Rick Springfield

0:03Well, let's talk about this book. So you did this on your own. There's no ghost writer at all. No, no anybody. It's all you. Yeah, yeah, I only have myself to blame for it, but It made the New York Times best solo list first weekend. So somebody's reading it and I'm happy about that. Yeah, man. So how come you decided to do this yourself and not have someone else join you? Well, I should have the publishers encouraged me because I'd already written about 30,000 words when we got the deal with Simon and Schuster and that might have added about my you know My voice and and that's my writing style and said, you know, you don't need a ghost rather like this yourself So it's usually in the case of solid bios as they talking into a tape recorder That a writer goes away and you'll make it into a book that I think it you know

0:51she makes they thought that I had a voice and wanted me to do it so I was up for it. I always I love writing and it's just They just didn't assume that because I love songs if it also like prose Mm-hmm. Did it come naturally to you like songwriting though as when you started writing did it just flow like a song does? Yeah, yeah, very much so it's very I mean I I've written before I Essays a school the only thing I ever got any good grades on so I always thought I would be a writer at first But then you just took over but I've always you know, I've read a lot and I'm a very avid reader And I think I learned the lights by reading a great writers for sure and it comes off very naturally like I think it's I think it's pretty early on the book you mentioned shoving a pregnant goat down a garden hose and I was just like

1:38You know, well, that's probably Australian in you. I think a little bit that sounds like an Aussie kind of thing Second pregnant goat through a garden hose. It sounds like an Aussie line. I mean I made it up But it is it's very probably Australian in me. Has it given you a love of writing though? Do you want to write again? Is it is this something that definitely I am being encouraged by the publishers to write more to which is great And right what because I mean obviously this this is writing what you know, right? You're writing your life Would you yeah, but it's you know, I mean it's storytelling and I just I have stories everyone has stories right and I think I have the ability to write them and they think so too. So I'm not big just yet But looking into it, you know a lot of people's gonna know you obviously from this book That they'll see in chapters and whatnot but but Jen in the older crowd will general hospital and Jesse's girl and all that stuff

2:27But I think for a lot of the younger people that are listening California cation is how we know Rick Springfield how far off of you will let's say in the 80s was that character So I doubt the way pretty drastically far off. I was never a coke guy and I was never I mean I Was never a Hedonist to that. I mean I always love people that I like You know, I'm like a bad guy to him kind of thing like this guy is It but it's you know, it's playing against type and I that's the best Acting stuff you can do were you nervous to have it as yourself though and portray yourself in a way that was not degrading But like you said hedonistic and a coke. I think you know what once I'd read the great writing. I was I was fully into it and I It was it was

3:14You know, it's acting everybody knows you're acting and then and they were really some couple of people said I didn't know Rick did drugs I'm thinking like if I did drugs would I go on TV and portray that? No, I hope not but it's pretty funny, but I was it, you know, got great great reaction. So I'm Very happy. Yeah, are you gonna be back on the show or was that just like a one-time deal? We got it for episodes and I don't know how they work, but you know, I mean I'm open for it again for sure Yeah, what about what about music? Are you working on anything? You know, just about to start writing and recording a new record and we with touring still now the book tour I did a big book to him, but uh, right who else is on that this year Kevin Cronin from Mario Speedway and as an musical guest

4:10Nice have some soap friends and Mark Goodness a host again from MTV and it's it's really the most the funnest thing we do all year It's the we play music, you know songs. I don't normally play and no free partying drinking playing Five days around the Bahamas and then you do a beach show and the mail's all swimming and it's really amazing Yeah, well, that's paradise man. This is what that is. Is any of that going to be in this film? I hear you have a documentary coming out about well about your fans Yeah, they're documentary crew has just followed us around for about a year that into Japan and Europe with us and And they will be on the cruise hoping they can't get it in anyone's face Or else what or else we'll throw them all the board

4:55You know the book talks a lot about the rock and roll lifestyle and you know the ups and downs But what really stuck out for me and what must have been hard for you to write was what happened when you were 16? Yeah, the well In retrospect, I'm glad I kind of put it in I was you know, there's always moments where I think about wow I think you shouldn't be this revealing that the book opens with me hanging myself in my parents garden shed And fortunately the rope came and done after about 20 20 seconds I was just losing consciousness, but I was pretty a pretty dark kid and puberty was particularly unkind to me as it is everybody and I just wanted out of my skin, you know, it was a try to you know end it there and

5:45With the whole talk of teen suicides like we prefer to be in there And I think that's one of them This is maybe someone will read it in the middle of his eyes saying the book you'll give it a week to give it a month or a year because it's a painful change and and my life has been a pretty amazing life and have an amazing family and none of that would have Yeah, I mean it's yeah, it's crazy. It's I'm not really a religious person, but I'm spiritual something saved you for a reason Yeah, yeah, I agree. I did feel like I was being I'd been saved for something and I thought that something with music But you know now I'm not so sure I mean if there's a lot of things on in my life

6:32And I know I'm saved for my family for one day Amazing boys and that wouldn't have happened, you know if I did it if the rope hadn't come untangled Yeah, and it's funny because it kind you kind of revisit that a little later with David Strickland in the book. Yeah Yeah, yeah, he was and it's very very sad way to be to hear people and I think we all know somebody who's been there I didn't you know either that they've been successful and in going through with it like David was or You know they they come close, but it's a dark place and there's no real way to Once it's done. It's done. Mm-hmm and David was a very talented guy. I mean I was absolutely amazed

7:21I thought you had like a great future and no surprise me Yeah, but I mean the book is treated with a lot of humor. Yeah, it should digress a little bit It's not all sad and don't it but sound like it's all about doom and gloom because it is there is a lot of humor No, there is and a lot of penis talk to and that always ends up being funny at times I do want to talk about Jesse's girl though for a second just because they revisit it in glee recently So it's getting a whole new found love for it again. Yeah, I'm very happy about that as a writer You kind of hope a song will kind of go on beyond just being a hit and this one certainly has done that I think it's gonna movies, you know boogie nights is from display it and it's it's just become one of those songs and I

8:06Think it's just something in the song something in the kind something and Wear people hear it and how they remember it a lot of things Yeah, I wonder about your relationship with it now because I mean even in the book you talk about ups and downs with you Know every every song writer that has that massive song or even several massive songs Has relationships with those songs because those are the ones everyone wants to hear and those are the ones people are screaming at for every night Right and where are you at it right now with it? I'm very proud of having written it. It does tend to overshadow other stuff, but it's also You know, I mean I understand I know when I go and see people and they had to hit one of those songs You know you can't leave the stage without playing and and you accept that and really it's it's like it becomes like

8:56You know what one of your children you don't mind people saying how great they are You know at this point these kind of songs become your your children You know, you've sung them so many times then you can't really almost can't relate to in the songs anymore We do something called five questions five quick questions one more to answers acting writing or singing writing Lenin or McCartney Wow, mr. Lenin Most important thing in a song lyrics melody or cadence For me lyrics song you've written your most proud of my father's chair. Oh good song and in one word Rick Springfield Yeah, that's good. Thank you