133 - Bruce Springsteen - The Wild, the Innocent & the E-Street Shuffle - Eric Roberts

Summary

Podcast Summary: The 500 with Josh Adam Meyers

Episode 133 - Bruce Springsteen: The Wild, the Innocent & the E-Street Shuffle
Guest: Eric Roberts
Date: November 19, 2025

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Overview

In this episode, host Josh Adam Meyers is joined by prolific actor Eric Roberts to explore Bruce Springsteen’s 1973 album The Wild, the Innocent & the E-Street Shuffle—number 133 on Rolling Stone’s 2012 list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. The pair dig into the record’s youthful energy, musical legacy, and personal resonances, while reflecting on their own formative years and artistic journeys. The conversation is laid-back, filled with nostalgia, music geekery, career wisdom, and memorable anecdotes.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

Bruce Springsteen’s Appeal: Live & Recorded

• Springsteen as a Live Performer

  • Eric emphasizes the transformative power of Bruce’s live shows:

    “You love his music, okay? But then you go to one of his shows and it's a whole other experience…Who's the headline name? You know, Bruce Springsteen…The first time I saw him, he slid on stage on his knees under the bass player, and the guy leaned down and kissed him. And it was just like—what just happened?” (09:34)

  • Josh adds perspective from seeing Bruce as a teen:

    “You're literally watching a man give everything for three, sometimes three and a half hours. And he's still doing it at 70-whatever…Arguably top five live performances ever.” (11:32)

• Not Just Hit Singles: Album Appreciation

  • They agree Springsteen’s albums often require multiple listens, with “The Wild, the Innocent…” feeling immediately accessible and energetic.
  • Josh:

    “This is the first record by Bruce Springsteen that I put on, and the second I put it on, I loved every morsel of this record because you can feel the energy, you can feel the excitement. You can feel that something big is about to happen with this guy.” (22:17)

Musical & Personal Nostalgia

• “Fourth of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)” & Boardwalk Memories
  • Josh connects Springsteen’s boardwalk tales to his own experiences in Ocean City, Maryland:

    “Beach week, whether we were in 11th grade, our senior year, it was the adventure of our lives…there was some adventure and this magical feeling…that's what I got from this song.” (51:05)

  • Eric shares his Atlanta haunt equivalents—The Driftwood and Moe’s and Joe’s—describing the feeling as:

    “…when you hear those kind of songs, they remind you nostalgically of that feeling of when you first, before you were a man, before you were on your own, when you're making that transition. That’s what they remind you of.” (57:38)

Eric Roberts’ Life & Career Reflections

• Breakout Roles and Luck

  • Eric reflects on his acting trajectory, likening his early break to Springsteen's pre-fame phase:

    “I started out as introducing Eric Roberts—a strong role in a major motion picture with five other stars…King of the Gypsies made me a movie star…Star 80 made me a respected actor, a respected artist…So I was very lucky. I didn't have to work my way up.” (29:26–36:24)

• Advice to Fellow Family Actors

  • Eric played a direct part in launching Julia Roberts’ acting career by getting her a SAG card and credits her for building her own success:

    “I said, you need a Screen Actors Guild card…So I put her in her first movie to get her [one]…then moved to Hollywood and did all the rest herself…And that performance in Pretty Woman is charmingly, lovably perfect.” (65:54)

• Perspective on Longevity and Luck

  • On working steadily for decades:

    “I'm not humble. I am my biggest fan, but I do believe I'm extraordinarily lucky. And I'm so happy to be alive.” (64:38)

The Magic of “Rosalita” and Bruce’s Storytelling

• The Power of “Rosalita” as a Concert Staple

  • Both agree on its place as an iconic Springsteen closer:

    “Rosalita, hands down, is the quintessential concert closer for Bruce Springsteen. If he doesn't play this every show, I don’t know what the hell he's doing with his goddamn…” (72:10)

  • Josh describes it as an “exuberant party song,” while Eric shares that it’s his wife’s favorite, too, calling the album a “no skip record.” (84:30–86:24)

• Storytelling and Cinematic Songs

  • Discussion of “Incident on 57th Street” reflects on Bruce’s move into cinematic storytelling:

    “This is one of those tracks…This is the bridge in between the first record…And then this is what takes you to [Nebraska]. This is a song like this is that bridge…” (68:51)

Influences & Inspirations

• Artist Comparisons

  • Both place Springsteen alongside the Stones and McCartney as top live performers. Josh:

    “There’s no Bruce without Mick and without the Rolling Stones and all the Motown and all that other...” (15:45)

• Other Notable Interactions

  • Chris Walken as a friend and influential peer (“He is the best cook…The only thing about his cooking that might bother some people...he eats garlic in/on everything.” (19:37))

Music Video, Acting, and Family Connections

• Music, Acting, and Family
  • Eric discusses his son Keaton Simons (musician), who is influenced by Bruce, and they sample some of Keaton’s music at episode’s end.
  • Fun fact: Eric’s wife appeared in the Springsteen music video for “Tougher Than the Rest.” (88:58–90:49)
  • Eric also tells the story of almost passing on appearing in The Killers’ “Mr. Brightside” video until his kids intervened:

    “I turned them down. I don't make music videos. I'm an actor. Sorry. My kids all call me. They said, what are you talking about? You have to call them back, have to beg to be back in their video.” (77:03)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Bruce’s aura:

  “Bruce just has that aura of stardom…that presence of 'I am somebody, get out of the way or join me.'” —Eric Roberts (18:11)

• On nostalgia and youth:

  “If you want to feel young, if you want to feel decent, this is the album.” —Eric Roberts, on why listeners should try the record (91:44)

• Instant coffee of life:

  “My life and work is such instant coffee of life…has to be quick and has to be good, and that’s to be fair…and then it’s done.” —Eric Roberts (43:24)

• Luck in career:

  “So many good actors don't have the good fortune I do…it's not because of me, it's because of my circumstances. So I do, I, I'm not humble. I am my biggest fan, but I do, I do believe I'm extraordinarily lucky.” —Eric Roberts (64:38)

• On music as autobiography:

  “[Springsteen] described this song as his musical autobiography, which I think is beautiful, because it really is.” —Josh, on “Rosalita” (80:53)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 07:06 — Start of conversation: Eric joins, playful musical intros
• 09:34 — Eric describes first Springsteen concert and Bruce’s live magic
• 13:17–17:06 — How Eric discovered Bruce (via Sheila Jaffe), first concert, and NYC scene
• 22:17–23:30 — Josh & Eric’s takes on “The Wild, the Innocent…” as an album
• 29:26–36:24 — Eric’s acting origin, break-in movie, and impact of “Star 80”
• 39:41–43:56 — Reflections on youth, nostalgia, and the passage of time
• 51:05–52:42 — “Fourth of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)” and boardwalk reminiscence
• 65:54–66:51 — Behind the scenes: helping Julia Roberts start her career
• 68:46–69:51 — “Incident on 57th Street” and Springsteen’s narrative depth
• 72:10–73:14 — “Rosalita” and Bruce’s setlists, concert closers
• 77:03–77:49 — Story behind Eric’s cameo in The Killers’ “Mr. Brightside” video
• 84:30–86:24 — Favorite song on the album and verdict: “no skip record”

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Episode Flow Notes

• The episode keeps a welcoming tone, mixing humor, music appreciation, and career stories.
• Josh’s style is enthusiastic, self-effacing, and geared toward drawing out personal anecdotes from Eric.
• Eric is candid, humble, witty, and full of admiration for Bruce and other creative talents.

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Final Thoughts: Why Listen to This Record?

Eric Roberts’ elevator pitch:

“You want to feel young, you want to feel decent. This is the album.” (91:44)

Josh’s summary:
If you want a record that’s immediately rewarding, effervescent, and full of that restless, pre-fame excitement, this is the Springsteen to start with.

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Featured New Music

• “Where I Go” by Keaton Simons (Eric’s son) — [94:58]

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For the essence of youth, artistry, and the evocative power of memory—listen to Bruce Springsteen’s The Wild, the Innocent & the E-Street Shuffle and dig into this episode for both musical insight and a masterclass in creative longevity.

Transcript

[Josh Adam Myers]

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[Podcast Host/Announcer]

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[Josh Adam Myers]

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[Podcast Host/Announcer]

Buy now for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S and PC rated T for Teen.

[Josh Adam Myers]

This show is brought to you by Distrokid. Bring your music to the masses. The 500 the 500 JM been walking us down through that 2012 edition so it ain't nothing too new. Hundreds more to go and in need of a friend. The King of Peace for angelo. Talking the 500 until the end. Talking the 500 until the end with my man J.L. on the 500. Talking the 500 until the End.

[Unknown Contributor]

You don't have to call me Lt.

[Josh Adam Myers (Podcast Host)]

That was Rosalita by Bruce Springsteen from his 1973 record the Wild the Innocent. The E Street Shuffle second record right before he blew up one of his best albums. It's also number 133 out of 500 on the 500 with JME Baba. Welcome to the only podcast it's going through Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 albums from their list from 2012. Chipping away. We're doing our thing. I can't believe we're still doing it. I love it. I love you. I love doing it. Please army. It's where we are. My voice is gone. I just did skank fest for three days. I am done. I got a week off. Then I'm back on the road. Come follow me at Josh admires on all social media. JoshuaMyers.com for all shows. Come on, people. And if you want to watch the podcast, go to the YouTube page, YouTube.com backslash the 500 podcast. And if you really want to support us, go to Patreon. $5 a month gets you all the good stuff. 25 gets you merch. Love. Just all the goodies that we need to keep this show going. I love making this show and to have you guys supporting it every week, it's everything. It's great, man. I'm really proud of this podcast.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Really.

[Josh Adam Myers (Podcast Host)]

When we finish this up, I'm gonna be very, very happy with it. Let's talk about the record. Bruce Springsteen second record right before he blows up. This is the one. This is the one that he was still a nobody put out a record. I think it's perfect. Perfect. This is a record. The first record by Bruce that I listened to it. I was like, I love it from the jump. What guest did we get? A legend, Eric Roberts. If you don't know Eric Roberts, then you are living under a rock. He is one of the hardest working actors in Hollywood. Some of the most important movies that have come out in our lifetimes. And what a cool guy. This app couldn't be better, man. This is why I do the show. I love him. He's awesome. Let's rock. Eric has a book coming out called Runaway Train with a story of my life. So far, he's also had several upcoming movies including the Holy Father, Dante's Inferno, Hologard Saga, the Portal of Friends. He is currently filming the Holy Father, a film described as part of a trilogy where he plays the priest with a twist. Movies rule. Support this dude. He's awesome. Rate, review and most importantly, rate, review and most Importantly, subscribe to 500 and listen free on all platforms or anywhere you get your pods. Follow me at Josh Adam Myers on all social media. Follow the podcast at the 500 podcast. Email the podcast at 500podcast gmail.com follow the Facebook group run by Crazy Evan at the 500 podcast with jam. And for all things 500, go to our website, the 500podcast.com. My voice is done. Dude, I'm so sorry. Well, you ready? Because we're here. We're ready to do it. One of my favorite episodes here is 133. Bruce Springsteen, the Wild, the Innocent, and E Street Shuffles.

