Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Warren Zanes joined his big brother's rock band when the only thing he knew how to play was a record player. Within a few years the Del Fuegos had made it to MTV and Robert Plant was talking about them in Rolling Stone. Warren was 19 years old with a chipped front tooth when Bruce Springsteen came backstage at a Del Fuegos show in Greensboro and told the band that “Backseat Nothing” was his favorite song. Then it all fell apart. But Warren rebuilt himself as one of rock's great chroniclers, writing an acclaimed Tom Petty biography and the book about Bruce Springsteen’s album “Nebraska” that became a film: “Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere”.
Stephen Dubner was there for Warren’s first act. He was playing in his own band back then, hung out with the Del Fuegos, and wrote about that night in Greensboro for the local newspaper. Why did Warren turn his amp all the way down the night Springsteen joined the Del Fuegos on stage? Why did Warren and Stephen eventually quit their bands? And how did Warren end up with a PhD and a job at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?
Warren tells Stephen about being teased by a Beatle at Tom Petty’s Christmas party, how his mom became Petty’s pot dealer, and why an education in art history landed him the gig to write about Springsteen’s “Nebraska.” Warren and Stephen play the song Warren learned off a bootleg Keith Richards hotel tape. And the Del Fuegos reunite, even though as Warren jokes, he still doesn’t get his fair share.
#betterinperson #freakonomicsradio #WarrenZanes
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Introducing ChatGPT Work - Put ChatGPT to work on your most ambitious ideas and projects. Download the new ChatGPT desktop app today at chatgpt.com
ABOUT BETTER IN PERSON:
Everyone has a public story. Stephen Dubner wants the rest.
On Better in Person, Dubner invites remarkable people into his home for a kind of conversation that’s hard to find: curious, free-wheeling, even profound. They talk, play, eat and drink, argue and laugh. The result? Less interview, more shared discovery.
This is how a conversation works.
FOLLOW BETTER IN PERSON:
Instagram: instagram.com/betterinpersontv
TikTok: tiktok.com/betterinpersontv
FOLLOW STEPHEN DUBNER:
Instagram: instagram.com/stephenjdubner
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/stephen-dubner-2a066578
Substack: stephendubner.substack.com
FOLLOW FREAKONOMICS:
Instagram: instagram.com/freakonomics
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TikTok: tiktok.com/@freakonomicsradio
Twitter: twitter.com/freakonomics
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/freakonomics-media
Threads: threads.com/@freakonomics
Chapters:
0:00 Meet Warren Zanes
2:11 When Bruce Springsteen Walked Into the Dressing Room
5:12 Sharing the Stage with Bruce Springsteen
9:47 Joining His Brother's Band
13:22 The Early Days of The Del Fuegos
19:41 Leaving the Band Behind
25:44 Tom Petty's Life-Changing Advice
30:06 Starting Over in College
37:42 The Story Behind Warren's Bruce Springsteen Book
42:19 Warren’s Book Became a Movie
45:23 Writing Bruce Springsteen's Biography
49:10 Looking Back with Dan Zanes
51:27 Why Mistakes Matter
Meet Warren Zanes, the Author and Rocker Behind the Springsteen Movie | Better in Person
youtu.be/aNa88AzwG4g
Warren Zanes joined his big brother's rock band when the only thing he knew how to play was a record player. Within a few years the Del Fuegos had made it to MTV and Robert Plant was talking about them in Rolling Stone. Warren was 19 years old with a chipped front tooth when Bruce Springsteen came backstage at a Del Fuegos show in Greensboro and told the band that “Backseat Nothing” was his favorite song. Then it all fell apart. But Warren rebuilt himself as one of rock's great chroniclers, writing an acclaimed Tom Petty biography and the book about Bruce Springsteen’s album “Nebraska” that became a film: “Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere”.
Stephen Dubner was there for Warren’s first act. He was playing in his own band back then, hung out with the Del Fuegos, and wrote about that night in Greensboro for the local newspaper. Why did Warren turn his amp all the way down the night Springsteen joined the Del Fuegos on stage? Why did Warren and Stephen eventually quit their bands? And how did Warren end up with a PhD and a job at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?
Warren tells Stephen about being teased by a Beatle at Tom Petty’s Christmas party, how his mom became Petty’s pot dealer, and why an education in art history landed him the gig to write about Springsteen’s “Nebraska.” Warren and Stephen play the song Warren learned off a bootleg Keith Richards hotel tape. And the Del Fuegos reunite, even though as Warren jokes, he still doesn’t get his fair share.
#betterinperson #freakonomicsradio #WarrenZanes
Airs weekly on Tuesdays. Don't miss an episode! Subscribe NOW: youtube.com/channel/UCXjf7anLJA4NqUv8kPFIJWA?sub_confirmation=1
Introducing ChatGPT Work - Put ChatGPT to work on your most ambitious ideas and projects. Download the new ChatGPT desktop app today at chatgpt.com
ABOUT BETTER IN PERSON:
Everyone has a public story. Stephen Dubner wants the rest.
On Better in Person, Dubner invites remarkable people into his home for a kind of conversation that’s hard to find: curious, free-wheeling, even profound. They talk, play, eat and drink, argue and laugh. The result? Less interview, more shared discovery.
This is how a conversation works.
FOLLOW BETTER IN PERSON:
Instagram: instagram.com/betterinpersontv
TikTok: tiktok.com/betterinpersontv
FOLLOW STEPHEN DUBNER:
Instagram: instagram.com/stephenjdubner
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/stephen-dubner-2a066578
Substack: stephendubner.substack.com
FOLLOW FREAKONOMICS:
Instagram: instagram.com/freakonomics
Facebook: facebook.com/freakonomics
TikTok: tiktok.com/@freakonomicsradio
Twitter: twitter.com/freakonomics
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/freakonomics-media
Threads: threads.com/@freakonomics
Chapters:
0:00 Meet Warren Zanes
2:11 When Bruce Springsteen Walked Into the Dressing Room
5:12 Sharing the Stage with Bruce Springsteen
9:47 Joining His Brother's Band
13:22 The Early Days of The Del Fuegos
19:41 Leaving the Band Behind
25:44 Tom Petty's Life-Changing Advice
30:06 Starting Over in College
37:42 The Story Behind Warren's Bruce Springsteen Book
42:19 Warren’s Book Became a Movie
45:23 Writing Bruce Springsteen's Biography
49:10 Looking Back with Dan Zanes
51:27 Why Mistakes Matter
Meet Warren Zanes, the Author and Rocker Behind the Springsteen Movie | Better in Person
youtu.be/aNa88AzwG4g
