Fans of Little Steven Van Zandt’s comedy-gold role as Silvio Dante in the HBO series “The Sopranos” have reason to rejoice. The guitarist with Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band is back on TV, starring in a new series called “Lilyhammer,” billed as a mob tale with a funny twist.
Van Zandt portrays Frank “The Fixer” Tagliano, a mafia snitch in hiding in rural Norway as part of the FBI’s witness protection program. The program is airing in Norway, and is produced by a local company there, Rubicon RV.
How Van Zandt finds the time, even as Springsteen has assembled the group for another massive world tour, is anyone’s guess.
[CAN’T GET ENOUGH BRUCE?: Check out our weekly feature ‘Sparks Fly on E Street,’ where Mark Saleski breaks down Bruce Springsteen’s legendary career — song by memorable song.]
As yet, there is no syndication deal yet in place in America. So, you’ll have to head over to Netflix to watch … after you relive a few of Silvio’s best moments, that is …:
Here’s a look back at our recent thoughts on Bruce Springsteen. Click through the titles for complete reviews …
FRIDAY MORNING LISTEN: BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN, “WE TAKE CARE OF OUR OWN” (2012): I popped in the earbuds, pulled the comforter up over my head, and pressed play. Nobody could see it but a huge grin came across my face. The drums lead into the Telecaster arpeggios, and then the glockenspiel, and piano, and … and I’m a kid again. This is where I almost feel sorry for the nitpickers. It’s like people forget what the joy of discovery is like, choosing to remain attached to a kind of negative spirit that suits every occasion. Is it a control thing? I guess I don’t know, and certainly won’t spend a whole lot of time trying to figure it out. So press play I did. About ten times.
SOMETHING ELSE! SNEAK PEEK: HERE FOUR TRACKS FROM ‘WRECKING BALL’: Can’t wait for Wrecking Ball? Neither can we. So, we dug around and collected four songs from the just-announced track listing. There are 13 tunes slated for the deluxe edition of album, including the lead single, “We Take Care of Our Own.” But Springsteen’s previously introduced fans to the title song, an album cut called “Land of Hopes and Dreams” and a bonus track from the deluxe edition of the album, as well. Here’s a quick listen to those earlier takes, plus the new single, to enjoy in the run up to Springsteen’s 17th official studio recording.
ONE TRACK MIND: BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN, “YOU’RE MISSING” (2002): This song, issued in the wake of the devastating attacks on New York City in 2001, nearly overwhelmed me with grief the first time I heard it. I thought of my father. He’s been dead more than 20 years, and I must admit that — like everything from that long-ago time — there are moments when it is hard to fully grasp his memory. I think of him more and more in the abstract, like a fading image from an old photograph. Springsteen’s ardent eye on this shattering tune — “shirts in the closet, shoes in the hall … coffee cups on the counter, jackets on the chair, paper’s on the doorstep … everything is everything, but you’re missing” — took me back to the specific. The billowing power of a song like this is that it connects, on some elemental, emotional level, and you make it your own.
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