[Josh Adam Myers]

What's up, brother?

[Eric Roberts]

How you doing, pal?

[Josh Adam Myers (Podcast Host)]

I'm good.

[Josh Adam Myers]

For some reason, the whole day, all I've heard in my head is, Eric Roberts about to do my podcast.

[Unknown Contributor]

Eric Roberts doing my podcast.

[Eric Roberts]

I love that.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Thank you. I used to sing in every guest, and then I stopped doing it for some reason, especially when we went to, like, the. The digital age during COVID But I was like, you know what? I'm bringing. I'm bringing that back, dude.

[Eric Roberts]

And you're bringing it back.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Thank you. It's. It's. Well, if it was funny when I used to do it in my apartment, and you'd have, like, you know, it would be like Wanda Sykes or Bill Burr. You're sitting next to a comedian. They would get it. And then we started branching into, like, actors and musicians, and, I mean, you know this. You're one of the cool ones. Let's be honest here. But a lot of actors take themselves a little bit too seriously. So if I start singing. If I start singing Maureen Tieran's name, like, you know, like, whatever. She's just like, oh, okay, this is. Are we going to talk about music, or are you just doing this for 35 minutes? Either way. Either way, dude. It's cool to sit down here with a. With a rock star. And I mean, this, Eric, like, this is what's cool about doing this podcast. And the way that we dig it with. With different musicians is that every musician, there are certain artists that we've done on here where. Where we're doing multiple records, and every single person. Person that we've had on to talk about this. Not only is it this one of the most important musicians of their life, especially talking about Bruce, but every person has either been like, a cool comedian, a cool rock star, or now a cool actor. And it. There is something about this guy. But before. Because I want to start. Oh, wait, where you going? All right, hold up.

[Eric Roberts]

You're back about this guy.

[Josh Adam Myers]

We disappeared for a moment. I was like, oh, what's happened? Is he gone? I lost him. I lost him on Cool guy.

[Eric Roberts]

No, I lost on something about this guy.

[Josh Adam Myers]

No, so what I'm saying, it's just. It's. There's something about Bruce Springsteen that brings out some of the coolest people that I know. Now it isn't. Most people aren't laissez faire with Bruce. Do you know what I mean? That you are either either all in or you don't like him at all. 90% of the people love them. That's the thing, is that this is a obsession artist.

[Eric Roberts]

Well, the thing about Bruce is mind blowing is his music is his music. You love his music, okay? But then you go to one of his shows and it's a whole other experience. You had the music, but you had this show. That's this guy who's giving you a show like nobody else gives you. I mean, who's, who's, who's a, who's a. Who's the headline name, you know? Bruce Springsteen. Yeah, it's, it's, it's the whole group. But like, like, like the first time I saw him, he slid on stage on his knees under, under the bass player, and the guy leaned down and kissed him. And it was just like. What just happened? It was so cool.

[Josh Adam Myers]

What year was that?

[Eric Roberts]

I don't know, man.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Come on, you remember. I. Dude, I could tell you right now and I should have, I put. I should have put the shirt on. I'm. I'm gonna give a shout out to my. One of my best and oldest friends, Greg Chait. Yes. I give full names here. He helps me out. Actually help me out with this podcast as well. His dad obsessed with Bruce. So my first concerts, which I've talked about many times on this podcast, I was dragged to Wolf Trap in Northern Virginia to go see Peter, Paul and Mary. And it didn't get good until I got into my teens and I could start bringing some grass and go smoke over in the bushes and then meet up with my parents. But my first actual, I would say adult rock star type shit, is Greg's father brought me and Greg to go see it was the not Tunnel of Love when he did the double records, Human Touch and Lucky Town. And we went to see him at the Capitol center. And dude, I knew like three songs, you know what I mean? Only that Greg had listened to. I knew Born to Run, probably Born in the usa, maybe Hungry Heart, you know, some of the hits, just like you said. And I'm. And I was a rock and roll kid, man. Like, I was into the Guns N Roses, I was into Iron Maiden. I used to run home and sing in my mirror. Seeing something like Bruce is just phenomenal, especially at such a young age. And somebody that wants to get into performing because you're literally watching a man give everything for three, sometimes three and a half hours. And he's still doing it at 70. Whatever the. I mean, he's amazing. Arguably top five live performances ever.

[Eric Roberts]

He always gave epic link shows.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Well, when did you, when did you first dig into him? Because, you know, I mean, he's. What I love is that we're doing such an early record. You know, this is. And I'm not going to get into my thoughts on it, but you grew up, if I'm not mistaken, Biloxi, Mississippi. Am I right? You're born there. And.

[Eric Roberts]

I was only there for three days. My mom from Atlanta to New Orleans went in a label, they brought it in Keith Air Force Base in Biloxi, Mississippi. So. But no, I was raised in New Orleans my years, and then Atlanta, my next several years and then London for education and then in New York for my life.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Okay, so Wendy, where were you in this journey? Well, by the way, here's what's funny. The next two cities I'm visiting. Friday I'm going to New Orleans for a comedy festival. And then, and then I'm going to London for a week so I can go see Radiohead three, four times. Three or four times, I haven't decided yet. And then, and then I'm gonna come back, have a day for Thanksgiving with my family and then I'm gonna go to Atlanta. So I know where to eat in Atlanta. So if you got any wrecks in New Orleans, I need them.

[Eric Roberts]

I don't.

[Josh Adam Myers]

I, I, I. It's been a while. It's, it's all good. I was just trying to connect. So where were the formative years of you getting into Bruce brother? Like, where did you dig in? Like, how old were you? Where were you? I'm assuming New York.

[Eric Roberts]

Actually, it was Sheila Jaffe who ran Cafe Central for many years and then became a big time cast director with George Ann Walken and got, got kind of famous. Anyway, she turned me on to Bruce and I didn't know about Bruce to probably 1976 and was not a Bruce fan or probably 1978. And, and that was because of Sheila Jaffe. She got me my first tickets to a Bruce concert as her birthday present. She just gave it to me here, I want you to see this guy, like that kind of thing. And she told me he's a friend of mine, blah, blah, blah. And they were buddies. I've seen them have a conversation together and you know.

[Unknown Contributor]

Yeah.

[Eric Roberts]

And Bruce, you know, like I Told you his, his music I always liked fine, but the concert is what is it made me a Bruce fan forever. It's just the way and, and you can't really even describe them. Like, yeah, he does this, he does that. No, no, he just. The presence and the strength and the, and, and the impact that he can put behind those lyrics in concert, in person is so much more dynamic than just the sound. I don't know how to describe it. You can describe it. You just got to see it and yeah.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Would you put Bruce in an arguably? I mean, I don't know what your concert. My life is like literally. I do stand up comedy, I go to concerts and I try to go on dates whenever I can and on the days off I hang out with my dog. I'm assuming you've probably been a guy that's worked in entertainment. You've had many opportunities, opportunity to see many different bands. Would you put Bruce in the, in the, in the top five, top three, if not top one live performances you've ever seen in your life. And if so, who would else did you fill that out with? I'm always curious to find the great group.

[Eric Roberts]

The only group as memorable as Bruce in concert are the Stones.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Yeah, dude. Oh, I just finally saw him, dude. I just finally saw him at MetLife in his 80s.

[Eric Roberts]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Josh Adam Myers]

I mean, I mean, I don't know what they, what kind of peptides they got that guy on, but good God, if like they need to give that to everybody at the old Jewish folks home that my, my grandmother used to live at. I mean, they'd be like in their 80s.

[Eric Roberts]

Who's, who's their new drummer?

[Josh Adam Myers]

Oh, I, I don't, I'd have to take a look. But I'll tell you this right now is, it's one of those things where it's like. And this is, is what's cool about Bruce and about Mick, which, you know, Mick's a little bit older obviously, because there's no, there's no Bruce without Mick and without the Rolling Stones and all the, all the Motown and all that other. But it's like you can see where Bruce got a lot of that stuff from. I mean, he gives you just like Mick gives you everything for the two and a half hours. And it's just, I mean, it's one of those things that just blows your mind that you're like, good God, man, you're at 82. And you know, and, and I just saw Paul McCartney. Me and, me and Burr went to see Paul McCartney at the Bowery Ballroom. And it was amazing. And he put on an incredible show, but I mean, he's not bopping around like, like, like Mick, like, Mick is just. It's insane. I mean it. And, and I mean, I'm really happy that I got to see him. And I was like, ah, maybe I waited too long, but I'm not. Dude, he's still bringing it. And Bruce, same thing. I was watching these, these live performances of them, you know, to get ready for this show and, and listening to. To some of these records and, you know. And you said you met him in what, 76?

[Eric Roberts]

I didn't meet him, no.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Oh, you were with the friend and she turned you on to him in 76. That's what I meant. But you saw her talk to him.

[Eric Roberts]

Exactly.

[Josh Adam Myers]

In 70s. You're in the room. Okay, you're in the room, dude. You didn't meet him. But the coalescing, the paper. You smell. You could probably. You probably smelled like patchouli. You got a whiff of them, you're like, that's. I mean, Johnny Depp walked by me once and I smelled cigarettes and, and, and like, and like real oody cologne. I go, I didn't meet him, but I feel like I know him. The. So what I'm trying to say is you met him. You met him in 76. So that's after. Not met him. Sorry, we're in the room after Born to Run. So that is now he is. He's the boss.

[Unknown Contributor]

He's.

[Josh Adam Myers]

He's made his groundbreaking record. That blew everybody away.

[Eric Roberts]

Yeah.

[Josh Adam Myers]

You know, is it, is it, is it like there's always that expression that somebody said that. It was like there were three people that I. I've seen walk into a room and the energy change. One was Bill Clinton, the other was Axl Rose. And I forget who the third one was, but some actor said that and it was like he. Does he have that thing when you, like he walks in the room, it says everybody's drawn to him. I mean, I mean, obviously he was a huge star already at that point.

[Eric Roberts]

Bruce. I mean, I mean, I mean, I'm not alone in this. And this. Not a personal observation. Bruce just has that aura of stardom.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Yeah.

