A Few Minutes With Rick Springfield

By Lana Mini STAFF WRITER

When you love what you do, it's easier to get out of bed in the morning.
Happiness, from the inside, affects the way we look on the outside. Rick Springfield is happy on the inside. The actor and singer is 58 years old and his energy and sex appeal can compare to any twenty-something rocker.

The creator of hit songs like Jessie's Girl and I've Done Everything For You is performing at Meadow Brook on Friday, Aug. 10.
Springfield has had a wild career: starring as hunky Dr. Noah Drake on General Hospital, playing guitar in rock bands since 1964, hosting the live show EFX in Las Vegas for two years and much more.

But what most may not realize is that Springfield is first a writer and guitarist − the singing and acting come second. Filter caught up with Springfield last week while he was driving from his Malibu home to his concert in Los Angeles. Here are some highlights.

MEN VS. WOMEN

"The band plays pretty hard on stage, that's what's surprising to most men who come to the show. When I hear them tell me that we rocked hard, it's always satisfying."

HIS SHOWS

"The experience of performing is still amazing. It's my greatest passion. There's a connection with the audience that's so special to me. Afterward when people tell me about a certain song and how it marks a certain point in their life ... that's really humbling."

WHAT'S IN HIS IPOD

"Led Zeppelin was the band that really did it for me. They were the band who I was just waiting to hear, and when they did it sucked me in. I also listen to Marilyn Manson, Deftones, Frank Sinatra ... I have two children 18 and 21 so they also introduce me to new things. You have to keep open to music, I'll also listen to show tunes."

PAID HIS DUES

"I'm a musician who wandered onto the soap opera, not the other way around. Both have been good to me, but I've paid some hard dues in music."
Springfield, born in Australia, was raised in England and began playing guitar at age 13. By the time he was 20, in 1968, he was performing in Vietnam. He moved to the United States in 1972 and this is home, he said.

KEEPING THE FACE

The early years, Springfield said, had the temptations that lure all musicians − "sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll." But to indulge in that lifestyle today would be foolish, he said. Now after a show, he prefers scouring a city for the best restaurant, rather than party.

In 1988, just prior to a tour, Springfield crashed his ATV and shattered his collarbone. Unable to hold a guitar for six months, he canceled the tour. Today life is precious.

"I try to eat well, I swim, I work out. I don't want that wild lifestyle that doesn't suit me anymore. It's family that means everything."

This article originally appeared online at the Observer and Eccentric website. Click here to view it.