Steven Van Zandt, known as Little Steven, is the ultimate wingman: whether it’s as Bruce Springsteen’s guitarist or as Tony Soprano’s confidante on «The Sopranos.»
This is an updated version of a story first published on Nov. 19, 2023. The original video can be viewed here.
Steven Van Zandt embodies both a frustration and a beauty of the arts. There are no org charts, no official titles, no one way to do the job. He has discovered that it’s easier to be this creative furnace, this volcano of artistic output when you are not the focus. So, as we told you in November, the longtime guitarist and musical director for Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band was also an underboss of a different kind, acting in one of history’s most influential television shows, That is, when he wasn’t writing scripts and arranging music, all while trying to preserve rock ‘n’ roll. The highway may be jammed with broken heroes, yet Little Steven refuses to pick a lane.
Late on a Sunday afternoon last summer, Stevie Van Zandt was midway through a burst of furious creativity. Tending to his latest screenplay, he had an idea he had to commit to the page.
Where was this quaint writer’s retreat? In his backstage dressing room. At a concert. In Rome, mere minutes before Van Zandt put his pen and pad away and then went on stage to perform at Circus Maximus, the ancient chariot arena, as a critical member of one of the most successful rock ‘n’ roll acts of all-time.
Jon Wertheim: You said we had to come see you guys perform in Rome. Of all the cities, all the gin joints, why Rome?
Steven Van Zandt: The fans here are just so much fun. You see everybody singing every single word of every single song when they don’t particularly speak English, right, you know, which is impressive.
Jon Wertheim: That’s a validation.
Steven Van Zandt: Well, it’s a validation. It’s a show of the power of what we do.
Swaddled in his trademark bandana, and wrapped in complexity, Little Steven, now 73, remains a true American original. The ultimate wingman…
Steven Van Zandt: I’m not crazy about the spotlight, I could have been, and maybe I should have been, okay? ‘Cause, again, I— you realize that has big advantages. But, naturally, I just wasn’t into it. I, you know, I’d rather be standing next to the guy. Let him be in the spotlight, let him take the heat. Cause I like to blend in actually, you know.
Jon Wertheim: Yeah, I can tell by the modest measured outfit.
Steven Van Zandt: I gave up tryin’ to analyze it years ago. But I prefer to be an observer rather than the observed.
Jon Wertheim: Can I break it to you?
Steven Van Zandt: Do I need to lie down on the couch for this?
One thing he’s not questioning: his place in the band.
Steven Van Zandt: You know, people always say, you know, «Aren’t you worried about, being replaced? I’m like, «I, no. I can’t be replaced. How many best friends do you have for 50 years, you know?»
The best friend he references, of course, is Springsteen…they met as teenagers in 1960s Jersey, misfits seduced by rock ‘n’ roll. To quote Little Steven: ‘the Beatles revealed this new world to us, the Rolling Stones invited us in.’ They formed a band, anchored in the boardwalk town of Asbury Park. Given that Van Zandt had a monthly overhead of $150 in rent, the going was good. More important, the band learned how to play live, how to marry musicianship with showmanship….
Steven Van Zandt: The fact that we were in bars, you know, makin’ our bones, you know, what, seven years before we got into the music business, right?
Jon Wertheim: You get into this game because this speaks to you. What’s it brought you that you didn’t expect?
Steven Van Zandt: Other than everything? You know what I mean, it was just everything. It saved my life. I mean, I didn’t have any path forward. And so it brings you acceptance. You’re part of something. And man, it just came along right at the right time. You’re makin’ a living playing rock ‘n’ roll, man. That was the miracle.
Van Zandt, who doesn’t read or write music, brought his guitar chops, and his musical ear. arranging the iconic horns on «Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out» and polishing Springsteen’s guitar lick on «Born to Run.
