The Geography of Our Youth Eric Meola
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THEPAGE 60 BACKSTREETS GEOGRAPHY WINTER 2011/2012 OF OUR YOUTH ERIC MEOLA interviews MIKE APPEL Around the corner from the Record Plant, in the last few days of recording the album Born to Run, near 8th Ave. and 44th St. Bruce Springsteen, in Karen Darvin’s pants (his clothes were at the laundry), with Mike Appel, Jimmy Iovine, and Jon Landau. Background courtesy of the City of New York. “I stepped off the curb, looked back, and knew it was a moment in history,” says photographer Eric Meola. THE GEOGRAPHY OF OUR YOUTH ERIC MEOLA interviews MIKEWINTER 2011/2012 BACKSTREETSAPPEL PAGE 61 his heart and soul into the words and mak- n 1975, photographer Eric Meola captured an image of Bruce ing it his own song. That scene reminds me of your version of that day. And you Springsteen and Clarence Clemons that would become one of the told Bruce, in effect, to go home and write some more songs. most iconic album covers of all time. That album, Born to Run, was Well, there’s no question about it. I had I listened to two songs, and neither song hit the last that manager and “stone-cold believer” Mike Appel would me. But the second song had something about he and some woman dancing to a have a hand in producing with Springsteen before their infamous silent band, because she was deaf, dumb and blind. I thought that was kind of inter- legal rift. esting. And it provoked me—it provoked my thought process for a moment. I said, Some 34 years later, Meola was astounded to discover that the “If we’re gonna have an album deal here, we need way more songs than these two. Is rift, somehow, appeared to have healed. Springsteen dedicated the that all you got?” And he said, “Well, I gotta go write more songs.” 2009 Buffalo, NY performance of Greetings From Asbury Park, NJ to I said, “Well, yeah, if you want an album, you’re gonna have to, and maybe a few his former manager: “the man who got me in the door. Mike Appel more commercial ones as well.” So that was what my lecture was to Bruce, if you is here tonight—Mike, this is for you.” At first, Meola honestly can call it that. But he didn’t take it as a lecture—he just took it as solid advice, and thought it was a joke. Since they clearly had some catching up to do, he was going to go back and do something about it. And he did. we asked Meola to take the wheel for the first Backstreets interview I guess that’s what happens when raw talent runs into people that are “in the busi- with Mike Appel in 20 years. ness,” if you will. All of a sudden, that raw talent has to suddenly realize, you know, Eric Meola: Let’s start with the Super at NBC will see this—that was my atti- you’re gonna have to shape it a little bit this Bowl. It’s 1972, and from what I under- tude. And when I took Bruce to see John way and that way to get through this filter- stand, you suggested to the NBC produc- Hammond, Sr., and later Clive Davis, they ing system. er in charge that instead of opening the did see it. Super Bowl with the national anthem that I can’t say that I’m the only guy that ever I think to Bruce’s credit—first of all, to they should have Bruce Springsteen do “saw” Bruce Springsteen. There were… your credit, for what you told him, and “Balboa vs. the Earth Slayer.” devotees, shall we say, and they sup- then to his credit—he took your words Mike Appel: That’s correct. ported him. That’s why we hated it when seriously, and his whole style changed. Clive Davis was relieved of his duties at He became more focused on writing good Now, to put that in perspective—and Columbia. We felt we lost an advocate, a songs, and… talk about living in the future—Bruce champion for Bruce Springsteen—and that Traditional song criteria. was 23 years old then. He’s past 60 now. was no joke, because we actually did. Thirty-six years and 36 Super Bowls later, Right. Bruce does the halftime show in 2009. Did I think it was late ’71 when Tinker West Absolutely correct. He did do that. I will you happen to watch it? brought him into your office. First of all, say this, though: he certainly was not pre- Yes, of course. during 1972, Don McLean’s “American vented from stretching the normal criteria Pie” was the number one song in