"You Can't Deny the Fans"

Rick Springfield doesn't mind playing the hits
Posted by the Asbury Park Press on 05/11/07
BY ED CONDRAN
CORRESPONDENT
Rick Springfield has released just three studio albums in the last 19 years. Much of the veteran singer/songwriter's material has been well-crafted power pop tunes.
But radio and MTV isn't crazy about airing pop-rock from the 40-plus set.
"It's so difficult to get on the airwaves that I don't think I should even concern myself with it," Springfield said while calling from his Los Angeles home. "I'll still make my albums and do my shows and basically do my thing, but I won't think about things I can't control. I still have a good group of fans that likes to come out and see me."
Those fans love the hits, and Springfield, who will perform Sunday at Six Flags in Jackson, delivers his smash singles at his shows and on his latest DVD, "Live in Rockford."
"You can't deny the fans," he said. "They want to hear the songs they love, and I love doing them still."
"Jessie's Girl," "Don't Talk to Strangers" and "What Kind of Fool Am I" are just some of the hits crafted by Springfield.
"I've always taken pride in my songwriting," he said. "That's an important part of who I am."
Some of Springfield's hits have come from outside sources, such as "I've Done Everything For You," which was written by Sammy Hagar. But most of the tracks were penned by the native Australian.
"I can do other people's songs, but when you get down to it, I rather do my own," Springfield said. "I think I've done a pretty good job."
Springfield, 57, has never received his due because during his heyday, he was written off as a pretty-boy soap opera star. But Springfield, who became a mega-star because of his work as Dr. Noah Drake on "General Hospital," has been a working musician since 1968.
"Music was always my thing," Springfield said. "I would have never become an actor if I weren't a musician first."
Springfield, who appeared in the 1978 film "Battlestar Galactica" as well as episodes of such '70s TV series as "The Rockford Files" and "The Incredible Hulk," never stopped touring and recording.
"That's always been a passion of mine," he said. "I could never leave music behind."
Unlike his halcyon days when Springfield was on relentless tours, the jaunts are shorter now.
"That's by design," he said. "During the '80s it was such a grind. I remember being on the road every night for four months, and that's torture. Most people have no idea what it's like. By the second month of such a grind, you're in the middle of a show and you wonder how many more songs are left in the set. You just want to get off stage. You're so burned out.
"I like playing a few shows and going home and then going out again. That keeps the energy level up. I want to do this for a while still. I don't want to burn myself out. I take breaks, and that way I can still be excited about performing."