Bruce Springsteen: See Intimate Eighties and Nineties Portraits From New Gallery Show
Beginning in 1992, photographer David Rose was Bruce Springsteen‘s shooter of choice for a full decade. It was a time of transition, experimentation and reunion for the rock superstar – marked by his first albums and tours without the E Street Band – as he raised his young family in Los Angeles and New Jersey. Rose documented much of that era on the road, in the studio and at home with a mostly unguarded Springsteen.
A selection of photographs from this era has just opened in “Unseen Springsteen: Intimate Portraits,” Rose’s first exhibition at the Mr. Musichead Gallery in Los Angeles. The show, up through June 2nd, coincides with the release of Springsteen’s new vinyl box set, The Album Collection Vol. 2: 1987-1996, which includes more than a dozen of Rose’s photographs.
Now based in Bisbee, Arizona, Rose first met Springsteen early in his career while assisting Annie Leibovitz during her cover-photo session for 1987’s Tunnel of Love LP. Over the years, he’s worked for Vanity Fair, Vogue and Playboy, but he has special affection for his many memories of shooting with Springsteen, beginning at the famed Stone Pony in Asbury Park, New Jersey.
“For this project, I realized it had been 25 years since I started shooting him, so I started going through the archives and looking through contact sheets,” Rose tells Rolling Stone. “It was a great honor to be able to capture part of rock & roll history on an intimate level.”
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Jersey Boys
On his first time shooting with Springsteen in 1992, David Rose was summoned to the Stone Pony in Asbury Park, New Jersey, where a video was being made for Southside Johnny. In this photo, Bruce stands onstage with longtime E Streeter (and Sopranos actor) Steven Van Zandt.
“It was between takes, and it really shows their bond,” says Rose. “They really enjoy each other’s company. And Jon Bon Jovi is leaning in to get in on the joke. That was the first time I shot Bruce. I was very excited to get that call: ‘Get down to Asbury Park.’ The Stone Pony is one of the classic rock venues. In his early days, Bruce played the bars of the Jersey shore, so I think it takes him back to his roots and that sense of the raw energy of playing a small club. It’s very different playing in a stadium. As soon as word gets out that Bruce is there, it gets packed pretty fast.”
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At the Keys
During a break from shooting at the Southside Johnny video, Rose made his first portrait with Springsteen in 1992.
“I was sitting across from Bruce and told him I would love to do some portraits,” says Rose. “He was like, ‘Why would I want to do that?’ There was an empty hotel across the street – workers were boarding it up. There was this old piano in the corner. Bruce sat down at the piano and I starting shooting. This was the first time we’d worked together, and I said, ‘You really hate having your picture taken, don’t you?’ He said, ‘It’s not my favorite thing. This is nothing compared to writing a song.’ And I said, ‘Why don’t you write a song, and you’ll forget how much you hate having your picture taken.’ And he deadpanned to me, ‘What would I write about?’ I shot back: ‘A boarded up hotel on the Jersey shore – nothing like something Bruce Springsteen would know anything about.’ He laughed and started banging on the keys and messing around.”
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Writer’s Retreat
During sessions at the Hit Factory in New York with the reunited E Street Band in 1995, Springsteen sits with a notepad to refine the lyrics for a new song.
“Every now and then, he was just trying to fix a song,” says Rose. “He would sit in a corner. That’s the classic guitar from the Born to Run cover. It’s like his best friend almost sitting beside him as he works on a song. He works hard. He takes every word and every note seriously. He is contemplative and concentrating. He’s definitely focused when he’s doing it. As a writer, you need that space.”
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Smokin’ in the Boys Room
Clarence Clemons in the bathroom at the Hit Factory, New York City, 1995.
“That was at the Hit Factory. I went into the men’s room and he was sitting in the corner smoking a cigar,” Rose remembers. “Clarence was a cool guy. He was a super gentleman. He was always in a great mood. Everyone in the band loved him. His dressing room was the popular one where everyone loved to hang out. There was a lot of good energy there before a show.”
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Back on E Street
First group photo of the reunited E Street Band, 1995, at the Hit Factory, New York City.
“That was on a break during the recording sessions. It was a lot of fun because Bruce had just reunited the band, and they hadn’t seen each other all together in a group in a long time. They were all excited to be in there as well and having fun. I set up some lights, and my assistant dropped a big soft [box] light on Bruce – and it didn’t hurt him. Bruce laughed and said, ‘Wait a minute! Why did you have me stand on the X?’ Everybody started laughing. That was taken at the Hit Factory in New York City, which is gone. It was big room with a giant mixing board. It was a beautiful studio. A lot of classic stuff was recorded there over the years.”
