RICK SPRINGFIELD

21st Century Renaissance Man

words and photography - santodonato

The year was 2004. January, I had been in Vegas for about six or eight months buying and selling homes, upgrading them, laying tile, woodwork, drywall, painting, putting in granite, etc. They were good times, getting up early and working for myself. No phones ringing, no employees, no bosses, almost a complete throwback to being eighteen again. Ah, Las Vegas, back before the real estate collapse, it was a new venture, a new start, and a new chapter in my life, (102 chapters thus far). I had driven across country, tools in truck, and begun the setup for seven households moving west from Michigan that would eventually settle here that year. I would get up around five am, grab a cup a coffee, shower the last day away, and load my old Ford Windstar up with tools and supplies for the day’s work. Turn the key to my 1996 workhorse Bessie and hit play on my shitty-ass CD player with an extension cassette tape adapter into the Ford’s stereo. Just then, Ricky would start with those familiar chords, (D, D A, A B, B – G, G A, A, D, D) “Jessie is a friend!” Pumped up and rockin’, I wasn’t a girl, I wasn’t a pussy, but this motherfucker could sure write a pop classic, the Greatest Hits album flashing my mind back to 1983, back in Detroit.

(Flashback)

It’s 1983 and I’m producing and playing keyboards in my 80’s pop band The Heartthrobs. We’re touring with the likes of The Romantics, The Tubes, Joan Jett, Donnie Iris, Cyndi Lauper and The Ramones, to name a few. Rick had released his album Living in Oz, which had the hits “Affair of the Heart”, “Human Touch” and “Souls” on it. “Affair of the Heart” struck a chord with me, and I could feel some sort of connection to him for some reason or not. I was working down at WABX in Detroit, doing radio promotions and having a summer fling with Kelly and Susan. We were lucky and blessed, and we got comp tickets and backstage meet-and-greet passes to Rick’s show at Pine Knob in Clarkston, Michigan. The show was 80’s spectacular, set in a wonderful outdoor amphitheater. Rick mesmerized the crowd with his songwriting, singing and charisma. I can still picture the show in my head! The band was brilliant and talented, with guitar player Tim Pierce as a standout with incredible chops and tone. Rick’s music turned chicks on, made them wet, and his looks, starring in “General Hospital” and the soon to be released movie “Hard to Hold”, rocked them and seduced them even more. My dates for the night, Kelly and Susan, wanted to be Ricky’s girl (Jessie’s Girl) so much, and I thanked Springfield, not only because I would reap the benefits of what he stirred up in both of them that night, but because the guy could write, and I could sense a true soul, a true musician, a true yearning, a true power and a love for the art, with some sort of lasting power and sustainability that I could relate to, and as it turned out, was right on-the-money.

(Flash-Forward)

