The Daily Show: Ears Edition - Record Early Voting & Team Trump's Pandemic Surrender | Bruce Springsteen

Episode Date: October 27, 2020

Early voting surges in the U.S., Roy Wood Jr. continues his countdown of President Trump's top 100 scandals, and Bruce Springsteen talks about his album and documentary "Letter to You." Learn more ab...out your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Starting point is 00:00:00 You're listening to Comedy Central. When 60 Minutes premiered in September 1968, there was nothing like it. This is 60 Minutes. It's a kind of a magazine for television. Very few have been given access to the treasures in our archives. But that's all about to change. Like none of this stuff gets looked at, that's what's incredible. I'm Seth Done of CBS News,
Starting point is 00:00:27 listen to 60 Minutes, a second look, starting September 17th, wherever you get your podcasts. Well, hello, everybody. Welcome to the Daily Social Distancing Show. I'm Trevor Noah. Today is Monday, the 26th of October, which means if you live in Washington, Colorado, or Montana, you only have an hour left to request a mail-in ballot. One hour! There's no excuse not to do it. No excuse. Unless you're a baby. Then you have an excuse. But also, in that case, why are you watching
Starting point is 00:00:57 the show? If you're not in bed by now, how do you plan to wake your parents up at 2 a.m. You gotta focus, baby? th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. to. to. to. to. to. to. t. to. to. t. to. to. tod. to to to to to to to to to toe. toe. toe. toe. to. to. to. toe. to. to. to. to to to to to to to to your parents up at 2 a.m. You gotta focus, baby! Anyway, coming up on tonight's show, Donald Trump is giving up. The party is officially at the early voting line, and I talk to the bus himself, Bruce Springsteen. So let's do this, people. Welcome to the Daily Social Distancing Show. From Trevor's couch in New York, from Trevor Noah.
Starting point is 00:01:26 Ears Edition. Let's kick it off with the big story. Election day is now just eight days away. So at this point, my friends, you can forget about getting in shape for it because Election Day bodies are made during the primaries. But this year more than ever, voters are not waiting for the first Tuesday in November to cast their ballots. The record number of Americans taking advantage of early voting across the country.
Starting point is 00:01:52 In states reporting data, an unprecedented 57 million ballots have already been cast. That's more than 40% of the total votes counted in the 2016 general election. And one of New York City's premier venues, long lines, snaking around the Barclay Center in Brooklyn, while marching fans drum of excitement. Incredible turnout to see these minds. I've never seen this before in my life. It turns out Americans don't even have to be earthbound to vote. U.S. astronaut Kate Rubens
Starting point is 00:02:21 cast her absentee ballot with a little help from mission control from the International Space Station. I think it's really important for everybody to vote and if we can do it from space, then I believe folks can do it from the ground too. Okay, that is super cool. An astronaut voted in space? Wow. I mean it's weird that she still had to wait in line for like 10 hours, but yo, that is cool. Also, I don't know if this is the kind of story that would
Starting point is 00:02:49 inspire people to vote just because an astronaut did. I mean it's easier to vote in space. What do you have? Nothing. No responsibilities. You know, down here we've got to to check Instagram every 10 minutes. In space you just float around, You do backflips. You talk to some guy named Houston, occasionally poop in a bag that's taped to your ass. You're living the dream. And guys, I'm happy that astronauts can vote, but America has to ask itself about his priorities when it's easier for a white lady in space to cost her ballots than an old black lady in Georgia.
