Customer Reviews

Late, Late at Night

5 star:		(90)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

Having been a Rick Springfield fan since the early '80s, I would have slogged through even a lousy, ghost-written memoir, which is what I was expecting. Far from a positively-spun tale of Springfield's life, the book tells everything, portraying its author in a pretty negative light throughout, but allowing redemption in the end. Better still, it's written with humor and pathos, and was truly a pleasure to read.

Obviously, this book appeals most to Springfield's fans, but it's an excellent story of the struggle to make it in professional music and to survive the ravages of clinical depression.

This work reads somewhere between the self deprecation of a Augusten Burroughs memoir sprinkled with the likeness of a young David Cooperfield, and the required, sloppy fornication of a compulsive Hollywood Sex Rat which is expected in a celebrity biography. Throughout various identifiable life experiences Springfield empathetically and humorously supports the reader through a blitzkrieg of emotions by exemplifying no matter how good or bad his life got, it could always get worse, and did get worse, through the extortion of his own being.

Springfield's endeavor of what we call life is interesting and noteworthy; his struggles are real, his triumphs are complicated, his screw ups are selfish, and his tragedies are somber. His writing voice is familiar, comfortable, and full of raw talent. His ability to offer opportunities for sadness, shock, laughter, loathe (mostly towards him), and everything else in between, is generous and only extracts a sublime pathos from the reader.

His story is one that is most basic in the human form and because of that, it is just that, a story of a human being that begins with desperation and ends with life, peace, hope, and the reader wanting more.

Buy it, read it, take the ride, you'll like it.

Yes I am a child of the 80's and have flipped around to read those sections first. It is funny, sad and touching. As a fan I am disappointed on his repeated infidelities and character flaws, but unfortunately that is the norm (especially in entertainment) these days. I do appreciate the music and have always loved his songwriting most of all. The book is a great read and may shock at times. He has had a great career, one that has been repeatedly dismissed, ironically by those who have achieved a fraction of the success Springfield has. He deserves respect for his many talents and for being brutally honest about his shortcomings.

To this day, every time Rick Springfield (or, okay, Bruce Springsteen) are mentioned in front of my grandmother she asks me, "Is he the one from the mall?" What she refers to is the time that, after seeing Mr. Springfield at Pine Knob the night before, she took me shopping and somehow he ends up at the same mall, at the same store where I was, but not quite at the same time. Yep, the health food store where I'd just discussed him with the clerk earlier due to the big honkin' concert shirt I was wearing. I found this out from Faye at the hair salon, returned back to the health food store, and asked the clerk, "is it true?" but the still dazed look on her face said it all. I scoured that mall, hyperventilating.

Okay, actually let me just get all the fangirl stuff out of the way so that I can be a semi-serious reviewer. There were posters. There was listening to Jessie's Girl on the stereo, but reluctantly turning it off because it was time for General Hospital -- and there was a hunky new doctor. (Yeah, well.) There was my brainstorming with my friend Terri to come up with a new verse for Living In Oz for some contest. There was sleeping in front of the TV to not miss the next showing of Hard to Hold -- pre-VCR, you know? Just, whatever stereotype you can think of concerning the rich fantasy life of a teen girl as it concerns a musician.

Since I'm sharing, there was the time a handful of years ago when I was shopping at K-Mart and Don't Talk To Strangers came on. I thought, "wow, how cool -- in my day, they played my mother's music here." Then, it hit me -- they were still playing someone's mother's music -- namely the kids who were the same age as I was when Don't Talk to Strangers came out. In case I missed the message, I found myself at a RS concert at the park and looked around at all the screaming middle-aged women -- who were, you know, my age. Think the scene in the Brady Bunch movie when the teachers storm the stage when Davy Jones showed up.

That.

So, anyhow, he wrote a book. A -- and you have to trust me that there is very little fangirl in this -- quite poignant and well-written book that's largely about a lifelong battle with depression that I think that anyone with their own dark voice can recognize as quite candid. He pulled no punches in talking about the mistakes he's made along the way and how part of him felt a need to tear down what he built almost as fast as he could build it up.

