David Cassidy on the Web
He's More Than Happy
David Cassidy is enjoying his most fruitful, satisfying decade ever
February 22, 2007
By Mark Voger
www.app.com
Don't go betting your "Partridge Family" lunchbox that David Cassidy will ever play Keith Partridge again.
But Cassidy gladly revisits the songs he once sang as Keith on the 1970-74 musical sitcom that launched his career.
"Any time you're doing things that have a positive impact on the world, in a way, it celebrates a time and the work that you did and the impact it had," Cassidy says.
"Especially back when there were only three major networks - as opposed to what's going on today, where things are so fragmented and the audience is so fragmented. I think when people think of me and the impact I had on them, it comes largely from their initial relationship with me from the television show. I'm really proud of that. I love the music and have celebrated it on and off for more than 30 years."
Perhaps the most "Partridge"-esque event Cassidy participated in was to sing "Come On, Get Happy" with co-star (and stepmother) Shirley Jones to open the 2003 TV Land Awards. Was it like a family reunion?
"I suppose in some ways, it seemed that way," Cassidy says of the broadcast.
"Rob Reiner and most of the people who were backstage, we hadn't seen each other in quite a long time. Rob and I did a movie together in '89 ("The Spirit of '76'). A lot of the people may have been on television around the same time, but we didn't know each other."
Cassidy sang such memorable early-'70s hits as "I Think I Love You" and "Doesn't Somebody Want to be Wanted." He rebooted his career in the early '90s and hasn't looked back since.
Cassidy recalls that at the time, he had returned to America from London's West End and was writing songs (including one recorded by Asia that Cassidy co-wrote with his wife, Sue Shifrin). After playing demos on a radio show in Los Angeles, Cassidy received three offers to record a new album.
"That was quite remarkable in itself," he says.
Cassidy made a deal, recorded a self-titled album and was garnering airplay when bad luck hit.
"The album came out, and within 30 days, the record company had gone Chapter 11," Cassidy recalls.
"So right when it was, I believe, about ready to happen, there was no record company. Nothing. They boarded up the doors, they took all the computers and there was just an empty office there - no employees, no promotion, no nothing. So it was very disappointing, obviously, for me.
"I picked myself up and dusted myself off. I did go out on tour, just to say to the fans who have been so supportive of me, "I don't have a record company anymore, but I still can play.' It was a very interesting time for me, a real transitional time."
Things began picking up for Cassidy. In 1993, he wrote the theme for NBC's "The John Larroquette Show" and began performing in "Blood Brothers" on Broadway with brother Shaun Cassidy.
"Playing that role, for me, was quite a significant step," he says.
Success in Vegas
Through the early '00s, Las Vegas became Cassidy's base of operations. He successfully retooled "EFX"; wrote and produced "The Rat Pack is Back"; and produced and starred in "At the Copa." Cassidy returned to touring in 2001.
"It's been, by far, the most fruitful decade and the most satisfying in so many ways," he says.
The singer is asked how many performances he's given in musical theater.
"It would be hard for me to try and put it all together," he says with a chuckle, "but I know I did over 2,000 in Las Vegas in six years. I did over 700 in "Blood Brothers' alone. So I would have to think it's in excess of 3,000. From a concert standpoint, I would have no way of knowing. It's in the thousands, though."
With so many performances, does it ever feel like a job?
"I do it because I love to do it, not because it's a job," says Cassidy, who will perform Saturday in Red Bank.
"I mean, if this is a job, it's one I could do 9 to 5. But I get to do it when I want to, where I want to. Going out and playing is really fun for me. It's not a job, it's a gift. It's like, "Wow, I get to do this again. Isn't this cool?'
"I don't have any set patter. Never have. I've never done the same show twice. I get to play with it. I get to mix it up. Because - I don't know how many albums I've made, but it's over 20. When you have that much material to draw from - pick your songs, pick your era, pick your decade. Pull one out of here, pull one out of there. It gives you a certain amount of creativity. I feel very fortunate to have that. Quite honestly, it's never been as much fun as it is now."
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