Admitted Bruce Springsteen stan Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., drew fashion inspiration from Steven Van Zandt, rocking bandannas as he underwent chemo. When the guitarist heard about it, he gifted the Maryland lawmaker some of his own.
Raskin announced in December that he was undergoing chemotherapy to treat diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, a “serious but curable form of cancer.” The lawmaker said his cancer treatment would “cause hair loss and weight gain.” Raskin told CNN he was losing his hair rapidly.
Within a month, he was seen wearing bandannas to committee meetings. Raskin told the Huffington Post that he was inspired by Van Zandt of the E Street Band, whom he has “always loved.”
“I give all honor to Little Steven for creating this look for American men going through something,” Raskin said. “Little Steven was my inspiration.”
Bandannas and headscarves are a signature part of Van Zandt’s look, on and off stage. He began wearing them following a car accident as a teenager that left him with scars on his head, impacting how the guitarist’s hair grew.
When Raskin’s hair started falling out, he said he thought about Van Zandt.
“[H]e always wore a bandanna. I didn’t know why he did, but I thought it was a cool look, and I thought ‘maybe I’ll do what he did,’” he told the Washington Post. “I ventured off on my own and got some bandannas.”
Van Zandt heard about Raskin’s tribute while on tour, pulled from his on-the-road wardrobe
Van Zandt heard while on tour with Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band that he had inspired Raskin to wear bandannas. Touched by the news, he pulled together a package of five of his own road bandannas while in his hotel room and mailed them to the congressman. Yes, he washed them first.
“That was an honor to me [hearing Raskin credit him], and I wanted to reciprocate that wonderful gesture,” Van Zandt told the Washington Post. “I just wanted to show a little solidarity.”
E Street Band member Nils Lofgren — a Maryland native — also called Raskin to show his support, the Post reported.
“I’ve been a Bruce Springsteen and E Street fan for most of my life,” Raskin said. “I love those guys. I’ve been to 13 concerts.”
He added that Van Zandt became a hero of his — both musically and politically — during college.
Raskin received the package last Saturday and said he was stunned.
“I was so blown away and moved,” he told the Post. “He realized that I needed a fashion upgrade.”
Going public with the bandanna exchange drew ‘overwhelming’ response
Raskin went public with the guitarist’s gift on Twitter this week.
Raskin shared a photo of himself wearing Van Zandt’s dark floral headscarf and said he would treasure it.
“Look what I received from one of the greatest musicians on Earth, a gift I will treasure almost as much as his song, 'I am a Patriot,'” Raskin tweeted. “You are about to see a step up in my chemo head-cover fashions for the next few months.”
In the replies to Raskin’s tweet, dozens shared their own cancer and chemotherapy stories, including “before-and-after” photos documenting hair regrowth.
“The response was pretty overwhelming,” Raskin said.
Van Zandt’s headscarves are custom-made by his sister-in-law
Upon receiving and wearing Van Zandt’s tour scarves, Raskin admitted they are better than anything he was buying off the rack.
“They are really in a class of their own,” Raskin told the Post. “Whoever is making his scarves is like the Michelangelo of bandannas.”
Raskin added that they are bigger and longer than his other bandannas, saying that their “rock-star tails” give it “a little bit of attitude.”
Van Zandt’s sister-in-law, designer Lori Santoro, has made the guitarist’s bandannas and other clothes by hand for years.
What’s next for Van Zandt and Raskin?
Van Zandt said he wished Raskin a “speedy and complete” recovery. “Part of that is keeping his spirits up, so if this helps keep his spirits up, then all the better.”
Raskin said he will continue to wear bandannas and headscarves. And Van Zandt told the Post he plans to add to the lawmaker’s closet soon.
“When I get home in a few weeks, I’ll send him some more,” he said.
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