I imagine a lot of people who are and were fans of his are going to read this for perhaps a nostalgia kick or because they have memories like the ones I mentioned. They might have fallen in love with him or his music as teens, but they'll read this as adults and really relate to his struggles to hold it all together. I think of what an insecure kid I was, looking in the mirror and not feeling good enough, but thinking of this singer as perfection -- as someone I couldn't imagine ever having real doubts. So, as an adult it's a revelation to read about his childhood and teens and how he had his own insecurities that didn't dissolve even when he was on top of the world.

I think that what carries through the book, what allows the reader to keep siding with him even when he messes up a lot, other than knowing what depression does, is his clear and deep love of his family and of dogs. No, seriously. This guy has this amazing connection to dogs and I'm one of those people who can never find a person like that all bad. I tweeted this quote yesterday:

"At this young age I am already sold on the idea of the dog. One of God's absolutely greatest inventions and one that needs no more tinkering. The dog is the perfect beast, companion, friend, shoulder to lean on, and scapegoat when too many cookies are missing. And a dog won't hold that against you, either. I am at peace sitting in silence with a dog."

I know, right?! Right there was why I could read long passages where he made the wrong decisions and still be firmly in his corner, convinced that he was not a total a-hole.

The book also allowed that dorky teen in me to get over that moment when I opened The National Enquirer to see the headline "Rock Star's Secret Marriage." His wife is truly amazing and clearly his soul mate to have stuck with him and his demons. Also, you have to look at the pictures of her, because this woman has found the fountain of youth.

Of course Late, Late At Night is great for fans, but it's also a terrific book for anyone who's battled with depression: that voice that says that everything you have is built on sand. When he discusses this he's not Rick Springfield Up On A Stage, but a human being telling the truth of his life and his struggles. Buy it as a fan with your own memories and stories, but you'll come away from it with a different perspective on your own life and a better understanding of the man

I also want to mentioned the author has a rather sharp sense of humor, a little crisp, and I found myself laughing pretty hard on several occasions.

Now I have another reason to be a fan. I saw a clip -- maybe the Today Show -- in which he mentioned wanting to write fiction. I'd love to read a novel by the author, or even a short story, as he clearly has writing talent. Followers have always known this, but Late, Late At Night reinforces it! If I hadn't been a fan before, this book would have made me one without a doubt.

5 stars.

I bought the Audio for this book. It was the first audio book I have gotten. I was amazed, it was like he was reading the book just to me. Almost he was just talking to me and telling me his life store. It is wonderfully done!!!! I thought I loved and respected this man before, after this book, even more so now. He is honest, heartwarming, and what a sense of humor. To see where he started and where he is now in his life is amazing. He gives us all hope, no matter how bad things get, it will get better. Fan or not, this is a great read. Thanks Rick for opening up to us all.

I remember turning on "General Hospital" one day (it was my favorite soap along with 12 million other daily viewers as it was the #1 rated show) and saw a new hearthrob named Dr Noah Drake. Not only could the guy act, but he was extremely good-looking. It wasn't long before I picked up some soap magazines and discovered who the guy playing Noah was. He was none other than the author of this highly insightful memoir, Rick Springfield. For a whole generation of people who watched soaps in the early eighties and who listened to music, Rick Springfield was the ultimate rock star. He had it all.

In this very candid and long-awaited biography, Rick takes us on the journey of his fascinating life. Born in Austrailia, Rick was always impressed with music. He also loved to write his own material and it wasn't long before he started his own band and began playing for Vietnam vets. Eventually, his music took him to Los Angeles where he had his first mega hit called "Speak To The Sky" that went to #14 on Billboard, but because of poor management and trouble at various record labels Rick found his singing career stalled. To pay the bills he began taking acting lessons and it wasn't long before he started popping up on various network primetime shows like "The Six Million Dollar Man" and "The Hardy Boys". Eventually, by 1980 Rick had signed with giant RCA Records and in 1981 he began his most famous role on "General Hospital". Rick became one of the few soap stars in North America to have a career on the small screen while having huge hits on Billboard, most notably his self-penned "Jessie's Girl" that would win him a Grammy. Gloria Monty, the executive producer who hired him, had no idea he was even a singer until Rick was cast in the role.

