Springsteen & I director had to cut 2,000 fan films

The director of new movie Springsteen & I had to leave more than 2,000 fan films out of the documentary, because he was inundated with anecdotes and sob stories about The Boss. Baillie Walsh put a call out over the Internet to Springsteen fansites and asked devotees to make a five minute film about what the rocker and his music meant to them – and he was staggered by the response.
He tells WENN, “We got hundreds of hours of film and I had to spend six months in an editing suite deciding what to use for the project.”
The result is a touching tribute to the Glory Days hitmaker from fans who have spent time onstage with their hero, buskers and others who have been moved by his music.
Walsh admits there were some very powerful stories that he had to leave out: “There were some really great films that I couldn’t use because I could not make them fit into the jigsaw puzzle… There were much bigger stories – we had people whose lives who had been turned around from cancer and 9/11 stories and Bruce’s charity work, but I felt that they were too pompous in a way. I wanted it to be much more about the music. I didn’t want it to be a charity film.”
And the director admits he was surprised that so few of Springsteen’s ardent fans who took part in the project were crazy.
He explains, “We didn’t get many crazies at all… and I really did expect some, because we’re giving people an opportunity to send in films and talk about someone they’re obsessed with.”
Springsteen & I will be released on DVD next week (28Oct13).