Starting point is 00:03:17 I mean, just look at the lines the lines lines lines lines lines lines lines lines lines lines lines lines lines lines lines lines lines lines lines? The lines look so long. Forget buying new Air Jordans. It looks like people are lining up to buy Michael Jordan. I've heard they've only got one, but I'm hoping they make an exception. I want to get the baseball version. But what's amazing is that even with all the long lines, even with the suppression, America is still hitting record levels of early votes. There are so many early votes that the president could already have been decided and we just
Starting point is 00:03:47 don't know it. It's like the week before Christmas when your parents had already bought your gift and you just weren't allowed to find out what it is. So it could be a brand new president or it's the same one as last time. I shook the box and it grabbed me by the pussy. And with election day so close, the big issue on everyone's mind is still the coronavirus pandemic, which is funny, because when you think about it,
Starting point is 00:04:12 this whole year, everyone has been waiting for an October surprise, and it turns out, the October surprise is that we're still talking about the same shit we were talking about in March. Surprise! So, with America now seeing more daily infections than ever before, and hospitalizations rising in many states, the two candidates are staking out their positions on COVID-19. Last week, Democratic candidate Joe Biden announced that he will push a nationwide mask mandate, deploy the Defense Production Act to drive the manufacture of PPE
Starting point is 00:04:43 and begin testing 7 million people each day. And then, President Donald Trump revealed his take on the pandemic. Boring. That's all I hear about now. That's all I hear about now. That's all I hear on television. COVID, COVID, COVID, COVID, COVID, COVID, COVID. A plane goes down. 500 people dead. Tove it. Cove it. Cove it. That. That. That. That. That. That's. the. the. the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the th. th. the the th. the the the th. th. And. And th. And th. And th. And th. And th. And th. And th. And th. And th. And th. And th. And th. And. And. And. And. And. And. And. And. And. And. And, th. And, th. And, th. And, th. And, th. And, th. And, th. And, th. And, th. And, th. And, the the th. And, the the the the the the th. And, the the th. And, th. And, the the the, the the the, the the the, the the the, the. And then. And, the. And,, a plane goes down, 500 people dead, they don't talk
Starting point is 00:05:05 about it. COVID, COVID, COVID, COVID. I can safely say that I've never seen a world leader get bored of a crisis. Also it's weird that Donald Trump is saying this when he's the one still talking shit from 2015. COVID, COVID, I'm so bored. Why isn't anyone talking about Hillary's emails? Keep up with the Times, people.
Starting point is 00:05:27 But hey, shout out to COVID for helping Trump understand what we felt for the past five years. Every time we switch on the TV and heard his name, Trump, Trump, Trump, always Trump. Oh, and by the way, maybe the reason the news isn't talking about the plane that went down with 500 people is because there was no plane that went down with 500 people. And if you think 500 pretend people dying is big news, remember that almost a thousand real people a day are still dying from COVID, COVID, I mean if you're going to bullshit us, at least make the numbers work. Have a fake airplane, crash into another fake airplane that goes down and crashes into a pretend petting zoo and then the animals get out and more like 600 more fake people.
Starting point is 00:06:08 That way, you get close to the COVID numbers for today. I mean, seriously, how does this president still not get it? People are still talking about COVID because people are still dying from COVID. Imagine if the captain of the Titanic had this attitude. All anyone's talking about is drowning, drowning, as if. As if. th. th. th. th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, the the the thi, their their the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi.iii.iiiiiiiiiiiiauiiiauiauioliiiiiiiiiiiiiii. thi. thi. thi, thi of the Titanic had this attitude. All anyone's talking about is drowning, drowning, drowning, as if tonight's not all you can eat shrimp night at the dining hall. Now, I know what you're thinking. If Trump is tired of hearing about COVID on the TV news, well, there's actually something that he could do about it.
Starting point is 00:06:38 Just turn off the TV. But even that might not work, because these days, the news is coming from inside the house. This morning's concerns of another coronavirus outbreak at the White House, after five of Vice President Mike Pence's associates, including his chief of staff, test positive for COVID-19. His chief of staff, Mark Short, with the vice president on every campaign stop last week, including Friday night at a rally in Ohio, short now in isolation and experiencing symptoms. Pence is body man, a
Starting point is 00:07:09 personal assistant who accompanies him virtually everywhere, a political aid who recently traveled with Pence on Air Force 2 along with two other staffers. But CDC guidelines call for a 14-day quarantine after exposure to the virus, a spokesman saying Pence will continue to travel as planned, quote, in accordance with the CDC guidelines for essential personnel. Critics say campaigning for office does not qualify as essential. Wow.
Starting point is 00:07:37 Vice President Mike Pence, the head of the coronavirus task force has COVID all over his office. This is like finding out that the flash came in second in a marathon. I don't care what African country that guy was from. You're supposed to be the flash. Although, I mean, technically, this is one way to keep track of COVID-19. You know what they say? Keep your friends close and the coronavirus even closer. Honestly though, people, I'm not mad at Pence. I'm just disappointed in him.
