In the early years, I found a voice that was my voice and also partly my father's voice. But isn't that what you always do? Why do kids at 5 years old go into the closet and put their daddy's shoes on? Hey, my kids do it.

A good song gathers the years in. It's why you can sing it with such conviction 40 years after it's been written.

I tend to be a subscriber to the idea that you have everything you need by the time you're 12 years old to do interesting writing for most of the rest of your life - certainly by the time you're 18.

The E Street band casts a pretty wide net. Our influences go all the way back to the early primitive garage music, and also, we've had everything in the band from jazz players to Kansas City trumpet players to Nils Lofgren, one of the great rock guitarists in the world.

During my early years at Minnesota I conducted an evening enzyme seminar.

I have always loved animals and groomed friends' horses as a child. I think I may have even ridden the odd seaside donkey in my early years.