Bruce Springsteen is opening up about one of the most difficult chapters of his life: his battle with his mental health and the shame he once felt when he sought help.
The 76-year-old rock icon reflected on that time during a performance on the BBC Radio 2’s breakfast show with host Scott Mills, alongside actor Jeremy Allen White, who portrays him in the upcoming biopic Deliver me from nothing.
“Mental illness ran through my families. I had aunts, very, very sick. I had cousins who were very sick and I just got used to it,” Springsteen said.
“These were the people I loved. But no one got any help… there were no medications. There was no interaction with any psychological help. And so everyone just suffered through it.”
The Born to run singer said the film accurately depicts his “deterioration” during that difficult time.
“I was very lucky, you know, and Jeremy really kind of captures my decline at the time when I first, I think I had my first breakdown, really, that was it,” he recalls.
“And even though I didn’t know what was going on, at the time I was fortunate enough to be in a relationship with, you know, Mr. Landau, Jon Landau.”
Landau, played by Succession star Jeremy Strong in the film was more than just a manager for Springsteen – he was a lifeline.
“He had experience in this field and put me in touch with some people who could really help me at the time,” Springsteen said.
Yet it was not easy to get help. The music legend admitted he was deeply ashamed when he first visited a psychiatrist.
“I was totally embarrassed,” he revealed.
“And for years I would almost disguise myself before I went to the psychiatrist’s office. I have my baseball hat on and my glasses and I look around and sneak in as fast as I can.”
Over time, Springsteen learned to let go of that shame and accept therapy as an essential part of his well-being.
“It took me years to get used to feeling great and confident when I walked into the office,” he said.
“It was so forbidden in the world I grew up in that it took me a long time to get used to it and now it’s been a big part of my life for the last half of my life.”
Deliver me from nothingwhich tells the story of the making of Springsteen’s seminal 1982 album Nebraska, hits theaters on October 24. For Springsteen, it’s not just a film about music, it’s a reflection of the pain, growth and healing that shaped the man behind The Boss.
