From what I've read, David Cassidy's fan base is stronger in Europe and in Australia than in North America. Not only that, but he seems to be taken more seriously as a singer by critics overseas than he is at home. If you search for reviews of his recordings, chances are good that the few "real" ones you will find (i.e. not from fans on Amazon) will be on English sites. His album "The Higher they Climb, The Harder they Fall" was voted best LP of the year by readers of Bravo, a German magazine - was it even getting any airplay in North America? It seems he fell out of favor much quicker in North America than in the rest of world.
In North America, the reaction you get when you say "David Cassidy" is more often than not, "Seriously?" Am I mistaken in thinking it would be more favorable elsewhere?
Discuss, if you please.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
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28 comments:
In Sweden, where The Partridge Family was not aired at the time, I don't think people remember him, except women around 50. If he is mentioned, it is as "the biggest teen idol" in the 70:s. Nobody knows of anything he has done since then.
My family and people who knew me back then have reacted very positively when I have told them I have rediscovered him, but my colleagues for example have laughed in a superior manner, just like you describe. I think it is in the UK that he is taken more seriously. Am I right?
Just remembered how angry I was in 1974 after David's concert in Stockholm. The newspaper never wrote about him, but after the concert there was some reviews, and all they wrote about was the hysterical girls who fainted and the fact that he was a commercial product. I was there, in the second row, and I didn't see any hysteria. I was a few girls being lifted over the fence, but my God, did they exaggerate in the papers. That was the first time I realized that what I read in the papers can be completely false! They lied, just like that! A good thing to know of course, David actually helped me to read the papers more critically.
I actually wrote to a teen magazine and asked why it was impossible to talk about his talent, that he was actually a very good singer etc. They replied that nobody had said he wasn't, but it was the commercialism around it all that they critized. I thought OK, but it would still be possible to write about his talent as well.
Thanks for your comment, MaeB. At least your family isn't laughing at you! (Family and/vs David will be meriting its very own entry shortly :-))
David's fan base IS worldwide and this blog has managed to attract readers from a dozen (!) countries so I'm hoping that more readers will chime in. You might be right that it's only in the UK that his talent has gotten its proper due. I recall reading a discussion about a play or show and one of the reviewers dissed the current performer and said it required the likes of a "David Cassidy". I thought I had bookmarked the page but now I can't find it.
It seems like the fact that he doesn't get played on the radio is a big problem in the US. I even continue to hear Rod Stewart songs every now and then from back in the 70s. But I NEVER hear any DC or DC/PF songs. People just aren't aware of his talent, unless they've been following his career. And so when his name is brought up here, most people associate him with PF and his incredible looks, and acknowledge that they liked his voice and some of the PF songs. Then once PF ended, except for the most star-struck fans, they moved on and never gave him a second thought. I know I sure didn't until I learned more about him by seeing the C'Mon Get Happy movie.
Anyone in Britain over the age of 40 would know David Cassidy fan or not. He was THAT famous.
I know you're already aware he was more known here in Britain for his music. The Partridge Family started later in Britain, everyone saw the cute Keith and a following grew. I'd already heard/seen PF when staying in Canada.
He really took off with the music. That's when the fan base went crazy. We had Cherish/Could it be Forever on a double sided record. His first here.
David was touring his concerts here which were mainly his solo records and rock style, just a couple PF tunes. I don't remember any PF hits except I think I love you,I didn't buy any. I'm just going on memory here, not fact. I can remember PF removed from the TV and teens demonstrating the studios asking for them to start showing it again. The TV show was not as big here as it was in the States. The main audience would have been girls, rather than families.
However the music was the main focus for us.
I remember he was annoyed that the media coverage focused on the mania rather than the content.
They did say his voice sounded good though.
Later, when he released Higher They Climb I don't remember much publicity or it doing that well. I did buy it, but a lot of other fans had moved on. I think he was touring Europe(Germany/Holland/France)during this period and had more success there in 1975/76. Most of the YT clips would confirm this.
Australia followed much the same pattern as England.
I think he may have slightly better recognition for his singing here only because people might reflect back and admit he was a good singer after all. However today, the response is more or less the same as in the US/Canada the DC 'seriously' bracket unless your're still a fan.
I think people in Britain know little of what he has achieved in acting/stage work since he went off the radar in the 70's. That's why our press continue to label him
'former teen idol'.