[Eric Roberts]

I mean, he has that presence of, I am somebody, get out of the way or join me. He's a, you know, he's that guy. And, and he's also. He's also got a very likable quality. So it's not, it's not, it's not overwhelmingly, you know, bigger Than life. It's just bigger than life. Oh, my God.

[Josh Adam Myers]

It's cool.

[Eric Roberts]

And he is cool, man. He's a person.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Yeah, he really is. Who's. Who is you? Because you met so many people, incredible people, and work with so many people in your life who, who's another person that's got that aura like actor, musician, that you've been in the same room with. You're like, I can't believe. I mean, it's just a politician, whoever you. Because you've, you've, you've met so many and work with so many incredible people.

[Eric Roberts]

Well, I was Neighbors reading for 30 years and he's my oldest actor buddy, and that would be Chris Walker.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Oh, I mean, that's. What a. What a cool number to have on your phone and just be like, chris, what are you doing, buddy? Somebody told me a story that he was like doing. I mean, he's just the man. Somebody told me a story. He's just. I think it was Jay Moore or somebody was working with him on some project and they went into his dressing room and he just had a. He had a fish, a full fish on a plate. What are you doing? He goes, I'm about to have lunch. And he just, just not scaled just a fish.

[Eric Roberts]

Yeah, that's, that's the. Yeah. By the way, he is the best cook of anybody you ever met who's not a chef. Really an incredible cook. The only thing about his cooking that might bother some people, I love it, I live on it. Is he. He eats garlic in on everything. Don't go to Chris's house. But yeah, but he's a great cook. He's a great neighbor. He's a great guy. He's a great actor, as we all know.

[Josh Adam Myers]

I love that.

[Josh Adam Myers (Podcast Host)]

I love that.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Makes me so happy. That really does. Because you, you always like. I've always idolized him as one of my favorite actors. So many great movies. And you're like, I bet he is a fun hang. And you're like, no. You find out, you find out from. From the inside scoop that he actually is. That's amazing. And I love garlic. So please invite me. I love garlic. We went to the garlic festival once. It's good for the heart. So this record that we're talking about today, the Wild, the Innocent and the E Street Shuffle, this is Bruce's second record. It's released. Actually, the anniversary of when it came out was only a few days ago. It was November 5, 1973, recorded in New York, coming in at only 46 minutes of fun produced by Mike Appel and Jim. I'm gonna that name up. Crick. I'm not even gonna try it. Jim Gypsy. Let's call him that. This, Let me get my little scoodle up. So this record is a sprawling. It's the only way to put a sprawling snapshot of youthful restlessness. Boardwalk dreams, small town yearnings, urban sideways glances. And this is what I love about this, this album. Eric, I am a Bruce fan, but I will say this. And I. And I. And I'm not going to lose people when I say this. I. I find some of his records have sometimes been. I need a couple listens. I'm not, I'm not. I mean born, Born, Born to run. You put it on you, you glide. Not every song I love. I'm not saying it's a bad record. It's not a no, it's. It's a. It's a no skip record. But you got to sit with it a little bit to really fully absorb some of the tracks come at you in a way that you just get. You get Thunder Road, you get Born to Run, you know, I can name a few. You get, you know, 10th Avenue, freeze down, whatever. But there's some stuff you have to sit with. Something like Nebraska I had to sit with. You know, the River, I had to sit with this record. Oh, the Rising, I had to sit with. Even though I think the Rising might have been the greatest tribute to 911 first responders ever written. Better than any movie. I will say this. This is the first record by Bruce Springsteen that I put on. And the second I put it on, I loved every morsel of this record because you can feel the energy, you can feel the excitement. You can feel that something big is about to happen with this guy. Do you know what I mean?

[Josh Adam Myers (Podcast Host)]

Yeah.

[Josh Adam Myers]

He hasn't written Born Around. It's. It's in the chamber, it's in the mail. It's coming. UPS is they're about to deliver it. This record is the personification of. In my opinion of why I think this is it. This is the. This is like. How do I put it? Like, I'm trying to think of somebody that it. I'll. This is. You know what this is? This is like. Oh, God, I don't know. I don't have a comparison. Oh, this is 1999. Getting ready to do. Getting ready to do Purple Rain. This is Prince. This is him. Like, hey, man, this is this great record. But what I'm about to drop next, this is like, this is the Thing that's setting it up. So, thoughts on this? And. And I'm obviously, if you're getting into them, around 76. This record's been out. Born to Run's been out. When did you first hear this record in particular? Give me some thoughts. Before we start going into songs, I got some fun questions to ask you that I think you're gonna dig.

[Eric Roberts]

Well, everything that has to do with Bruce. I talked with Sheila Jaffe. It was all. I hang with Sheila, and she was always playing Bruce, and she always had Bruce on. In Cafe Central, the big. The big famous bar there. And so I said, bruce on the jukebox.

[Josh Adam Myers]

And.

[Eric Roberts]

And, yeah, and he was even there a few times. I never saw him there, but he was there. And so. So my. My only real association with Bruce is through Sheila Jaffe and through the. The Love of. Probably my favorite album probably ever dropped is Nebraska. And that album changed my life personally, as albums can. And because, you know, when an album, you know, really affects you or a songwriter really affects you is when he's writing about you. And. Oh, yeah, that's. That's how that album felt. For me, that album was fantastic. For me, it.

[Josh Adam Myers]

What a. What a great story behind it and that. There was something that I watched an interview with Tarantino talking about how he hates biopics. And he goes, I hate biopics because they try to do the whole life story. He goes, just. Just tell me about a portion. Tell me about a little chunk. And Scott Cooper, I think, you know, listen, whether it did. Whether it's killing it at the box office or not, he. He did something. And I think probably one of the most interesting periods of Bruce's career, which is right after, you know, right after Born To, Born To Run, Darkness on the Edge of Town, he makes this record in his. In his, like, home, records it on this, like, eight track, and then they can't redo it. It's just these personal songs about a story about a serial killer and a this and. And to do the movie about that in particular is exactly. It literally made me just clock back to that interview with Tarantino and be like, oh, yeah, that's how you do it. You don't need to do the whole. Well, Bruce is in Asbury park and then he's a kid playing bars. It's like, just give me a morsel and a good one. Yeah, so what. So you say it's written about you. You said when you heard it, it was written about you. So that was. That was the thing that drew you in to bruising Nebraska all the other before, you just were like, oh, this is all good. But when you heard Nebraska, that changed everything.

[Eric Roberts]

I liked it, but it didn't own me until Nebraska. And then he owned me. He, he, he, he was writing about me and so he owned me. And, and, and, and I also, also he changed his style for that album, his vocal style. He changed it for that album and, and for all but one song. And I, I, I, I, I always loved him for that because singers do not do that unless they are very brave and very talented at the same time. And so, so he was.

[Josh Adam Myers]

It'S a, it's a phenomenon. A lot of people fighting over that one. When we did it on the podcast, really, it's, it's, but it's, that's what I'm saying. It's like everybody that's done. Bruce is like you, Chris Titus, Jay Moore. Jay Moore came on. I think he cried five times talking about Tunnel of Love. James Mattering is a brilliant comedian. Film critic Greg Fitzsimmons I'm missing people. Gosh darn it. Oh, Rob Lowe just did Darkness on the Edge of Town. There's always, it's, it's just, and the people, they love it. But I mean this like, and I, I'm not taking anything away from Nebraska. I loved that record, but it took a moment. You have to be in the mood to listen to that, this record. And like I said, I think it's because you're listening to a 24 year old kid, a child, but has, but has such an old soul because he's got one foot in the past, but he's looking forward at the exact same time. He is playing all the music he grew up listening to. It's all the, it's the soul, it's the Motown, it's, it's the jazzy. I mean it's so rewarding listening to this. It's, it's, you know, it's capturing, capturing the innocence of, of, of living, you know, in this. Having these like amazing euphoric small town nights which we, which I had. I mean I grew up right outside of D.C. he's, you know, it's talking about the, the like almost like the wild and the, the restless like city strain and giving it these, these like band soundscapes that, that wasn't just the guitar and the harmonies but there's organ and there's strings and there's sax and there's so much. And this is an album that I think like I listened to it once When I worked out and I was like, all right, I'm in. I listen to it again. And by that point I was like, this is my favorite Bruce Springsteen record he's ever put out. I don't give a. All the other ones gonna have the hits. I'll take. I'll take. I'll take Fourth of July, Asbury Park, Sandy. I'll take New York City, Serenade, a hundred percent. I'll take Rosalita. I think that might be one of the most fun songs he's ever performed in his life. I saw my band do it in New Orleans at Nick the drummer's wedding. Gonna see him this weekend. And Him. Nick his what? His new wife and my buddy Joel, who I'm in a band with. They covered Rosalita and I already knew the song. And it. But it just like to see somebody else do it and just put the oomph into it.

[Eric Roberts]

Yeah, my wife loves Rosalita. She loves Rosalita.

[Josh Adam Myers]

I mean, it's. It's such an incredible song, an incredible album. And what I love. And I mentioned this earlier, and I want to flip this to you and ask us about your career, is we talk about the record before the thing blows up, because this is it. This is Bruce. He's. He's not a big name yet. He's selling records, but he is not a big name. What was the project. What was your. The Wild, the Innocent and the E Street Shuffle before you're Born to Run, what was the project that you had right before it all changed?

[Eric Roberts]

Well, I was one of the guys that you can only define with the word lucky and that I started out as introducing Eric Roberts. And it was a strong role in a major motion picture with five other stars who were known and the unknown. Introducing Eric. Eric Roberts. So. And then I became an international movie star. So I was very lucky. I didn't have to work my way up. I got in and it blew up and I wallowed in it for the past 45 years.

[Josh Adam Myers]

I don't even know how I got here. I'm just friends with Christopher Walken eating garlic steaks. But there had to have been something. I mean, you were saying, so what was that first project then? What was that first project that you said that you had? You were with everybody? Was.

[Eric Roberts]

Was King of the Gypsies. And it started. Susan Sarandon played my mother. Judd Hearst played my father. Shelly Winners play my grandmother. Sterling Hayden played my grandfather. Brooke Shields played my baby sister. They were all very recognizable, famous people. Introducing Eric Roberts. Brooke Shields took care of me as an actor. She was very good to me. 20 years later, 30 years later, 35 years later, I played her husband in a movie. And so we're, we're like really good friends. And. But that movie, Susan Serena was very good to me. She took good care of me as an actor, and so did Shelley Winters, and they were just great to me. And Frank Pearson wrote and directed it. You know, he wrote Cat Ballou, Dog Daphne, and all kinds of great. And he also took care of me. He's one who discovered me. And when he played my screen test for Dino De Laurentiis, he said, here's the kid I want. And Dino watched it and said, I can see. Why hire the guy? And so that was my beginning. Very lucky. I was hungry for two and a half years. When I got to New York, I worked for Joe Papp down the public theater making 160 bucks a week and was hungry all the time and was, was, was. Was last stop on the subway, the. The D train at Flatbush. And it was, it was, it was hard, but it was romantically hard and that I knew it was gonna let me go, and it did.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Well, I mean, you're, you're how old when you, when you get out to New York? I mean. 78. When King of Gypsies came out.

