Unrequited Infatuations
A Memoir
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- €3.49
Publisher Description
'A wonderfully original take on a Rock and Roll autobiography' Paul McCartney
'An inimitable Rock 'n' Roll life told as boldly as it was lived' Bruce Springsteen
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 (Underground Garage), 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.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
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.