By Jae-Ha Kim
Chicago Sun-Times
August 22, 1986
Frisco Jones is not playing at the Holiday Star Theater in Merrillville, Ind., Sunday night. Jack Wagner is.
Wagner, a popular actor on “General Hospital,” said people don’t confuse him with his TV character as much as they used to. But every now and again, he’ll run into a fan who will ask for Frisco’s autograph.
“I suppose we do look alike,” Wagner said in a phone interview from Los Angeles during a lunch break from filming “General Hospital.”
The 26-year-old from St. Louis leads a busy life.
During the week, he shoots the soap opera, on which he plays a central character. Then, on Friday, Wagner boards a plane with his seven-piece band to play weekend concerts. He has been doing the weekend gigs for two years, and they have helped him garner radio play for such songs as “All I Need” and “Too Young,” which is a feat that eludes many TV-stars-turned-rockers.
“My schedule doesn’t bother me,” Wagner said. “If I had time off to sit back and relax, then going back to this kind of schedule would probably be kind of difficult. So that’s why I haven’t taken a break for a few years, and I don’t plan on it for a while, either. But if you dig what you’re doing, it’s all worth it. Growing up in Missouri probably helped me in that respect. I think the Midwest structure is based around a hard-work ethic. But it’s amazing how many entertainers come from the Midwest. It’s kind of like you fly the coop and go do your thing.”
Country superstar Willie Nelson was impressed enough with Wagner to invite him to perform at this summer’s Farm Aid II concert. Wagner, who worked on farms when he was young, said he felt it was a great honor to be asked to play and that the event was a highlight of his professional career.
But even with a blessing from Nelson, some people find it difficult to accept an actor as a musician. Wagner hopes the songs he has written for his next album will help gain him more respect.
“It’s going to be all original work and have a good mixture of all kinds of music on it,” Wagner said. “I didn’t do as much of that with my last two (`All I Need’ and `Lighting up the Night’), because I didn’t know what direction I wanted to go in. When I was growing up, I had a taste for everything from acoustics to Neil Young to Yes to Poco. So I figured, why limit myself to just one style? I want to be as diverse as I can be. I go into the recording studio in September, so hopefully the LP will be out by next January.”
Wagner paused before adding a tongue-in-cheek remark: “I don’t have a title for it yet, but maybe I’ll call it `I want it all, I’ve had it all, and I’ve lost it.'”
Though Wagner is eager to talk about his music, he is the first to point out that had it not been for his exposure on “General Hospital,” he may never have given music a serious thought as a career option.
“I have been interested in entertaining since I was 16,” Wagner said. “I learned to play the guitar by myself, and I’d play coffee houses and clubs while I was going to school. I did some plays at school and I continued to do so when I went to college. But I also gave some thought to becoming a pro golfer. I eventually picked acting because I was offered an acting scholarship.”
Wagner attended a junior college and the University of Missouri before transferring to the University of Arizona. After graduating in 1982, Wagner headed for Los Angeles. He did a guest spot on “Knot’s Landing,” did some commercial work and appeared on a cable soap opera before landing the role of Frisco, the rock ‘n’ roller with heart.
“The singing part came through `General Hospital,’ ” Wagner said. “After I got the role, (executive producer) Gloria Monty introduced me to (producer) Quincy Jones. He signed me to his record label. I’m very lucky to be in such good company.” Through Jones’ connections, Wagner got a cameo part in Frank Sinatra’s video “L.A. Is My Lady.”
“Frank and I didn’t exactly lift weights together,” Wagner joked. “He wasn’t anywhere near me when my segments were shot, which is just as well because I would’ve been so nervous that I would have undoubtedly made a fool of myself.”
Next week, Wagner will be back on the set of “General Hospital.” But on Sunday, fans will see the singer inside the actor. (Tickets for the 7:30 show are $13.95; call 734-7266.)
