Three on One with Rick Springfield

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Conversations with Missy: Rick Springfield

For those of you who know and love Rick Springfield, we hope that you enjoy this fun interview. We decided that in order for this interview to be different, we should have more than one journalist be a part of it. I teamed up with Jaide and Laura to make this happen. I could not be more pleased with the result. Springfield gave us some unique insight into his creative process, as well as made each of us laugh with his creativity and sense of humor. 

Missy: When did you realize that you were meant to be both a “Rock Star” and a “Novelist”?

Rick: Never. I just love to write and play and sing. The written word applies to both lyrics and prose and I've always done both since I was a kid. Well at first it was bad poetry but that morphed into songwriting and story writing as well.

Missy: I was always told growing up that I would never be a writer, I now write articles almost daily. I read that you were kicked out of school and I am curious to know if you ever let that affect how you viewed your self-worth? Do you feel you family encouraged you to be who you wanted to be without limits?

Rick: The transition was a little scary for sure, but I knew what I wanted to do (play the guitar) and that school was no longer helping that, in fact it was hindering it so once I found a band and started to make a little money I was good to go. My parents were a little freaked out that I got booted from school but once they accepted that it was my choice and my life they were fully behind it. I'm sure I gave them moments of doubt, but I always felt they were in my corner once I’d made the choice.

Missy: You have obviously had a brilliant career with singing, acting and writing. You are great at all of it. I loved watching you on General Hospital, and you genuinely looked like you had a great time portraying a completely different character than who you are in real life. Do you have a favorite between the three?

Rick:  They all come from a similar place in me I think. I love each one the most when I’m doing it. Its like having three great girlfriends -  I love the one I’m with at the moment.

Missy: What was it like creating characters for your novel Magnificent Vibration? How much of yourself did you put into this novel?

Rick: I’m sure a piece of me is in each character. Once they entered the story they took on their own life.  I used some real life experiences but most of it just kind of unfolded. There was no overall plan or arc.  I wanted it to go the way it was meant to go. And it surprised me in a lot of ways.

Missy: Was it more difficult than writing your memoir Late, Late at Night?

Rick: No, but it was different. Fiction can go anywhere it wants, autobio’s have to be pretty truthful. At least I think they should be.

Missy: We all know your song “Jessie’s Girl”. For me this song is an upbeat, emotionally conflicted story of a man who is beyond tempted to interfere with his friend’s relationship, yet I find myself loving it, rooting for the underdog and rocking out to someone’s pain. Please explain to me if you can, what was it that you wanted your audience to feel? I definitely feel naughty every time I hear and sing along with that song and I love it.

Rick: I guess I wanted them to understand what I was feeling. I don’t really write to affect, I write to get on paper whatever is my issue at the time. Its cathartic. It helped that even though I didn’t get the girl, I did get a song out of it. Somehow that makes it okay.

Missy: I am going to turn the questioning over to our youngest journalist, Jaide, because I would very much like our readers and your fans to get as much unique information from our interview as possible. I hope that is okay with you.

Jaide:  Your first musical breakthrough was with the pop rock band Zoot, in which the "think pink think Zoot" gimmick was promoted. That gimmick is arguably what helped draw and grow your fan base of predominately teenage girls, and some say it is what led to Zoot not being taken as seriously in the industry. Would you say that is what ultimately led to the band's fall?

Rick: I think it had something to do with it. There was always a certain group that would never take us seriously because of the pink thing but our biggest hit was a very guitar based, heavy version of Eleanor Rigby and we had interest in America because of that, but the Australian company wouldn't’t cut us loose so we could take the American deal and we all thought “well, this is as far as were going to go”, so we split up. I came over to the States, Beeb the bass player helped form Little River Band, Darryl the singer went on to have a big Aussie TV and singing career and Malc the drummer formed a band called the Ferrets that had some hits in Australia so it was definitely a talented bunch of young guys but we did better all solo than we did as a group.

Jaide: Following Comic Book Heroes, you were once again branded with the image of having somewhat of a 'teeny bopper' fan base. Did the reoccurrence of that discourage you at all?

Rick: Yes it did and it eventually caused me to leave the US managers that had helped bring me over here from Australia. My first solo album had songs about a guy committing suicide and a wife deciding not to leave her husband because of the kids and other topics that were definitely not teen based, so it was confusing for everyone including me. Comic book heroes didn’t get a fair shot  and I think the comic book artwork didn’t help, although I thought it was cool and hip at the time. Weirdly, Comic Book Heroes got the best review I've ever had in Rolling Stone magazine.

