Summary
Overview
Warren Zanes, former Del Fuegos guitarist turned rock biographer, shares his journey from being pushed out of his brother's band to writing intimate biographies of Tom Petty and Bruce Springsteen. The conversation explores themes of family, addiction, reinvention, and the complex relationship between success and creative fulfillment in rock and roll.
The Night Bruce Springsteen Walked In
In 1985, the Del Fuegos were touring their first album when Bruce Springsteen showed up at a club in Greensboro, North Carolina. Warren recalls the surreal moment when Bruce walked into their dressing room, sang their song "Backseat Nothing," and ended up playing on stage with them. At just 19, Warren made the astute decision to turn his amp completely off during the performance, realizing the memory would be more meaningful if he simply experienced it rather than competed for space.
- Bruce Springsteen came to see the Del Fuegos at the Rhinoceros Club during Born in the USA tour
- Bruce told them 'Backseat Nothing' was his favorite song from their album
- Nils Lofgren came in first, then Bruce joined for the show
- Warren turned his amp completely off during the performance to fully absorb the experience
- The band was heavily using drugs and alcohol at the time
" I look, and like, there's Nils has a guitar, my brother's got a guitar, Bruce has a guitar. I'm like, I'm turning my amp all the way down. And I just turned it to zero. "
" Maybe it's a kid who's watched a lot of men leave. And there's a pretty great one right there. I'm taking this in because he's going to leave too. "
Brotherhood and Band Dynamics
Warren joined his older brother Dan's band despite not knowing how to play guitar. Dan handed him a Guild semi-hollow, a Silvertone amp, and a Rolling Stones record with instructions to "listen to this and try to play it." The brothers had a strong bond initially, united by the band's early success and shared experiences. However, the relationship would eventually fracture over creative control and Warren's desire to contribute his own songs.
- Warren didn't play music when Dan asked him to join the band
- Dan gave Warren a guitar and told him to learn by listening to the Rolling Stones
- The band was bound together by early success and shared experiences
- Warren and Dan traded music discoveries with other bands on tour
- Warren learned Keith Richards songs from bootleg tapes, including 'We Had It All'
" He said guitar. So we went shopping, I bought a Guild Semi-Holo, a Silvertone amp. Like you're one of the first boy bands, you're just assembled by some outer intelligence. "
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