RICK SPRINGFIELD – THE LEGEND OF A ROCKSTAR

RICK SPRINGFIELD

THE LEGEND OF A ROCKSTAR

By Christine Montanti

Words cannot describe the undeniable talent, passion, and captivating energy that Grammy Award–winning singer-songwriter and musician Rick Springfield possesses. The legendary guitarist was destined to be a rock star the moment he joined the pop-rock group Zoot in the 1960s and then released his solo debut single, “Speak to the Sky,” which reached the top 10 in Australia. After dropping his solo album Working Class Dog in 1981, his career skyrocketed while he simultaneously played the role of Dr. Noah Drake on ABC’s daytime drama General Hospital, garnering him critical acclaim and global celebrity. The singer’s amazing feats are not just limited to the recording studio, as evidenced by his other talents which include author, radio talk-show host, and entrepreneur. Yet despite all of Springfield’s remarkable achievements, success hasn’t come easily for the entertainer, who struggles with adversities that have affected him profoundly: specifically, his lifelong battle with depression. Today, feeling more fulfilled than ever, the 74-year-old rocker is idolized by millions; he is still mesmerizing audiences with his timeless storytelling and fortitude and is defying all odds, remaining at the forefront of the music industry.

The Australian-born singer shows no signs of slowing down, releasing his 22nd studio album, Automatic, this past year. Springfield is currently performing songs not only solo in concert but also on an acoustic tour with Richard Marx. His new 20-song album was inspired by his personal experiences and was dedicated to Matty Spindel, his engineer and close friend for 25 years. Springfield reveals, “It was fun doing the album, but Matty passed away during it. He was a great guy, so I wrote a song called ‘She Walks With the Angels’ for him, and I only used ‘she’ because Matty was very in touch with his feminine side, although he loved women and was very heterosexual. My other friend Brett Tuggle was my keyboard player all through the ‘80s, and he passed away too, so I wrote a song about him, ‘We Are Eternal.’ There are also songs about me on the album, such as ‘When God Forgets My Name.’ All the songs on the album are basically from memories and things that are happening now, but they are all from a kernel of truth.”

Last summer, Springfield completed a 26-city tour and collaborated with the Hooters, Paul Young, and Tommy Tutone. “I love performing and acting,” he admits, “but it becomes another beast when you share it with someone else. It is much more fun and it is very different from my solo show. I am doing a lot of shows with Richard Marx right now. We have known each other for a long time, and it’s just like two buddies on stage. We are a bit insane at this point, and I get excited and say stupid things. Sometimes artists will get together and there will be a kind of camaraderie, but it can be manufactured at times. We are just being ourselves and having fun, that’s really what it is about: two artists just having fun.”

The day of Springfield’s photo shoot is a Friday, late in the morning, and our location is the Fairmont Century Plaza, a luxury hotel in the heart of Los Angeles. I am standing in the vast lobby of the Fairmont coordinating my team for the afternoon shoot when Springfield arrives. As I glance through the foyer’s ceiling-high glass doors, I see the singer exit his sports car outside the massive hotel entrance. When he emerges, he looks ageless and approaches me with a bottle of his own brand of liquor, Beach Bar Rum, apologizing for not bringing his guitar.

Our interview takes place in the cozy living room of the hotel’s expansive producer’s suite that offers stunning views of the bustling city, and nearby in the distance is the iconic luxurious Rodeo Drive and Century City. Dressed in a black leather jacket, black jeans, and blue high-top sneakers, the songwriter looks eternally youthful. As the crew is setting up and making final preparations for this interview, we begin to converse, and I can’t help but notice the rocker’s fun, outgoing, and entertaining demeanor. The artist, seemingly content, takes a sip of his Starbucks cappuccino, looks up at me, and confesses, “I used to hanker to be on the road, but lately I feel a little more settled. I have to deal with a lot of mental stuff — it is part of my driver. It’s very weird because I have depression and ADD. There is probably a good side to it, but I am still trying to find it, and it’s part of my self-doubt.”

