Page 18 - Arts Management Magazine Iss 1

allowed to be there. I was there for ev-
erything. I was there for Clarence Clemons
four day sax solo from Jungleland. I was
there for every single cut on every single
song except actually Born to Run, because
Born to Run was done in upstate New
York at this studio called 914.

MR: And this is the 40th anniversary of
Born to Run.
BP: Yes it is. That’s why we decided to
finally share this with the world.

MR: It’s really a beautiful, intimate, soul- in local charities, where you live in St. Lucia. Captain planets everywhere from Ghana
ful book. You capture Bruce and the E BP: I’m involved with several charities to Jersey, it depends on who calls Captain
Street band in such a truthful way. And that are involved with giving jobs to the Planet. Captain Planet is US. He is our
some of the stories are really funny, and youths in St. Lucia. I also sponsor sailors best selves. He is our power magnified.
others very poignant. helping them get their licenses, so they can When he goes back into the ground he
BP: Thank you. I was working for Time have a life long career. says, “The power is yours. I don’t exist.
Magazine at the time and they said MR: Explain tourist items for charity. The real power is yours.” There is no
you’re going to photograph Bruce who? BP: We’re involved with a charity that Captain Planet flying around the system,
That was May of 75. He was on the cover uses recyclable goods to sell to tourists. we have to fix it ourselves. ?
of Time magazine in October of 1975. MR: Which brings us to your biggest pas- Barbara Pyle is an executive producer, filmmaker,
They did not say Bruce who for long. sion. Saving the environment. You are one photographer, media innovator and environmental
MR: It pretty much ended there. I notice of the creators of Captain Planet. activist. She is a United Nations Sasakawa
Barbara that you are wearing a shirt that BP: Yes and through the same charity laureate, awarded for her lifelong dedication to
appears to be identical to the shirt that we’ve also introduced Captain Planet to environmental concerns. She created and led the
Bruce Springsteen is wearing in the pho- 10 schools. We actually have our own St. environmental ethos of Turner Broadcasting for 20
to behind us. Lucian Captain Planet. We’ve set it up so years and created the globally known Captain
BP: It’s the very same shirt from a con- that whoever calls Captain Planet, Cap- Planet cartoon series. Pyle has produced 65 doc-
cert in New Orleans. It was a spectacular tain Planet will appear is that whether it’s umentary films.
concert… two days actually. But the first girls, boys or people of any color or race.
day at the concert Bruce takes off his Captain Planet is all of us and everyone.
shirt and says, “I hate this shirt.” You see MR: So Captain Planet is a reflection of
it really wasn’t Bruce’s look. Bruce was all of us.
more kind of shabby chic. He rips off the BP: Yes he says it himself, “by your powers
shirt and gives it to me. He says, “take combined I am Captain Planet.” There-
the shirt.” I say, “no problem.” This is fore whoever combines their powers that’s
1975. I’ve had this shirt since 1975 and who becomes Captain Planet. So we have
I’ve never worn it but in honor of Bruce
and the gallery I’m wearing the shirt.
MR: I understand that many of these
photos are going for auction.
BP: I’m a big charity geek and I believe
if you have the good fortune to do some-
thing, you have to give back.
MR: I understand that you’re also involved

In 1989, Pyle and Ted Turner together conceived the series Captain Planet and the Planeteers. Captain
Planet became the world’s first eco-superhero, and Pyle based the five Planeteers on real-life people who
inspired her during the show’s pre-production in 1989. The series launched in September 1990 and ran for six
seasons with a total of 113 episodes. Featuring celebrity voices such as Whoopi Goldberg, LeVar Burton, Meg
Ryan, Jeff Goldblum, Tim Curry, Ed Asner, John Ratzenberger, Martin Sheen, and Dean Stockwell. The series
was met with critical acclaim and became massively popular amongst youth. The series was No. 1 in Nielsen
ratings for five consecutive years, was syndicated in 220 U.S. markets and aired in over 100 countries. Pyle
required that the series’ merchandising was made sustainably.

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