In these pages of "Late, Late at Night" Rick takes us through his amazing journey. Just when America thought he had everything Rick had been suffering for years with depression, something that has plagued him his whole life. Most shocking in these pages is how Rick dealt with that depression. While most deal with dark moments and mood swings by drowning themselves in alcohol or drugs, Rick became addicted to sex with women. He discusses how he always felt good after sleeping with the opposite sex (sometimes two or more a night) as having orgasms made him feel alive and needed. While battling his depression and addiction and dealing with thoughts of suicide Rick had to pull himself together, memorize thirty pages of dialogue daily for the soap, embark on constant touring on the weekends to promote his singles for the record company, all the while maintaining his personal life. He became involved with his current wife in 1980 who knew of his infidelities, yet stood by him and helped him overcome his shortcomings.

After leaving "General Hospital" Rick starred in his first motion picture called "Hard To Hold" where he played a rock star. However, both critics and fans panned the film and it wasn't long before Rick realized he had to stop everything in his career and get help with his life-long illness.

An extremely well-written book, "Late, Late at Night" will satisfy the most ardent of biography enthusiasts, while at the same time pleasing all of Rick's fans. It not only is an excellent bio, but a well-written account on someone's struggle with depression, an illness that has been hidden too long because most are ashamed they are inflicted with such a disorder. Rick writes how he copes with his problem, and how he has successfully won his battle with it.

"Late, Late at Night" peaked at #10 on the New York Times Best Sellers List on October 29, 2010 in the Hardcover Non-Fiction category.

From the second you read the first page of this book, you know Rick did not use a ghost writer (at least, a fan of his music would know). His witty and wry writing style you can appreciate from his music is smeared all over his book. He's funny. He's brutally, brutally honest and open. He swears a lot, but most appropriately. He has the funniest one-liners that made me chuckle many times throughout the book.

Over half the book is dedicated to Rick's 'backstory' before making it big in the 80s. He had already lived a full life: he had travelled the world with his family when they moved to London from Australia for a couple of years, he had a successful music career in Austrailia, and had a successful music career in the US, prior to being dropped by his label. Then, in his early 30s, he meets his future wife, lands a job on General Hospital, and signs with RCA to record an album - all within the same year!

Rick was quite the ladies man. I tried to do the math as I read along...maybe 1000 or more conquests (and a large percentage of them were during the time he was in a relationship/married to his current wife Barbara). She knew about his cheating from day one, but stayed with him because they were truly soul mates. They made it work.

Rick was very candid about his sexual exploitations and even dishes some dirt about some Hollywood parties, but not that much. He dropped some names here and there (he dated Linda Blair of the Exorcist fame for a year or two), but that stuff was quite minimal.

But, I think why Rick didn't really dish about the Hollywood scene and life on the set of GH is because his book was about HIS journey with depression, troubles with cheating, and his spirtual growth/maturity. It didn't make his book any less interesting, it just made it different than the usual gossip-fest.

What was most touching in Rick's book was the memories of his Dad, his dogs and a young friend he met in Las Vegas named Sahara. He was very curious about death his whole life, and wrote about death in a lot of his songs.

Rick's relationships with his dog Ronnie (featured on his first two RCA albums) and his dog Gomer were very special...he called them his soul mates. He ended the book quite nicely with a tribute to the dogs of his life.

Any fan of Rick Springfield will gobble up this book. I think even non-fans will enjoy it just to read his colourful stories about travel, women and Mr. Darkness (his name he gave to his depression).

Rick is truly a gifted, gifted songwriter - and now I think he can add gifted author to his resume, as well.

OK, this is truly an amazing book. And I'm not only writing this because I have been a Rick Springfield fan since I was 7 years old (which means I have been a fan for 29 years).

I did of course intend to read this book no matter what, but I never expected to love this book as much as I did. What a deep and honest book this turned out to be. Auto Biographies are my favorite books to read, but a lot of them (most of them) are long and boring and drawn out and don't make be feel any depth from the author. But this book did.

Rick Springfield was and still is a very big star. Non fans (which won't exist after the world reads his book) remember him from his hit song "Jessie's Girl" from the 80's and his short time on the soap opera "General Hospital," where he stared as Dr. Noah Drake. But, his fans know him from his continuous hit music that isn't just good, but amazing and heartfelt.
He continuously hit the charts with popular radio songs such as the former mentioned "Jessie's Girl," as well as songs like "Affair Of The Heart," "I've Done Everything For You," "Don't Talk To Strangers," "Love Somebody," "I Get Excited," "Alyson," "State of the Heart," "What Kind of Fool Am I?" "Calling All Girls," Love is Alright Tonight," "Human Touch," Kristina," "Living in Oz," etc.. And that is just to mention some. Clearly he has never been a "one hit wonder." There are also so many other songs that are so much better than the radio hits, such as "My Father's Chair," which has a very personal meaning to Rick being that it is about his father. My personal favorites happen to be "Inside Silvia," "Carry Me Away," and "Jesus Saves White Trash."'

