Simon & SchusterBruce Springsteen has shared the foreword he penned to his upcoming autobiography, Born to Run, which will be released on September 27.
In his introduction, posted on BruceSpringsteen.net, the Boss unveils his “Rock ‘n’ Roll Survival Kit,” which, he says includes, “some of the elements that will come in handy should you come face-to-face with eighty thousand (or eighty) screaming rock ‘n’ roll fans who are waiting for you to do your magic trick.”
What does it contain? “DNA, natural ability, study of craft, development of and devotion to an aesthetic philosophy, naked desire for… fame?… love?… admiration?… attention?… women?…sex?… and oh, yeah… a buck. Then…if you want to take it all the way out to the end of the night, a furious fire in the hole that just…don’t…quit…burning.”
Springsteen also admits in the foreword that he was perhaps “a bit of fraud” as he began to enjoy the rock stardom he’d sought to achieve, while maintaining that he also possessed some important assets that helped him in his quest.
“I held four clean aces,” writes Springsteen. “I had youth, almost a decade of hard-core bar band experience, a good group of homegrown musicians who were attuned to my performance style and a story to tell.”
Bruce then notes, “This book is both a continuation of that story and a search into its origins.” He also points out that fans often ask him, “How do you do it?” and says that in the memoir he “will try to shed a little light on how and, more important, why.”
Bringing the foreword to a close, Bruce writes, “I am here to provide proof of life to that ever elusive, never completely believable ‘us.’ That is my magic trick.”
You can pre-order Born to Run at BruceSpringsteenBook.com.
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