Scene Around: A Local Paperboy, Musician, Actor/Writer and a Street Naming

Call it an esteemed happening in their hometown.

They’re three Middletown-raised celebrities in their own right — famed news anchor Brian Williams and brothers Stevie and Billy Van Zandt. But it was all about the Van Zandt brothers on Friday. Middletown honored the duo in their hometown with the naming of the street where they lived, Wilson Avenue in the New Monmouth section, after them — Van Zandt Way. Williams was there to host and bask in it all with the brothers. He, as a youngster, was a paperboy for the now defunct Courier newspaper.

“What a day!! Thank you, Middletown Mayor Tony Perry; the NJ Hall of Fame; old friends Kevin Langan, Tony Mercantante, and Jim Van Nest, who started this whole thing five years ago; and the hilarious Brian Williams who served as the host for the event. It was surreal, overwhelming, and I loved every minute of it. Thank you again, Middletown! Best place on Earth to have grown up.”
Billy Van Zandt in a Friday social media post to friends

“Honored to have shared the stage in our formative years in junior high, high school and in local regional musical theatre on the Jersey Shore with Billy Van Zandt, accomplished Hollywood playwright … and, of course, his brother Steven, who is now in The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame for his contributions in the E Street Band with (his partner) Bruce Springsteen, and (known for) his legendary role in the HBO series The Sopranos,” Langan said in his own social media post. “They are two of Middletown’s finest natives whose contributions to the arts are being saluted. Bravo, guys! Good memories!”

It seems all so very Middletown, and it is. They Van Zandt brothers are very proud Middletown natives. So is Williams.

Yet, of the three, all claimed as famed sons of the largest municipality in Monmouth County, one also has major talent ties to a much smaller Monmouth town over the bridge — Rumson.

That would be Billy Van Zandt. Pretty much everyone knew well of these ties back in the day — decades ago. And we’re here to remind you.

Billy got a big start, or thrust, into theatrical fame at Rumson’s The Barn Theatre. He acted at The Barn and usually got rave reviews from some of the toughest, most-feared reviewers back when community theater actors bit nails to nubs waiting for that review to come out in the paper the day after opening night.

It was also at The Barn that Billy Van Zandt met the woman who ended up being his partner in playwriting and later television writing, producing and all that Hollywood jazz — Jane Milmore, who, sadly, passed away a few years ago. Milmore also had a home in Rumson for a while.

The street sign, now unveiled in Middletown pays homage to the Van Zandt guys with a guitar on one side, representing the musical talent of Steven, known as Little Steven, in Bruce Springsteen’s E-Street Band, and a comedy-tragedy mask to symbolize the theatrical talent of both Billy and Steven — Billy as a writer, producer and actor and Steven as an actor as well.

The NJ Hall of Fame, into which Steven was inducted in 2017, was represented at the Friday event honoring the Van Zandt brothers, “whose stories will inspire generations of New Jerseyans to strive for their highest potential,” said Hall of Fame’s Steve Edwards in a released statement.

“The dedication of Van Zandt Way points to the enduring legacy of Stevie and Billy Van Zandt, symbolizing their perseverance, creativity, and passion. Their accomplishments will continue to resonate for generations to come, inspiring future New Jerseyans to realize their dreams.”

— Photos/courtesy of Billy Van Zandt via Facebook