
Hearts still throb for
'70s star David Cassidy
Feb
23, 2007
Frank Halperin
CourierPostOnline.com
David Cassidy's fans have never had to think about
whether they love him -- they know they do.
The love affair began in 1970, when Cassidy began playing
Keith Partridge, the oldest son and resident heartthrob on
The Partridge Family.
With each episode, he led his sitcom family (headed by Shirley
Jones, his real-life stepmother) in song -- joyful bubblegum
pop like "I Think I Love You," "I Woke Up In
Love This Morning," "Doesn't Somebody Want To Be
Wanted" -- which soon sparked mass hysteria among America's
young and innocent.
They loved him. Their appreciation knew no limits.
They begged their parents to buy them tickets to see Cassidy
in concert, which helped him sell out Madison Square Garden
and the Houston Astrodome -- as well as arenas around the
world. The pubescent appetites were insatiable.
Everything they owned was Davidized: the lunchboxes, the
bedroom posters, the paperback scrapbooks . . . the kids of
America (and beyond) helped make him the No. 1 teen idol of
the 1970s.
And they still love him! At 56, Cassidy continues to get
fans happy.
The pukka shells and the shag locks may be gone, but his
enthusiasm for creating and performing have not waned -- and
neither has his popularity, as new generations of fans continue
to discover his work.
On Tuesday, David Cassidy Part.II: The Remix (180 Music)
will be released exclusively to Target stores nationwide.
The CD showcases such Cassidy-driven Partridge Family hits
as "Point Me In The Direction Of Albuquerque," "I'll
Meet You Halfway" -- and, of course, "I Think I
Love You" -- mixed to contemporary dance beats.
Recently, on the phone from his home in Fort Lauderdale,
Fla., Cassidy spoke about the new CD and his appearances tonight
at the Commerce Bank Arts Centre in Sewell and Saturday at
the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank.
Q: How do you look back on your Partridge Family years, and
your years as a teen idol?
A: I was working seven days a week, 16 to 18 hours a day,
for five years. I worked all day on The Partridge Family set,
and all night recording Partridge Family songs, as well as
my solo records. On the weekends,I'd be out doing concerts.
I've always loved working. I've always loved what I do. My
work is what's always driven me -- not the fame, not the money.
Yet I know the impact I've had on our culture. When you're
on the cover of every magazine in the world -- from Life to
Rolling Stone, and there are thousands of people everywhere
you go, you're obviously conscious of the impact you've had.
Now, more than ever, it comes back to me in spades. The amount
of goodwill that's shown by people whose lives I've been fortunate
to touch means more to me now than ever before. To know that
you've inspired people, and made them happy -- that's always
been my job, and that's the beauty of it.
Q: Tell me about your latest CD, David Cassidy Part II. The
Remix.
A: It's by far the most daring and exciting project I've
done in quite a few years. It's a contemporary record -- people
have described it as having a "house music" sound.
My son (Beau, who's 16) and two of his friends were here when
I got the first mastered copy of it. I said to them, "I
want you guys to be honest. Tell me what you think of this."
And all three of them said, "Man, that's pretty cool!"
Q: What do you remember about growing up in New Jersey?
I have a lot of great memories. My parents (actor Jack Cassidy
and actress Evelyn Ward) divorced when I was 5 years old,
and I lived in West Orange with my mom and my grandparents
until I was 11.
I would spend several weeks during the summer visiting my
father, who was doing summer stock theater in Lambertville,
and in Bucks County, Pa. My mom was also doing summer stock
in Lambertville, and she, my grandparents and I would go down
to the shore on the West Coast, everyone calls it "the
beach," here they call it "the shore" -- we'd
go to Asbury Park, Belmar and Red Bank. I also remember my
uncle and my mother took me for a summer weekend in Cape May.
I have a lot of great summmertime memories in New Jersey,
as opposed to two-feet-of-snow memories.
Q: In addition to the songs people would remember from The
Partridge Family, what can audiences expect to hear at your
Jersey shows?
A: I'll be taking people on a musical journey. I'll be doing
some acoustic songs . . . in the 1970s, I got to know John
Lennon quite well, and played music with him. We'd play early
Beatles' songs -- I'd do Paul McCartney's parts -- and I think
I may do a few of them, as well as some songs from my solo
albums, like The Higher They Climb (1975). I think the audiences
will be pleasantly surprised.
Reach Frank Halperin at (856) 486-2920 or fhalperin@courierpostonline.com.
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