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Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Road Diary' director Thom Zimny reflects on 25 years with Bruce Springsteen and capturing fans as ‘music hits their soul'
Director Thom Zimny has spent over 25 years collaborating with rock legend Bruce Springsteen, helping tell the story behind his music and performances. In his latest film, Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Zimny takes fans behind the curtain, showcasing band rehearsals, rare clips, concert footage, and Springsteen's personal reflections. "What's different about Road Diary is that I had this opportunity to play with a bunch of different forms in the filmmaking process," Zimny tells Gold Derby. "I had vérité footage to work with, I had these moments of concert that I wanted to capture, and also, the band at this point was a narrative I wanted to explore." More from GoldDerby 'The worst has already happened, so now I have everything to gain': Meagan Good on love, loss, and empowering women in 'Forever' 'Eureka Day' playwright Jonathan Spector talks vaccine debates, vicious comment sections, and 'the failure of a utopia' Breakout star Owen Cooper admits 'Adolescence' was 'very out of my comfort zone' Springsteen hadn't toured in years due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and Zimny saw an opportunity to explore themes of time, change, and connection. After receiving a call from the musician inviting him to 'drop in at the rehearsal,' Zimny assembled a small crew and began capturing behind-the-scenes moments. 'The story was the band going back on the road,' Zimny explains, 'but the bigger theme was [Springsteen] sculpting a set list that reflected what he was interested in at this moment — looking at the past and reconnecting with an audience.' Zimny's relationship with Springsteen began while working on the Live in New York City concert film for HBO. 'It was the early days of filming with HD cameras, and Bruce hated the way it looked. It was too cold, emotionally. I was a film guy and really connected to what they were struggling with,' Zimny recalls. Through creative approaches — like adding grain and treating musical moments as dialogue — Zimny forged a strong creative bond with Springsteen, which eventually grew into a decades-long collaboration. On the collaborative process for Road Diary, Zimny describes it as organic and improvisational. 'There was no set vision,' he says. 'What happens is, I go to his space, I film for a bit, I cut together some of the things that I see, and I invite him into the edit room... It just builds that way. It's a real luxury as a filmmaker to have that trust.' Zimny also wanted to bring fans closer to the emotional experience of a Springsteen concert. 'There's this moment that happens — and I've seen it many times — this deep connection in someone's face. It's in their eyes. I chase that visual representation of the music hitting their soul,' says Zimny. "I wanted to be this observer of how Bruce and his writing hit and impact an audience. That meant shooting things at certain angles and studying how stage lighting looked in daylight — really trying to find these slowed-down magical moments where you feel like, 'Oh my god. This music is really moving this person.' We're trying to tell as story, but also staying as close as we can to the true musical experience in the filmmaking." Even after working with Springsteen for so long, Zimny remains in awe of the musician's creative drive. 'Even after 25 years, I'm always surprised when he texts me the next adventure he's on,' Zimny shares. Reflecting on Springsteen's recent release of Tracks II: The Lost Albums, which features seven realized albums, Zimny adds, 'The body of work that he's created is just unbelievable. The big surprise that people can't possibly comprehend is the intensity and the focus he has with the work.' "There was a great opportunity with Road Diary to both explain that history and bring it up to date," Zimny shares. "The common thread that I found with all of it was this work ethic and commitment they all carried. Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band is currently streaming on Hulu and Disney+. This article and video are presented by Disney and Hulu. Best of GoldDerby 'The worst has already happened, so now I have everything to gain': Meagan Good on love, loss, and empowering women in 'Forever' 'The Better Sister': Jessica Biel and Elizabeth Banks on their 'fun partnership' and the 'satisfying' killer reveal The Making of 'Beast Games': Behind the scenes of Prime Video's record-breaking competition series Click here to read the full article.
Yahoo
20-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Bruce Springsteen on Visiting the Set of ‘Deliver Me from Nowhere': It's Interesting to ‘See Your Grandmother's House Again'
Bruce Springsteen is one of the last titans of rock and roll not to have received a major biopic in recent years, but that will change when Scott Cooper's 'Deliver Me from Nowhere' hits theaters later this year. The film stars Jeremy Allen White as the legendary New Jersey rocker during the early '80s, when he was both gearing up for the biggest commercial success of his career with 'Born in the U.S.A.' and working through his depression on the haunting album 'Nebraska.' Appearing on Variety's Awards Circuit Podcast to promote the documentary 'Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band,' Springsteen discussed Cooper's approach to the film. More from IndieWire David Cronenberg: 'I Don't Find the Cinema Experience All That Great' Bowen Yang Says He 'Would Love to Remake' John Waters' 'Female Trouble' 'They pitched the idea, and I said, 'It sounds like fun,'' Springsteen said. 'It's an interesting concept, because it's only a couple of years out of my life. It's '81, '82, and centered around the creation of that particular record while I was simultaneously recording 'Born in the USA' and also going through some personal difficulties that I've been living with my whole life. But it's fantastic.' Springsteen also noted that while he couldn't attend all of the filming, visiting the set offered him a uniquely nostalgic experience. 'I was on tour during a lot of it, so they filmed a good amount of it without me there,' he said. 'But I was on set sometimes. It was interesting to see it played out, to see your grandmother's house again, and to go inside and get a general feeling of what it was like when you were very young. So I enjoyed all those parts of it.' Springsteen has previously praised White's performance in the film, from both an acting and musical perspective. 'Jeremy is such a terrific actor that you just fall into it,' he said during a January appearance on SiriusXM's E Street Radio. 'He's got an interpretation of me that I think the fans will deeply recognize, so he's done a great job. I've had a lot of fun being on the set when I can get there.' 'Deliver Me from Nowhere' does not have a release date, but 20th Century Studios will release it theatrically later this year. Best of IndieWire Guillermo del Toro's Favorite Movies: 56 Films the Director Wants You to See 'Song of the South': 14 Things to Know About Disney's Most Controversial Movie The 55 Best LGBTQ Movies and TV Shows Streaming on Netflix Right Now
