Hank Azaria is accustomed to mastering all types of different voices.
After all, the Queens native has been the voice of an array of characters on the long-running animated sitcom "The Simpsons" since 1989, including Moe the Bartender and Chief Wiggum.
That’s not to mention a prolific career of appearances on television and in the movies, including "Heat," "The Birdcage," "Ray Donovan," "Friends" and "Mad About You."
What You Need To Know
- Actor Hank Azaria is fronting a Bruce Springsteen tribute band
- Hank Azaria and the EZ Street Band are performing at Brooklyn Bowl in Williamsburg on Nov. 8
- Azaria has appeared in numerous films and television shows, and has been the voice of an array of chracters on "The Simpsons" since 1989
To celebrate his 60th birthday, the actor decided to take on another voice.
“Let me throw a party, a reverse surprise party, where I surprise my guests by putting together a band, and singing like Bruce,” Azaria said, referring of course to his boyhood idol, the legendary rocker Bruce Springsteen.
Azaria put together a band with the help of his son’s former piano teacher, and performed an 11-song set at City Winery in April, helping raise $30,000 for his “Four Though Nine Foundation” for education and social justice.
Azaria has been a Springsteen fan since he was a kid. He has always been able to do Bruce talking, but singing is another story.
“I worked harder on singing like Bruce [Springsteen] than any other vocal thing I’ve ever done in my career,” said Azaria, who will appear with the band on Nov. 8 at Brooklyn Bowl in Williamsburg.
Azaria says he has met "the Boss" on several occasions, and experienced some nervous moments meeting a musical idol.
“My voice went up like three octaves like Bruce, literally I made an absolute idiot of myself twice, and I knew the second time I couldn’t tone it down I couldn’t do it,” he said.
Azaria doesn’t have to meet Bruce for these shows, just be Bruce. It’s something Azaria says is a work in progress.
“I try to get so good that if you close your eyes, you think it’s Bruce and the EZ Street Band. The kids, sound like the EZ Street Band, I’m getting closer and closer to Bruce, and the joy level is high,” he said.
For tickets, visit Brooklyn Bowl's website.