Starting point is 00:08:06 Because I get Trump not following the rules. We know he can't read, but don't tell me that Mike Pence can't follow strict protocols. I mean, that dude's rules about being around women are more complicated than the rules for meeting the queen. Again, I apologize, your majesty. I thought you that you were that think thold thold tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho, I'm tho, I'm tho, I'm tho, I'm tho, I'm tho, I'm tho, I'm tho, I'm tho, I'm tho, I'm tho, the, tho, I'm tho-I tho-a, tho-a, tho-a, tho, tho, the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the thrown, thrown, thrown, thrown, thrown, thrown, thrown, thrown, thrown, thrown, thrown, thrown, throwne, throwne, thro. throoooooooooooooooo. tru. true. the, throooo. the, the, thro. the were trying to chop my neck off so that you could become Highlander and that's why I fought you. Now, if Pence hasn't caught Corona, this is actually some really good information for us to learn about the virus.
Starting point is 00:08:32 Because now we know that you can get the virus if you're breathing the same air as someone who is positive, but you clearly can't catch the virus if you spend all your time kissing that person's ass. And it's wild that even after he's been exposed to the virus, Mike Pence is still going to campaign. Yeah. I mean, it's a terrible idea, and honestly, I think it'll backfire, because who the hell is going to a rally with Mike Pence if that might give you coronavirus. And yeah, I know people go to wants to get corona from Mike Pence,
Starting point is 00:09:06 especially because he already makes you feel like you have corona. Yeah, you know, after he talks, you're exhausted. It's hard to breathe, and you just want to. But it turns out there's actually a very good reason that the White House isn't following guidelines for preventing the spread of the virus. They just don't want to. And to. And to. And to. And the white. And the white. And the white to to the white to to the white to. And to the white to. the white to. to. the white to. to. the white to. the white to. to. the white the white the white the white the white the white to the white to tooome, the white tooomcochose. to, to, to, to, to. And the White House sounds like they are admitting that they have given up on trying to stop the spread of coronavirus. Chief of staff Mark Meadows telling CNN, quote, we are not going to control the pandemic. Here's what we have to do.
Starting point is 00:09:36 We're not going to control the pandemic. We are going to control the pandemic. We are going to control to control the pandemic the pandemic. the pandemic. the pandemic. to control the pandemic. to control to control the pandemic. to control to control to control to control the pandemic. to control to control to control to control to control to control to control the pandemic. to control the pandemic. the pandemic. the pandemic. the pandemic. the pandemic. the pandemic. the pandemic. the fact. the fact. the pandemic. the pandemic. the pandemic. the pandemic. the pandemic. the pandemic. the fact. the fact. the fact. the pandemic. the pandemic. the pandemic. the pandemic. the pandemic. the pandemic. the pandemic. the pandemic. the pandemic. the pandemic. the pandemic. the pandemic. the pandemic. the pandemic. the pandemic. the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the th th th th th th th th th th the th the the the th the the the th the the the the th the threat. the the the the th the the we get vaccines, therapeutics, and other mitigation areas because it is a contagious virus just like the flu. Interesting. So the plan is to just let coronavirus spread freely throughout America. It's interesting how Zen trumps people are about this, you know, because with an immigrant child who came over the border, they're like, zero tolerance, one is too many, we have to deport. But with a virus that's killing hundreds of thousands of Americans, they're like, look man, the virus is just trying to make a better life in our lungs. Who are we to stop it? All right, when we come back, we continue our epic countdown of Donald Trump's top 100 scandals, and stay tuned, because Bruce Springsteen is gonna be on the show.
Starting point is 00:10:27 When 60 Minutes premiered in September 1968, there was nothing like it. This is 60 Minutes. It's a kind of a magazine for television. Very few have been given access to the treasures in our archives. You're rolling? archives. But that's all about to change. Like none of this stuff gets looked at. That's what's incredible. I'm Seth Done of CBS News. Listen to 60 Minutes a second look on Apple podcasts starting September 17. Welcome back to the Daily Social Distancing Show.