Thanks for your input Mae. That's interesting about exaggeration of the hysteria. I think the press insisted on hyping that. It must have been very frustrating for him.
I have lost touch with the friends who were DC fans growing up. Most of my current friends are either a little older or little younger than me. I have mentioned my new interest in David (not told them I'm obsessed). They remember him fondly but are not interested in going down memory lane. I'm trying though. I keep saying he's such a good singer. Some of his stuff is not what you remember. It's GOOD. One of my friends preferred Donny!
In conclusion he was appreciated here by the fans but not quite so much by the critics. If you need another insight visit cmongethappy, the thread about apology retraction page 8,9, or something (yes, that again). Someone has linked a British newspaper article by a bitch female reporter. I have seen this on the web before, think it is the Telegraph or Times (respected newspapers). There are other articles like this floating around. Female journalists (our age) who were fans but are now trying to twist the knife. Methinks they fancied him and are now taking revenge. Course i they go to interview him and act all silly and bring up his past yet again, I don't expect he was very warm to them. They in turn write nasty stuff based on his reaction to them. The one I mentioned said he had a head like a tortoise. Get your pitchforks ready girls.
I meant to write 'bitchy' not what I wrote. Sorry. Looks like I'm spitting venom. I'm not. We have a lot of these type of female reporters who are always trying to bring people down. They have a chip on their shoulder.
Singmedavid, I know what you mean about never hearing his songs on the radio. Someone brought this up on the C'mon Get Happy board too. Who would play it? The stations are so specialized now and it seems his stuff would fall into "oldies". We don't really have an oldies station where I live. It's classic rock, dance/hip hop or whatever they call it nowadays, jazz and classic. I don't even think there's any station playing standards. I'll be at the supermarket and hear these insipid ballads being piped through and off the top of my head, I can think of ten David Cassidy/PF songs that are more enjoyable. For months now, I've been wanting to ask the store manager where he gets their music. It must be a Muzak-type service. If I do muster up enough nerve to ask the manager for that info, I still need some nerve left over to actually request the songs to the music programmers. There's a part of me that cringes at the thought of them scoffing at my suggestions.
British fan, thank you so much for your input. Harumph. Seems like my assumptions were wrong. He was battling the teen idol brand across the globe. Thanks for setting me straight. And I know the articles to which you are referring and do remember that reporter who likens his profile to a certain reptile. ;-)
MaeB, I forgot to say that your comment about the media exaggerating the hysteria reminded me of that claim in his book of limousines being turned over by fans at New York's Madison Square Garden. Apparently, this never happened. If it did, there certainly would be photographs of it, no?
I've just recalled another memory. I'm thinking about the outrage created in the US when David posed for Rolling Stone. I don't think people were quite so shocked by it here. I wonder whether David's camp tried to cross him over to a more grown up market in England because I can remember some newspaper articles from his heyday here.
I used to read my parents' newspapers without their knowledge to find showbiz type gossip (even though I was quite young).
I can vividly remember my delight at finding stories on David. I remember him being photographed at British night clubs and being seen out drinking with pals that included Alice Cooper, David Bowie and other cool people. I thought wow, he's not really like Keith. Believe me, in Britain this kind of press is good for your image if you're into Rock and Roll stuff. Maybe the teen idol thing was too much and it didn't quite pull off for him.
I have been trying in vain to find some of these articles. I know they exist. I searched the Downunder site but no luck - they're all like the stuff in the teen mags - clean. Have any of you come across them? Forgive me for this but I read one article where he claimed to be bi-sexual.I know I did not dreaam this. I would not forget something like that. I'm astounded that I knew what it meant at 12/13. Course now I know you cant believe everything you read in the press and it could have been made up. However I think he was trying to be 'controversial'and was making it up. I chuckle when I think of that one.
Everyone claimed to be bi-sexual back then. David Bowie now says he was making it up when he declared himself bi because it fitted the image he had.
British fan, I've seen pictures of him with Iggy Pop and Alice Cooper (and of course Alice is interviewed at length in one of the TV bios) but never read any coverage besides the teen mag stuff. Actually, I found a bit of coverage in the mainstream press about Bernadette Whelan but it was just a couple of paragraphs.