[Eric Roberts]

19. When I got to New York, I was 21 when King of the Gypsies came out.

[Josh Adam Myers]

So how did they find you then? How did, how did that, that, that casting person. Was it the director that you mentioned that brought you to Dino De Laurentiis? I don't want to this up, but I remember I heard you say that Nametis, the producer, I'm assuming.

[Eric Roberts]

Right, right. He was the boss. Yeah, it was, it was open casting and I had an audition. Then I got another audition. Then I got another call back, another callback. And then I got a screen test. And the morning of the screen test was January of 1978 at the Gulf and Western building. And there's a huge snowstorm that morning and all the traffic shut down. And so it was dead streets. It was, it was, it was very romantic. So I called my manager, I said, are they still gonna have the screen test? He said, yeah, get down there. So I was 73rd street and Central park west, and I walked down to the Gulf and Western building. Got there, I reported in sign my name. They were behind, of course, because of the snow and the traffic not showing up. And the, the building was predominantly empty. Anyway, I went to sleep and I slept for a couple of hours. They Woke me up and they said, it's time for your screen test, Eric. I said, thank you. I did my screen test and got lucky. Got my first movie.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Slept. That's how comfortable you were, dude.

[Eric Roberts]

Well, you know, I've been an actor all my life. It's the only. It's the only thing besides my wife, who came much later. It's the only thing besides my wife and the gym that I've gotten out of, exactly what I put into. And so I love this vocation. Like, I love her.

[Josh Adam Myers]

I love that. And it's. That's such a cool story too, because that, you know, you. You were destined to get it. The fact that you could sleep before an audition. You know what? This. I'm gonna doze off for a minute. I know this character. I've already been through nine auditions. You know what I mean? Snowstorm. Who gives a. Everybody's gonna be cranky. Coffee sucks. Like. Like, I gotta huff back upstairs. I gotta huff back uptown, closer to the Dakota. Come on, dude. I love that. I love that story. And then immediately to go from that, I mean, you. Because you literally, you. I guess you're next, the big breakout role, which you know is star 80, right, if I'm not mistaken. So that's doing. Doing that first project. Did you know. So I guess to take it back to that before we move on, just a couple other songs. Did you know that when you were doing that project with Susan Sarandon, I mean, God damn, what an incredible first project. Project of. I mean, Susan Sarandon Brooks. She just. That was Shelly Winners. Good God. Did. Did you have that feeling then? I know you said you wouldn't. You get what you put into it, and I love that. But. But did you have a feeling. You're like, all right, we're off to the races. I feel like the next thing is really. Because how big did that project break you? Did you need star 80 to really make it the thing? Or was it already was? This. Was that, like. Was that first project we were just talking about? Was that the.

[Josh Adam Myers (Podcast Host)]

The.

[Eric Roberts]

The.

[Josh Adam Myers]

You know, is that the. The. The wild, the innocent, the east street shuffle. Whereas Star 80 would be. You're born to run.

[Eric Roberts]

They are King of gypsies. Made me a movie star. Oh, he can play.

[Josh Adam Myers]

He can play.

[Eric Roberts]

Let's let him Play. But Star 80 made me a respected actor, a respected artist, and that the actors in my world said, you're what you're. You're. You're one of the best, dude. Join us. And so I felt I was after Star 80 by all the really great actors. In fact, one of the best comments I ever got was from Chris Walken. We're at his house and we're playing pool. Star 80 had just come out playing pool, and he cracks a ball. Bam. He goes, hey, by the way, I saw star 80.

[Unknown Contributor]

Wow.

[Eric Roberts]

That's all he said.

[Josh Adam Myers]

It was so good you hung out with him. You know, it. You got.

[Eric Roberts]

You know, just the fact that he would extend himself in that calm, casual, but complete way. I saw star 80 and. Wow. I mean, it's just. That's all he had to say, and that's all he did say.

[Josh Adam Myers]

And that's all you needed. That's. That was. Yeah, because he's. I mean, he's. By that point, you know, by 83. I mean, he's one of the most respected actors in the game. Yeah. And get it. Not only be friends with them, but it's. I know what that's like. It's like being accepted by your peers. It's like you can be a working actor, you can be a working comic, you'd be a working musician. But when you have people that you respect that you've looked up to go, hey, man, come hang out with us. Sit at our table. Like, that's. That's got to be an incredible feeling. And well deserved too, man, because you, you know, just. The run that you went on after that, I mean, it's just incredible.

[Eric Roberts]

Well, and this night also bonded over acting in that we're both nominated for Golden Globes in 1978. He for deer Hunter, me for Best Newcomer for a King and the Gypsies. And we both lost, so we both kind of bonded over.

[Unknown Contributor]

Hey.

[Eric Roberts]

With a losers. Hey, good for us.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Yeah. Dude, who. Do you know who won? Do you know who won? Do you remember?

[Eric Roberts]

No, why would I?

[Josh Adam Myers]

Because he won the Oscar. Because then Walking goes on to win the Oscar. Right. So he loses the Golden Globe, but he wins the Oscar.

[Eric Roberts]

That's right.

[Josh Adam Myers]

The Golden Globe is the one you want. That's the one. Everybody's drinking, we're having a good time. You're talking.

[Eric Roberts]

You want them both.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Yeah, I wanna. I want a Critics Choice Award more than anything. That's all I want. All right, dude, I love this. All right, let's get back to this record. So where were we? Where were we? Let's. You know, we're gonna go through some tracks on this. We got some time to do that. I would say this. This album, though, what I love about it a lot is it's not built for Singles, except for Rosalita. This is. Which he's like. I. Which I read has gone on to become one of his big live show staples. But this is from almost the immersion. I, I really feel like you wander through 4th of July, Asbury park, you linger through New York City Serenade, and, And you feel the, the, the tension of like Wild Bill's circus story. And I think from that you get what feels less like a collection of tracks, but more like, like one long. How did I write? Let me see. It's like one long New Jersey, New York City night walk of possibility and, and maybe longing. It's just. I, I think this is, this is.

[Eric Roberts]

That was a great explanation.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Thank you very much. I worked hard with my buddy on this because we did. It's. I. The second I heard this album, I was like, man, this is. This is one of my favorite Bruce records. It's. And then you just. Because you know, when, when you listen to some of the other stuff, you feel like you're. I don't want to say you're force fed anything by Bruce, but you're getting a lot of like, you know, and the coal miners down there, but his car won't start. And it's all very storyteller like this. This just felt very like young and fun. And it took me back to a place, you know, where I know these characters. Even though I grew up in Baltimore and D.C. i. I know these people, I know these girls. I, I know that feeling of being young. You know, I'll be 46 in. In two days, and I'm. And I'm not. I don't feel old at all. But, you know, you start looking back and you're like, oh, man. Remember. Remember before I needed Viagra? God.

[Eric Roberts]

Remember when I tell you you're gonna turn 50 and you're gonna wake up that morning and you got to be in touch with your mortality like you've never been before. Just.

[Josh Adam Myers]

I'm already there, dude. I'm already there. Trust me. That's. That's the thing that keeps me going. That's the thing that keeps me enjoying life, knowing that this, this journey isn't that much longer. And it moves and it moves and it moves. And then you listen to something like this and then. And then also this is what's great about Bruce. And I think it's. You know, we're doing him. We've been doing him like we've been doing Bob Dylan. So we're doing it almost backwards. We're listening to his, his later records first on the podcast. And then we're going back to all the early stuff, which is easier for Bruce than it is for Bob Dylan, because Bruce has always been a consistent style. And maybe the songs get a little longer. Like in the river, you're dealing with six, seven minute songs. And as you get into his later records, you know, the only, I think the latest one we did was the Rising, which might have been one of his last really, really great albums. And not putting down, like, Ghost of Tom Joe to some of the other, you know, this before or a little bit after Wrecking Ball. I think that was one. But, but there is a thing with Dylan that you gotta listen to the old before you can listen to the new. I think Bruce. You know what I mean? Like, you gotta listen to Highway 61 Revisited before you can listen to a Time out of Mind, because you can't appreciate Time out of Mind.

[Eric Roberts]

You're not wrong.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Yeah. And that's why, that's why I really dig. I, I, you know, I think because Bruce is Bob Dylan for so many people. For the working man, New Jersey, like, he's. The way that Billy Joel speaks of Long island in New York City is like, Bruce is Jersey. He's, he's the boardwalk. He's that, you know, he's, he's, he's just, he's the, he is just the personification of, of the, of this area of a time.

[Eric Roberts]

These songs. Let's play them.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Yeah, let's, let's dig some of them. Brian, get the songs ready just in case, because we might jump into some of them. All right. The album opens up with the E Street Shuffle. I gotta say, this, this is probably my least favorite song on the entire record. It has nothing to do with the beginning because I love that there's this, like, funky groove. He's got the, the Clavinet part. There's a, there's a. By the keyboard is David Sanchez. This is a unique one, and I think the Springsteen catalog. I, I just don't like the Doing the E Street Shuffle. It's very porno musicy to a certain point. You know, it's all. It's like my dad's old porno collection that I used to sneak down and watch. But there is, but there is this, like, obvious influence of, like, Superstition by Stevie Wonder in there. And this actually did. Which was. This was. Oh, no. This Superstition. You could see why he would use this because this was like, you know, Superstition was so popular in early 73, I do think. Yeah, it really is. And I think new. I think this opener kind of sets the mood. A, a, you know, it's just, it's just basically you're, it's players just staring down the asphalt and, and a sack's just punctuating the dusk. It's just, there's something about it. Now, I want to ask you this because your career has spanned bursts of momentum and reinvention all throughout. When you watch or listen to something like this track, this opening track, how do you think about the shuffle of a career? Like the rhythm of roles, the sidesteps, the tempo changes. Like, how do you manage all of that as you, as an actor, as an artist? Like, when you hear a song like.

[Eric Roberts]

This, that's very romantic, poetic way to look at it. I am neither. So. But no, no, I, I, no, I, I, I don't, I don't feel my experience until it's all over. And then I look back on it and it's like dominoes. I feel it all. And that's kind of because, because my life and my work is such instant coffee of life. And there has to be quick and has to be good, and that's, to be fair.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Here we go.