Starting point is 00:11:01 Last week, we began counting down the biggest scandals of President Trump's first term, but there's still a lot to go. So here's Roywood Jr. with part two of Donald Trump's 100 most tremendous scandals. What does it take to be the worst? Luck, talent. Jared Kushner is your top advisor. Donald Trump has all of these, and it's helped make him the most scandal-written president in American history. But which of these scandals is the best of the worst? The Daily Show consulted historians, political scientists, and psychoanalysts.
Starting point is 00:11:45 And we ignored all of those people and pulled something out of our ass. This is Donald Trump's 100 most tremendous scandals. And we're picking up right where we left off, at number 75. This was the largest audience to ever witness an inauguration, period. Alternative facts. Whether they may have had some kind of Russian money funneling through them to help Trump. Tax dollars to travel by private jet. The $43,000 sound booth and a sweetheart deal and a $50 a month capital rental from
Starting point is 00:12:15 a lobbyist. $139,000 price tag for new doors. High-end taxpayer-funded dinners. A $300 million contract. Work for a place that marketed a masculine toilet for well-endowed men. It's a wonderful line. I own some of it. Go buy it today. Kelly, I was my temperament yesterday. Very calm. No temper can't him. Perjuring the government of perceived enemies. Pushed through Jared and Ivanka's security clearances using private email servers. Sweetheart deal to Jeffrey Epstein.
Starting point is 00:12:46 Abuse allegations from both of his former wives. The raid has continued to court political controversy, particularly with regards to the death of the Navy SEAL. I said, you've got to clean your floors. Urging his millions of Twitter followers, boycott an American company. I said, please don't be too nice. You shoot migrants in the legs, fortifying a border wall with a water-filled trench, stocked with snakes or alligators. They want more people in their sanctuary cities?
Starting point is 00:13:12 Well, we'll give them more people. We can give them a lot. Crazy Elizabeth Warren, or as I affectionately call her, Obama wiretapped him in Trump Tower, that came from a Bright Bart article that was a total conspiracy theory. I know nothing about Q&O. I just tried to. I know very little. You told me, but what you tell me doesn't necessarily make it fact. Damn, that's exhausting.
Starting point is 00:13:36 You thought you weren't getting anything done at the office. Well, that brings us to tonight's final scandalal the number 51. It involves Twitter, a category five hurricane, and the worst use of a Sharpie since your college roommate drew a day. Nature's fury. In September of 2019, a storm was brewing in the Atlantic. Hurricane Dorian making its way toward the United States. Forecasters expecting it to make a dramatic turn to the north. I'm not sure that I've ever even heard of a Category 5. I knew it existed. A Category 5 is something that I don't know that I've ever even heard the term,
Starting point is 00:14:13 other than I know it's there. But Hurricane Dorian was nothing compared to scramble to correct misinformation from President Trump about Dorian. President Trump tweeted in addition to Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama will most likely be hit much harder than anticipated. The National Weather Service corrected the president, saying Alabama will not see any impacts from Dorian. Suddenly, America was caught between two claims.
Starting point is 00:14:45 But who to believe? Scientists who have dedicated their lives to the study of weather patterns? Or a man who thinks wind is caused by birds flapping too hard. This is a tough hurricane. One of the wettest we've ever seen from the standpoint of water. As the people of Alabama braced for either massive destruction or slightly overcaste, there was still time to avoid disaster. All President Trump had to say was, sorry, I was wrong.
Starting point is 00:15:13 The hurricane is not going to hit Alabama. Alabama is going to get a piece of it. It looks like it is a very, very powerful hurricane. A great place, it's called Alabama, and Alabama could even be in for at least some very strong wins and something more than that it could be. That's right. Although the experts tried to make Trump understand, he had already boarded up his ears. Hurricane Dorian had moved on, narrowly missing Alabama by 600 miles, but Hurricane Donald
Starting point is 00:15:42 was just forming. After seeing an ABC news report on his mistake, Trump gained new strength, tweeting, Such a phony hurricane report by lightweight reporter John Carl of ABC News. It was a direct attack on science and also on Twitter user Jonathan Carl, who is a Kentucky pastor and not ABC news anchor John Carl, an innocent victim of Hurricane Donald. Over the next 36 hours, Hurricane Donald seemed to die down, but then it returned, this time with a Sharpie. In a White House video released Wednesday, Trump displays a modified National Hurricane
Starting point is 00:16:18 Center forecast. The graphic appears to have been altered with a Sharpie to indicate a risk the storm would move into Alabama. I know that Alabama was in the original forecast. They actually gave that a 95% chance. That's right. Donald Trump tried to redraw a map with a Sharpie. Have some respect for intelligence.
