David Cassidy on the Web
David Cassidy Indebted To His Fans
May 18, 2011
By Matthew Hoekstra
Richmond Review
www.bclocalnews.com
At the famed HMV Hammersmith Apollo theatre in London, David Cassidy recently celebrated his 61st birthday with a few thousand of his closest friends-his fans.
Cassidy was one of the most celebrated teen idols in history, best known for his role as Keith Partridge in The Partridge Family, whose remarkable career as an entertainer spawned an almost unheard of fan base. He still sings his hits today, and in a wide-ranging telephone interview with The Richmond Review from Florida, a thoughtful Cassidy acknowledged he does it for the fans, even if they've caused him some discomfort.
"Millions of people all over the world have just been so supportive of everything I've done," said Cassidy, who plays River Rock Show Theatre Friday. "Really, I owe so much to them."
David Cassidy was cast as the star of The Partridge Family in 1970, effectively launching his career. Before the first show even aired, he was on the cover of teen magazines and had a No. 1 single, "I Think I Love You." His pop songs made him the world's highest paid solo performer at age 21, and in five years he built the biggest fan club in history.
Cassidy's popularity in the 1970s was unparalleled. His face appeared on lunch boxes and cereal boxes while he sold out stadiums and millions around the world bought his albums.
But the fanaticism of fame weighs heavy on the man who took a break from music for 14 years.
"When I left The Partridge Family I stopped touring, trying to demystify myself from being this-people referring to me as an idol, a demi-god, all these sorts of things, when you're just a human being that's had a blessed and phenomenal career," he said.
"Once you get that label of being an idol, a sex symbol, it inhibits other opportunities you have to be something else or more than that. For the first three, four, five years it was very frustrating, but I did get nominated for an Emmy for a movie I did for television. I think that began to change it-when people saw that I was more than just playing Keith. But although I tried to creatively distance myself from that and do other things, I always embraced the kind of opportunity I had and the fans that have been there for me."
At the height of his fame, Cassidy worked 18 hours a day, seven days a week balancing two music careers-as a solo artist and with The Partridge Family. But he did it because he loved it, and he's not afraid to tell today's would-be stars to "pursue the work" first. Fame will follow.
"If you take a job that has no substance or quality but they pay you a lot of money-I've never done that-that's a trap. You can ruin your entire career, reputation and whatever legacy you have for working for money," he said. "And I would say that to Justin Bieber , as I would have said it to Zac Efron, and I think it's very sad what has occurred in a really talented young actress named Lindsay Lohan ."
Cassidy laments the drive of young artists for fame, regardless of what it's for. That's a theme that plays out on many reality TV shows, a taste of which Cassidy got this year on Donald Trump 's Celebrity Apprentice. Cassidy's appearance was brief-he was the first to go on the elimination-style show-and he's unlikely to do it again given his work in developing a Vegas show and his commitment to Alzheimer's research. His mother Evelyn Ward suffers from the disease and Cassidy is her only surviving relative.
Cassidy's concert Friday could be his last in B.C.-or even Canada. He described the show as being a "musical journey through my entire life that began long before The Partridge Family." Among the artists who inspired Cassidy as a teen were The Beatles, who were the reason Cassidy bought an electric guitar at age 13. He got to know them personally, and was especially drawn to John Lennon . Lennon became a mentor for Cassidy, who believes the late Beatle truly cared about people and wanted to make the world a better place.
"He was willing to escape the trappings of just being a rock star and trying to use his influence in terms of trying to make a difference in the world," he said. "It seems now so trite and sort of insignificant, but if you think about this guy and what he stood for, a lot of what I do has been influenced by the fans and the love and support of having people care. He was very, very aware and appreciative of their impact and his impact. He had such an influence."
Changing the world through music-Cassidy, a self-described optimist, doubts that's possible anymore.
"Truly I think it's rather sad, but our culture is so celebrity obsessed, and it's really now all about scandal, drugs and sex. It seems very superficial to me now. Whereas it wasn't when I was a teenager. Growing up going to school and playing in blues bands and garage bands, I never would have had a chance to become a recording artist."
In Cassidy's case, fate played a role. He landed several TV acting gigs before The Partridge Family came calling.
"It was such an amazing journey, and such an amazing opportunity. I probably would have never been able to learn and work with so many phenomenally talented people."
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David Cassidy
.Friday, May 20 at 8 p.m.
.River Rock Show Theatre
.Tickets, $39.50 to $49.50, at ticketmaster.ca or 604-280-4444