After reading Rick's book, you won't be able to wait to listen to all of his songs again, so that you can tear apart the meaning. Rick explains in his book how all of his songs are basically about personal experiences, and it makes all of his music that much better to listen to.

He talks openly and honestly about his suicide attempt, his depression, his continuous infidelity to his wife for well over half of their marriage, his discomfort in his own skin etc... After reading this book you feel raw and emotional, because you realize you have just read the most honest auto biography that has ever been written. You feel guilty adoring him more after reading his book because of all of his indiscretions, but you just can't help it. He portrays himself in such a vunerablel manner that you just feel a need to protect him. It is clear in reading this book that Rick Springfield is a perfectly human man who struggles through his life no matter how famous he gets, no matter how much money he has (or loses), and no matter how many girls throw themselves at him.

I happen to have an autographed copy of this book, because I just had it signed by Rick in October when he did a signing in Beverly Hills, Ca at the Saban Theatre. It also happened to be my 4th time meeting him. He loves his fans, and is very warm when meeting every one of them. It is why his fans are so dedicated.

There is not one person in this would that should miss reading this book. You will visualize a truly humble man who is willing to be honest in order to get himself, as I perceive, to a more peaceful and spiritual place in his life.

This is a great & honest memoir by the Australian-born rock star Rick Springfield (real name Richardd Springthorpe) titled, "Late, Late at Night". As a largely teens's idol, Rick Springfield rose to fame in 1980s with ketchy tunes such as "Jessie's Girl" (which won him a Grammy Award), "I've Done Everything For You", "Don't Talk To Strangers" & many more. He however also released classic hits, "Love Somebody", "Rock Of Life", "State Of The Heart" & "Honeymoon In Beirut", appeared in TV shows ('General Hospital' was a no.1 show on TV, him acting as the handsome dr. Noah Drake) & in various films. His rise to fame was however a hard & difficult one in the music industry in Australia, UK and US. With persistance, Rick Springfield finally cracked it in the music industry but the ride was not a smooth one (losing his investments, his family house which was bought by another Aussie Mel Gibson, money & being fired by record companies).

Rick Springfield in this candid memoir, outlines not only his rise to fame & fortune well in an easy way to read, but as well as his fall/dark side of his life : his infedilities as a rock artist on the road, his shortcomings as a human being & his lifelong battle with depression. He is very grateful for the support he received from his loving wife of 26 years Barbara & his two sons as well as his quest for a peaceful spiritual life that aided him during the battle with depression/his dark days! Despite the ups & downs in his life, the book ends with a higher note (his depression under control, thanks to excellent psychological counseling that he no longer require Prozac & musical conqest rocketing up again)!

Overall, this is an honest autobiography, written in rock star language but easy to follow, showing the fallability of all of us including pop/rock stars (Rick Springfield), him managing to get through his weaknesses with the support of loved ones (Better Love Somebody), a highly recommended reading.

It's been said be careful if you meet your heroes. You can love the artist but may not like the person. With Late, Late at Night you get to meet both the artist and the person. The artist is a brilliant guitar player, singer, songwriter, and performer. The person is not too different from the rest of us - full of hopes, dreams, faults, and failures. While Rick's song lyrics over the years have given us a little glimpse into his real life, the book lays it all out. Fans only interested in the image, may not appreciate the brutal honesty in this book. His life events are funny, sad, sarcastic, hopeful - but always interesting. His writing style spans from whimsical and self-depricating to (dare I say) thought provoking and spiritual. For someone who's been sometimes labeled as "bubble gum", Rick and his life are anything but. As a lifelong fan, I can say that I was actually releaved that my "hero" - this cool good looking chick magnet rocker dude - had trouble making friends, meeting girls, hated school, fought depression....real issues we all struggle with. It's definately a good entertaining read for fans or just those who want to take a ride in the life of a rock star. In the end, I think you may actually appreciate the man as much as the artist.