Starting point is 00:16:40 Least learned Photoshop. But what if the culprit wasn't Trump at all? That map that map you showed today looked like it almost had like a Sharpie. I don't know. I don't know. It was a real mystery. Who could have possibly taken a Sharpie to a hurricane map? It had to be someone with an almost pathological obsession with using the permanent markers. As if they needed their marks to be the boldest, the loudest, the most permanent.
Starting point is 00:17:05 But who? There would be no way to know for certain. The storm raged for days, growing and strengthened until it became a Category 5 tweet storm. Government agencies that most Americans had never even heard of were transformed into hazardous projectiles by the game. Secretary of Commerce, Wilbur Ross, threatened to fire top employees at NOAA on Friday after the agency's Birmingham office contradicted Trump's claim.
Starting point is 00:17:30 What began as one bad tweet had escalated into a full-scale political scandal, with not one, not two, but three government investigations. Like a Sharpie drawing a fake path of a hurricane, it's a scandal that simply can't be erased. All because there was a hurricane over a year ago that had a 5 to 20 percent chance of hitting Alabama, but ultimately didn't. I remember Sharpie Gate very well, although I like to call it Pengazi. That's all the time we have for tonight. Join us next time as we explore the world of porn stars,
Starting point is 00:18:08 little rocket man, and five different flavors of racism. As we continue to count down Donald Trump's 100 most tremendous scandals. All right, we have to take a quick break, but we don't want you to go anywhere, because when we come back, I'll be talking to the legend. Bruce Springsteen. When 60 Minutes premiered in September 1968, there was nothing like it. This is 60 Minutes.
Starting point is 00:18:34 It's a kind of a magazine for television. Very few have been given access to the treasures in our archives. But that's all about to change. Like none of this stuff gets looked at. That's what's incredible. I'm Seth Done of CBS News. Listen to 60 Minutes, a Second Look, starting September 17th, wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome back to the Daily Social Distancing Show. Earlier today, I spoke with the legendary musician Bruce Springsteen. We talked about his new album and documentary, the upcoming election, and so much more. Bruce Springsteen, welcome to the daily social distancing show. Thank you very much. It is truly an honor to have you here
Starting point is 00:19:19 because you are not just an artist. You are not just a successful artist, but in many ways, people would say that you write the story of America in your music. You've been extremely successful doing it. I mean, 20 Grammys, two Golden Globes, a Tony Award and Oscar. At this stage of your life, what do you think Bruce Springsteen is still trying to tell people through his music? I'm just trying to keep going. At 71?
Starting point is 00:19:50 I'm just trying to make it to the next record and the next show, you know? But, uh, I don't know. I guess if someone was interested in sort of sort of a little bit of cataloging the history of the United States since, say, 1970, and it's post-industrial period in music, looking for music that dealt with some of the issues that have occurred over the past 40 or 50 years, you know, they could do worse than go and dig into some of my stuff, I suppose, you know. So if I've been good for anything, maybe I've been good for that a little bit, and then the rest of the time, I'm just trying to entertain you and help you do your wash and your laundry and vacuum your floor and dance a little bit in the kitchen and you know we're here to soothe your soul through trouble times a little bit if we can and that's how I look at my job.
Starting point is 00:20:58 One thing that makes your job so interesting or rather the execution of your job is that it feels like you're talking about everybody's lives, everybody's society, what you see going on. I mean you've written music about police brutality many, many years ago that if someone played that song today that go like, oh you wrote it about now. But when you when you look at those themes, I've always wanted to know like what do you think you're trying to get across to the, I've always wanted to know, like, what do you think you're trying to get across to the listener? What do you think the music is trying to achieve? Is it just to shine a light on the subject?