I know that some people say the Rolling Stone piece could be interpreted in a way to show he was bi- but I never read that between lines. All I got out of that article was how much he wanted to please everyone and be accepted by "legitimate" rockers. I can't imagine in what publication he could have claimed to be bisexual. I'd have to do proper research in newspaper archives - Google can only do so much. I did find a book written by a groupie who mentions that back then it was common to walk in on two men together. She claims that David Bowie and Iggy Pop were in love. Who knows? I don't care one bit either way.
Yes, Daydreaming David, I remember reading something like that about David Bowie. But apparently, "gay" people still sometimes are with the opposite sex, but it doesn't mean they are straight. So maybe it was kind of fashionable thing to do and didn't really mean he was bi.
British Fan, does any DC music get played on the radio in Britain?
Rita Skeeter of Harry Potter comes to mind when you were describing those female reporters (there must be a term for them). I didn't know how much authenticity there was to her character. LOL!
Remember David on Wogan? where he does all that leg touching? I was wondering why he was doing that. Now I wonder if he was trying for that image.
Something nice that has come out of this for me is that I am sharing this interest with my first friend ever. We befriended each other when I was 2 and she was 3. I moved away before PF and we had lost touch over the years. But she tracked me down last spring. When I brought up DC this summer, I found out she was gaga over him then, like I am now. LOL! She still loves to get all the pictures and videos I send her. We even talked about going to one of his concerts together, along with another mutual friend that I had lost touch with. I do hope we get to do that one day. I don't know anyone locally that shares my interest.
Thanks for all the information everyone. Good stuff!! :-)
I saw the David on Wogan clip and the leg-touching was odd (Wogan didn't seem to like it, but the English aren't generally touchy-feely kind of people anyway), but my impression was that DC was just really nervous and uncomfortable being in the spotlight again. He had been in seclusion for years at that point and was just trying to come back out in public, and he wasn't used to the cameras or the interviews anymore. At least that's how it struck me.
As for the bi thing, I'm not convinced about that either. There are a few places in his books that hint at unconventional behavior (him and his mates all being in the same room with Barbara the Butter Queen, for example), but he never mentions any kind of emotional connection with another man (except for his father, but that's another issue).
Also, I just get the impression that he looks for relationships in healthy places. Like he always dated women his age, and turned down a LOT of younger girls who were constantly throwing themselves at him. He's been in the press for all his adult life. If he had had any non-straight relationships, we would have heard about them by now.
You can't always rely on your memory but I'm almost positive I read it somewhere in a tabloid newspaper. Along the lines of I find both men and women attractive. It may have been a little later than I thought, perhaps when he was on his comeback 1975/76. It's infuriating me somewhat. If David ever did make such a statement I'm sure it was just to make an impact and not true. I'm convinced he would have put that in his book if true as David is very open and not embarassed by anything.
It's probably one of those mysteries I'll never solve.
Occassionally you may hear a DC record on BBC Radio 2 which is aimed at the slightly older viewer. I listen to it now!
Oh singme how exciting that you may go see him with some friends. He has several dates for 2010 already. I think if he came back here I'd go alone if I had to. Unless I can drag my sister or someone else along.
Singmedavid, yeah, that leg touching. I've noticed he can be touchy-feely with other men. Even later on, in the early 90s, when he was on that morning show and they bring on Mark and Brian from the radio? Back slaps all around, hugs, etc.
That is so cool that you renewed your first friendship and get to gush over David together!
British fan, what DC record would they be apt to play on BBC Radio 2?
Well maybe you'll have to fly over and come with us, British Fan. LOL!!! Wouldn't that be fun if we could all get together and do that? Maybe David will eventually be relegated to cruise ship entertainment and we can take a cruise. LOL!!!
Realistically though, he's going to have to improve his track record before I would consider the expense and travel, etc. for one of his concerts.
We have some of those "oldie" stations too. I'll have to contact one of them and see if I can get them to play some of his music. Maybe once people hear it they'll get more requests for it.
SLK, the impression I had left with on the Wogan clip was that he was just being very warm, like we all know he can be, and maybe like you say, because he was trying to deal with his nervousness.
Those scenes he described with women and other men in the room reminded me of the very demeaning things that I used to hear of frat guys doing in college. That seems like very typical behavior with groupies.
I believe you, BF, that you read that, but like you say, it probably wasn't from a credible source. It does seem like he would have been open about it if he was. He seems very comfortable with himself in that regard. ;-) David has never struck me as anything other than straight. His attraction to the ladies has been one of the most predictable things about him it seems. LOL! I have read other weird things that weren’t substantiated.
