David Cassidy on the Web
David Cassidy enthusiastic about Valentine's show
Former teen sensation recalls busy youth, will play Friday at Grand Falls
February 12, 2014
By Scott Hudson
www.argusleader.com
David Cassidy will play Friday at Grand Falls.
What: David Cassidy
When: 8 p.m. Friday
Where: Grand Falls Casino near Larchwood, Iowa
Tickets: $25 and $30 for the 21 and older show at 877-511-4386, the casino's gift shop or at grandfallscasinoresort.com
You have to be ready to interview former "Partridge Family" heartthrob David Cassidy. Instead of the usual introductory niceties, Cassidy immediately launches into how he can't wait to get back on the road.
Cassidy, who will perform Friday at the Grand Falls Casino, says he rarely tours in the early months of the year but is anxious to get back out there since he hasn't played since November. "It will be great to get back on the road and play," he says. "I'm looking forward to coming. It's Valentine's Day, and I'm rather romantic. A lot of my songs are romantic as well."
Nobody can argue with that statement, as the vast majority of Cassidy's hits, whether as a member of the Partridge Family ("I Think I Love You," "I Woke Up in Love This Morning") or as a solo artist ("Cherish," "Could It Be Forever"), deal with that universal topic.
All of those records, and many others, were the soundtracks for kids of a certain age in the early 1970s. Just like Justin Bieber and Miley Cyrus these days, Cassidy was a phenomenon impossible to ignore, even to those who just a few years later somehow became punk or metal fans. Cassidy says he's heard similar sentiments for most of his adult life.
"In order to take a shower, you know how you have to stick your hand in the water? Suddenly you get interested in music, and the people who influenced you the most in the beginning can lead you to all kinds of places," he says. "I've talked to wonderful musicians who watched my show, and what we did had a great impact on them."
Yet at the height of his fame, Cassidy says he wasn't able to live the life most of his fans expected from him. Despite being young, good looking and having hit records and a TV show, he simply wasn't able to live the life of a young star.
"I worked 18 hours a day, seven days a week. I had no social life whatsoever," he says. "I recorded at night and did the show until 7:10 in the evening. That was the law. They had to let me go at 7:10. I'd drive over the hill, and by 7:30, I was recording in the studio until 11:30 or so."
Cassidy's fame, however, did allow him to meet many of his idols. Having picked up the guitar the day after The Beatles appeared on "Ed Sullivan," it was a dream come true for him to have befriended each of them over the years.
"I became very good friends with John Lennon and Yoko Ono," he says. "I played with John a few times and really loved him, and I miss his spirit and his voice. His voice in our culture and our society was so powerful, and he was the most dedicated man I ever met when it came to stopping violence and war in the world.
"He was also the most sensitive man I ever met. He wore his heart on his sleeve."
The conversation continues, and Cassidy's stream of conscious chatter jumps from Harry Nilsson to the Cowsills to his psychiatrist to the music that initially inspired him (Duke Ellington, Cole Porter). And then returns back to his upcoming local appearance.
"I promise that I'll give you the very best performance that I can possibly give you, as I always have," Cassidy says. "I think my purpose in life is to bring joy and happiness, and that's how I became me and had the impact that I've had on a couple of generations."
Without taking a breath, Cassidy surprisingly cuts the interview short. "I apologize, but I have to go," he says. "I'm already late. God bless you, buddy."
