NEW YORK (AP) — Steve Van Zandt still looks every bit the rock star.
But underneath his purple headscarf, paisley shirt and snakeskin boots, Van Zandt says he still hates being the center of attention.
“I’m a bit of a contradiction and paradox,” he says, sheepishly laughing after an interviewer notes the musician-actor-activist might be in the wrong lines of work.
Perhaps it should be no surprise that Van Zandt, 73, had to be coaxed into participating in a documentary about his remarkable life and career. The result is “Stevie Van Zandt: Disciple” — which airs on HBO and streams on Max — and covers not only his years as a guitar-jamming singer-songwriter, but also as a music producer, playing Silvio Dante on “The Sopranos,” and his lesser-known roles as an activist, radio host, music educator, and entrepreneur.
The man affectionately called “Little Steven” by fans says he feels mostly gratitude about the film. “It’s an honor that somebody cared enough about my life to make a movie about it. And I’m happy that the work is going to be seen,” Van Zandt told The Associated Press. “ My other emotion is anxiety ... it’s a little embarrassing and awkward.”
Director Bill Teck, a lifelong fan of Van Zandt’s music, says he started inquiring about a documentary on his life and career in 2006, but received a hard no. After following up every few years, Van Zandt finally agreed in 2018, but he didn’t even want to be interviewed. Teck eventually convinced him audiences wanted to hear Van Zandt's version of how his career in rock evolved — starting with his teen years playing in New Jersey bands, where he met his lifelong friend and collaborator, Bruce Springsteen.
“We were not capable of doing anything else. We were truly freaks, misfits and outcasts,” Van Zandt says. “We were not enamored with the options society was giving us." He recalled the impact bands like the Beatles and Rolling Stones had on him and other Jersey musicians that encouraged them to keep performing. “Suddenly we had a place. We had a little hope,” he says.
The film includes interviews with rock legends — Paul McCartney, Springsteen, Bono, Bill Wyman, Eddie Vedder and more — all raving about Van Zandt’s skills as a producer and writer, but also as a pioneer in rock ‘n’ roll. “It seemed like every rock star in the firmament was eager to speak about Stevie,” Teck says.
Music is central to the documentary, but Teck also spends time on Van Zandt’s activism, especially his integral part in forming the Artists United Against Apartheid in the 1980s. Van Zandt recruited artists, including Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Ringo Starr and Run-DMC to sing on his anthem, “Sun City,” which brought attention to what was happening in South Africa.
“Steve is a guy that will say rock and roll is the greatest tool for social change that there is,” Teck says.
Van Zandt’s involvement also helped influence the U.S. Senate to override President Ronald Reagan’s veto of legislation imposing sanctions on South Africa. “It was a very rare, complete victory," Van Zandt says. "I’m very proud of it.”
“Disciple” also covers the painful period when Van Zandt split with Springsteen and quit the E Street Band just as it was gaining global popularity. He says he hopes to inspire people by all he accomplished after he thought his life was over — including solo music, producing for other artists, and political activism — before eventually rejoining his E Street pals years later.
“The first dream doesn’t work out. Whatever. Hang in there a little bit. If you can avoid being an alcoholic or drug addict and feeling too sorry for yourself and committing suicide — all of which I considered — hang in there and maybe destiny … has something in mind that, you couldn’t have anticipated.”
Van Zandt says he was a friend and confidante to Springsteen and one of the few who was honest with him, even when they had artistic differences. Later in the documentary, he draws parallels when his character, Silvio Dante, became the underboss and consiglieri to mob boss Tony Soprano in “The Sopranos.”
“Once that role … started to be written that way, I’m like, ‘Oh, I understand these dynamics very well. ... I’ve lived my whole life with this.’ So that really helped me, as a first-time actor, to know exactly the dynamics of that relationship— being the only one really capable of bringing the bad news occasionally, because you’re the only one not afraid of them, you know?”
The documentary and Van Zandt’s 2021 memoir provided an opportunity to look back and see professional struggles in a new light. “You don’t appreciate the teenage years because you’re trying to get into the bars. You don’t appreciate the bar band because you’re trying to get into the business and then the business… you want to just get bigger and bigger and have a hit,” Van Zandt says.
“Looking back now … I realize that those are some of the most fun, enjoyable years of my life.”
Van Zandt calls performing “fun and a wonderful way to make a living” but says he gets the most satisfaction from writing, producing and directing music and television behind the scenes.
As for his unconventional wardrobe, he suggests it’s a product of nostalgia. “I think I’m permanently in 1967. That was my favorite year, my favorite era. I love the psychedelic era,” the singer says, describing it as a "liberating, creative time.”
“There wasn’t all of these incredible problems we face now. So it's a little bit of a mental sanctuary in a funny way.”
In the U.S., the national suicide and crisis lifeline is available by calling or texting 988. There is also an online chat at 988lifeline.org
This image released by HBO shows promotional art for the documentary "Stevie Van Zandt: Disciple." (HBO via AP)
FILE - Stevie Van Zandt appears at the "Stevie Van Zandt: Disciple" premiere during the Tribeca Festival on June 8, 2024, in New York. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP, File)
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Whether it’s owner Ryan Smith’s contagious drive, the excitement of adding two centers in the first round of the NHL draft, or the new blue suit, tie and Utah Hockey Club pin on his lapel he wore, general manager Bill Armstrong woke up energized on Saturday.
“I woke up this morning after I slept for a good two minutes and I said, `Let’s shock the world,’” Armstrong said.
