Sopranos star and guitarist Steven Van Zandt called his break-up with Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band his “public career suicide” in a newly published memoir.
“Unrequited Infatuations: A Memoir” recollects Van Zandt’s childhood and his acclaimed musical career in the E Street Band during the 1970s and ’80s. The 70-year-old guitarist revealed that he had a falling out with Springsteen during the band’s 1983 recording of “Born in the USA,” which led Van Zandt to break ties with the band in 1984, according to Fox News. Van Zandt reportedly described the break as “my public career suicide” and the “biggest mistake of my life”.
“My life ended. I committed suicide for all intents and purposes and you do have to die to be reborn,” Van Zandt told USA Today.
NEW ORLEANS, LA – APRIL 29: Bruce Springsteen and Steven Van Zandt (Photo by Rick Diamond/Getty Images)
“In the end, you come to the same conclusion, which is: I wish I could have done both. I wish I could have stayed in the band and done all of these things,” he said, according to USA Today. “But that’s not really realistic.” (RELATED: Barack Obama And Bruce Springsteen Launch Spotify Podcast Together)
In his book, Van Zandt detailed The Boss’ transformation from his rebel image to a rural singer of ballads, according to the outlet. He said Springsteen read the memoir’s draft before its publication in order to avoid any disagreements, the Associated Press reported.
“He’s completely, 180 degrees changed his identity. He’s fronting, he’s playing a character. That was the most important moment of his life, because he stayed in that persona forever,” Van Zandt said.
Van Zandt became a solo artist, music educator, and radio host before rising to television stardom with his role as Silvio Dante in the HBO series “The Sopranos,” USA Today reported.