[Eric Roberts]

And then it's done. And so it's the instant coffee of life. My job and you. And you can't, you can't romanticize it too much. And we want to as people, because it's so poetic what we do, but we got to get it done.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Yeah, I know. What's the most lost you've ever gotten in your work, though? Is there, is there a role that you just were like, holy shit. As soon as it was done, you were like, man, I'm so glad this is over, because I didn't want to be that character anymore. Or you were like, God, I loved being that character so much. Like, why can't I be that character again?

[Eric Roberts]

Like, had them both. And the, the hardest one, I was very well taken care of by a great director, Bob Fosse. And it was star 80, when I played Paul Steiner, who killed Dorothy Stratton. That was the hard one, because if you played a bad guy, it was going to be cliche and it was going to be television. You had to play a guy who made a mistake. And so it was hard. And you can't dislike the people you're playing or you don't play them properly. So it was hard for me. Because he wasn't likable.

[Josh Adam Myers]

No, I, I love that you said that. You know, I just watched this interview with Christoph Waltz about playing one of the Nazi. The Nazi Inglourious bastards. And they said, what's it like playing a bad guy? And he goes, he doesn't think he's a bad guy. He thinks he's doing. He thinks he's doing right thing. He's doing his thing for his country. So he's a good guy to himself and. And someone, you know, like in. In Star 80. I mean, Paul is like. He's just a. Like a husband that's like. He thinks he's doing what's right, but he just. The wiring's all wrong. You know what I mean?

[Eric Roberts]

Mind blowing is if he hadn't killed her, he invented Chippendales, he would be a multi millionaire. He would be sitting pretty. He'd be fine.

[Unknown Contributor]

Oh, wow.

[Josh Adam Myers]

I didn't know that. Yeah, well, up, Paul. There you go. He. Up. What was the role that you just love so much that you were like. I mean, this is like, holy. This is fun. Is it playing. Is it also can be playing dark is always got to be definitely hard on the emotions. But one.

[Eric Roberts]

One of the saddest movies to. To walk away from was because I was playing a really nice person who was off to war in a very positive way after falling in love with a woman and her two little boys. And it was called Raggedy man. And I played a sailor. I played a gunner's mate in World War II. And that was probably the most precious role I've ever played. And that he was sweet, good guy, and the saddest to walk away from because I was going right into star 80.

[Josh Adam Myers]

So, yeah, you had some heavy dude. I mean, if you go from that to the Pope to like. I mean, just looking at some of the heavy roles like Runaway Train, I mean, it just gets thick, dude. Yeah.

[Eric Roberts]

Break after that in that order. That said, they. They were shot in that order. Star 80, Pope, runaway. No straight PO. And then I got a break with the Coca Cola kid.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Eric Roberts]

And it's. It's light, it's likable, It's. It's good. Greta Saatchi is maybe the most gorgeous woman on the planet in that movie. And it's a really cute little movie. But then I got into Pope and I changed my body. I permed my hair and had the time of my life, met her market director. I've always been friends with ever since Mickey Rourke. And just that was an experience that kind of changed my life as an actor because I realized that I was as capable as I thought I was.

[Josh Adam Myers]

I Mean, you're in, like, public. Grange Village is, Is, you know, one of the, you know, it's.

[Eric Roberts]

It's.

[Josh Adam Myers]

It's in the. It's in my top 50 movies of all time. It's like working with you, work with Mickey, like, I mean, that's like just the two of you both, you know, dealing with what you guys are dealing with in that movie. And you're doing it here in the greatest city in the world. Were you already out in New York at that point? Or were you living in la? Or were you. Were you still.

[Eric Roberts]

I didn't, I didn't live in LA up until I got married many years later.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Really? So wait, so where were you living when you were shooting the Pope of Greenwich Village? Were like, were you still uptown?

[Eric Roberts]

I was on 73rd street in between Central park west and Columbus. But I also had a home by walking in Connecticut.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Oh, wow. Yeah. So you are. So you had the apartment in New York. So when you were doing the movie, of course, you're probably just staying in Manhattan.

[Eric Roberts]

See, walker was on 79th, I was on 73rd. Then upstate, he was about a mile away in, In. In Westport, and I was. No, he was in Wilton. I was in Weston. So we're like. So we're always neighbors.

[Josh Adam Myers]

I love that, man. Dude, that rules. That rules. What a great neighbor to have at dinner time.

[Eric Roberts]

What a great neighbor.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Oh, garlic. Yeah, but you're leaving out. You gotta. You gotta. You gotta eat. And then it gives you mints on the way out. Like, take him in. Your breath's gonna be pretty, pretty bad. Okay, I gotcha. All right. Fourth of July, Asbury Park. Sandy. The lyric mentions Madame Marie for telling fortunes better than the cops. That figure was a real life fortune teller on the Asbury park boardwalk named Marie Costello, who Springsteen later publicly memorialized on his site after her death in 2008. You know, it really, this song, I mean, I, you know, you grew up. You, you know, you. You sound like your formative years, where you were, you went from Atlanta to New York City, right? If I was right, I don't know. Is there, Are there boardwalks in Atlanta? Because it's. Atlanta's like, it's a little more landlocked, right? It's not like, I mean, Georgia's got.

[Eric Roberts]

The beach, but like, Atlanta had, had, had that. Had those kind of walks on a place called Lake Lanier. And yeah, we, we, we have. We have a bunch of lakes around Atlanta. So, yeah, we do have boardwalks like that, but they aren't on the ocean because we don't have an ocean there to speak of. And Savannah has the lotion, but it's not the same.

[Josh Adam Myers]

You know, this song really reminds me of. And it's funny that the guy Greg, my buddy who I mentioned, who helped me work on this episode, you know, we used to live. We grew up in the D.C. area and we would go to Ocean City, Maryland, and it was like a three hour drive east, just going in the middle of nowhere. My mom lives there now with my sister and I hate it. But when I was a kid, it was everything. Going to the boardwalk, beach week. You know, whether we were in 11th grade, our senior year, it was the adventure of our lives. Every summer we'd get an older guy to bring by his booze. We'd get an ounce of shitty weed. You know, we'd get whatever the shitty alcohol is after shock or glockenspiel or whatever the people drink to do shots. Goldschlager. And we would just have this incredible time and I would just get high and try to meet girls and eat choco tacos and, and just maybe get laid. Maybe not like maybe hook up with a girl, but there was some adventure and this magical feeling that you know that comes with. And I know you know it too. Even though like you were already working at like 19 and you were living your dream. But it's like, like you've had those moments where you're like, it just feels like, like you were saying about turning 50 and realizing that, man, it's like, man, it's like almost over. I better start enjoying this. It's like we always hold on to the negative. But when we can look back and think about the magical moments that we've had, and they don't have to be the wins of us booking a role. They can just be hanging out with your friends on the boardwalk, talking to girls and just being like, this is it. And that's what I got from this song. And that's, that's why I think I love this record. I feel like it really does finally put Bruce at a level that, that I'm like, oh no, I, I really understand where he's at. I, I think that, you know, he, he, he's so close to that age when he makes this. And it really just is such a beautiful song. I mean.

[Eric Roberts]

And also Bruce's voice is so nostalgic, especially backs off the hard rock. It is so, it is so embracing and nostalgic and he, he knows how to do that.

[Josh Adam Myers]

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[Josh Adam Myers (Podcast Host)]

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[Josh Adam Myers]

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[Josh Adam Myers]

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[Josh Adam Myers (Podcast Host)]

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[Josh Adam Myers (Podcast Host)]

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[Josh Adam Myers]

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[Josh Adam Myers (Podcast Host)]

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[Josh Adam Myers]

Does how. When you hear a song like this about the summer nights and like, kind of like that fading innocence and, you know, do you use this. A song like this help you reflect on. On. On the mo. Your moments of. Of nostalgia? Like, like, does it take you back? Because it took me back. And I mean, you know, when you. When I sit there and mention that boardwalk me going to senior week. What is. What is your senior week? What is Eric Roberts as a kid? It's got to be in Atlanta somewhere. Going to Mary Max Tea Room with your homies, like Silver Skillet, Magic City. I don't know. Was that strip club open back then? There. There.

[Eric Roberts]

There were two bars. There was one called the Driftwood and one called Mose and Joe's. And those two. Two places were not bar sties. They were our homes away from home. And we would eat, play cards, play checkers, play chess, drink illegally, smoke, you know, putt in the back, you know, of course, all the time there. And that was our home away from home where we could act like we were as opposed to act like we were supposed to act. And so when you hear those kind of songs, they remind you nostalgically of that feeling of when you first, before you were a man, before you were on your own, when you're making that transition. That's what they remind you of. Those, those are those places in your life that once they're over, they never come back.

[Josh Adam Myers]

They never come back.

[Eric Roberts]

But they happen. All of us. They happen to every one of us.

[Josh Adam Myers]

I think. You know, you know, when people talk about what heaven is, you know, and, and, and, and I feel like that heaven is whatever moment you get stuck in when you pass, like whatever you're thinking about. So if you, if you're like getting that peaceful thing and then suddenly you start thinking about, oh my God, the summer nights and meeting that girl and, and this and that, and then you can, if you can concentrate on that as you pass, that's the last moment that you have. In a sense, that's heaven. You know, I'll go with that. I love that. Yeah, I, I don't know. It's just. Because there's no explanation for anything that happens. So I have no idea if what I'm saying is right or wrong. I'm hoping we be reincarnated. And if we do, I really want to come back as a, as an overweight black female comedian, because I would love, I would love to be. I would love to be sassy. You know what I mean? That would be, that would be awesome. There still is time.

[Eric Roberts]

I mean, you have to die soon.

[Josh Adam Myers]

That's true. That's true. All right, let's talk about. Let's talk a few more of these songs. Kitty's Back. Although not released as a single and a deeper cut in the overall Springsteen catalog, the song has been performed live over 250 times. This track propels the urgency, the movement, the insistence that things have got to change.

[Eric Roberts]

Why Resident release as a single, I don't know.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Let me see if I can find some more skadoodle on it. I, I don't. Well, first of all, this is the. The only two songs that are released as singles are 4th of July and Rosalita. And I see why both of those are obviously Rosalita. I mean, but Rosalita, don't forget, that's a, you know, that's a seven minute song. Yeah. Let's see. Does we.

[Unknown Contributor]

Did.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Did my dude put a little thing about it? Where are we looking at Kitty's back? Excuse me. The song. You see, it's only. He just started playing it again in 2023. It's now it's sticking around. It looks like on his set list. It doesn't it doesn't say. It doesn't say why. Interesting.