Shock might be a stretch, but the NHL’s newest market in Salt Lake City -- where the Arizona Coyotes relocated in April -- made its presence felt during the second and final day of the seven-round draft at the Sphere.
Barely 10 picks into the second round, Utah completed two trades minutes apart in addressing its defensive needs with established veterans. The team first acquired two-time Stanley Cup champion Mikhail Sergachev from Tampa Bay in a blockbuster, followed up by acquiring John Marino from New Jersey.
“I’m not sure if in your fourth year of going through the rebuild and totally taking it down and bringing it back that you can get there,” Armstrong said, of how much closer he regarded Utah to be a contender. “But it’s a step in the right direction.”
The club entered the draft with 13 picks, and Armstrong delivered on his intention to use some of them as assets. After using the team’s first pick by selecting forward Tij Iginla — son of Hall of Famer Jarome Iginla — at No. 6, Armstrong traded three picks to Colorado in moving up 14 spots to select center Cole Beaudoin at No. 24.
Whatever constraints existed for Armstrong in Arizona under former Coyotes owner Alex Meruelo have been lifted by Smith. The 46-year-old made his fortune in the tech industry, and now is transforming Utah’s sports landscape as owner of the NBA Jazz, MLS team Real Salt Lake, while also heading a bid to land the 2034 Winter Games.
Smith all but telegraphed Utah taking a more aggressive approach a day earlier when asked to assess his team’s gradual rebuilding timeline.
“I like the position that we’re in,” Smith said. “And so I think that’s something that we’re always checking in on. And that’s the plan, until it’s not the plan.”
A day later, Armstrong’s plan has shifted noticeably into the fast lane.
A buzz rippled through the crowd when NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly announced the Sergachev trade early in the second round. Utah sent defenseman J.J. Moser, forward prospect Conor Geekie, a 2025 second-rounder and the 199th pick in this year’s draft.
Daly was back at the microphone not long after to inform fans and the rest of hockey that Utah was not done, getting Marino and the 153rd pick from the Devils for No. 49 and Edmonton’s second-rounder in 2025.
“We gave up a two-time Stanley Cup-winning stud 26-year-old No. 1 defenseman, and that’s not easy to do,” Lightning GM Julien BriseBois said. “Kudos to Bill Armstrong and his group in Utah for acquiring such a fabulous young player.”
The Lightning are the team entering a rebuild three seasons since winning their second straight Stanley Cup. Trading Sergachev, who is signed through 2031, saved them an annual $8.5 million salary cap hit. They also dealt forward Tanner Jeannot to Los Angeles.
And the Lightning stand to lose captain Steven Stamkos, who is still on course to become a free agent on Monday, BriseBois and agent Don Meehan confirmed on Saturday.
Overall, Day 2 of the draft featured 22 trades, involving 15 players and 52 draft picks.
The Washington Capitals acquired goalie Logan Thompson from Vegas, and dealt fourth-line winger Beck Malenstyn to Buffalo. Pittsburgh acquired forward Kevin Hayes and a 2nd-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft from St. Louis for future considerations.
The Toronto Maple Leafs gave up a 2026 seventh-round pick to acquire defenseman Chris Tanev from Dallas, with a belief they can sign the 15th-year player before he’s eligible to enter free agency.
Though Smith and Armstrong cautioned they would not be free-spenders once free agency opens on Monday, that didn’t mean they weren’t going to improve the team in other ways during the two-day draft weekend.
In Arizona, the Coyotes were known for being in a perennial rebuilding mode in making the playoffs just once in the past 12 years, while relocating from one arena to another before finally moving north.
It’s a whole new world in Utah, where the so-called Hockey Club (for this season) has already generated 30,000 season-ticket deposits for a made-for-basketball facility, the Delta Center, with a seating capacity of 16,200 for hockey — and not all directly facing the ice. A permanent name is coming before 2025-26, with Utah HC, Blizzard, Mammoth, Outlaws, Venom and Yeti the six possibilities.
“We’re the youngest state (by demographic), and we’re also the fastest growing. So if you look at both of those metrics, that’s something the NHL is going to be able to look at and say, ‘Wow, like we made the right move,’” Smith said.
For Smith, it’s a matter of balancing his enthusiasm and patience.
“You’re managing polar opposite emotions at all times. Like, you want to win now, but you want to win for the long term. And you want to create this culture,” he said. “But we’re young, and the future looks really bright.”
Brighter still after this weekend.
AP Hockey Writer Stephen Whyno contributed to this report.
AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
Tij Iginla, center, poses after being selected by the Utah Hockey Club during the first round of the NHL hockey draft Friday, June 28, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Steve Marcus)
Cole Beaudoin, center, poses after being selected by the Utah Hockey Club during the first round of the NHL hockey draft Friday, June 28, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Steve Marcus)
Cole Beaudoin, center bottom, heads to the podium after being selected by the Utah Hockey Club during the first round of the NHL hockey draft Friday, June 28, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Steve Marcus)
FILE - Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Mikhail Sergachev (98) plays during the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Nashville Predators, Thursday, Dec. 7, 2023 in Nashville, Tenn. The Utah Hockey Club made a big splash at its first draft, acquiring Mikhail Sergachev from the Tampa Bay Lightning. (AP Photo/George Walker IV, File)
FILE - Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Mikhail Sergachev hoists the Stanley Cup while riding on a boat with goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy, right, during the NHL hockey Stanley Cup champions' Boat Parade, Monday, July 12, 2021, in Tampa, Fla. The Utah Hockey Club made a big splash at its first draft, acquiring two-time Stanley Cup-winning defenseman Mikhail Sergachev from the Tampa Bay Lightning. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack, File)
