Rick Springfield

by Christine Montanti

Plenty of mainstream entertainers capture the attention of fans worldwide, but few are as riveting as Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter and musician Rick Springfield. The captivating rocker whose talent knows no boundaries has a visionary appetite so extensive that to map its depth one would need to travel from his home in Malibu, California, to his native roots in Australia. With a career spanning over five decades, during which he has sold over 25 million albums and secured 17 Top 40 hits in the U.S. alone, Springfield has proven to be a musical genius connecting with audiences on a profound level through his storytelling and guitar playing. The songwriter’s passion for creativity isn’t just limited to music though, as evidenced by his many other accomplishments, including actor, author, radio talk show host and entrepreneur. At age 74, the vibrant artist has an unstoppable drive and shows no signs of slowing down. Currently, Springfield is on a national sold-out tour performing music off his latest album, Automatic.

The Australian-born singer and songwriter exhibited an innate musical talent at a young age. Never suspecting that he would one day move to America and become a household name, the former Dr. Noah Drake, of ABC’s daytime drama General Hospital, fell in love with music and guitars during a difficult time in his early life, when he was 11 years old. Springfield’s father was a lieutenant colonel in the Australian army and consequently moved his family to different military bases for extended periods of time. This constant ricochet to and from various cities in Australia and England was trying for the young musician. No sooner would Springfield acclimate to his new surroundings and make new friends in school when he would have to relocate and leave behind everything, including his beloved pets. He details the torment this caused during his childhood in his New York Times Best-selling autobiography Late, Late at Night: A Memoir.

The day of Springfield’s interview is a beautiful fall afternoon in Huntington, New York. I am seated across from the songwriter at a table in the nostalgic Founder’s Room, a private urban club inside The Paramount, where he will be performing in concert later in the evening. Dressed in a black leather jacket and black jeans, the singer is eternally casual and hip. His humble demeanor and welcome candor make it obvious that he’s had a wealth of experiences, good and bad, which have affected him profoundly. The rock icon describes the motivation that drives him to constantly create new music and continue to perform.

“My depression is what has kept me performing all these years. I never feel as if I am enough. I have to keep pushing and trying new things. Getting better at them and accomplishing something is really like a drug for me. I absolutely love to write and that’s really my core. As a writer you latch on to something that moves you. It could be something that was from 20 years ago that you relive, or it could be something that happened yesterday. The album Automatic is about God, sex, death and all the wonderful things that I love to write about.”

Over the years, Springfield has managed to balance his acting and musical careers, simultaneously working successfully at both. He has acted in various film and television roles which include 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. When asked if he shares the same creative passion for acting as he does for music, the Grammy Award-winning musician confesses, “I love doing both. I fell in love with music when I was eleven years old and the acting developed when I was in my twenties. I think about music all the time, whereas with acting, you only really think about it when you have a part, and when

“HUG A DOG! IT REALLY WORKS. YOU CAN FEEL YOUR WHOLE SOUL RELAX.THEY ARE AFOUR-LEGGED ALTERNATIVE TO PROZAC.”

you have to work the part. When I’m acting, I am an actor, and when I am playing music, writing music or performing, I am a musician. It’s easy to switch over. It’s not like, oh my God, I have to put myself in a different head space. It’s natural, and I think I have gotten better at both which is my goal.”

Aside from spending time with his wife, Barbara, two sons Liam and Joshua and dog, Bindi, Springfield manages to find time to engage in projects which include hosting his own SiriusXM radio show, Working Class DJ, an ‘80s-themed program which airs Friday nights at 8:00 pm (ET). In addition, Springfield has partnered with his longtime friend Sammy Hagar to produce a sweet and smooth brand of liquor, Beach Bar Rum. And his New York Times best-selling autobiography, Late, Late at Night: A Memoir which Rolling Stone Magazine hailed as one of the top 25 rock memoirs of all-time. The author says, “I wrote the book myself. I didn’t have a ghost writer, and I didn’t realize that a lot of biographies are image polishing. I had to be honest in the book. I enjoyed writing it, but when I was finished I was kind of shocked realizing that people would actually read it. I got nervous because it’s very revealing and I called my publisher to tell her I really didn’t want to release it.” She said, “Well, you have a contract, Ricky.” A friend of mine’s reaction after reading the book was “You’re either insane or incredibly brave!”

Springfield explains how music has helped him deal with his lifelong struggle with depression. “When I was 16, I was in a bad mental state and tried to hang myself. I was so depressed, and I didn’t want to go to school because I was failing and I wasn’t really popular. Then, I got kicked out of school in eleventh grade; the only arena that was meaningful was the school arena. The hormones were kicking in with a lot of chemical stuff that I didn’t understand. I always found joy in writing and staying home playing the guitar or reading, so that was my solace. It made me feel like I had something other than depression, and it became my focus and balance. I try to turn to something positive every time it hits.”

Reflecting on Springfield’s candor, I can hear the bass of the guitars playing above the ceiling and I feel the vibration coming through the walls surrounding us. It’s getting late, and the musician is scheduled for a sound check on stage. Springfield takes a sip of coffee, turns to me and shares some final advice for anyone struggling with depression: “You have to give it time. Don’t take a permanent solution for a temporary problem. Sometimes medications work, and sometimes they don’t. Meditation really helps me. When I’m meditating and performing, I’m not depressed at all. Find something you love and pursue it. Hug a dog! It really works. I always go up to a dog if I see one, and I will pet or hug it. You can feel your whole soul relax. They are a four-legged alternative to Prozac.” P

A special thanks to Jim Condron and Adam Ellis for the use of our beautiful locations: The Paramount and the Founder’s Room, Huntington, New York.

Instagram @rickspringfield