For most of the 1990s, Steven Van Zandt's life was
on hold. In 1989, he finished the fifth in a series of albums informed by
his personal politics and a love of music that ranged from soul to blues to
hard rock. But when he went to release "Born Again Savage," his record
company said it wasn't interested in the record, leaving Van Zandt without a
steady job and lacking an outlet for his music.
"I literally went out into the desert for seven
years and just walked my dog and thought about it," he said Wednesday
afternoon, relaxing in his room at the Westin William Penn, downtown
Pittsburgh.
Whatever thoughts or meditations or prayers Van
Zandt said in his moments of solace were answered. Not only has "Born Again
Savage" been released to uniformly good reviews, but he also landed a
recurring role in one of television's best series, HBO's "The Sopranos."
And if that wasn't good fortune enough, his old
boss - The Boss, Bruce Springsteen - came calling, asking him to join the
old gang when the E Street Band went back on the road after a long hiatus.
"I just got lucky," he says between munching on
Easter candy and sipping water. "Not only with David Chase (creator of `The
Sopranos' who was a fan of the E Street Band and Van Zandt's solo work) but
with HBO. Luckily the studio does have more of a sense of integrity and
quality than any other studio."
The same qualities are essential to the development
of Van Zandt's latest album. Released late last fall, "Born Again Savages"
is about "the political consequences of spiritual bankruptcy," he said.
Recorded with U2 bassist Adam Clayton and drummer Jason Bonham, son of Led
Zeppelin drummer John Bonham, it's a rollicking, hard-edged release that
pays homage to the guitar rock of the `60s as pioneered by Jeff Beck, Eric
Clapton and Jimmy Page.
But can rock 'n' roll serve as a medium of
enlightenment, of empowerment, a vehicle of change? Van Zandt believes it
can, and points to the E Street Band as evidence. All the members of the
band grew up in the 60s, when rock music was an important part of the
culture.
"It was not background music, it wasn't
entertainment, nor was it merely an opportunity to get together and escape
with friends," he said. "It was about shared ideals, and a shared
experience. And we communicate that community. We have it in the band; we
really are friends."
And though the idealism of the '60s has faded -
both in music and popular culture - those conditions can be resurrected, if
only for a few hours at a time. In an age when no one has time for anything,
when work and the demands of family vie for time, when the quality of
service and product from McDonald's restaurants to record companies is less
than it used to be, Van Zandt believes the E Street Band offers a short, but
necessary, reprieve.
"For three hours every night we stop time, and we
have a mass shared experience with our community," he said. "We all
experience the same things. We go through the dynamics of the show, hit on a
lot of different subjects, a lot of different emotions, and a lot of people
experience the same thing. It's one massive energy exchange, and I think
that's a rare thing. I think that's actually a valuable thing."
