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Bruce Springsteen on former President Obama's podcast pitch: "You want me to do what?"

How Obama and Springsteen started a podcast
Barack Obama and Bruce Springsteen on their unlikely friendship, conversations that led to podcast 01:58

Former President Barack Obama and singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen sat down with Anthony Mason to discuss their podcast "Renegades: Born in the USA," which launched in February and inspired their book of the same name, which will be released on October 26.

Mr. Obama said it was his idea to launch the podcast with Springsteen, describing the 20-time Grammy Award-winner as "surprisingly shy considering he goes out there and sings before tens of thousands of people for hours at a time."

"And we just ended up being in settings where we'd have these long conversations. 'What does it mean to be a man? What does it mean to be an American?'" Mr. Obama recalled. "These were things that were just kind of popping up over a meal or a drink. And I thought, 'You know what? This might be something that would be useful for folks to hear.'"

"I initially thought that he had gotten a wrong number when he called me," Springsteen said, laughing. "And I answered. I said, 'OK … let me figure this out. I am a guitar-playing high school graduate from Freehold, New Jersey. And, OK, you want me to do what?'"


Watch Mason's extended interview with Mr. Obama and Springsteen Sunday on "CBS Sunday Morning," airing at 9am ET on CBS and at 10:30am ET on CBSN. More of the interview will air on "CBS Mornings" Monday at 7am ET on CBS and 8am ET on CBSN

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