Unrequited infatuations : odyssey of a rock and roll consigliere : (a cautionary tale)

Unrequited infatuations Odyssey of a rock and roll consigliere : (a cautionary tale)

Steve Van Zandt

Book - 2021

Uncover never-before-told stories in this epic tale of self-discovery by a Rock n Roll disciple and member of the E Street Band. What story begins in a bedroom in suburban New Jersey in the early '60s, unfolds on some of the country's largest stages, and then ranges across the globe, demonstrating over and over again how Rock and Roll has the power to change the world for the better? This story. The first true heartbeat of Unrequited Infatuations is the moment when Stevie Van Zandt trades in his devotion to the Baptist religion for an obsession with Rock and Roll. Groups like the Beatles and the Rolling Stones created new ideas of community, creative risk, and principled rebellion. They changed him forever. While still a teenager..., he met Bruce Springsteen, a like-minded outcast/true believer who became one of his most important friends and bandmates. As Miami Steve, Van Zandt anchored the E Street Band as they conquered the Rock and Roll world. And then, in the early '80s, Van Zandt stepped away from E Street to embark on his own odyssey. He refashioned himself as Little Steven, a political songwriter and performer, fell in love with Maureen Santoro who greatly expanded his artistic palette, and visited the world's hot spots as an artist/journalist to not just better understand them, but to help change them. Most famously, he masterminded the recording of "Sun City," an anti-apartheid anthem that sped the demise of South Africa's institutionalized racism and helped get Nelson Mandela out of prison. By the '90s, Van Zandt had lived at least two lives--one as a mainstream rocker, one as a hardcore activist. It was time for a third. David Chase invited Van Zandt to be a part of his new television show, the Sopranos--as Silvio Dante, he was the unconditionally loyal consiglieri who sat at the right hand of Tony Soprano (a relationship that oddly mirrored his real-life relationship with Bruce Springsteen). Underlying all of Van Zandt's various incarnations was a devotion to preserving the centrality of the arts, especially the endangered species of Rock. In the twenty-first century, Van Zandt founded a groundbreaking radio show (Little Steven's Underground Garage), created the first two 24/7 branded music channels on SiriusXM (Underground Garage and Outlaw Country), started a fiercely independent record label (Wicked Cool), and developed a curriculum to teach students of all ages through the medium of music history. He also rejoined the E Street Band for what has now been a twenty-year victory lap. Unrequited Infatuations chronicles the twists and turns of Stevie Van Zandt's always surprising life. It is more than just the testimony of a globe-trotting nomad, more than the story of a groundbreaking activist, more than the odyssey of a spiritual seeker, and more than a master class in rock and roll (not to mention a dozen other crafts). It's the best book of its kind because it's the only book of its kind.

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Subjects
Van Zandt, Steve.
Rock musicians > United States > Biography.
Autobiographies.
Genres
Autobiographies
Published
New York : Hachette Books [2021]
Language
English
Main Author
Steve Van Zandt (author)
Other Authors
Ben Greenman (book editor)
Edition
First edition
Physical Description
x, 403 pages, 32 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations ; 24 cm
Bibliography
Includes index.
ISBN
9780306925429
  • Overture
  • Prologue
  • 1. Epiphany (1950s-1960s)
  • 2. The Source (1965-1967)
  • 3. Upstage (1968-1970)
  • 4. Southside Johnny and the Kid (1971)
  • 5. The Business (1972)
  • 6. Vegas! (1973)
  • 7. Asbury Park-Doubling Down! (1974-1975)
  • 8. The Boss of All Bosses (1974-1975)
  • 9. I Don't Want to Go Home (1975)
  • 10. LA A-Go-Go (1975-1976)
  • 11. This Time It's for Real (1977)
  • 12. The Punk Meets the Godfather (1978)
  • 13. Baptism (1979-1980)
  • 14. Checkpoint Charlie (1980)
  • 15. Hemingway Appropriately (1980-1982)
  • 16. Voice of America (1982-1983)
  • 17. The Killing Floor (1983-1984)
  • 18. The Breathless Projectionist (1984)
  • 19. Revolution (1985)
  • 20. Ain't Gonna Play Sun City! (1986)
  • 21. Freedom-No Compromise (1987-1989)
  • 22. The Hero with a Thousand Faces (1990)
  • 23. Seven Years in the Desert (1991-1997)
  • 24. A Night at the Opera (1998)
  • 25. Cross Road Blues (1999-2001)
  • 26. Gangster Days / Garage Nights (2002-2004)
  • 27. A Wicked Cool Super Bowl (2005-2009)
  • 28. Lilyhammer (2010-2013)
  • 29. Once upon a Dream (2013-2014)
  • 30. The Golden Nymphs (2014-2015)
  • 31. Ambassador to the Court of Ronald McDonald (2016-2017)
  • 32. Soulfire (2017-2018)
  • 33. Summer of Sorcery (2019-2020)
  • 33 1/3. Epilogue
  • Acknowledgments / Thank-Yous
  • Index
Review by Booklist Review

