Bruce delivers

Timothy McNulty

Bruce Springsteen was hilarious at his 20-minute press conference this afternoon, previewing his Super Bowl halftime performance -- you'd never know it was his first presser in 22 years.

Some highlights:

-- Asked who decides what songs the E Street Band will play during its 12-minute spot: "The Boss. The Boss decides what we play."

-- He begged off answering the typical "Who are you voting for" question with this: "All my football questions will be answered by Steve" Van Zandt.

-- A young reporter (after noting her parents listened to the band) asked how his concerts have remained so popular over the years. "If you don't die, people get a chance to see you," he said.

-- A BBC reporter asked very BBC-ifically if, given the global financial crisis, he feels pressure to "bring smiles back" to fans. "We're playing where the cheerleaders usually go," he said. "Basically we want it to be a 12-minute party.

-- Asked why he is playing the Super Bowl, he said in the past it seemed like a novelty act -- but now he has "mercenary reasons" to perform before 100 million people. "We have a new album coming out, dummy," he said with a laugh. Later he covered the same territory: "We're out to inspire -- [if] they throw the money at us, we'll keep that too."