In Rick’s words, I’m trying to make this interesting! This all started in 1998, but to me, it started in the year 2003. Springfield releases shock/denial/anger/acceptance. It is a new Rick Springfield, on his own independent label. Shock is a very personal and hard-edged record; the writing personal and raw, hard and to the point, in my estimation, one of his best albums to date. (Critically-acclaimed albums are rarely best sellers!) Rick surrounds himself with young hungry musicians, energy abounds, and something else has happened in the world of Rick Springfield. Rick Springfield pop star, TV star, pinup boy for the 80’s pop, has become somewhat of a cult hero, with a large cult following of fans that follow him from city to city, from venue to venue, attending hundreds of shows. Springfield has transformed his career, by himself, on his own, with his own set of rules; he has broken out of the barriers set by the industry. Springfield has sold more than 20 million records and racked up 17 Top 40 hits. He is the pop version of The Grateful Dead or Phish, of Jam band rock; Rick Springfield has become a new phenomenon at his age of 54. It’s no wonder, when you witness a show, the way Springfield connects with the crowd, the way he gives it his all, the way he performs and touches the audience each and every night – he has created a huge cult following, not a cult, but fan base, a very large fan base, and a brand new career for himself, reinvented, calling all the shots himself, not a slave to Billboard charts, radio station playlists, or MTV or VH1 bullshit – Rick Springfield is having the time of his life, and you can sense it and feel it each and every night – and that is why – and just why he has legions of fans that follow him everywhere and purchase Rock Me Day Passes, Platinum VIP Passes and Cruise Ship travel with Rick and special guest stars. Rick Springfield is truly a 21st Century renaissance man, publishing his memoir “Late, Late at Night”, which he authored himself, pulling back the curtain on his bright and shiny image to share the story of his rise and fall in the entertainment industry and his lifelong battle with depression. Springfield takes readers on a rollercoaster ride through the highs and lows of his illustrious career, from hit singles and sold-out concerts to television stardom and hit movies, to his moody and dark soul, filled with depression and insecurity. “Late, Late at Night” is a brutally honest memoir with Springfield speaking of the events that shaped his life, including thoughts of suicide, death of his father, and his decision to leave the business all behind at the pinnacle of his stardom. The memoir debuted at No. 13 on the New York Times Best Sellers list last year and went to paperback in July; he released his 14th, 15th and 16th albums in the last few years: Venus in Overdrive, a children’s album – My Precious Little One, and Christmas With You, a Christmas disc; developed the Rick Springfield App for iPhone and Droid; all the while starring as his alter ego Rick “the coke-snorting, sex-crazed, egomaniac” Springfield in Showtime’s “Californication”, fucking endlessly and baring ass at the age of 61. Now 62 years young, Springfield has reinvented his career on his own terms and is the ruler of his destiny, calling all the shots and looking damn good doing it. Springfield is in his essence on stage and seems to be happiest when encircled by his fans. He plays over 100 dates a year, including his yearly Caribbean Cruise that includes live sets, guest stars and meet-and-greets. The accompanying photos were shot at his last stop in Las Vegas at the Eastside Cannery.

Springfield – A Little Background

There’s something about Rick Springfield that is and always has been very real. His songs are about love and loss, greed and envy, elation and heartbreak.

In 1981, after years of struggle, the stars perfectly aligned, and Rick Springfield found himself sitting on top of the world. In the midst of recording what would become the quintessential pop/rock album, Working Class Dog, Rick was cast to the play the young, eligible Dr. Noah Drake, on the popular daytime drama “General Hospital”. That same year, MTV debuted, changing the dynamic of the music industry forever. Rick skyrocketed to the top of Billboard’s charts with “Jessie’s Girl” and “I’ve Done Everything For You”. The following year, he won a Grammy for “Best Male Rock Vocal Performance”.

In 1982, Rick followed the success of Working Class Dog with Success Hasn’t Spoiled Me Yet. The album contained a string of top-40 hits, including “Don’t Talk To Strangers”, which charted at #2. He was also nominated for a second Grammy and in 1983 was nominated for a third, in addition to garnering an American Music Award. His 1983 album Living in Oz went platinum, resulting in the hits “Human Touch” and “Affair of the Heart.” The following year, his single “Love Somebody” from the soundtrack album to the movie “Hard to Hold” (in which Rick made his big screen debut) hit #5 on the Billboard singles chart. Rick Springfield had solidified his place as the preeminent power-pop artist of the decade and today remains the genre’s greatest pioneer.

After years of balls-to-the-wall live performances, grueling tour schedules, and recording back-to-back hit albums with chart-topping singles, Rick decided to take a break, to spend time with his family when his first son was born in 1985. During his hiatus, he released the albums Rock of Life and Sahara Snow. He returned to the concert stage in 1998 with the release of his album Karma. Immediately, Rick was performing to sold-out crowds, as fans clamored to the Internet, hungry for word of Rick Springfield’s triumphant return to their hometowns.