The press report about David being gay began in Germany when David wasn't even there and the British press picked it up and it escalated from thereon. All David has said is that he is happy with his sexuality and I guess by doing that he doesn't alienate any of his fans whether they are gay or straight.
Also David mania began for many (older) fans in UK when we saw him on Marcus Welby MD which was around the same time as the PF pilot in USA so we then had to wait until PF came to UK. He was admired more for his concerts over here than his role as Keith Partridge and the PF was more a means just to view this Adonis !
The leg touching used to be a joke with all celebrities who Terry Wogan interviewed and he has a very dry sense of humour so he wasn't annoyed .. that's just the way he is.
oops that should read
He was admired more for his music over here.... just as British fan has already stated.
and in response to your original question Daydreaming David when I mention David to anyone they often say "Oh I used to be a fan of his. I didn't know he was still going".
In the USA he is - by his own words in an 80's interview - more known for his acting. He said that on Talk shows in the USA he is introduced as actor/singer and in the UK it's singer. He has done more acting (TV and Theatre) here and is seen more as that primarily and then singer. Critics in the USA take him more seriously as an actor, and in Europe more seriously as a singer. Its really equal but for different aspects of his career. Fans in Europe prefer him as a singer, while in US fans would like to see him do more acting.
Barbara
Just David
There would be very few people in the US who would not know David as being from the Partridge Family. 19,000 (!) people showed up for his concert in a park on Long Island NY just this past summer! He said in an interview that that is probably the largest audience he's played to since the 70's.
In the early 80's 81-84 David had built a very good theatre reputation/career on Broadway and regional theatres in the U.S. Then he took time to do concerts in England in the UK and the musical TIME in London which he got 50/50 reviews - some of the press there took snipes at him. Then in 1990 he had his Enigma lp comback hit, did concerts 1991 which sold out each place (in NYC 1,000 fans had to be turned away from of the two shows one night at The Bottom Line because it was filled to capacity!), and then 1993 he returned to Broadway in Blood Brothers where he got respect in theatre again. But he is thought more as an actor in USA.
Barbara
Just David
About the bisexuality: In his book David mentions the German magazine Bravo, which wrote that he was gay, and he is very angry about it. I read that article (I had studied German two or three years) and I was shocked: in those days all people I knew were homophobic, including me. It simply didn't exist in our lives, only somewhere else out there.
David states clearly in his book that he has always been heterosexual, but that he has never had any problems with being popular among gay people. He believes his father might have been bisexual, though. I think that David would admit being bisexual if he was, as someone here said, he is very open about his sexuality.
corr: 1,000 fans had to be turned away from both of the two shows one night at The Bottom Line.
When he did a CD signing in 1990 at Sam Goody's records store in Rockefeller Center in the afternoon, 1,600 people lined up to see him! The line went around the block from 6th Avenue down to 5th!
Barbara
JD
Thanks for that information, Barbara!!! I guess that makes sense since PF was so big over here.
I can confirm the leg touching joke. Terry Wogan started this routine with his guests. David's a good sport and obviously went along with it.
Thanks for all the info on the gay rumour. I can see now what probably happened. An 'interview' (you never know if they actually spoke to David or piece it together themselves) where this little snippet was slipped in. I guess, being in a British tabloid David never saw or heard of it. A throwaway article. When I was a child I believed everything written in newspapers. LOL!
DD. The songs they would play are typical DC hits. For example Daydreamer, Could it be Forever etc, never the later hits.
Singme I'm up for going to see David. I too would like a spohisticated and polished concert.
I was thinking that myself t'other day. I'll drag hubby on holiday and see if I could meet with anyone. Hubby would be quite happy as he wouldn't have to go the show with me!
Oh!! That's really funny about the leg touching routine!!! David did a great job. LOL!!!
OK BF!!! Let's look for a good opportunity to go. For me, it's probably going to have to be sometime after next summer - I don't know if you can wait that long. Gosh, I can't believe I'm going to be an empty-nester in less than a year. Looking ahead!!!!! :-)
Sounds like your kids will be going off to university/college about the same time as my daughter then. Something to look forward to!!! I'm actually dreading my baby going. It seems worse with the youngest one.
Hugs, BF. I may still have a hard time. But I'm tyrying to prepare for it.
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