[Eric Roberts]

How many has he put out?

[Josh Adam Myers]

Oh, my Lord. Let me. Let me do a little. No, come on, dude. You make albums. I gotta do Eric, I gotta deal with. I just. Last night I do Biggie Smalls, Ready to die at like 9. 00pm Then I gotta flip the script and do Bruce Springsteen. And then two days later, I gotta do Marky Moon Television. Then I'm going to England because I just got to get out of this funky ass country. Then I'm coming.

[Eric Roberts]

How many albums has he done?

[Josh Adam Myers]

I'm doing it. I'm doing it. Give me a second, brother. I got you.

[Eric Roberts]

You hold up.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Discography. Let me find this thing. He's got a long one. Dude, his. His Wikipedia page is as long as your IMDb page. You're on DB that takes a long time to scroll down. Here we go. All right.

[Eric Roberts]

A lot of fun, man.

[Josh Adam Myers]

All right. Let me count it up. Why? So you got Greetings the Wild. I'm gonna try to say just the title. Born to Run, Darkness, the River, Nebraska. Born in the usa Tunnel of Human Touch, Lucky Town, Ghost of Tom, the Rising, Devil and Dust, We Shall Overcome, The Secret Sessions, Magic, Working on a Dream, Wrecking Ball, High Hopes, Western Stars, Letter to you. And then the last one to come out was. Only the Strong Survive. So counting that up, that is 1, 2, 22 or 23, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. Wow. 11, 12, 30, 40, 15, 60, 70, 18, 19, 20, 21. Whoa, dude, you got. You got a good. Like. You're like. You're like. You got that, like, Stephen Hawking brain. No wonder you. No wonder you're a good actor. No wonder you could sleep before the audition. You read it once and knew it. You were there. Do you got that kind of brain, bro?

[Eric Roberts]

Oh, man, I used to.

[Unknown Contributor]

It's true.

[Josh Adam Myers]

But. But you know what?

[Eric Roberts]

In my youth, I smoked a lot of marijuana. And on my old age, it haunts me a little bit.

[Josh Adam Myers]

That's what you're supposed to do, though. That's your youth, man. You're supposed to do that. And then. And then what, dude? You've had such a great life. Chill out. Act every once in a while. You got a great wife. You're killing it. You know, come on the podcast all the time. I would love to have you back.

[Eric Roberts]

I'd love to come on this podcast all the time. You know, I, I, I, I, I, I will act as long as I'll be married forever. Because I love it. Like, I love her all day, every Day. Yeah, yeah.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Is there a role. Because I want to. For, For Kitty's back. Is there a role that you're, that you're still like, searching for? Is there something that, like.

[Eric Roberts]

There is a role I would like to play, and it's Nureyev after he stopped dancing, because that life is remarkable. And he was at a time when you're not accepted being gay in Russia at all, they would kill you.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Oh, yeah.

[Eric Roberts]

And he was gay and he was Russian. And I want to play him after he stopped dancing because I can't dance.

[Unknown Contributor]

Dance.

[Eric Roberts]

But, but he, he, he had an incredible life that was not positive, but was incredible and it was also tragic. But he was a gifted, incredible artist and I'd like to play him.

[Josh Adam Myers]

I love that. I love that. Well, guess what? The fact that he even said he stopped dancing, you don't gotta, you don't gotta worry about. You could just worry about the acting. Maybe you got to do a little shuffle every once in a while, but you know, you can do that. I think you can handle that. I'll get you some Glucosamine. Come on, dude, I love that. And I mean, dude, it really is incredible. Eric, when you look at the roles that you, You've had, and I mean, some people get maybe one or two, I mean, and they work for five to 10 years. Some people are. Some people have. And you know, in careers, 30, 40. Dude, you have been working consistently, I mean, since, since the early 70s. I mean, that's, that's amazing, man.

[Eric Roberts]

Well, since the, the late 70s, but, yeah, late 70s.

[Josh Adam Myers]

I'm sorry. Yeah, but you were, I mean, you were still acting then, but, yeah, you've been working.

[Eric Roberts]

I've been lucky because so many good actors don't have the good fortune. I do. And I have to remember that it's not because of me, it's because of my circumstances. So I do, I, I'm not humble. I am my biggest fan, but I do, I do believe I'm extraordinarily lucky. And I'm so happy to be alive.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Well, I want to ask you this because I'm going to go off the next song and this wasn't the question I had planned, but I love that you're saying that we're talking about Wild Billy Circus story, which is, you know, it's. It's got tuba, it's got accordion. It's a metaphor for life living on the edge of performance and spectacle, the danger and everything. You come. And now this. I'm gonna flip this to the question to get to it is that you have an incredible daughter who is working actress. You have a sister who is a working actress. And obviously you were the first one. Did you get. But. But it sounds like to me, Eric, when I try to say, what's the thing? And the thing? You're like, I don't know, dude, I showed up, I knew the lines, they gave me the role. Who had any idea? Lucky. Lucky me. You obviously have something and you probably have had to give advice to these people. What was, what was the advice you gave to your sister and what was the advice you've given to your daughter? I mean.

[Eric Roberts]

I ever gave my sister that she took was this. I said, you need a Screen Actors Guild card. And she said, so get me one. I said, okay. So I put her in her first movie to get her Screen Actors Guild card. She got it, then moved to Hollywood and did all the rest herself. My daughter is named Robert, and because of Julia Roberts and her father, Eric Roberts, it was kind of easy for her, of course, and the doors opened. Oh, your name is Roberts? Step right this way. So. So for her, it was not a struggle for Julie did all of it on her own. All I got her was a Screen Actors Guild card. And then she did it herself. Herself. And that performance in Pretty Woman is charmingly, lovably perfect. And that's what made her a movie star.

[Josh Adam Myers]

That's so cool, man. I mean, and I don't know if you're. I mean, I don't know when your parents passed away, but I mean, were they able to see the two of you both like really succeeding doing what you love? I mean, because that must have been magical. Like, I. I'm on. My dad passed away right before my career started taking off. But luckily my mom's been. Been there, been able to see everything and how happy she is. Were you guys lucky enough and your parents lucky enough to see the. Their two kids?

[Eric Roberts]

Just. Well, my dad, My. My dad died in December of 77, and I got my first, you know, in a movie in April of 78. So. So he, he never saw any of it, but my mom saw all of it. She died six years ago at, at 80. And yeah, does she ever say, let.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Me tell you something, Pretty Woman was good, but dude, Pope of Greenwich Village, you killed it. Like, dude, that was my favorite.

[Eric Roberts]

She, she. She never said those words, but she did tell me that I love that Law and Order. That Law and Order is so good. She love Law and Order.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Who doesn't? I mean, there's a reason it's been on the air for. For, you know, goddamn 50 years. I. Two more songs. Let's. Let's talk about. All right, let's talk about incident on 57th Street. One of the most famous and popular Bruce bootlegs is named the Saint, the Innocent in the Incident in the Main Point Shuffle. This was from a benefit appearance at the Main Point, a small coffee shop in Pennsylvania five months before the release of Born to Run. All songs from the Wild Innocent were part of the 18 song set and opens with Incident on 57th Street. This is a. A long narrative track. Relationship, tension, city backdrop, fate. This might be. I listen. I mean, I'm gonna sit here. I know Rosalita is my favorite.

[Eric Roberts]

This mix. This mix is clear killer.

[Josh Adam Myers]

This is. This is one of those tracks that. I mean, this is. This is why by this point, listening to the record, Eric. And this is before Rosalita, when Innocent came on, or Incident came. I keep calling it Innocent. When Incident came on. It was. By that point I was like, oh, yeah, you got me, dude. This is. This is basically, you know, from what people say, this is the turning point. This is the song where. Where he goes from just. He's now making these fully formed cinematic. Because he's telling you the story and. But. And you know what? This is the bridge in between the first record. Greetings. The first few songs. And then this is what takes you to the record that you love, Nebraska. This is a song like this is that bridge, you know, and it also helps. He's like. It's. It's almost sung in like, sweet style.

[Eric Roberts]

Why are we playing it?

[Josh Adam Myers]

Hey, Brian, play a little bit of incident on 57th street, if you don't mind. I don't even know. He's still here. Oh, he's here. Skip ahead a little bit. Get to the thick of it. Get to the thick, Bry.

[Eric Roberts]

Get to me.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Yeah. Get to the meat and potatoes. Dude. I don't think he knows how to do that. I don't know how to do that. You can't just jump ahead. No, Let me see if I can find the part. Give me one second.

[Unknown Contributor]

He tried selling his heart to the.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Hot girls over on Easy street.

[Unknown Contributor]

But.

[Josh Adam Myers]

They said journey it falls apart so easy and, you know hearts these days. Yeah. So here, pause it, pause it. So, Brian, pause it. So I think where. I love this song, where the story really hits because he starts talking about Spanish Johnny. It's later in the song, which I don't know if you can pull it up, Brian. I would say it's around like minute, 5, 30. When he says, you know. You know, good night, it's all right. Like, it's just. He does that, like, build, and it's just so beautiful and. And it really is. You know, this is. I just. I can't. I can't tell you how much I. I just love this record. I know I keep saying it over and over, and I wish I had deeper thoughts about it, but it's like, man, you.

[Unknown Contributor]

You.

[Josh Adam Myers]

You get. I get it now. I get it to Maureen Taran, the head of True tv. I get it to Jay Moore. I get it to. To Rick Bronson, the owner of the comedy clubs in Vancouver that I perform, who yelled at me for 25 minutes that I was putting you on this pod. I get it. You know, I. I understand, Bruce.

[Eric Roberts]

Why. Why couldn't we be on at the same time? So you didn't.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Yeah, he's a dude. Listen, I love Rick. He's a lot. He's. You wouldn't have said one thing. You wouldn't have said one thing. Eric. I'd be like, let me ask you about. And he'd be like, let me tell you something, Josh. All right, now, this is why this album's good. Rosalita is great. All right, let's talk about Rosalita, and let's wrap this up. I mean, Rosalita, hands down, is the quintessential concert closer for Bruce Springsteen. If he doesn't play this every show, I don. Know, what the hell is he doing with his. Goddamn. Well, you.

[Josh Adam Myers (Podcast Host)]

You.

[Eric Roberts]

You. You tell me that. It's on his. It's on his. It's on his. It's on his set list.

