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Bruce Springsteen Opens Up About Identity & Still Feeling Unsure About Who He Is

Bruce Springsteen Opens Up About Identity & Still Feeling Unsure About Who He Is

Bruce Springsteen is on the cover of Esquire‘s Winter 2018 issue, out now.

Here’s what the iconic “Born To Run” singer-songwriter had to say…

On the purpose of his one-man show, Springsteen on Broadway: “DNA is a big part of what the show is about: turning yourself into a free agent. Or, as much as you can, into an adult, for lack of a better word. It’s a coming-of-age story, and I want to show how this— one’s coming of age—has to be earned. It’s not given to anyone.”

On President Trump: “[He] has no interest in uniting the country and actually has an interest in doing the opposite and dividing us, which he does on an almost daily basis. That’s simply a crime against humanity, as far as I’m concerned. It’s an awful, awful message to send out into the world. You are intentionally trying to disenfranchise a large portion of Americans. That’s unforgivable. These are folks who are invested in denying the idea of a united America and an America for all. It’s a critical moment. It’s a scary moment for any conscientious American, I think.”

On still feeling unsure about who he is:Bruce F-g Springsteen is a creation. So it’s somewhat liquid — even though at this point you would imagine I have it pretty nailed down. Identity is a slippery thing no matter how long you’ve been at it. At the end of the day, identity is a construct we build to make ourselves feel at ease and at peace and reasonably stable in the world. But being is not a construct. Being is just being. In being, there’s a whole variety of wild and untamed things that remain in us. You bump into those in the night, and you can scare yourself.”

For more from Bruce, head to Esquire.com.

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Credit: Alexi Lubomirski; Photos: Esquire
Posted to: Bruce Springsteen