Stevie Van Zandt on secret to his more than 40-year marriage: “Stay apart”

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Steven Van Zandt has been married to wife Maureen for over 40 years, and the rocker tells People that the secret to their relationship is that they are OK not being with each other all the time. 

“As I often say, the key to staying together is stay apart,” the E Street Band guitarist jokes. “We’ve been together, God, what is it now, 40-plus years and probably have spent about 10 years of that together out of the 40, because I’m always on the road. So, you go home, and it’s always new again.”

Maureen keeps herself busy with her own projects while Stevie is on the road, and he notes, “She’s a very, very strong person.”

Van Zandt says he believes in the importance of “making sure that one plus one equals three rather than one plus one equals one-and-a-half, which you see all the time in relationships where people just start to lose their identity and compromise it in order to get along.”

He adds, “I think with some boundaries, if you will, allowing the other one to have their very strong identity and coming together and finding the common ground. We have both. That’s the key.”

Speaking of always on the road, Stevie is currently on the road with Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band. They play Werchter, Belgium, on July 2. A complete list of dates can be found at brucespringsteen.com.

 

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