[Josh Adam Myers]

So let me look here. I love. There's. Have you ever. I don't know if you've ever done this. There is a website that I love more than anything. It's called setlist.com, and it can tell you every set list for any show that's ever happened in the history of mankind up to a point. If there's a person there that watched the show, dude, it's crazy. So it's like, if I'm gonna go see a concert and it's an artist I'm not that big of a fan of, or maybe I'm a fan of, but I'm like, yeah, let me just go see if they're. If you know what they're playing, you could take a look at the set list. And some people change their set list every night, some don't. Bruce, for the last few years, really hasn't been changing it If I'm not mistaken. But yeah, we're looking at August 21, 2024. Opens with your. One of your songs, Atlantic City and then Trash back. Yeah, dude, this is a set list you got after the does he encore. He start so he ends the first half with Born Badlands, no Goes the Rising, Badlands, Thunder Road. Then he opens the encore. Go yourself Born to Run into Rosalita, into Dancing in the dark, into 10th Avenue, freeze down. Yeah, I mean, that's an encore. Dude, you got to do Rosalita.

[Eric Roberts]

You know, you asked about my kids. There's one kid we didn't talk about and he's a musician. And so I want to tell you about him.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Please, please.

[Eric Roberts]

Keaton as a mustard. Keaton? Keaton Simons. Have you heard of him?

[Josh Adam Myers]

Keaton. What's his last name?

[Eric Roberts]

Keaton Simons. S I M O N S. No.

[Josh Adam Myers]

And dude, if he's got music, we'll play it at the end of this episode. I'd love to play his music and promote it on the show.

[Eric Roberts]

I want you to. I, I want you to play a song called the Medicine.

[Josh Adam Myers]

The Medicine. Brian, will you make it so play a song. No.

[Eric Roberts]

When I go. What?

[Unknown Contributor]

I think they have when I go.

[Eric Roberts]

Oh, you have when I go. Cool.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Perfect. So what we'll do is when this and this is over, whoever. I'll have Emily reach out to whoever. She'll get the track and we'll make sure we play it at the end of the episode because we always play new music at the end. Thank you, dude. It's my pleasure. You came on, you're our guest. I would. We're always looking to help launch, you know, young artists. And it's also, you know, I bet you he's somehow some way, it's, it's. There's. You don't get him without this, you know, with these, with, with Bruce. So it's all, it's all but jumbo. So, you know, tell me more. Like, what were you saying? Like you, you brought him up. And, and, and when you're about Rosalitas, is it his set list or, or what is it?

[Eric Roberts]

Bruce. Bruce had a big influence on him and he's a, he's a Bruce fan. And, and, and I started thinking about it when I was thinking about the, the music he and I used to listen to. We listened to a lot of Bruce together and he's, he's just a good ass musician. He's one of the best young guitar players out there and. Or so says Eric Clapton. And he's Just, he's just a cool cat. And Keaton Simons. Listen to his music. You'll like it. Also, have you been watching Gemstones?

[Josh Adam Myers]

Did, did you see that show Gemstones? Yeah, I, Well, I'm, I'm friends with a few, the people on there, so I, I'm, I'm at the age, Eric, where if I put television on, I fall asleep, so. Oh, so. So it might take a few hours, a few days for me to get through an episode, but I, I, I.

[Eric Roberts]

Want you to do me a favor.

[Josh Adam Myers]

What do you need?

[Eric Roberts]

I want you to go to season three, season two, and find Eric Roberts.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Oh, wait, I think I remember. Wait, of course I remember when. Yeah.

[Eric Roberts]

With me on it.

[Josh Adam Myers]

I think so. Yeah.

[Unknown Contributor]

Okay.

[Eric Roberts]

Thank you. Thank you.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Dude, come on, bro. Dude, I was gonna ask you this because I was like. You realize you were in one of the mute in arguably my generations Don't Stop believing. When you did the killers, Mr. Brightside, did you have any idea that that was about to be one of the biggest bands? And, and, and also, it's great that we're talking about Bruce because they're so. The Killers are so influenced by Bruce. Their second record, Sam's Town, has so much Bruce, like, like vibe to it. But when you did that music video, were you just like, this band's pretty cool? Yeah, I'll do it. You know, it'll be fun. Did they ask you? How did that happen? Go ahead.

[Eric Roberts]

The story for you. They called. They offered it to me because they like me as an actor. We want you in our video.

[Unknown Contributor]

Great.

[Eric Roberts]

I turned them down. I don't make music videos. I'm an actor. Sorry. My kids all call me. They said, what are you talking about?

[Josh Adam Myers]

You.

[Eric Roberts]

We heard mom say you turned down the Killers. I said, yeah, well, so why. No, no, they all had fits. You have to call them back, have.

[Josh Adam Myers]

To beg to be back in their video.

[Eric Roberts]

And I did, and they did. And that's how that came about. And then as I'm making the video, I said it. Sophie Mueller, our fantastic director. I say, sophie, what am I playing? And she insinuated, I was playing a pimp. So now you can watch a video with that point of view.

[Josh Adam Myers]

You were a respectable pimp. You were. You were. You cared about your girls.

[Eric Roberts]

I care about my girls. Yes, of course.

[Josh Adam Myers]

I love it now. And I mean, this, man. It's. That's another thing to bring it back full circle. Is there. So I live in here, and I know you know it from living in New York City. There is no Better town for live music. I mean, that. I lived in LA 14 years. I saw a million shows. DC, where I grew up, Washington, DC, we had the 9:30 Club, we had some great venues, but there is nothing like New York City. And I am blessed that I kind of walk in both worlds between comedy and music. And I know so many musicians and I know so many comedians, and I always just go to go. I go to. I go to shows all the time. And I. And I had seen the Killers a couple times. I went once in LA with Jim Jeffries and a few other friends and we got to meet the band. And then I saw them when I was doing a festival in Toronto and I had to rest my voice after my show. And so I went to see them perform and I just kind of, like, didn't sing and just, like, enjoyed it. And there's so much music I love by them. But then I went to see them at the Bowery Ballroom. They were getting ready to play a festival out here. And. And I mean, this, man, it's like, you know, you were talking that moment of, like, you see. You see a band, you see somebody, and it's like, God, it's just like you just have this transcendent, magical experience where. Where you and the music are just so sunk up. And it could be listening to it on a record or being there in the room, which is one of my favorite things, is to be watching live music. It's the same my dad used about going to the movies. He goes, you can watch a movie at home, but there's something about going to a room with a hundred strangers and feeling that the lights go down and just feeling that energy and. And watching the Killers, who were a band that I liked, I didn't love them. I liked them. Seeing them at the Bowery Ballroom, it was one of the best concerts I've ever seen in my life. And I mean this. He is such a performer. He's taken so much from Bruce by giving you everything. And I mean that. Bruce gives you everything. Eddie Vedder gives you everything. Otis Redding gave you everything. These. Mick Jagger, they give you everything. And. And the lead singer, the Killers. Brendan. Brendan, yeah. Just. Just such an incredible, incredible show. And. And it's like, for you, who. Which I love is because you've. You've had this amazing career, even you do one music video and it's. Oh, dude. You realize that is like one of the biggest songs of, like, Gen X Gens. That's like their. Don't stop believing. Mr. Brightside, when we play that at the goddamn Comedy Jam. My show that I do that was on Comedy Central. I'm doing it this weekend in New Orleans, where all comics do stand up and then they sing. If anybody does Mr. Brightside, I mean, it's like. It's. It starts a goddamn riot. It's. It is just such an incredible.

[Eric Roberts]

It's.

[Unknown Contributor]

It's.

[Josh Adam Myers]

It's Rosalita. It's Rosalita. But it's because if you play Rosalita at a Bruce concert or at a. Or at someone, you know that those Bruce fans, like, they get it. And there's. You can't not sing it. You can't not enjoy it. Yeah, man. I mean, just the exuberance, the characters. You feel everything he's saying. He. Springsteen described this song as his musical autobiography, you know, which I think is beautiful, because it really is. Yeah, dude. I mean, Go ahead.

[Eric Roberts]

Speaking of autobiography, tell all your listeners to buy my book, Runaway Train.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Oh, dude, we'll promote the out of it. Don't even trip. Tell me about it. No, tell me about it, please.

[Eric Roberts]

The audiobook is better because I don't know if you should maybe air all this information, but I'm gonna give it to you, and you decide what you ought to edit in and out.

[Josh Adam Myers]

You tell. You tell us what you want.

[Eric Roberts]

Write the book. I send it to the publisher. They publish it, they send it back. It's got a bunch of stuff that's not correct. Just stuff like my. My. My mother's dad played semi pro ball. It says, my father played semi pro ball. Okay, not a big deal. But I'm going to change. It was mistakes like that. So I fixed all the mistakes. It was about 30 of them. I sent them back to the publisher. They fixed nothing. They published the book with all the inaccuracies. So I did the audio. So I fixed all the mistakes, so it's much more honest. And I added some stuff that's maybe a little blue.

[Josh Adam Myers]

I love that.

[Eric Roberts]

So you'll like Eric.

[Josh Adam Myers]

I'm 100, gonna dig into that. We'll promote it. Well, whatever you can do.

[Eric Roberts]

Thank you.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Whatever we could do to help you, man. I. I mean, this. You know what's great? Because we gotta. I know we gotta wrap this up. And it's like, I. I love doing this podcast. And I get. I get nervous sometimes because I'm like, ah, man, I love this guy. Or it's like, I don't know if. Is he gonna be cool? And the second you popped on, man, you. You've just been great energy. You You've been so open and honest and fun that I, I can't thank you enough, buddy. This is really, this has been, this.

[Eric Roberts]

Has just been some, some credit. You're very likable.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Ah, I'm a good day. Thank you. Thank you.

[Eric Roberts]

Those are the two, two reasons that, that I married my wife. Not that I'm attracted to you, but I married my wife because she's likable.

[Josh Adam Myers]

And she's funny, dude. If you find that, you find that in a, in a girl or in a mate, you're, dude, you're, you're, you're killing it at life, dude. And it really, Eric, it's, it's just you, you really, and I mean, this had such an incredible career and you really, I mean, just have, it seems like you have no ego and you're just enjoying the journey and, and it's, I'm so happy that out of all the Bruce records, is this is the one that, that you came on to do. Because it's not heavy, it's fun, it's light. Because if we would have been doing Darkness on the Edge. Yeah, dude. If we would have been doing Darkness on the Edge of Town, I mean, we would have gotten into some. Dude, like, this is why. And I mean, it, it's, it's just everything about this record is something that I just was completely blown away by. And I mean to end the record with New York Serenade, which is such an incredible song. Seven songs, quick, easy, perfect. Please come back, we'll do the final questions and we'll get you out of here. Now, what's your favorite song on this record? Eric?

[Eric Roberts]

I, I what?

[Unknown Contributor]

Yeah, see the list, right?

