On the eve of reprising his role as Dr. Noah Drake on General Hospital, I was fortunate enough to be able to cover Rick Springfield's concert at the Nokia Theater in New York City. Almost four years have passed, and this amazing talent is still rocking and rolling and entertaining his legion of loyal fans - and as you know, I am a major one! I had the opportunity to again go to the Nokia Theater on April 3 to catch up with Rick as he prepared for his sold out concert that night. While Karen (a Soaptown photographer) and I waited in the VIP Green Room at the Nokia to speak with Rick, he was doing the sound check for the show later that night. As Karen and I chatted on the couch, Rick just walked in, sat down on the ottoman in front of us, introduced himself and we were off!

First of all, let me start by saying how amazing he looks - this man is in his fifties and looks much younger - he is as handsome as ever, in great shape (how else could he do these concerts?) and has the most beautiful eyes that look right at you when you're speaking to him. I thanked him for taking time out of his busy schedule to talk with us and then asked Rick about his new CD called "My Precious Little One." This album contains lullabies that Rick wrote when his sons were babies and he had put them away, but recently realized they could be listened to and enjoyed by people today. He didn't actually write them thinking he would someday record and release them, but he has and having heard some of them myself, let me tell you they are beautiful. I told Rick that it almost seems like the songs are a love letter to his fans who are now mothers and grandmothers. Rick's own sons are now in their twenties; the oldest is twenty-three and a budding actor and musician, and the youngest, who is twenty, is a drummer but is focusing on the business side of music. 

I asked Rick about his other new CD, "Venus In Overdrive," and if you haven't bought or listened to one of Rick's CD's in a while, this is the one to get. It is fantastic! As I mentioned to Rick, it has a bit of an "80's feel" to it, much like his breakthrough album, "Working Class Dog."  Rick agreed, and noted that it was written as a bunch of songs that were fun to play, short, catchy, and easy to reproduce live. It is all that and more. The "Venus in Overdrive" album also marks the first time that Rick has collaborated with another songwriter, and this time out, it was with Matt Bissonette, Rick's longtime bass player. This album is dedicated to two special people who are no longer with us: Phyllis Bissonette (Matt's mother) and Sahara Aldredge. As Rick's fans know, Sahara was the young girl who had a brain tumor, and she and her family became very close to Rick. This beautiful girl lost her battle and there is a song on the album called "Saint Sahara." Rick didn't mind talking about Sahara, so I asked him how her family was doing. He told us an amazing story that reminds us that people may leave us but there are always angels looking down. Sahara's Mom was in New York City for one of Rick's concerts and she happened to be in Central Park. Out of nowhere, a man came walking towards her, wearing a shirt that simply read "Sahara." I got goose bumps after hearing this. Sahara was a strong spirit in life and even stronger now that she's gone.
    
I had joked to Rick that Karen was a "virgin" when it came to seeing him in concert. I mention to Karen what a party atmosphere the concerts can be, and Karen said if it was anything like the 2006 Emmy's when Rick opened the show, it would be fabulous. Speaking of those Emmy's, I told Rick we actually had seen him at the dinner held after the show. He was so gracious that night, taking the time to pose for pictures and talking to the fans. I also had the chance to meet his beautiful wife, Barbara, with whom he will be celebrating his twenty-fifth wedding anniversary this year. He just gushed about her when I brought her name up and said that she was the best person he had ever met and that she was responsible for a lot of the good things in his life. 

If you have ever attended a Rick Springfield concert, there are two things you can be certain of: He will be in the audience with you at some point, and bouquets of flowers will be destroyed! I asked Rick how this flower-smashing ritual got started and he said that it began when he was playing a solo on the edge of the stage one night and a girl kept pushing flowers into his hand. He was playing and couldn't take them, so he finally grabbed them and started beating the guitar with the bouquet. The fans loved it and thus, a new tradition was born. Rick's connection to the fans is playing live, and his concerts are amazing. He performs more shows than anyone I can think of, year-round, although the dates are mostly on the weekends so that the band can be with their families. I did ask Rick what still motivates him to continue to write and perform after all these years and the answer was pretty simple. He loves to do it. It's always a new day, and he is still hungry for it and always has been. Rick acknowledged that he has the best fans in the world, as the booklet included with the "Venus in Overdrive" CD shows. The inner sleeve is filled with pages of pictures of Rick and his fans. 

Since we are a soap opera website, I did ask Rick about Dr. Noah Drake on General Hospital. Since Noah is now a grandfather, could we expect to see him meet his granddaughter Emma anytime soon? Unfortunately there are no scheduled airdates anytime soon, Rick tells me, but did mention that there could be some other TV irons in the fire. I also thought that a "quick lightning round" would be a good way to end this interview and some of Rick's answers came as a surprise:
      

Favorite Music other than Rock & Roll: Show Tunes. Rick was raised on musicals like "South Pacific," "Carousel" and "Oklahoma!" I was reminded that Rick had done 
"Smokey Joe's Cafe" on Broadway years ago and I think we need to get him back to the Great White Way immediately.
Favorite city or vacation spot: Italy.
Favorite food: His wife Barbara's cooking.
Favorite thing to do to relax: Sitting in a Jacuzzi with a glass of wine.
The one person he would like to meet or perform with: He said he had really met everyone then mentioned the late John Lennon - but he's not in a rush to meet him just yet.
Ten years from now I hope to: Have written the best song in the universe. His drive as a songwriter is to better his craft as a writer.
The one wish for his children: For them to find and pursue their passion.
The one thing he regrets: Not finishing high school.
The Oprah experience: Estrogen filled! But she was great and it was a fun experience.
Gomer (Rick's beloved dog who is fourteen):  Hope that he lives another ten years. and Gomer has his own Facebook page so check it out!
His guilty pleasure is: "South Park."
The title of my autobiography would be: Laughing, he said, "The Little Twerp From The Outback Makes Good!"

I'd safely say that this "little twerp" did very good! Husband, father, rock star, actor, idol, and icon all describe this genuinely warm and generous man. It was a pleasure to have the chance to talk with him and I know he will continue to entertain us for years to come.

And after a break of a few hours and still on a cloud from interviewing Rick, Karen and I headed back to the Nokia Theater to attend Rick's sold out concert, where legions fans attending were ready to party as usual. The show opened with "What's Victoria's Secret" from the "Venus in Overdrive" CD and he continued to rock the house for ninety non-stop minutes (including an encore) as he tore through twenty of his hit singles and songs from the new album. The energy Rick has when he performs is truly amazing and Karen (at her first Rick concert) got to witness first-hand what a terrific show he does as well as the rituals that are always present, i.e., the bouquets of flowers thrown to Rick that he uses to play the guitar, and his leap into the audience. Rick's concerts are still the most entertaining and fun to attend and they just keep getting better and better!

Very Special Thanks to Rick for taking time out from his busy day to talk with us. Huge thanks to Alana Mulford for making it happen again, and to Rafe and Christina Parvu.
        
   
     Visit Rick Springfield on the web:
    www.rickspringfield.com
         

By: Rhonda Shumsky
Photos by: Karen Smoczkiewiz and other various sources