"It's a vagrant winter and you can't sell consciousness." The overture of Van Zandt's unique memoir captures the creative conundrum he continues to tackle at age 70: how to balance his artistic genius with his fierce passion for social justice. Identifying himself as a "political Rock Artist," Van Zandt combines his expansive knowledge of music creation with his personal development in the sociopolitical sphere, recounting moments such as the making of the star-studded "Sun City" protest song; his trips to South Africa and to Nicaragua (with Jackson Browne, no less); and his politically charged solo albums including Voice of America. Van Zandt's bravado shines through his prose, and he's refreshingly honest as he takes readers through his many professional triumphs and disappointments. Sprinkled throughout are a truly impressive history of rock and roll and entertaining digressions about famous friends in the music and film industry that will appeal to all readers. Known as the "Underboss in the E Street Band," Van Zandt is front and center in this wild, fun memoir.

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

Music and pop culture fans alike will relish this gonzo debut from Van Zandt, the guitarist in Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band who played Silvio Dante on The Sopranos. He takes readers on a wild ride, starting with his New Jersey childhood in the 1950s. The Beatles' debut on the Ed Sullivan Show was a seminal moment and is described as having "the cultural impact of a spaceship landing in Central Park." Van Zandt was a teen when he met Springsteen, and they began performing together. Despite their friendship, Van Zandt is frank about his disagreements with the rock star: after first hearing "Dancing in the Dark," Van Zandt advised Springsteen to "throw that 'Dancing' thing in the trash." He also recounts his time as an anti-apartheid activist--hallmarked by his 1985 album Sun City--and landing his role on The Sopranos (after nearly being cast as Tony). Throughout, his prose is delivered with a wink ("Other than the obvious jail-and-death part, I never really had a problem with Mob stuff"), making this enjoyable even for those less familiar with his work. This stands head and shoulders above the many celebrity memoirs out there. Agent: Marc Gerald, Europa Content. (Sept.)

(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review

Guitarist, songwriter, producer, actor, and activist Van Zandt tells his fascinating life story in this compelling memoir. He details his first musical epiphany as a child (sparked by the Curtis Lee song "Pretty Little Angel Eyes"), the years spent honing his craft in the New Jersey and New York rock scenes, and his role as guitarist in Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band. In the early 1980s he launched a solo career as Little Steven, and he documents his political awakening--he wrote songs about sociopolitical issues in Latin America, the oppression of Indigenous people, and apartheid-era South Africa, which led to the recording of the protest song "Sun City." Van Zandt also chronicles his TV acting roles on The Sopranos and Lilyhammer, his two satellite radio stations for garage rock, and his efforts to develop a rock music curriculum (part of his lifelong goal to promote and preserve the art form for future generations). VERDICT By turns philosophical, earthy, metaphysical, humorous, and charmingly self-deprecating, Van Zandt chronicles a multifaceted life, charts his musical and political manifestos, and travels intriguing roads that will distinguish his book among music memoirs. It will be appreciated by a wide audience.--James Collins, Morristown-Morris Twp. P.L., NJ

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review

The amiable musician delivers a suitably good-natured account of a long life in show business. "Contrary to popular scientific rumor, the Big Bang that gave birth to the universe did not happen ten million years ago. It happened on February 9, 1964." So writes Van Zandt, who, like so many other of his generation, picked up a guitar after the Beatles made their U.S. debut on the Ed Sullivan Show. He had been priming himself for the moment, after which he became a connoisseur of all the things that led him to switch religions from Christianity to "Rock and Roll Pagan." That devotion brought him into the orbit of a tough kid named Bruce Springsteen, to whom he became a Sancho Panza, always on hand to deliver opinions that, the author admits, weren't always spot-on. For example, he hated "Dancing in the Dark" and its "terrible video," but he allows that it sparked a new superstar phase in Springsteen's career that would "pay my rent for quite a while." It's not the only disagreement with Springsteen that he recounts, but it's clear that while not always being in concord, the two are blood brothers. Of interest to fans of The Sopranos are Van Zandt's behind-the-screen notes on how the series came about despite the long odds and, in particular, how he came to occupy the role of Silvio Dante, which he had written independently. Of the stereotypical Mafia tropes and the controversy surrounding them, the author is of the fuggedaboudit mold: "Other than the obvious jail-and-death part, I never really had a problem with Mob stuff." Van Zandt seldom has an unkind word, and when he does, it's usually about inflated rock-star egotism. Otherwise, his spry autobiography reveals him to be a politically committed music lover who can't get enough of the British Invasion and the blues. A pleasure for music fans and one of the best entertainment memoirs in recent years. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

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