Jaide: Working Class Dog is one of your most iconic records, if not your most iconic record due to the smash hit "Jessie's Girl". How do you feel about this record overall? Do you feel this record is what propelled you into the spotlight?

Rick: Of course. It was a time when I stopped trying to follow the chart trends and just wrote what I wanted. I thought I'd never get another record deal so I wrote a bunch of songs that could be played by a 3 piece band and I would just play LA clubs. General Hospital  helped when people began to realize the new doctor on the show was also the guy who sang that "Jessie's Girl" song on the radio.

Jaide: You have been fairly consistent releasing music since the beginning of your career.  Throughout your entire career, did you ever feel like you were writing songs to be hits rather than simply being creative because that was what was expected?

Rick: No. I've never done that, although I've written every song to the best of my ability and at one time in the writing thought, ‘yeah this could be a hit’, but I realized early on that I had to write songs that I enjoyed and not try to write for a particular audience.

Missy: At Center Stage Magazine, we love watching artists have creative control in their career. Do you feel you have always had that? Do you feel you have that now?

Rick: Yes I have always written the songs and played them and never really took anyone else's opinions unless it was someone I was working closely with. I definitely have that now. It would be pretty sad to be my age and be directed by some Svengali. J

Missy: As a songwriter, have you ever written and recorded a song that you regret or that is too emotional to perform live? If so, what song? If you do not mind sharing with us, why is that?

Rick: Never regretted writing a song. The songs about my parents are sometimes really hard to perform but grief shared is grief healed and that’s why I do them. My Mum passed away in December and the day she passed I wrote a short song called ‘4 Billion Heartbeats’ which I do in my storyteller/solo show. The emotions are still pretty raw so its difficult to perform but I do it for her, for me and for anyone who has lost someone.

Missy: I notice that you perform for a lot of causes. Is there a particular cause that hits home for you?

Rick: Animals and kids. The only charities I do. The innocent ones.

Missy: Thank you so much for taking the time to answer our questions. We know you have a busy schedule and I for one admire that as a writer you are willing to set aside time to respond. Is there anything you have coming up that you can talk about? Is there anything that your fans should know about?

Rick: There is an 80’s cruise in 2018 with Mike and the Mechanics, Loverboy, The Tubes and a host of 80’s bands that I will be playing on and hosting (whatever that means) but its 7 days at sea with us all so it should be pretty cool. I will have a new record/CD/free download out this year sometime that will be very different from anything I've done so far and will be doing a lot more TV and acting stuff. Also writing.

Missy: We have a surprise for you before we end our conversation! Our newest Journalist and photographer, Laura Lou, recently shared with us an emotional story involving her meeting her “Harry”. We would like to share that with you and your fans now.

“In June of 2014 Rick Springfield was here in Louisville performing at The Louisville Palace. The venue contacted me and asked if I would be Rick's "meet and greet" photographer for that night. Are you kidding me?! Um... YES!

This gig included tickets to the show and I honestly could not believe that I was going to finally see THE Rick Springfield in concert. Not just see the show, but meet him?!

The show was amazing, as any "true Springfield fan" knows and although I was so thrilled with the shirtless performances, the roses being shredded on the strings of his guitar, the songs from my teenage years, I was so excited to be the barrier between him and the next in line for a photo. "One shot and move on" were my instructions from his handler.

There was not much I had not known or read about him before this moment in time and what could I say? What do you say to someone who not only is one of your "teen idols" but also someone who has been so honest and raw about what he lives with daily, completely exposed to the world.

As the last person to "meet and greet" him, Springfield shook my hand and I said "you are my Harry". Referencing a line in his book, Late, Late at Night, when he discusses meeting one of his idols and that we all have a "Harry".

With that one comment, Springfield looked at me, tears in his eyes, said "Thank you so very much. That means the world to me."  He grabbed me and gave me a long hug which if I'm honest, I forgot it was my "idol", he was at that moment, my friend.

Out of all the artists I have been lucky enough to "meet and greet", Springfield was the absolute best. Not because of "who" he is but because of the person he is. He is the most real, raw, emotional, thankful and gracious artists I have had the opportunity to meet.

That was a moment in time that will stay with me forever, not because of what I said, rather what he said. It all came full circle.” -Laura Lou

Rick: Very sweet. XOXO

Thank you so much for your time. We know that you are busy and it means the world to all of us here that you took the time to answer our many questions. We are all very sorry for the recent loss of your mum and appreciate you opening up your heart, your world and emotions to us. On behalf of all of us at Center Stage Magazine, Thank You. ~Missy, Jaide, and Laura