Highlights
- Steven Van Zandt's dual success in both music and acting showcases his immense creativity and talent.
- Van Zandt has returned to the E Street Band.
- The friendship between Van Zandt and Bruce Springsteen has endured many traumas.
Since he has spent so many years playing guitar in Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, it might have been surprising for some fans to see Steven Van Zandt play Silvio Dante in The Sopranos. The fact that Van Zandt has done well in both the music and acting businesses proves how creative and talented he is.
Even though Steven Van Zandt has been a meaningful and important part of the E Street Band for several decades, there was a period of time when he quit. In one interesting interview, Van Zandt even referred to Springsteen as a "dictator." Here's what fans should know about the tension between the beloved musicians.
Why Did Steven Van Zandt Refer To Bruce Springsteen As A "Dictator"?
While Bruce Springsteen's 2023 tour tickets are super pricey, fans have still supported the singer in huge numbers, and the tour has been a big success. It has also been nice seeing Steven Van Zandt play with the E Street Band again considering the many years that he wasn't part of it.
Steven Van Zandt began playing guitar for the E Street Band in the summer of 1975. Since then, he has been closely associated with Bruce Springsteen. It's hard to imagine the band without Van Zandt playing guitar.
However, while the two seem to have loved making music together, that doesn't mean that things were always easy between them.
According to The Financial Times, Steven Van Zandt opened up about Bruce Springsteen in 2021 when he penned a book called "Unrequited Infatuations." He shared the reason why he left the E Street Band in 1984: Springsteen had a "benevolent dictatorship" approach to the E Street Band.
Van Zandt said, “I don’t think democracy actually works [in a band]. You need a benevolent dictatorship of some kind. But there should be input. Real bands, you know, give input. The only thing which I felt should be a change in the way things were done is that if one person’s writing everything, and you have the same band for a long time, some of that publishing [royalties] should be shared.”
Springsteen doesn't seem to have responded to Van Zandt's comments about wanting royalties to be split among the band members. Springsteen has always looked out for his band members, though. According to Far Out Magazine, he handed each musician $2 million in 1989 when he wanted the E Street Band to split up for a while.
The other members of the E Street band include Clarence Clemons on saxophone, Max Weinberg on drums, Garry Tallent on bass, and Roy Bittan and Danny Federici on keyboards. Patti Scialfa and Nils Lofgren have also become famous for playing guitar.
While Steven Van Zandt referred to Bruce Springsteen as a "benevolent dictator," the other band members seem to have only made positive comments about being part of the band. In 2023, Nils Lofgren spoke to Tidal.com and said that he was really grateful to have the career that he has had. He explained, “What we get to do is like winning the musical lottery, man."
How Long Have Steven Van Zandt And Bruce Springsteen Known Each Other?
When Steven Van Zandt quit the E Street Band, it was heartbreaking because he and Bruce Springsteen had been close for such a long time. However, since the guitarist came back in 1999, that suggests that he found a way to accept the way that Springsteen was running the band.
According to The Financial Times, they met in high school in New Jersey. They found kindred spirits in one another because they loved music so much.
Van Zandt said that they were “two freaks who thought that rock and roll was everything." He continued, "Everything. Not something you do on the weekend. Not a hobby. You just needed one other person to feel that way, so you didn’t think you were completely insane. We complemented each other. He was a bit more of thinker, I was a bit more of a street guy, a doer.”
Since they shared so much in common, it makes sense that the talented guitarist would become part of Bruce Springsteen's band. According to Goldmine Magazine, the singer was recording the song 'Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out' in the summer of 1975 at a New York City studio called Record Plant. After Van Zandt solved a tricky horn section that no one could wrap their heads around, Springsteen said, “It’s time to put the boy on the payroll. I’ve been meaning to tell you — he’s the new guitar player.”
Considering the fact that the musicians have known each other for so many decades, it makes sense that Van Zandt would feel comfortable calling Springsteen a "dictator."
Do Bruce Springsteen And Steven Van Zandt Get Along Today?
All seems to be well between Bruce Springsteen and Steven Van Zandt today. It's possible that they discussed why Van Zandt left the E Street Band for several decades, and they have both moved on from any tension that was between them.
In 2021, Van Zandt was interviewed by Rock Cellar Magazine and explained that from his perspective, it's good for famous people to have people around who are honest with them. He said "I think that’s the role of a friend, you know? But you’ve got to pick your spots, you know, you can’t be a pain ** imposing your advice on somebody all the time. So you’ve gotta pick your moments. But I think it’s critically and vitally important for any celebrity, any star, to have somebody from the old neighborhood in their circle of friends that will tell them the absolute truth at all times."
The two musicians are also back on tour together, which must be thrilling for both of them. Fans were excited about Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band's 2023 tour because, according to USA Today, it had been six years since the last one.
According to Asbury Park Press, in March 2023, Steven Van Zandt talked about the tour and shared why the band had chosen the songs that they did. Some criticized the fact that instead of switching up the songs for each performance, they are always the same ones.
Van Zandt said, “Anybody measuring this show by the amount of songs and the time on stage ain't listening. You're not paying attention, OK? You're some kind of accountant. Go play with numbers somewhere else. This ain't about numbers — it's about an emotional experience.”
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