Unrequited Infatuations

An der Seite vom BossBruce Springsteens rechte Hand erzählt Steven Van Zandt gehört zu den letzten wahren Rock'n'Rollern. Mit seinem Kopftuch, den schweren Stiefeln und der Gitarre in Hüfthöhe symbolisiert er den Rebellen und zugleich den Romantiker der endlosen Highways der USA. Als Mitglied von Springsteens E Street Band spielte Van Zandt auf Megaerfolgen wie "Darkness On The Edge Of Town", "The River" oder "Born In The U.S.A.", und während seiner Aktivitäten als Solokünstler schrieb er Songs für Meat Loaf, Pearl Jam sowie Jackson Browne. In den Achtzigern sorgte der auch Little Steven genannte Ausnahmemusiker für viel Aufsehen, da er im Rahmen des Ensembles Artists United Against Apartheid mit dem Album "Sun City" gegen das südafrikanische Regime opponierte. Seinem Ruf folgten Künstler wie Bob Dylan, Pete Townshend, Miles Davis, Lou Reed und Peter Gabriel.Van Zandt erzählt in seiner Autobiografie von der harten Jugend in New Jersey, dem Ruf des Rock'n'Roll und der immens erfolgreichen Zusammenarbeit mit Bruce Springsteen, der er viel Raum widmet. Doch auch Themen wie die Schauspielerei, das Wirken als Philanthrop und das Engagement für sozial schlechtergestellte Jugendliche kommen zur Geltung. Sein einnehmender Erzählton offenbart einen Träumer, einen modernen amerikanischen Rosenkavalier, der die Welt der hart arbeitenden Menschen, der unerfüllten Wünsche und der Sehnsucht nach der wahren Liebe beschwört.

'A wonderfully original take on a Rock and Roll autobiography' Paul McCartney<BR><BR>'An inimitable Rock 'n' Roll life told as boldly as it was lived' Bruce Springsteen<BR><BR>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.<BR><BR>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.<BR><BR>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.<BR><BR>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).<BR><BR>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.<BR><BR>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.