NPR’s Scott Simon speaks with actor Hank Azaria, well-known for his Simpsons voice-overs, who’s now fronting a Bruce Springsteen cowl band.
SCOTT SIMON, HOST:
While you’ve been so many signature voices for greater than 30 years…
(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, “THE SIMPSONS”)
HANK AZARIA: (As Chief Wiggum) All proper, folks, pay attention up. The tougher you push, the sooner we’ll all get out of right here.
(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, “THE SIMPSONS”)
AZARIA: (As Moe Szyslak) Amanda Huggenkiss. Hey, I am on the lookout for Amanda Huggenkiss.
(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, “THE SIMPSONS”)
AZARIA: (As Professor Frink) The compression and enlargement of the longitudinal waves trigger the erratic oscillation – you may see it there…
SIMON: …Possibly you are tempted to strive the Mount Everest of voices.
(SOUNDBITE OF HANK AZARIA AND THE EZ STREET BAND’S PERFORMANCE OF “GLORY DAYS”)
HANK AZARIA AND THE EZ STREET BAND: (Singing) Glory days. Nicely, they’re going to cross you by. Glory days within the wink of a younger lady’s eye. Glory days, glory days.
SIMON: However that is actually Hank Azaria, the voice behind many characters from the long-running “Simpsons” – additionally the pharaoh in “Evening At The Museum” and Jim Brockmire, the plaid-clad sports activities announcer. And he is now the presence behind Hank Azaria & The EZ Road Band, a Bruce Springsteen cowl band that debuted this previous week at Le Poisson Rouge in New York Metropolis. The six-time Emmy award-winning actor joins us now from New York. Thanks a lot for being with us.
AZARIA: My pleasure. Thanks for having me.
SIMON: A lot of us are Bruce Springsteen within the bathe. Why did you need to take it onstage?
AZARIA: Yeah, I used to be Bruce Springsteen within the bathe and so much on the treadmill. And I, you recognize, discovered myself belting them. And, you recognize, I turned 60, Scott, final April, which I had combined feelings about. And I believed, nicely, what would give me some pleasure? And I believed, perhaps I can attempt to sing some Springsteen songs and shock folks on the social gathering. And I ended up placing collectively a band, and so they’re nice. And it went so nicely that we determined – and we had a lot enjoyable, we determined, why cease? Let’s gig. And that is what we did.
SIMON: Let’s hearken to a clip of – and I say this with all due respect to you, sir – the actual boss singing that little bit of “Glory Days.”
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “GLORY DAYS”)
BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN: (Singing) I had a good friend who was an enormous baseball participant again in highschool. He may throw that speedball by you, make you appear to be a idiot, boy.
SIMON: Nicely, I’ve obtained to confess he sounds so much such as you.
AZARIA: (Laughter) Fairly positive that was me. Typically I get slightly confused as to which one – which playback I am listening to, fairly frankly.
SIMON: What do you – and perhaps that is not possible to reply – what do you set into the voice? (Imitating Bruce Springsteen) I imply, it is extra than simply this, proper?
AZARIA: (Imitating Bruce Springsteen) Yeah, the gravel is an enormous a part of it. I have been speaking like Bruce since I used to be a young person as a result of a number of my imitations got here out of hero worship, guys I idolized. (Imitating Al Pacino) Like younger Al Pacino, for instance, you recognize, “Canine Day Afternoon” Al or “Godfather” Al.
By the way in which, (imitating Al Pacino) midway between younger Al Pacino (imitating Bruce Springsteen) and Bruce Springsteen (imitating Moe Szyslak) lives Moe the bartender. That is the precise midline proper there.
And (laughter) studying to sing like Bruce actually took me a very long time. I spent about six to eight months, like, type of studying to sing and – which I had by no means taken significantly earlier than. And it is (imitating Bruce Springsteen) laborious to sing by that.
And I additionally discovered that, you recognize, Bruce would not at all times sing with that degree of rasp. It is extra in direction of the top of the tour, I feel, the place he will get that degree of rasp going. However (imitating Bruce Springsteen) I discovered that my impression was slightly higher singing vocally, together with that rasp. However that may be type of laborious on the vocal chords.
SIMON: So that is no informal impression, is it? – six to eight months?
AZARIA: You realize, I do not ever – vocally, I actually do not do something midway. I am a significant – I adore it. It is my ardour. It is type of my life. So you recognize what I equate it to? You know the way, like, in case you inform a hobbyist – in case you inform a stamp collector or a man who likes to color, you recognize, tin troopers or no matter, that is all – you may simply do this for six months, they’re going to be in – like, you and I’d need to type of kill ourselves, however they’re in heaven, proper? That is how I used to be with this.
SIMON: I am making a psychological record. In fact, “The Simpsons,” “Spamalot” on Broadway, “Evening At The Museum,” “The Birdcage” and the nice Jim Brockmire, inspiration to us all. The place does this mission match into what I will name – I hope I say it appropriately – the Azaria oeuvre?
AZARIA: For me, it is, you recognize, one of many issues I have been most enthusiastic about in my entire life. I didn’t got down to create a tribute band. I got down to make myself smile and have some pleasure and share a enjoyable factor with my associates and shock all of them. I advised nobody I used to be going to do it. And the evening of even my birthday, I mentioned, no items, however in case you like, give to the muse. We raised, like, $30,000 that evening.
SIMON: Point out that if I may. It is the 4 By 9 Basis.
AZARIA: That is the muse I began a number of years in the past. We primarily give to schooling, to social justice and to restoration causes, well being and wellness causes. And so then I used to be like, wait a minute, I really like doing this. It went nice. Why not tour and do that? I’ve – doing “Spamalot” was in all probability the favourite factor I’ve ever performed ‘trigger I am a “Monty Python” freak. (Imitating Jim Brockmire) Jim Brockmire was an concept that I had since I used to be a young person, and I really like doing that. Clearly, “The Simpsons,” you recognize, has been the enjoyment of my life. I put this proper up there with all of these. It signifies that a lot to me.
(SOUNDBITE OF HANK AZARIA AND THE EZ STREET BAND’S PERFORMANCE OF “GLORY DAYS”)
HANK AZARIA AND THE EZ STREET BAND: (Singing) Nicely, all proper (all proper). Oh, yeah (oh, yeah).
SIMON: Hank Azaria, thanks very a lot for talking with us. I’ve by no means been in a position to interview Bruce Springsteen. The closest I will ever…
AZARIA: (Imitating Bruce Springsteen) Nicely, go – ask me something. Let’s simply – you recognize, let’s examine the way it goes. Ask me one thing.
SIMON: Ha, you’ve got made my day. Hank Azaria is now the frontman for the band Hank Azaria & The EZ Road Band. They’re kicking off a live performance tour, and subsequent cease is on Lengthy Island. I can not pronounce that – Amagansett.
AZARIA: Amagansett. (Imitating Bruce Springsteen) We’ll be at Stephen’s Talkhouse in Amagansett August 23. Come on out. We’re nearly offered out. That is true. True story.
(SOUNDBITE OF BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN SONG, “GLORY DAYS”)
Copyright © 2024 NPR. All rights reserved. Go to our web site phrases of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for additional data.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This textual content might not be in its ultimate kind and could also be up to date or revised sooner or later. Accuracy and availability might fluctuate. The authoritative report of NPR’s programming is the audio report.
