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Bruce Springsteen still finds performing therapeutic

Bruce Springsteen on the power of performing
Bruce Springsteen still finds performing therapeutic 00:59

Tune in to "CBS This Morning" on Thursday and Friday for more of Gayle King's conversation with Bruce Springsteen.


Bruce Springsteen is one of the most successful and beloved musicians in the world. But even he still struggles.

In the only broadcast interview ahead of the release of his concert film "Western Stars," which he co-directed and stars in, Springsteen sat down with "CBS This Morning" co-host Gayle King for a wide-ranging conversation about the movie, his marriage and his career.

"I think, after all the years of reflection and struggle that you have, I think people would be surprised that you sit here today and you still find it a struggle still," King said.

"Yeah, but that never stops," Springsteen replied. "That's life, you know? Life — it's that way 'til you go into the box. I don't think it's supposed to stop, you know? You're constantly in the midst of examining your life and learning new things and hopefully getting better at it."

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Gayle King and Bruce Springsteen Lazarus Baptiste

Springsteen transformed a more than 100-year-old barn into a concert hall — complete with a 30-piece orchestra for "Western Stars" which features his first collection of new music since 2012 and serves as a companion to his album by the same name. Even after all his years in the industry, Springsteen said he still finds performing "very centering."

"The act of performing is very centering, you know? It's psychologically centering. And when you come off, you've had some experience that contextualizes your life, why you're here, what you do, who you love, how you love and approach your work. I'm lucky in that I work with my friends alongside of me."

Even Bruce Springsteen still struggles 00:45

"There is no other job in the world where the same people you worked with at 18 — at 16, in some cases — you are working with when you're 70. There's no other line of work that I can think of where that holds true ... that's a pretty nice experience, you know? It's something that there's nothing else quite like it. It's very blessed."

"Western Stars" premieres in theaters this Friday.

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