The Weinberg-Springsteen Rule

CNN reports that Max Weinberg is not going to be the band leader (or have any other role) on Conan O’Brien’s new late-night show.  It’s a fairly unremarkable story, but it reminds me of this anecdote, told by Weinberg and contained in a Rolling Stone article written by David Fricke, which I’ve always enjoyed (and which might come in handy in contract negotiations):

About 10 years ago, a well-known actress on an NBC sitcom (Weinberg doesn’t reveal her name) requested a sabbatical from the series to make a movie. NBC said no. Her agent pointed out that Weinberg was allowed to go off [from the NBC show Late Night with Conan O’Brien] for six months at a time to play with Springsteen. “The NBC lawyer thought for a second, then said, ‘The next time Bruce Springsteen asks your client to play drums with him, she can do that.’ ” Weinberg grins, noting that in the NBC legal department, “it is known as the Weinberg-Springsteen Rule.”

Subscribe and stay updated
Receive our latest blog posts by email.
Bob Tarantino

About Bob Tarantino

Bob Tarantino is Counsel at Dentons Canada LLP and focuses his practice on the interface between the entertainment industries and intellectual property law, with an emphasis on film and television production, financing, licensing, distribution, and IP acquisition and protection. His clients range from artists and independent producers to Canadian distributors and foreign studios and financiers at every stage of the creative process, from development to delivery and exploitation.

Full bio