Starting point is 00:21:28 Or is it to also infuse a little bit of your politics and what you experience in the world? And I suppose it's a little bit of both, you know, it's the way you see there's a part of me that says if you were interested in knowing what it was like to be a citizen of the United States between 1970 and 2020 like I said you know you that that may be in my work a little bit a lot of the times you're just written you just write what moves you what and and then and then but also it you write what you are able to write about. Because very often, I don't, I don't operate from the conceptual, from a conceptual place first. I operate sort of internally first and then, and then it becomes outward. So a song, Say Like American Skin, that I wrote in 1998
Starting point is 00:22:31 about the Amadu Dialo shooting is, can feel current today, you know, but it was just something at the time I remember I was thinking, we were coming to New York. I wanted to have a new piece of music and that was, uh, that was, uh, uh, uh, that was, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, the, the, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, th, that, that, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, the, th, th, th, th, th, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that, that, thi thi thi, that was thinking we were coming to New York. I wanted to have a new piece of music and that had recently occurred and I was just able to write about it. So I did. I didn't think it was going to be particularly controversial at the time. It ended up being a little more so than I thought. But that's kind of how I approached it. But that's kind of how I approach this. The political aspect in my music is more, is through implication.
Starting point is 00:23:13 I try to write good, I try to write good three-dimensional character studies, where I bring lives to life, you know, and create, and create breathing, living human beings that you will recognize in my music. And then I kind of let the politics speak for itself, you know, of course some of your own comes through, but I really, I, I, I don't consider myself a topical songwriter. I don't consider myself a political songwriter. If anything, at this late age, I would say I'm a little more, I've been saying I've been
Starting point is 00:23:56 a little bit more of a spiritual songwriter in it, that's what's sort of been driving my, some of my most recent work. So, that's basically the way I look at my job and what I do. I think that's one of the more fascinating things about you is that you always refer to it as a job. You know, even in the documentary, I loved how you've reunited the East Street Band. Here you are, you are, you know, 50 years from the inception of this idea.
Starting point is 00:24:28 And you guys are jamming and you play for a very long time. And I love that you say to the, you say to the guys, you're like, guys, this is our job. We have a job to do. And everyone's talking about a job and it's working. But you guys are having a great time, but it's like you're working. It's like we're working, we're getting the chords, we're doing the thing. Why do you think you work so hard? It may seem like an obvious question, but why do you think you work so hard and play for so long to make the songs what they are?
Starting point is 00:24:55 I just like to do it, you know, it's the way that I've, the way that I've enjoyed doing my job since I was a very, very young man. You know, when I was 18 or 19, I was used to playing five hours a night in a bar. So I was very used to that kind of playing very early in my work life. And I also felt I was desperate to communicate. And I just, as, starting from when I was young, I was young, I was, I was just, as, I was, I was young, to be a young, I was desperate to communicate and I just as starting from when I was young I felt there was a lot I wanted to talk to you about right now and I don't know what tomorrow brings but I know that this evening we're all here and we're in this room so I'm interested in making the most of my opportunity to speak to you tonight. And that drove me more than anything else.
Starting point is 00:25:52 It's something I've just always enjoyed. I've enjoyed doing. When I come off stage, I feel a release and a catharsis that occurs through that kind of work. And I don't think, uh, and that occurs through that kind of work. And I don't think, and that's just what's driven me. So it's really what drives you and how you approach your job. And I always approached it as this very sort of, I would say, joyous work. You know, I've gotten this tremendous amount of joy out of it. We're serious when we get on, when we get on the stage or when we come in the studio.
Starting point is 00:26:32 So there's not exactly what I would call a party atmosphere, I suppose, you know, but it's a work atmosphere where there's an enormous amount of happiness and joy and simply what we're accomplishing. Don't go away because when we come back we've got more with Bruce Springsteen. When 60 Minutes premiered in September 1968, there was nothing like it. This is 60 Minutes. It's a kind of a magazine for television. Very few have been given access to the treasures in our archives. But that's all access to the treasures in our archives. You're rolling?
