APMFF: Danny Clinch's big Bruce Springsteen moment told at Storytellers



How can there be a music and film festival in Asbury Park without at least one Bruce Springsteen moment?

Danny Clinch, celeb photographer from Toms River, provided a doozy with a story Saturday, April 28 at the Wonder Bar in Asbury Park as part of the Jersey Storytellers Project event in the Asbury Park Music in Film Festival.

Clinch spoke of hanging out at the Stone Pony in as kid, waiting for the elusive Springsteen. In time, Clinch became a music photographer whose credits included pics of Nas, Jay Z and Johnny Cash.

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Then he got a call on March 16, 1999 — can you shoot Bob Dylan?

“Hey, my name is Jeff Rosen, and I manage a singer-songwriter named Bob Dylan, you might of heard of him?” Clinch said. “I was really excited and completely floored. In fact, I was laying on the floor of my studio and my studio manager was like, ‘You OK?’ What just happened here?’’

“It’s not Bruce Springsteen, but it’s Bob Dylan!” Clinch said.

Then he got another call later that day. Springsteen’s reps wanted him to take pics of the E Street Band reunion tour rehearsals at Fort Monmouth.

A dream was realized.

“The thing about my family is I grew up in Toms River and one of the things my parents had always said to me was listen, you got to do what you want to do in your life, and we just want you to know that we’ll support you 100 percent,” said Clinch, his voice breaking as his mom, Linda Clinch, looked on with pride. “It’s important because my dad never went to school. He was a house painter and did several jobs to make ends meet, and he wanted to make sure that I was going to do what I was going to do, and he was 100 percent behind me.”

Clinch’s dad, Maxted Clinch, passed away in March 2016. Clinch now is the leading music photographer of the era who’s also received three Grammy nominations for his music films. He’s the curator for the upcoming Sea Hear Now music and arts festival, starring Incubus, Jack Johnson, Blondie and more, on the beach in Asbury Park on Sept. 29 and 30.

As for the Springsteen and E Street Band shoot, it went well. Clinch has photographed the Boss many times since then, including at “Springsteen on Broadway.”

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“As I was driving down the Parkway, the windows were rolled down, I’m heading to Fort Monmouth and I’m listening to ‘Greetings from Asbury Park,’ and I just couldn’t believe it,” said Clinch, wearing a stingy brim fedora, black jacket, jeans and boots with a camera at his side. “I was floored that I was getting this opportunity. I just tried to remember, and I wanted to focus on the task at hand, and not get emotional about the fact that I had been chasing Bruce Springsteen around forever.”

The theme of this edition of Storytellers was Music, Movies & Me and it included tales from Tom Bernard, Sony Pictures Classics co-president and co-founder; music journalist Aliya S. King; Asbury Park musician and promoter Angie Sugrim; radio hosts Rich Russo and Shelli Sonstein, and folk singer James Dalton. G. Michelle Lewis and Mike Davis from the Asbury Park Press were the hosts.

“Sometimes you don’t find your dream,” Russo said. “Sometimes your dream finds you.”

The Asbury Park Music and Film Festival also features appearances and performances by Danny DeVito, Wyclef Jean, Danny Clinch, John Densmore, Sublime With Rome and more, with 29 movies being shown through Sunday, April 29. Proceeds raised will benefit music programs for the kids of the Asbury Park area via the Asbury Park Music Foundation.

The fest is presented by founding partners RWJ Barnabas Health and the Asbury Park Press. Visit www.apmff.org for more info.

Chris Jordan: cjordan@app.com. Twitter: @chrisfhjordan