Throughout his incredible career, Springfield has been very candid about his personal struggle with depression, a battle that has significantly influenced his music. The writer details his lifelong journey for inner peace in his New York Times–best-selling autobiography, Late Late at Night, describing the torment he experienced during his childhood when his father was a lieutenant colonel in the Australian army. Springfield’s family continually had to move to different army bases in Australia and England for extended periods of time, requiring the young musician to repeatedly leave behind everything he cherished, including his beloved pet. Springfield explains, “I had to leave the first dog I ever had when I was ten years old, and I still bear a scar from that. Then at 16, I was so depressed, I tried to hang myself.” He was often subjected to bullying as the new kid in school. “I was a troubled kid,” he says, “but it didn’t seem that way because the family was together and we loved each other. But inside me there was some weird thing that is still there. Then when I was over in Vietnam, my life was in danger every day getting shot at, rocketed and mortared. As a kid, you bend around all the darkness and weird stuff in your life. Those kinds of things form who you are, and that comes out later when you’re an adult and have to deal with life.”

The Grammy-winning musician has become a role model to millions around the world who suffer from depression. He offers this advice for kids today who are bullied in school and online: “I’d deal with them both the same way. Avoid them. I used to go where, hopefully, the bullies weren’t. I didn’t have to handle social media when I was a kid, but it’s probably the same advice. Avoid it, and whatever is written about you will be forgotten in time. If you react, it just prolongs it. Or have a big brother go beat the crap out of them. That worked for me in school.”

Springfield adds, “I got kicked out of school in 11th grade, which I am only proud of now because I have had a fairly successful life. The Australian school system thought I would end up in the gutter when they kicked me out, so I credit my success to the fact that I am so freakin’ persistent. I always tell my kids the three most important things are never give up, never give up, and never give up. I went through life thinking, I am going to be either dead or in the gutter, or I am going to be successful.”

As for the driving force that keeps Springfield going all these years, he explains, “I had to deal with a lot of tough stuff when I was in Hollywood when I first came over here. What I do is, when I focus on something, I close the exit doors. I know that once you shut the door, you have no other choice, so you have to find a way. That has really been my big driver, closing the exit doors when I focus on something, so there is no other way out.”

Over the years, the artist has managed to balance his acting and musical careers, working successfully at both. He has acted in various roles on film and television, including starring opposite Meryl Streep in Ricki and the Flash, playing a version of himself in Californication, and portraying Lucifer in the CW series Supernatural, to name a few. The actor also manages to find time to engage in other creative projects which include hosting his own SiriusXM radio show, Working Class DJ, an 1980s-themed program that airs Friday nights at 8:00 p.m. ET. In addition, Springfield has partnered with his longtime friend Sammy Hagar to produce a sweet and smooth brand of liquor, Beach Bar Rum. His autobiography, Late, Late at Night: A Memoir, was voted by Rolling Stone as one of the top 25 rock memoirs of all-time.

When the musician is not performing, he lives a very low-key life and enjoys spending time with his family: his wife, Barbara; his two sons, Liam and Joshua; and his dog, Bindi. As for what a typical day is like at home when he is not on tour, the songwriter reveals, “We go for walks on the beach. I work out, and I write a lot. That is what excites me. I am really enjoying that part of my life a lot now.”

Springfield looks over my shoulder toward the balcony’s breathtaking view of the Los Angeles city skyline and very candidly adds, “It’s an amazing time to be alive, but it’s also very scary, and it seems out of control. What can you do with 8 billion people who won’t unite? There are so many gods to split us up, and our capacity for destruction and hatred for one another is just insane, especially, when all the religions were supposed to be built on love.”

I pause for a moment to reflect on the songwriter’s wisdom and then ask if he would ever consider getting a place in the Hamptons. “I’m a West Coast boy at heart,” he answers. “I have not been to the Hamptons, but I’m looking forward to going there one day. It’s a fabled place that an Aussie like me has read about forever.”

When we wrap our conversations Springfield confesses, “If I retire, I would just get a band together and start playing locally. I write and record because I love it, and that is what I did when I first started, hoping that something would happen. I am still enjoying the process, and that is what I am caught up in. I am thankful that people are still interested in coming to shows. At my age, it keeps me going, and that is where I get my energy from. I am an energy vampire, and I draw from other people!” Instagram. @RickSpringfield

Executive Producer & Creative Director: Christine Montanti

Photographer: David Christopher Lee

Director of Photography: Michael Vernazza

Styling: Michael Fusco

Grooming: Albert Elizondo

Production Assistant: Giorgios Kontogiannis

A very special thank you to Danny Harpaz and our beautiful location Fairmont Century Plaza in Los Angeles.

Thank you to our Sponsors: Dr. Jacquie Fulop-Goodling of Dr. Smiles DMD, Lori E. Palumbo of Coldwell Banker Hamptons, and Krista Mularadelis of Sisley Paris.