The ’70s was a quite wonderful time to be alive, and E Street Band guitarist Steven Van Zandt doesn’t beg to differ. In his new memoir Unrequited Infatuations, the Sopranos actor describes his love affair with the decade, as well as the interesting arrangement that caught his eye amid Springsteen’s rise to stardom: the ménages à trois
Van Zandt fell in love with threesomes over the ’70s, to the point where he would consider the iconic throuple arrangement a “temporary addiction,” as he writes in his new book. The guitarist spoke exclusively with Page Six of women, the ’70s, and the life he led during that wild and beautiful ride:
“It was a real, sexually liberated time, the ’70s, there’s never been anything quite like it, honestly. It was just a wild, wild time, and women were truly, truly liberated there for a minute. I mean, it was a really wonderful time to be alive. So, you know, ménages à trois [were] not that unusual.”
Falling in love with his wife of almost 39 years, Maureen, brought an end to Van Zandt’s polyamorous stint, however. The couple said their vows on Dec. 31, 1982 and have been happily married since.
In addition to love, finances, success, and those ménages à trios, Van Zandt also spoke about his transition to acting and how lucky he feels that it went so well for him.
“Very few people make the transition from music to acting, and I was just completely accepted by that world, which was really, really encouraging.”
The guitarist stepped into the role of Silvio Dante in The Sopranos as a novice to the acting business. Among other insights, Van Zandt explained that he was slated to play Tony Soprano originally, until HBO stepped in and pulled the plug on the idea. Luckily, Van Zandt said he felt legend James Gandolfini’s casting was “the right thing” for the role, “thank goodness.”
The iconic guitarist-turned-actor most recently had acting roles in The Christmas Chronicles and The Irishman. But today, Steven Van Zandt reigns supreme on Page Six for his wild, crazy ride in the ’70s.
