Beyond ‘Jessie’s Girl’ Rick Springfield set to play Vt. State Fair tonight
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Rick Springfield plays his guitar while holding a bouquet of flowers from his fans during a performance at The China Club in New York in 2005. The Associated Press |
Toolbox
By Jane Teeling
Herald Correspondent - Published: September 8, 2010
If the 1981 hit “Jessie’s Girl” is the last you heard of Rick Springfield, you might want to play catch-up.
That iconic ‘80s tune was just one of 17 Top 40 hits recorded by the Australian-born rocker. Ever since, he’s been cutting albums on the regular and performing 100 plus shows a year – and his next stop is the Vermont State Fairgrounds in Rutland at 7 tonight.
Springfield’s diehard fans – and there are many of them – insist his music, performances and image are evergreen. They may be right. Fit and looking good in a tight sleeveless shirt, Springfield continues to give high-octane concerts all over the world.
Released in 2008, his latest album, Venus in Overdrive, debuted on Billboard at No. 28 – his highest chart position since the mid-’80s. Songs like “What’s Victoria’s Secret” and “One Passenger” run on modern pop harmonies while “Who Killed Rock and Roll?” and the album’s title song push heavy guitar rifts that reinforce Springfield’s classic denim-and-leather image.
The secret to Springfield’s longevity might be his self-deprecating rock star persona, as fans of the Showtime series “Californication” will recall from Season 3 when he guest starred as a hyperbolized, skirt-chasing version of himself. He was funny – and believable.
More of waggish Rick can be read when his memoir, “Late, Late at Night,” hits bookstores on Oct. 12. In it, the man whose dreamy visage once graced many a teenage girl’s bedroom posters writes candidly about self-doubt and a lifelong battle with depression.
Come November, he’ll set sail on the third annual Rick Springfield & Friends Cruise, a five-day nautical jaunt from Miami to the Bahamas. 2011 will see the release of “Affair of the Heart,” a documentary about Rick’s relationships with his fans. All proof that there’s a lot to look forward to when you’re 60 – and a rock star.
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