NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- Whether you know him as Little Steven, Miami Steven, Stevie from the E Street Band or Silvio Dante, Steven Van Zandt has a lot of tales to tell from the stage to the screen.
Van Zandt’s memoir “Unrequited Infatuations” is out on Tuesday. He told WINS the book goes from being a Jersey kid who grows up with rock n’ roll success, to his adventure leaving Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band.
The book touches on “the search for spiritual enlightenment,” adding that he didn’t want it to just be a music biography book. He discusses the disappointments and frustrations along the way with some of his creative endeavors as well.
“Sometimes there’s disappointment and frustration in life, and you can either give up, or you can say, ‘Screw it, I’m going to just keep going,’” said the 70-year-old rocker-turned-actor.
And just as the book hits shelves, his famous “Sopranos” character is back on the screen, as well, for the series' movie prequel. “The Many Saints of Newark” features the iconic consigliere, albeit many years earlier, and played by John Magaro this time around.
“He’s a friend of mine, he starred in David Chase’s first movie ‘Not Fade Away,’ which I worked on,” said Van Zandt.
But did he teach Magaro the ropes on how to play Silvio?
“No, I didn’t have to consult with him, he had 86 episodes to consult with and he did just great. He got one of the biggest reactions of the night [at the movie premiere],” he said.
Just as Silvio is Tony Soprano’s right-hand man, Van Zandt is known for working closely with Springsteen for decades, even pre-dating the E Street Band. And the guitarist can see the real-life and on-screen parallels between two different kinds of guys who are working for “The Boss.”
“David [Chase] knew I would be comfortable in that role, because, you know, I’ve been playing it in real life for a long time,” said Van Zandt. “So it really ended up helping me as an actor because I knew what those dynamics were. I knew what the dynamics of being the only guy who doesn’t want to be the boss, he’s the only guy who can bring the boss bad news, because he’s the only guy who doesn’t fear the boss.”
Silvio’s impacts on the HBO show are immeasurable, but his arc almost wasn’t part of “Sopranos” lore.
“Originally my character wasn’t in the pilot. When David wanted me to be in the show I said, ‘Listen, I feel a little guilty about taking an actor’s job, I really shouldn’t do that,’” he said. “So he said, ‘Tell you what, I’ll write you in a part that doesn’t exist.’ So he wrote the part, and at first it was a little bit unclear, but by the end of the first season, I had kind of fallen into that role,” he said.
Van Zandt is part of the present day E Street Band lineup — but his split from it in the 1980s was a move that ended up changing the course of his life dramatically.
“You look back, and obviously it was the biggest turning point of my life. But you look at it objectively and you say, well, everything I know, and everything I accomplished, I’ve accomplished since I left the E Street Band,” he said.
From five solo albums, to “The Sopranos,” to his work with South Africa fighting apartheid — he says without the time away, he’s not so sure he would’ve been part of it all.
“But you look back, I wish I could’ve done both. But not really realistic,” he added.
But now in 2021, Little Steven and The Boss are talking about getting back on stage. He said they’re excited to play Springsteen’s latest album “Letter To You,” which came out last October. But as with so much else in entertainment these days, it’s not that easy.
Van Zandt and the E Street crew got to play two songs on “Saturday Night Live” last year, but the opportunities have overall been limited so far.
“We’re anxious to play that live, we’ve been talking, but it’s going to depend on what this stupid virus does. It’s really hard to plan things these days. We’ll see what Bruce wants to do,” said Van Zandt.
He says he has three things on his plate coming up — a TV show, playing with his solo band Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul, or playing with the E Street Band.
“But I give Bruce first priority,” said Van Zandt. “Always.”
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