Bruce Springsteen has rejected the suggestion that he’d become a billionaire in recent times – while also admitting he wished it was true.
In August Forbes reported that the Boss had crossed the 10-figure mark, saying: “Despite his discomfort with the trappings of wealth, the Garden State’s original guitar hero has amassed a substantial fortune over six decades – which Forbes conservatively estimates to be worth $1.1 billion – singing about his blue-collar roots.”
The business magazine admitted that no one in the veteran musician’s organization had confirmed the valuation, which was reached three years after he’d sold his rights for a reported $500 million.
READ MORE: Watch Courteney Cox Recreate Her ‘Dancing in the Dark’ Moves
In a new interview with the Telegraph, Springsteen stated: “I’m not a billionaire. I wish I was, but they got that real wrong. I’ve spent too much money on superfluous things.”
He added that after the difficult early years before he broke out and achieved “good fortune,” he’d earned his paydays as he “put the work in.” And he cautioned that if a musician’s career became all about money, “that’s usually where people go south.” From his perspective it was all about protecting and nurturing his artistic abilities, arguing: “If I had failed at that, I would have failed at everything, in my opinion.”
In the same interview, Springsteen talked about his upcoming biopic, in which he’s played by actor Jeremy Allen White. “I only had to see him on The Bear, and I knew he was the right guy, because he had that interior life – but he also had a little swagger,” he said.
Bruce Springsteen Issues Another Warning About Donald Trump
And he restated his current political thinking after recently describing Donald Trump as “an American tyrant,” saying: “I think in the States, there’s an enormous anxiety… at losing the things that are dearest to us; the danger of losing democracy, rule of law, peaceful transfer of power.
“And this is a guy who is committed to none of these things. He’s an insurrectionist. You know, he led a coup on the United States government, so there’s no way he should be let anywhere near the office of the presidency.
“Are you going to sleep well knowing that the nuclear codes have been given to Donald Trump? No. No one is.”
Bruce Springsteen Albums Ranked
From scrappy Dylan disciple to one of the leading singer-songwriters of his generation, the Boss’ catalog includes both big and small statements of purpose.
Gallery Credit: Michael Gallucci
Why Bruce Springsteen Called Killers Collaboration ‘Cathartic’