Starting point is 00:27:05 But that's all about to change. Like none of this stuff gets looked at. That's what's incredible. I'm Seth Done of CBS News. Listen to 60 Minutes, a second look, starting September 17th, wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome back to the Daily Social Distancing Show. Here's part two of my interview with Bruce Springsteen.
Starting point is 00:27:27 For a long time, your music has been the catharsis. You have seen people who have felt unseen. You have spoken about towns that are forgotten in time. You've spoken about industries and places and people that seem to have been completely forgotten. And yet at the same time you have as big a following on the coast you you cross you know all walks of life I wonder if you ever sit and ask yourself why you think you do so well with such a broad swath of people well I would say first and foremost I'm a good storyteller. You know, and people like stories.
Starting point is 00:28:07 And they like stories that connect to their inner geography. Your inner geography may or may not have to do with anything you've experienced or not experienced. It's simply the geography of your emotional life. And I believe I've, I've done well at speaking to that, you know, and our largest audience is in Europe. We have two-thirds of our audience exists in Europe now. Much, much, much bigger than the United States. And so, why is that? I think I'm a good storyteller, you know? And, I think, I think, that's, you know? And, and I think, thi, and I that, and I that, and I that, and I that, and I that, and I the the that, and I the that, and I that, and I the that, and I that, and I the that, and I that, and I that, and I that's that's that's that's that's that's the that's that's that's that's, I that's, I that's, I that's that's that's that's that's that's that's to that's to to that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the thi, I have thi, I, I've, I've thi, I've thi, I've thi, I've thi, I've th United States. And so why is that? Think I'm a good storyteller, you know?
Starting point is 00:28:49 And I think in Europe, people are very interested in America, an American myth and what's going on over here. And those are the stories I've told since I was a young man. And, but really, I believe what's at the heart of it is, is people like your music. They like the way it sounds. They like the way you sing. And they like the stories you tell.
Starting point is 00:29:12 You tell stories that some people cannot tell for themselves. You know, I'm, I always loved listening to your music because I felt like it took me on a journey through what people refer to as the heartland of America. What I've also been intrigued by in your music is how people oftentimes miss the meaning of your music, misconstrued your music, or have a completely different understanding of what the music is. So for instance, a great example is like born in the USA. You know, like people play it in a way that the, when you listen to the lyrics, you're like, well, this doesn't seem like how people are dancing. Like, people are like, yeah, this is a song about,
Starting point is 00:29:50 let's take over the world, I'm born in the USA. And your song seems to be more like, it's like, it's like you're questioning this whole idea of what America's doing in the todam................. to, to, to, to, to, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, thi. thi. the the thi. thi. the the thi. toe. toe. toe. the the th the their, their, their, their, their. their. their. their, their, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, the the the the the thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. the the thlate to what's happening today. Do you, how do you feel about that when people are playing your song for like the opposite reason that you wrote the song for? Well, in this particular case, this is my cross to bear, so I try to bear it with a smile. But I think what the issue is, is that the key to some of my music is you need to be able to hold two contradictory
Starting point is 00:30:30 ideas in your mind at the same time, which is sort of the measure, a bit of the measure of adulthood. So you need to be able to deal with the fact that a song can be both prideful and critical. And that idea is very central to a lot of my music because that's how I feel. You know, I'm proud of my country. I've had an amazing life and gotten the best out of it through living here, but there's a lot to continue to be critical about. So both of those things are going into my music. It's a bit up to the listener to listen well if you want to get the whole picture.
Starting point is 00:31:17 But to do so, you've really got to be able to hold the idea, pride and criticalness can go hand in hand. Let's talk about being critical then. You came out in an interview recently and said if Trump wins a second term you'll move to Australia. I don't think that's true right? It just didn't feel like that's something you would do. Well I don't think I'm going to go there, but I'm not sure yet. So we'll see. But I'll be glad to see him go. I think he's going to lose.
Starting point is 00:31:58 And I'll be glad to see that happen. We've got a new album from Bruce Springsteen. We've got so many pieces of material that we can enjoy of yours right now. You've got new music that's just come out. You've got a few tracks that you've previously unreleased tracks from, you know, decades and decades ago that you've remade for today. It feels like you've always been sure about yourself. It feels like you're prolific because you know that you know something to say. But I wonder when you create, do you still have doubts sometimes?
