when i was editor

When cleaning out my Temple in/outbox last week, I keyed on one e-mail sent to my former staff of Temple Living reporters, affectionally referred to as Livers. While I never wrote an e-mail I didn't like (Time ensured this), I take stock in one that offered no story ideas, but instead a story.

Sent Nov. 26 2006:

" In place of story ideas this week, let me tell you about –
and hopefully inspire you with – a gritty story about rocker
Bruce Springsteen and his defining hit “Born to Run”:

Born in the punching-bag state of New Jersey, Springsteen rose from the faceless scene and carried his workmanlike, inferior complex onstage, and later into the studio. In 1972, Springsteen, then 23, would spend only three weeks
producing his raw debut album, “Greetings from Asbury Park,” a commercial flop.

A year later, he designated two months into the production of his next bust, “The Wild, The Innocent, The E-Street Shuffle.”

With Columbia Records losing faith, patience and money with each album, Springsteen was one bad album away from being cast out into the ocean of obscurity. Although critics loved his work and realized his creativity, much of his work was dismissed as rushed, sloppy and verbose.

Like a jobless graduate approaching the end of his student- loan grace period, Springsteen awoke to the reality of the situation, drenched in desperation and staring at the crossroads of his career. He transmuted his anxiety into something else. For him, this was creative energy.

“The highways jammed with broken heroes on a last-chance power drive.”

These lines and others were composed in the studio during the production of his masterpiece album, “Born to Run.” Springsteen brought his nine-man band into the studio, but left his wing-it attitude behind. He also brought a sleeping
bag.

For the next nine months, Springsteen and the E-Street Band would pull all-nighters rehearsing the same eight songs. And on one of these songs, the title track, he would spend an exorbitant length of time layering and finessing melodies – overdubbing as many as 12 separate guitar melodies – until it was just right. Good was no longer good enough.

The sessions became so tedious, a band member left.

One more time.

After four unsuccessful months of tinkering, Springsteen hauled his equipment into another studio and began again.

One more time.

Columbia Records started to feel the pinch of the mounting studio fees and pressed Springsteen to move on.

Yet again, one more time. And it still wasn’t right.

Six months of tweaking in all, Springsteen finally had 4 minutes and 30 seconds of something he could be proud of. And fans reaffirmed this in ’75, the release year, by making “Born to Run” his then- best-selling album.

He and his family continue to live off, among other things, the royalties derived from his 6-month quest for perfection.

I’ll pause and let you guys situate yourselves off the edge of your seats.

Fan or not, everybody can take note of the price of excellence. And if your hatred for Springsteen is that intense, just remember that Michelangelo spent four years painting the Sistine Chapel. That’s dedication.

So hopefully the next time I assign you a story, you’ll remember not to wait until the next to last day to work on it. Give yourself days to write it, and by that I don’t mean research; I mean the actual writing process. Take your time
to write it because it’s your name up there. "