Bruce Springsteen signs absence note for young fan
Bruce Springsteen has signed an absence note to excuse a child who attended his book signing.
The 67-year-old rocker penned a note that would give fifth grader Michael Fenerty an excuse for missing school in favour of attending a book signing for the star’s new autobiography ‘Born to Run’.
The note read: "Please excuse Michael Fenerty for being late or absent from school today. He came to the Free Library of Philadelphia to meet me and to get a copy of my book."
The boy – who is a student at Philadelphia’s Masterman secondary school – attended the event with his father Mike, and slipped the ‘Born in the U.S.A’ hitmaker the note for him to sign when they reached the front of the line.
Speaking to website Philly.com, Mike said: "My son said, ‘Bruce, would you sign my absence note?’ [Springsteen] lit up. He was affectionate toward Michael as soon as he saw him. He said, ‘I have to read it first, that’s how I got in trouble with my first contract.’ He said, ‘I hope you don’t get in trouble.’"
Once they had the note signed and had spent some time with the ‘Streets of Philadelphia’ singer, Mike returned his son to school but wasn’t so keen on handing over the star’s signature.
He said: "I only gave her a photocopy."
But whilst the musician might be happy signing off absence notes for school children, he recently spoke openly about his battle with clinical depression that left him "crushed".
He details in his book: "I was crushed between 60 and 63 to 64. Not a good record. Not a good record.
"Patti [Scialfa, his wife] will observe a freight train bearing down, loaded with nitroglycerin and running quickly out of track. She gets me to the doctors and says, ‘This man needs a pill.’"