America. for songwriting in any way whatsoever. If What did you think? Did you feel vindi- Looking back at some of the songs that you look at “Incident on 57th Street,” these SprINGSTEEN’ cated, or did that never enter your mind? Bruce walked into your office with, some are not what I would call normal pop song What did you think of the performance? the titles of his unpublished songs were structures. He pushes the envelope just Well, his performance is always electrify- “Tokyo,” “The Song Mother,” “The Ballad about as far as you can. And then certainly ing. He’s the greatest live performer that of Elmer the Pea,” and the one we just on the third album he did that as well, with S ever was—probably, in my estimation, ever mentioned, “Balboa 1972 LAU will be. So his performance is always great. vs. the Earth Slayer.” You can never find fault with that. And he walks into your R As far as feeling vindicated, I actually office…. ID CA EL CANYON never gave it a thought until somebody Did you see the movie mentioned it to me, and I said, “Well, I Walk the Line? look… it’s a long time coming.” I said, “I’m Sure. not prescient….” I mean, I couldn’t foretell the future. It’s just that we were so excited There’s that scene R at that time with his talent and with his where Johnny Cash, COU D, ability to write sterling lyrics, highly poetic played by Joaquin lyrics, that we just felt the sky was the limit. Phoenix, has an audition R with Sam Phillips at Sun SMITH TESY OF BILLY But he didn’t even have an album out at Records in Memphis. the time. And he sings a song, but My attitude always was, and I guess it he has no conviction always will be, that if you’re excited about whatsoever, and Sam something, it’s contagious, and other peo- interrupts him and lec- ple will see it, too. Any literate person up tures him about putting PAGE 62 BACKSTREETS WINTER 2011/2012 He didn’t care. The managers he had HOTO P met, he didn’t like. He just wanted me to focus on him. To some extent I think Bruce knew when he entered my life—in fact, I know he knew this—there were other art- ists in my life. He was entering an area with CUNNINGHAM other artists. I had just finished an album R for Leiber and Stoller down in Nashville for ETE P the group called Montana Flintlock, which Tinker [West] also brought to me. We had just signed an artist by the name of Tony Azito to Epic Records. Bruce realized that we were guys that had relationships with record labels and other producers, with publishers, writers… that, hey, these guys are in. So we were guys that had “the in” in the record industry, and he knew that. From what I understand, you had a band yourself called the Camelots. You played, at one point, even if it was for one song, with Jay and the Americans, with Link Wray & His Ray Men… and tell me a little about Hugo & Luigi. Oh, sure. Hugo & Luigi—in fact, I went to lunch last year with Luigi Creatore. Hugo has passed away? Hugo Peretti passed away. Luigi Creatore’s still alive, and to make a long story short, he’s the guy—he, George David Weiss, and Hugo Peretti wrote “Can’t Help Falling in Love” for Elvis. Bruce sings that song. See, there are these little connections with all of us guys in the music industry. Six degrees of separation. Yeah, you’re damn straight. Like Ralph Gleason, when he was interviewing Hank Williams, Sr., he asked him a question. He said, “Hank, who are your favorite singers?” So Hank mentioned this guy by the name of Bill Darnell. Bill Darnell signed Mike Appel. Bill Darnell signed me to his label and then later took me over to Herald and Ember Records. Herald and Ember had songs like, you know, Maurice Williams and “Stay.” Bruce Springsteen sings that. Jackson Browne had a big hit with “Stay.” “Jungleland” and “Thunder Road.” These Given your own background as a Al Silver, who owned Herald and Ember, are not what I would call normal pop songs. songwriter and that Bruce was virtually also had “Get a Job,” he had “In the Still of unknown at the time, did you consider the the Night.” He had all those hits, and he got They were more operatic. terms of the contract to be egregious? And me over there, and I had this band called Yeah, they were anthems, to some extent. given the passage of time, do you see it The Camelots.