Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band are to play for 12 minutes at halftime during Sunday's Super Bowl XLIII. So yesterday was meet the press day -- according to the NFL emcee, his first press conference since one for Amnesty International in 1987.

And It's funny.

Part One.

Part Two.

Story, at ESPN: Springsteen gives fans reason to believe

He was honest, you've got to give him that. He's been asked to do the halftime show numerous times by the NFL, but "initially it was sort of a novelty ... it didn't quite feel right," he said.

It feels right now. Why?

"One, we have a new album coming out, dummy! C'mon! ... It just happened to come out this week," he said, referring to the new release, "Working on a Dream." "So we have our mercenary reasons, of course. And [lowering his voice to a solemn tone] besides, my deep love of football."

"Thanks, Bruce," the NFL emcee said nervously.

At the end, the sportswriters clapped, says ESPN's Gene Wojciechowski.