Steven Van Zandt

“I am Italian. Springsteen's mostly Italian, too. We're both Italians with Dutch names, one of the many things we have in common.”

“I've always had a reluctance to meet my heroes.”

“'Born to Run' was a mixture of things but mostly about youth and fantasies.”

“Whatever I'm doing, I try and keep the quality very high.”

“Let the wealthier countries and corporations of the world fund an Emergency Organization.”

“I played around with the idea of touring with a soul revue, with Smokey Robinson, Sam Moore, Darlene Love, people like that.”

“It's so liberating to play a song in front of 50,000 people that you've never played before. Not something you played a long time ago and have forgotten: Never. Played. Before. There's something magical about it.”

“My father was an ex-Marine Goldwater Republican.”

“For me, it all comes down to one issue: if we can get money out of political systems, the whole world will change.”

“C-17s should be ready to go at various military bases around the world packed with water, food, medical supplies, sleeping bags and tents, all prepared to be air dropped in alongside soldiers and doctors to begin relief efforts.”

“Your celebrity capital rises and falls in any given year. And when you have some - temporarily, usually - you try to use it for some good.”

“Rock n' roll as a genre is different from pop and hip hop: it is about bands, and that for me suggests brotherhood, family, friendship and community.”

“Reach for greatness, nothing less. And make sure you have some fun along the way.”

“The British invasion was the most important event of my life. I was in New Jersey and the night I saw the Beatles changed everything. I had seen Elvis before and he had done nothing for me, but these guys were in a band.”

“I've always been very thematic with my work, very conceptual.”

“My lifelong friend and mentor Frank Barsalona is gone. And the music business as we knew it went with him.”

“There are... certainly more innovations on 'Revolver'... but the truth of the matter is 'Sgt. Pepper' has something that was just completely different and unique at that moment.”

“Primal Scream could be the biggest band in the world. They are fantastic when they make rock records - once every 10 years.”

“I met all my heroes on the oldies circuit: Gary U.S. Bonds, Lloyd Price, Little Richard.”

“They legislate fatherhood in Norway. It's not an option. That's a shocking thing to us in America.”