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Method Actor
Shooting a video at the Stone Pony, 1992.
“That was between takes on the video shoot for Southside Johnny,” says Rose. “Bruce had song parts and lyrics that he would look at and discuss with the Asbury Juke guys, working on their parts. It was an intense moment, as he was concentrating, getting into it.”
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Warming Up
Portrait session, Los Angeles, 1992.
“In Los Angeles, we were working on the Human Touch and Lucky Town album covers,” Rose remembers. “We woke up in the morning and it was pouring rain. We couldn’t go to the location. So I grabbed a little studio in L.A. I had a lot of stuff set up in the main studio, and then I went to go get him and he was sitting against the mirror just playing. ‘Don’t move!’ And I ran and grabbed lights and got this nice moment of Bruce just doing what he does. It’s pretty much what he looks like before a show too – getting in the groove.”
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L.A. Man
Cover shoot, Lucky Town, Los Angeles, 1992.
“We were driving around. He wanted some brighter color for the cover. We were in the produce district in downtown L.A., and there was this wall with a desert scene with paint cracked and peeling. We were working without permits and just a few of us in a car. A homeless person yelled out ‘Bruce!’ and ran over to say hi. It doesn’t matter who they are. Bruce is great with his fan base. He’ll give them time and talk to them.”
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Couch Surfing
Springsteen at home in Los Angeles, 1992.
“That was when he lived in L.A.,” says Rose. “It was raining and we were trying to figure out what we were going to do. I love that moment where he just kicked back with that hat on. It’s a glimpse into Bruce’s real life in ’92.”
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Up Close and Personal
Springsteen at home in New Jersey on his 50th birthday, 1999.
“They were working out at the farm in Jersey, fixing old songs for a box set called Tracks,” recalls Rose. “For his 50th birthday, they were having a gathering, and I set up a little portrait studio upstairs. There’s a lot going on there in his eyes and expression.”
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Electric Slide
Springsteen onstage, Madison Square Garden, New York City.
“That was at Madison Square Garden,” says Rose. “There was a moment when the lights dropped at the end of a song and he went down with just one light behind him. Just the look on his face – you can tell he loves what he does. I’ve never seen him phone in a show. The whole place goes crazy.”
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Almost Showtime
Springsteen backstage on opening night of his 1995 solo tour.
“That was at the Count Basie Theater in Red Bank, New Jersey, on the opening night of the Ghost of Tom Joad tour,” says Rose. “He was getting ready to take the stage. The only light is the exit light on the door in front of him. I love that moment: Here we go, we’re off on the tour. It was pre-digital, so you don’t even know what you have until you get it back two days later from the lab.”
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Guitar Army
Nils Lofgren, Springsteen and Van Zandt onstage with the E Street Band at the Meadowlands, New Jersey.
“That was at the Meadowlands in East Rutherford, New Jersey. You feel the throbbing of the bass when you’re up there,” says Rose. “I always loved the back and forth between him and Nils on guitar. And I loved the interaction between him and Clarence. They would dance together, and that was all real. They loved performing and had a good time doing that.”
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Roll Tape
Recording at the Hit Factory, New York City, 1995.
“Bruce is in the [isolation] booth and I’m shooting through the glass. Out in the main room was Nils and Max [Weinberg, drums] and Garry [Tallent, bass] – and everybody else was in their iso booths. They play live together – Bruce is not alone in the booth just doing his part. They get a lot done fast. Bruce came in with a new song and played it on an acoustic and they took notes. ‘OK, let’s go play it!’ The band was so good that they could go in with their scribbled notes and go ‘1-2-3-4!’ and go right into it and nail it in just a couple of takes.”
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Unplugged
Springsteen plays acoustic and harmonica at the Hit Factory, 1995.
“That was probably ‘Secret Garden,'” says Rose. “I was never able to read the lyrics. He’s got his own form of shorthand, I think. [laughs] He’s got notebooks that he carries around all the time. It’s almost like an artist’s sketch pad. It’s interesting to watch him writing them out. I don’t see a lot of cross-offs.”
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Slow Dance
Springsteen dancing with wife Patti Scialfa at home in New Jersey.
“I’ve done a lot of personal photos for him over the years – they’re family moments,” explains Rose. “I was happy that he used this on a book called Songs. He had music on the jukebox and was dancing with Patti. It says everything about his life – having a good time and dancing with his girl.”