In 2003 Rick propelled his career onward, by releasing the critically acclaimed album, shock/denial/anger/acceptance on his own record label, Gomer Records. Rick hit the ground running in 2005 by releasing The Day After Yesterday, a warm and soulful collection featuring his own interpretations of hit songs that he wishes he had written. 2005 also saw the release of Written in Rock – Rick Springfield Anthology, on Sony/BMG, a 2-Disc set spanning Rick Springfield’s recording career to date. Rick ended 2005 with his long anticipated return to ABC’s daytime hit show, “General Hospital”, in the role he originated nearly 25 years ago as Dr. Noah Drake. He continues to make appearances on “General Hospital” as Dr. Noah Drake. In 2006, Rick released a concert DVD, Live in Rockford, which was filmed live as part of the HDNet Concert Series at the historic Coronado Theatre in Rockford, IL and showcases Rick’s extremely high energy performances. Rick released a Christmas CD in 2007 entitled Christmas With You, that featured an extremely moving original track, “Christmas With You”, which was dedicated to all of our fallen troops. Also in 2007, Rick’s classic album Working Class Dog was celebrated with the release of the book “A Year in the Life of a Working Class Dog”, which chronicles the making of this pop masterpiece and Rick’s rise to superstar status. In 2009, Rick headed in a different direction by releasing a special album, My Precious Little One, (Gomer Records / DKE Records). This album is the collection of lullabies Rick created for his own family.

"I wrote these original lullabies for my two sons during the heady days of brand new fatherhood. Since neither of them were good sleepers, it seemed like a good idea to write some lullabies."

To date, Rick Springfield has sold over 19 million records with a whopping 17 Top-40 hits. He has performed for millions of devoted fans over the last three decades and continues to play over 100 shows a year, attracting new fans wherever he goes with his unique brand of audience interaction, unstoppable energy, and unforgettable songs, that have become part of the soundtrack to people’s lives.

Eastside Cannery – Concert Review

The Eastside Cannery was packed, filled to capacity with Rick Springfield fans, mostly 30 to 55 year-old women celebrating and reliving various states and memories of their youth. If you like cougars, (and I do) and want to go cougar-hunting, a Rick Springfield concert is a prime space to shop, with so many deviations of the species that a red-blooded American man might well lose himself in the sea of premenopausal pussy, wet and ready, thanks to Springield’s not-so-subtle foreplay. That being said, it’s also a great place to hear finely-crafted pop songs performed by a great band and fronted by one of the most charismatic and energetic performers performing today. At 62, Springfield is like a fine wine, getting better with time, aging gracefully, in stellar shape, with great pipes and incredible showmanship.

The Band – Matt Bissonette on bass and backing vocals, Rodger Carter on drums, George Bernhardt on lead guitar and backing vocals, and Derek Hilland on keyboards and backing vocals – weave a tight pocket to support Springfield’s forceful vocals and guitar. Springfield is the whole show, top to bottom, working the stage – you can feel pure joy sweating out of his pores as he connects with his crowd at each performance. No bad shows, off nights or cancelled concerts, Springfield is a true pro and he truly loves and believes in what he does, and that is exactly why the audience at the Eastside Cannery the 19th night of November was here to see him, from all around the country and the world. I spoke to numerous fans that had seen him over 100 times and had flown in from all over the world to see the concert.

The show was a history of Springfield top singles with only two songs off his latest album Venus in Overdrive, and two cover songs, with everyone in the audience singing along to “I’ve Done Everything For You”, “Affair of the Heart”, “What’s Victoria’s Secret?”, “Jessie’s Girl”, “Human Touch”, “Don’t Talk to Strangers” (which I sang in the mic) and many more. Rick Springfield is a must-see. Next time he’s in your neighborhood, or for that matter, playing anywhere near you, period – get there, be there, don’t miss it! Trust me, you’ll be glad you went. You’ll be glad that you experienced Rick – and the pussy ain’t bad either! SLV

5 out of 5 Stars.

Issue 67 featuring: Veronica Ricci, Raven Alexis & Georgia Jones