Feel free to join in the fun and let us know how you get on!

It's not very often that Bruce's biographer, Peter Ames Carlin, pops into the cafe - but that's what happened! Peter has collaborated with various E Streeters and Bruce to tell the story of the making of Born to Run. His new book Tonight in Jungleland coincides with the 50th anniversary of this classic and iconic album and goes into great detail of the immense pressure Bruce was under to get his third album just right. Sloppy Sue and Weak Knees are on holiday, so things are expected to run smoothly in the cafe today! For more information visit www.peteramescarlin.com or search Peter Ames Carlin on Instagram and Facebook.

7 brand new albums in one day from The Boss. Where do we start? It's impossible for us to review these in depth in a single episode so with the help of Jeff, Dan and a special guest Ken Lesnik, one of our friends from New Jersey - we take a shallow dive across the box set. We also choose our stand-out track on each album. Rosalita is on duty today to ensure everything runs very smoothly on the hottest day of the year!

Join Jeff and Dan in the cafe to get their perspectives on the epic four days in Liverpool. With contributions from absent Geezers Mike and Jim, we talk about the two nights at Anfield, the guest appearance from Macca, and the Max Weinberg Pension Top Up events too! Rosalita has the day off, but Sloppy Sue serves up a couple of poorly presented dollops of Chirmside Chicken.

There is so much to say about the Bruce Springsteen shows in Liverpool, so we have decided to do two separate podcasts to discuss what happened. In this episode we talk to three musicians to get their own perspective on the epic concerts at Anfield. Make yourself a drink, sit comfortably and hear what Robert Vincent, Ian Prowse and Hywel (rhymes with towel) Roberts thought of their own experiences.

Our 3 amigos sit down in the cafe to review all 3 Manchester shows from the last week. Make yourself a drink and hear what Jeff, Mike and Dan thought of Bruce's only indoor gigs this year at the wonderful Co-op Arena.

John Garrett Andrews saw The Castilles in 1967 when he was just 13 years old. Fast forward to April 1974 and John gets the honour of interviewing Bruce after the late show at Brown University. Bruce was not happy with his Record Company at the time and his comments to John got back to the Head of Columbia Records at the time. Listen to John's fascinating story here.

Our own Dan French has gone and released a book! Grab Your Ticket And Your Suitcase documents every Springsteen concert Dan has been to since 1981 and documents his own personal Bruce Springsteen concert journey over this time. Lots of great memories are crammed into this book including how Dan met Bruce in the Stone Pony, the infamous Slane 1985 trip and many many more highlights. Copies of the book can be ordered via www.badlands.co.uk or through Amazon.

To celebrate our 50th episode, we have the enormous pleasure of welcoming our good friend Bobby Chirmside back to the podcast. Bobby was Bruce's Road Manager from 1976 to 1981 and lived with Bruce at the famous Telegraph Hill mansion. Buckle up, pour yourself a drink and enjoy this wonderful trip back down Memory Lane.

Grab a beverage and sit back to listen to two eyewitness reports from two of the recent Canadian arena shows in Montreal and Winnipeg. Firstly, Martin from the UK joins us to tell us his story about how he managed to persuade Bruce to play The Angel in London in 1996, and why he decided to go to Montreal on Halloween night. Next we connect with a 'blast from the past' - Stu Reid -a fellow fanzine editor from the 1980s. We do eventually get around to talking about the recent Winnipeg gig, but not before we catch up on over 40 years of memories. Enjoy!

Jeff, Dan and Mike gather in the cafe to chat about the new film - 'Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band'. Rosalita serves up a Canadian themed menu to celebrate the Boss's leg of the tour into the far reaches of North America.

Jeff was recently asked to host a Nebraska evening recently at his beloved CAT Club - that is an acronym for Classic Album Thursdays, by the way! Join us for a 'deep dive' into a discussion about all things Bruce and Nebraska. Furthermore, our good friend Robert Vincent, joins the evening to play his own special version of the title track. Jeff is joined on stage by Jason Barnard from the Strange Brew Podcast and takes us on a walk through the build up, the making of and the release of this legendary classic album. This podcast is a Geezers in Glasses, Strange Brew and CAT Club podcast production.

It's the day of the Boss's 75th birthday (well it was when we recorded this!), and to celebrate, we have birthday cake and a bit of a quiz. What will happen when Mikipedia takes on our very own Dan French? The stakes are high. Reputations can be won and lost instantly. Who will be 'pulling out of here to win'? Play along with us and see how you do!

The River Tour in Europe in 1981 was legendary. Our good friend Jim Page drops into the cafe for a face to face coffee chat with Jeff to recall the shenanigans which led to them meeting Bruce and the band.

Join us in the cafe for an end of tour review from the European leg. Rosie has ensured that we have the latest ice cream delights in stock as Jeff, Dan and Mike chat through their own personal insights into the Nordic and London shows. We also read out a few of the listener comments too. Enjoy...