The cover of “Solidarity Forever: The Art and Soul of Stevie Van Zandt.”
Stevie Van Zandt’s 2021 memoir “Unrequited Infatuations” included an unusually honest disclaimer.
“Who knows?” Van Zandt wrote, after trying to pinpoint the moment when he was asked to join The E Street Band. “We’re all making up half of this shit anyway.”
But Robert Lawson is a different kind of writer, with a different kind of approach. In his 2024 book “Solidarity Forever: The Art and Soul of Stevie Van Zandt,” he notes that Bruce Springsteen, in his 2016 autobiography “Born to Run,” gives a date for the time when he, Van Zandt and others were asked to leave Disneyland because of the way they were dressed. But that date, Lawson writes, is probably wrong.
“Then again,” Lawson adds, “Bruce has more important things to think about than dates from 30 years ago. That’s what I’m here for.”
For serious Van Zandt fans, “Solidarity Forever” is an essential complement to “Unrequited Infatuations.” In that book, Van Zandt told the story of his life and career — and it is, unquestionably, one of the great rock ‘n roll stories — the way he remembers it. But Lawson’s book gives you the nuts and bolts of what really happened with a precision and a completeness you won’t find anywhere else.
Early in the “1952-1974” chapter, for instance, Lawson includes a photo of the 14-year-old Van Zandt playing guitar in his first band, The Whirlwinds. “This is incredible, I can’t believe this,” says Van Zandt, in one of many fresh comments that are included in the book. “Not only have I never seen that before, I can’t believe I could even play by then.”
I believe Van Zandt has one of the great rock ‘n’ roll stories, as I wrote above, because it is unique. No one else has been such a maverick while also proving so versatile. He has been vital in so many areas: a cornerstone of The E Street Band; the architect of the sound of Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes; a dynamic solo artist; the activist behind “Sun City”; flag-waver for the garage-rock genre through his radio show, satellite radio channel and record company; an innovator and driving force in music education; and, of course, one of the main characters one of the greatest TV series of all time, “The Sopranos.”
Funko’s Silvio Dante action figure.
Lawson covers all of this, and more, over nearly 300 pages, with a fierce attention to detail. He supplies information on all the obvious stuff but also things like TV and radio appearances, the guitars Van Zandt has played, the clothes he has worn onstage, covers of his songs by other artists, and reissues of his albums. He lets us know that in 2022, “Funko Pop introduced a series of Sopranos characters, including a Silvio Dante figure, which was #1292 in the collection.”
He starts with Van Zandt’s birth in Massachusetts and upbringing in New Jersey, and goes all the way up to the “American Music Honors” ceremony at Monmouth University in West Long Branch in April 2024, at which Van Zandt inducted Dion and performed.
In addition to scouring available print and web resources, Lawson interviewed dozens of people, including Van Zandt and his wife Maureen, Gary U.S. Bonds, “Sun City” collaborator Arthur Baker, and many member of The Asbury Jukes and Van Zandt’s Disciples of Soul band. Many of the photos that are included are previously unpublished.
Lawson also includes excerpts from reviews of Van Zandt’s albums and other articles about him. I particular liked Bill Lammers’ comment, from a The Kingsport, Tennessee Times-News review, that on the 1982 Men Without Women album, “rather than proving points through characters, Van Zandt comes right out with his thoughts, whether through first-person pleas to women or simply statements to whoever’s listening.”
The cover of Stevie Van Zandt’s “Men Without Women” album.
Lawson is based in Toronto and has previously published “Listener’s Guide” books about Nazareth, Cheap Trick and The Guess Who, “but eventually the idea of a Little Steven Van Zandt book became too much to resist,” he writes in the introduction of “Solidarity Forever.”
“After all, as soon as I heard his debut solo album, Men Without Women in early 1983, I was completely devoted to every note. The mix of Motown-style horns, Dylanesque vocals and Keith Richards-influenced guitar were the perfect combination for these ears. I spent years collecting magazine articles, hunting down obscure guest appearances on other artists’ albums and trading unauthorized live cassettes and VHS tapes.
“To say that Stevie has had a profound influence on my life is a massive understatement. So, doing a serious deep dive to definitively document his musical career just made sense to me.”
“Solidarity Forever: The Art and Soul of Stevie Van Zandt” has been published by Friesen Press; visit books.friesenpress.com. It is 294 pp. and available for $27.99 (hardcover), $18.99 (paperback) or $8.99 (eBook).
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