Starting point is 00:32:26 Well, any good artist wrestles with their insecurities. It's your insecurities that move you forward. If you were simply comfortable with, completely comfortable with who you are and what you're doing and where you've done, I don't know if you would have the fire in you to move forward. It's your doubts and your questions and you're searching for new and different answers that move you forward in your work. So I would describe myself, do I have more artistic security security than I had when I was 23 in some ways, but I don't believe that that necessarily had anything
Starting point is 00:33:10 to do with the quality of the music that I was writing. I can look back and say when I was 25, I made this record born to run, and as good as any record I've ever made. I wrote it when I was 24 years old. I've got songs on this album that I wrote, tod, to, to, to, th, to, th, to, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, tho, tho, thi, I'd thi, I would th, thi, I would would, I would, I'd tho, and I'd tho, and I'd th, I'd th, I'd th, I'd th, I'd, I'd, I'd, I'd, I'd, I'd, I would, I would, I would, I would, I would, I would, I would, I would, I would, I would, I would, I would, I would, I th. th. th. thi, I would, I'd thi, thi, I'd thi, I'd thi, thrown, thrown, thrown, thrown, thrown, thrown, thrown, thrown, thrown, thrown, thrown, thrown, I'm thi. I've got songs on this album that I wrote when I was 22 years old, before I made any record, before we recorded any music. And it was three of them that ended up on this record. So those things I don't necessarily influence the quality of your artistic output.
Starting point is 00:33:39 But I do believe that your doubts and questions and insecurities do move your work forward, do keep you questioning, do keep you searching, and that's at the key of artistic progression. My final question to you is, as someone who was born to run, someone who's always been on the road, someone who has performed thousands of concerts all around the globe, what have you been doing during the pandemic? I am born to sit still at the globe. What have you been doing during the pandemic? I am born to sit still at the moment. So I'm doing what everybody else is doing, you know? I mean, we stay inside a lot. You know, we have a few friends that we're careful, we see, we're social distancing, you know, we're, and luckily enough I have a studio at my home,
Starting point is 00:34:24 which we're, I'm in right now, and I've had a variety of projects to keep me busy. I had the film, I had the album, which we started pre-pandemic. And I have a radio show that I do bi-weekly, basically, which I've enjoyed doing, and has allowed me to continue the conversation with my audience during this strange and during these strange times. But, you know, I've been lucky, like I say, that I can work at home, that of course I'm extremely fortunate that I don't have some of the worries that other folks have and that, as far as getting through tomorrow or the next day or next year, you know, but our circumstances have sort of been, you know, I got, you know, my family,
Starting point is 00:35:14 I'm lucky enough I have my family here, so, and it's, we've just been holding on like everybody else. Well, I appreciate you. It's been a wonderful journey for me going through your body of music getting ready for this interview. So you've got a brand new fan. I appreciate your time. Thank you so much for joining us on the show. Thank you so much again for that Bruce. The album Letter to You is available now and you can stream the documentary on Apple TV Plus. Well, that's our show for tonight. But before we go, I wanted to remind you that we that we that we that we that we that we that we are that we are that we are that we are that we are th, th, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, to remind you to remind you to to to to to to to to to to to tho, the thi, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, th. th. to to to to to to th, th, th, th, th, th, the th, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, the, the, the, thr. thr. thr. thean, thean, thean, thro. to, thean, thro. thro. thro. tho. the. the, the, th's our show for tonight, but before we go, I wanted to remind you that we're partnering with World Central Kitchen for their new Chefs for the Polls program.
Starting point is 00:35:49 What they're doing is activating local food trucks, restaurants, and caterers owned and operated primarily by people of color to serve food to people who are waiting in long lines, especially in underserved communities. Until tomorrow, stay safe out there, wear a mask, and remember, if you're voting early, you don't know what supplies your polling place might have. So bring your own pen and your own drumline. The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, Ears Edition. Watch the Daily Show weeknights at 11, 10 Central on Comedy Central and the Comedy
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