By Jae-Ha Kim
Chicago Sun-Times
February 10, 1988
Many pop stars say music is the most important thing in their lives, but Rick Springfield put his beliefs and his career on the line when he took a self-imposed two-year break from the recording business to reassess his priorities.
“I think that of anything success has given me, alleviating the day-to-day money worries has got to be the greatest thing,” Springfield said. “I’ve been in the situation where I’ve had to scrimp to get together the rent and utility money. I know how hard it is, and I know how lucky I am now.”
On a recent visit to Chicago to promote his latest album, “Rock of Life,” Springfield, 38, pondered his progress from his 19th-floor hotel suite at the Whitehall.
“Maybe when I was younger, I wanted success too much,” he said. “Now, I can take it or leave it as long as I know I’ve done the best I can.”
His songs may come wrapped in a pleasant pop package, but many are bittersweet and autobiographical. In the past, Springfield has written about his father’s death and the loss of his virginity to an older woman. He also wrote a comical song about a case of mistaken identity, where a young woman went to bed with him because she thought the singer was Bruce Springsteen.
Since 1981 – when Springfield hit it big with his first No. 1 single, “Jessie’s Girl,” and a starring role on ABC’s “General Hospital” – until 1985, when he “became a hermit,” Springfield worked nonstop.
“I didn’t say, `OK, I’m going to hang up the guitar for two years,’ ” he said. “It didn’t happen like that. I was just burned out. I did the only thing I could’ve done because, frankly, another album from me at that point probably wouldn’t have been anything worth listening to.”
Business aside, Springfield had another reason for wanting to stay at home. His wife gave birth to their son, Liam, now 2 1/2 years old. (Liam appears in Springfield’s “Rock of Life” video.)
Remembering how he had wished his late father, an Army colonel, had been at home more often, Springfield said he wanted to be there for his baby.
“My father was a great, great father, but I always felt that I never saw enough of him,” Springfield said. “I think every kid feels like that when his parents work. Anyhow, I’d have to say that my relationship with Liam was the best thing that came out of this whole thing. It was an incredible experience. I loved it. I don’t know how great a father I am, but I had a pretty good coach.
“I’ve always loved kids. But before Liam was born, I couldn’t have imagined myself as a father. Oddly enough, I got into it right from the start. There were no problems with diapers or any of that stuff you see on TV sitcoms. It’s just something I didn’t envision myself doing as a kid.”
Born in Sydney, Australia, Springfield received his first guitar at 13. Shortly afterward, he left school to become a professional musician. While still a teenager, Springfield was regarded as one of Australia’s best guitarists. He knew that to make it really big in the music industry, he would have to relocate to England or the United States. He chose America because “it was the Mecca that everyone wanted to go to.”
Leaving behind a promising career at home, he moved to the States. In 1972, Springfield scored a Top 15 single with “Speak to the Sky.” But his managers decided to market his dimpled smile and lean, 6-foot-2 frame instead of his music. It turned out that the teenagers liked his pin-ups better than his songs.
To support his singing career, Springfield took up acting. When casting directors told him his Australian accent would hinder him from getting American roles, he took lessons and perfected an ambiguous, all-American voice that matched his looks.
He soon was supporting himself by guest-starring on such shows as “Wonder Woman,” “The Incredible Hulk” and “Nancy Drew.”
After his upcoming summer tour to support “Rock of Life,” Springfield may consider working on a few acting projects.
“I have to redeem myself,” he said with a laugh, referring to his film debut in “Hard to Hold,” a commercial and critical bomb. “I’m not worried about that because, as I’ve always said, acting is secondary to my music.
“Acting is such a nebulous kind of profession. If you’re a musician, at least you can pick up a guitar and play it even if you don’t have any gigs. But unless you’re a working actor, you really can’t do anything.”
