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Steven Van Zandt admits half-jokingly that there’s something that keeps him up at night.

That would be his decision 30 years ago to bow out of touring with Bruce Springsteen for the mammoth Born in the U.S.A tour because he was obsessed with politics and wanted to do activist work.

“It was quite stupid,” he laughingly told Page Six at the premiere of the documentary “Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and The Band.” “I wish I could have found a way to do both things, stay in the band and then do all the political research and activism at the same time, but realistically it probably could not have happened.”

When asked if that costly decision haunts him, Van Zandt exclaimed, “Yeah, just every single day!”

Three decades ago, Van Zandt, now 69, released “Sun City,” a protest song against the apartheid government in South Africa that was chockablock with other performers including Bono, Kurtis Blow, Bob Dylan, Pat Benatar and Darlene Love.

He said the song and all the attention it received probably helped hasten the downfall of the apartheid government.

“I found out later talking to my ANC [African National Congress] friends they had been chopping up drugs and putting them in Nelson Mandela’s food in prison and trying to fry his brain. Another year or two, who knows. If Mandela had not come out of jail, it would have been the biggest bloodbath in history, so you look back at it and go, ‘Whatever we did, we did for a purpose.’ It was worth it,” he added.

Nowadays, the “Sopranos” actor is apolitical since establishing his charity teachrock.org, which integrates popular culture and music to help teachers engage students. He is also thrilled that “Sun City” is being released this year on its 30th anniversary along with his entire catalog. Springsteen has also revealed a new album and tour with his legendary E Street Band will happen this year.

Source: Pagesix.com

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