Forget 'The Simpsons': Hank Azaria Says Learning To Sing Like Bruce Springsteen Is 'Toughest' Vocal Project He's Done

“He said he played it for Patti and she obviously liked it. And later that night I got another text saying that Patti played it for Bruce and they liked it. They took it for what it was meant to be, which was a loving tribute.”

By the way, Springsteen and company have an away night when Azaria and the EZ Street Band play the Stone Pony. But the actor doesn't need more to get him excited about this particular performance. “I can't wait – it's the mothership,” he says. “Look, I think what gets me on all kinds of nerves is what so honestly comes from this joy of sharing this. I've earned my stripes as a Bruce fan.”

Grow up

This devotion dates back to Azaria's youth, including seeing Springsteen for the first time when The River The tour played New York's Madison Square Garden in 1980. “Growing up, he was like an uncle — that's how I connected with him,” Azaria recalls. “His music and his conversations (at the concert) got me through some very difficult times as a teenager. I would say that, almost more than anyone else, he encouraged me to try to be a creative person. That was his message to me, actually.”

Azaria had to tell Springsteen and that's why, although none of the meetings with Springsteen went as she had hoped or planned.

While playing “Growin' Up” during EZ Street Band concerts, Azaria tells the story of when Springsteen came backstage to see him during the Tony Award-nominated Monty Python's. Spamalot on Broadway.

“There's a knock on my door and Bruce is standing there, alone,” Azaria recalled. “I almost had a heart attack. I totally lost my mind, to a point. He was very sweet and connected and present. He gave me a bit of his review of the show, which he really liked, in detail. We talked long enough for me to tell him what his music meant, but he came out about nine octaves higher than my normal voice and very hurriedly, kind of yelling at him, like a fan boy. He was very sweet about it, but it was ridiculous.”

The same thing happened, he says, when he attended a Springsteen on Broadway show and was part of the backstage meet and greet. “Before he could even say hello, I started (makes noises). He was very sweet again, but he kind of patted me on the shoulder and walked away, and I don't blame him. My wife just turned to me and said, “What's wrong with you?” My friend calls it Bruce Juice. Somehow it passes you by.”

Born to run

The inspiration for the EZ Street Band, Azaria says, was his upcoming 60th birthday, which “bothered me a little bit.” He came up with the idea as a “distraction,” working with keyboardist Adam Kromelow, his son's former piano teacher, as musical director and studying a wealth of live recordings to familiarize himself with Springsteen's vocal mannerisms and nuances. “I find it easier to imitate that rough sound, and that's what I always imitate, but (Springsteen) has a lot more to him than that,” notes Azaria, whose natural singing voice is deeper than Springsteen's. After using the well-practiced “at-home imitation process” he hired a vocal coach (Hannah Juliano of the EZ Street Band) to bring him closer to the mark.

“I'm such a neophyte singer that I didn't realize these songs were impossible for me,” admits Azaria, who had to overcome an anxiety attack that nearly killed her birthday party performance — where E Street Band drummer Max Weinberg joined the group for a few songs. “I started four or five steps down on Bruce. Now somehow, through training and singing practice, I've almost reached the key of it, just a step or two below. And the closer you are to its key, the more authentic you sound. It was a very steep learning curve.”

With the eight-piece EZ Street Band, however, he found some kindred spirits.

“It's kids in this band,” Azaria says. “They didn't grow up with this music. only the bass player (Jeff Koch) knew any of it, because his dad was a big fan. They're all professional musicians and now they play it like they grew up with it because they're that good. And one of the joys of that is how much they're discovering Bruce's music, and loving it now. They like playing it more than listening to it. They tell me as musicians how much fun it is to play these songs.”

Since the birthday party, Azaria and the EZ Streeters have also appeared outside of a New York Mets game at CitiField and also at (Le) Poisson Rouge in New York. The repertoire is growing: “Darkness on the Edge of Town,” “Candy's Room,” “The Price You Pay” and “Jersey Girl” are set to be performed this month, and Azaria expresses a desire to take on “The River” and ” Atlantic City.” But don't expect to see the EZ Street Band match the hour-long excesses that are Springsteen and the E Street Band's routine.

“We'll never get there, I promise,” Azaria says with a laugh. “One hour 20 (minutes), one hour 30. We'll never get to two and a half (hours), I don't think. But it just keeps getting better and better, and it's such a joy. People ask me, “Do you feel like a rock star up there? Are you living a rock star fantasy?' On a certain level I am, but what I feel so much more is what I am, which is a lucky Bruce fan who has been there and shares his version of Bruce's love with everyone else — with the ability to emulate it better than most have.”