[Eric Roberts]

Yeah, I have to see a list.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Here, put them. Can you. Let me see. We got if. Brian, can you put it up? Because if not, I can read it to you. We've got, I'll just read them. We got the E Street Shuffle, fourth of July, Asbury Park, Sandy, Kitty's Back, Wild Billy, Circus story, incident on 57th, Rosalita. And then ending it with New York Serenade.

[Eric Roberts]

Well, it's not fair, but about Rosalito. But it's not fair because Rosalita jumps out.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Yeah, but Rosalita, listen, no, Eric, I, I, it's, it's. This is that thing where it's like, man, it's, it's such a good song. And if you asked me nine times out of ten, I would always say Rosalita because it's. I love a, I love a rock song. I love something catchy. I love the idea of Sandy And Rosalita. I'm trying to always think of who these chicks would be in my life. But I really loved incident on 57th. I. I thought that, you know, I love. I love a. I love when it's like I said, it's that bridge, man. It's. It's really just. It gives you. He's got the foot in the past. He's looking forward. At the same time, he's singing, using all this stuff that he grew up listening to, the doo wop groups and the old 50s rock. And it's like. But it's still. It's just. It feels like Bruce is like. Well, Rosalita is just this fun party thing. And you can imagine him doing it at a bar. Like incident at 57th. I would love to hear him do that now. And I doubt he plays it anytime soon, but.

[Unknown Contributor]

Yeah.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Dude, what a great song.

[Eric Roberts]

Song is my wife's favorite. That's my wife.

[Josh Adam Myers]

I mean, how can you not. How could you not? Everything on this. And I. I asked. I asked this question. I don't know. It's only seven songs. Is there a skip song on here or is this a no skip record?

[Eric Roberts]

It's a no skip record. Yeah, it's a no skip. I think. I think we'll agree on that.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Yeah, I don't think there's much that there. There is. There was any. A moment that I got bored. And I think that's mostly just because, like I said, dude, this comes in. This is 46 minutes, seven songs. Nothing's too long. Where it's like, you listen to the river.

[Eric Roberts]

I mean.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Yeah. The longest song is the end song at 10 minutes.

[Unknown Contributor]

Yeah.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Maybe it is kind of long. Everything is about. Everything's like 7 minutes, 5, 34. The. The earliest song is 4 minutes and 31. That's the beginning. But it never drags. It really doesn't. All right.

[Unknown Contributor]

Right.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Can you. To this record. Can you make love to the Young, to the Wild, the Innocent and the East Street Shuffle by Bruce Brinkton. Ken, you make love to this record.

[Eric Roberts]

Bruce writes music.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Okay. I think you can. I don't know if this would be the. I mean, this is. I'd rather to this one than. Than the Rising, I'll tell you that much.

[Eric Roberts]

I don't think we fucked the Rising. We fight to the Rising. Possibly. I think we.

[Josh Adam Myers]

No, can you. You can you To Nebraska.

[Eric Roberts]

Yeah, you can. I mean, yeah, it's. It's nice and tender and sweet and close and you can even talk.

[Josh Adam Myers]

But if you listen closely, it's like. And Then I murdered three people out on the highway. And you're like, okay, well, well, we're getting dark, honey. We're getting dark. Hold on, let's keep it light. Put on Rosalita.

[Eric Roberts]

And, and my, and, and. And my wife tells me that she loves the fact you can make love to tunnel of love. Which.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Dude, dude, let me tell you something. Let me tell you something, dude. I. I still think so from doing this podcast. You know, I found some songs that I've just obsessed over for the Good Times by Al Green. It's a Christopher. Chris Christopherson song. It might be one of my favorite songs all time. Look Out Joe by Neil Young about, About soldiers from Vietnam coming back to the city and finding all the drug addicts and prostitutes and how the world's changed and they basically been forgotten. It's an incredible song, but the one that, I mean, I love it so much is tougher than the rest by Bruce Springsteen off. It's. Oh, my God. He's like, my wife is in that video, though. Shut up. Are you kidding?

[Eric Roberts]

Is in that? Yep, yep.

[Unknown Contributor]

Hold on.

[Eric Roberts]

She's in that.

[Josh Adam Myers]

They want a Handsome Dan or some good looking Joe. Wait, is that you? Wait, where are you? Oh, my God. Wait, where are you, sweetheart? Where are. Oh, my God. There's so many beautiful women up front. Were you one of the beautiful women up front?

[Unknown Contributor]

Say, shall I?

[Josh Adam Myers]

Please. Dude, come on, get in the camera. Come on, get in here.

[Eric Roberts]

Come here.

[Unknown Contributor]

I'll send. I'll send you the video.

[Josh Adam Myers]

I'm watching it right now. I'm watching it. Hi.

[Unknown Contributor]

Hi. It's just a moment of me being grabbed from behind and smiling. A very affectionate moment with. Not Eric.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Was it at the beginning? Is. Are you at the beginning? After.

[Podcast Host/Announcer]

After.

[Unknown Contributor]

He's sweating and he jumps down with his guitar pouring sweat. Talk about giving it all. And, and just right after that, it cuts right to us. Just kind of, you know, this loving moment. I'll send it to Emily. I'll mark the spot and she'll send it to you.

[Josh Adam Myers]

And dude, we'll put it. We'll put it on the thing and, and we'll, we'll, you know, and then make sure you send the music and everything too, please. Like, we really got it.

[Unknown Contributor]

Emily's got. Emily's worked with, with Kon three years. She loves.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Okay, good. Thank God. This is. That's so awesome. What. What did it do? No, but sweetheart, what an incredible music video to be in. I mean, this. It's like it was. It was one of those songs that you Just like, listen. We can listen to all this stuff, but it's like, to know the story of, like, he's going through his divorce and he's doing this album on his own. And it's just. There's something about Tougher Than the Rest.

[Unknown Contributor]

It's just.

[Josh Adam Myers]

It really just got me. And when we did it with Jay Moore, man, he. I mean, he just. He cried throughout the whole episode. But when we talked about this song, it was just like. Just like waterworks. Yeah.

[Eric Roberts]

Jays are crying.

[Unknown Contributor]

Well, Bruce and Patty each other during Tougher Than the Rest. That gaze is like. It's totally. It's like the scene in. In with Beatty and Keaton and Reds. I mean, that gaze, that moment. And by the way, Eric was also in Miss Atomic Bomb. He did the prequel to. To Mr. Brightside. So now you gotta check that one out. Out.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Ah, dude, man, that rules. You guys. You guys have been some pretty hip music videos, man. You've been very. Dude, You've had incredible lives. All right, to wrap this up and thank you both for coming on. It's. Thank. I can't thank you enough. I had such a blast. What would be, Eric, your elevator pitch to get someone to listen to this record? Like, how do you sum this album up? And just like to somebody that's never heard Bruce Springsteen's second record, the Wild Innocent and the E Street Band, you.

[Eric Roberts]

Want to feel young, you want to feel decent. This is the album.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Perfect. I. I can't agree. I. I say this. I say this. If. If you found any of the other. If. If you want a record that you can just put on and enjoy and really not have to fight through, it just is incredible, especially for someone that is, you know, arguably one of the greatest singer songwriters of. Of your generation. Of my generation. Of just. Of since music has started being recorded. If you want to figure out what it's like to be a hungry young actor, a hungry young artist, that's. That's right there. He's right there. I mean, I don't even know if he knew he was about to rank Born to Run after this and how his life was going to change. But it's like. It's. Because when I talked about Prince And I said 1999, he did right before Purple Rain. He was already pretty popular at that time. People knew who he was. There. There's a. There's this from my understanding, it's like he wasn't. He was doing. But this. This isn't he. This is. This is the last record where he is just Bruce Springsteen from New Jersey. He's not the Boss yet. From this point on, he is everything. He is. He is. He is the world. He's not necessarily not just new jerseys anymore. He is the world's. And yeah, man, it's. That's really cool. That's what I love about doing this pod, man. It really. I don't know if I ever would have listened to this if I didn't get to have it on the list. And it's also so cool to sit down and talk to you about. Eric, please promote away the book. Is the book out now or when does it come out? Or what?

[Eric Roberts]

I mean, okay, it just came out, the book, and it's called Runaway Train and it's the story of my life so far. I'm very proud of it.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Dude, I love it. Thank you. Come back, please. I can't thank you enough, man. This was so much fun.

[Josh Adam Myers (Podcast Host)]

What did I tell you? What I tell you? The one and only Eric Roberts. Follow him on Instagram at Eric Roberts, actor. Make sure you get that book Runaway Train of story of my life so far. It is incredible. He's an incredible person. Support this dude. Also got seven several movies coming out. The Holy Father, Dante's Inferno, and Holiguard Saga, the Portal of France. Like I said earlier, he is currently filming the Holy Father, a film described as part of a trilogy where he plays a priest with a twist. I love twists. Five bugs, all twists. All right, new music. You ready? We just listened to 1970, 73 is the wild, the Innocent, the E Street Shuffle from Bruce Springsteen. Our new music pick this week, brought to you part by proud sponsor Distro Kid, is a track called Where I Go by Keaton Simmons. You can find links to the music on our website, the500podcast.com next week. Oh, it's a goodie. Saturday Night Fever, the original soundtrack. The Bee Gees are to going, going off. Listen, enjoy. That's why we do it. See you next week.

[Unknown Contributor]

I was tempted by fate and I'm bent till I break But I'll be fine Cause you know oh and when I go I'm never coming back When I go I'm never coming back When I go I'm never coming back When I go I'm never coming back no. On a day that I almost lost my soul I was standing at the crossroads But I didn't fold We've been up, we've been down but you pushed me around for the last time. It's a fight till the death It'll take your last breath But I'll be fine Cause you know and when I go I'm never coming back when when I go I'm never coming back When I go I'm never coming back when I go I'm never coming back. Time to go time to go when I go I'm never coming back when I go I'm never coming back when I go I'm never coming back when I go I'm never coming back when I go go I'm never coming back when I go I'm never coming back when I go I'm never coming back when I go I'm never come back when I go.

[Josh Adam Myers]

The 500 keeping it flee See for the Fleece Nation on the 500 the 500. What if you love old movies but you're also trying to cut down on your screen time?

[Josh Adam Myers (Podcast Host)]

Stop this progress before it is too late.

[Josh Adam Myers]

People with blindness or low vision can enjoy films with something called Audio Description, which turns this it's amazing. Into this it's amazing. With a flurry of punches, Joe drives Gilbert across the ring. Check out Movies for the Blind, a weekly podcast of classic and cult films with no screen required. Subscribe now. Where you get your podcasts Next Chapter Podcasts.