What's Going On?

David Cassidy's recent concert reviews - from journalists and fans - are hardly congratulatory this week and the exchange between "River of Music" and "Derek" at this blog reminded me of Janice Turner's insightful article about fandom that appeared in Times Online when a certain superstar passed away last summer. She had this to say about David Cassidy:

"The most troubled person I ever met was David Cassidy, the teen idol of Jackson’s era, unhinged long ago by his fans. For five years girls slept outside his house, followed him everywhere, ripped his clothing, forced him into isolation, made his life empty and lonely. And then, abruptly, when he was no longer the pretty boy du jour they deserted him. Now, two divorces later, he loathes meeting old fans, because they will say, with no regard for his feelings, how old he looks — though they are mostly portly matrons themselves — or get drunk and take a grab at him. To them, he isn’t a man, just an odd manifestation of their teenage years: they own him and they let him know it."

Read the rest of "The fans killed their idol. They always do" here.

I don't believe fans who respond to claims of "very off" performances by Cassidy with "we accept him as he is, an imperfect human being." No, they are still adulating him as someone they'll "love" no matter what he does. He has said in the past that he never felt worthy of all that adulation during those teen idol years (and in his own words, "Really, who is? No one is.") yet they persist in seeing him as a god on stage instead of an actual human being who might need actual help.

Love is an abused word in fandom. Fans unabashedly proclaim love for their idol but it's simply lust and greed masquerading as love: "We want more, more, MORE of you!" That "you" is a mythical being in their heart and a stranger in their life. Loving a celebrity is a bit absurd. Love his looks, talents or wares? Oh, yes! But claim to love HIM? You don't know him. You think you know him. It doesn't really matter because it's a one-way street. He'll never love you the same way. To quote Janice Turner again:

"Fandom is so grossly unequal, so self-abasing. Even when you are closest to your Special One you are humiliated by his — at best — polite indifference to your pathetic, onanistic, unreturned love."

David Cassidy fans, if you think you love him, care for his well-being. His performances are declining in quality, upsetting fans and turning off critics. What's going on?

Ok, so, just how big was it?!

(Settle down, people. Note the verb tense in the title: "was" not "is". ;-))

You're all familiar with David Cassidy's bio, aren't you? Among his long list of accomplishments, this rarely-skipped boast about the height of his fame always makes me smile: "membership in his fan club exceeded those of Elvis Presley and The Beatles". Honest to goodness, first time I read that, I thought: by how many? One? One hundred?

Seriously, it's a vacuous claim. Sounds impressive but no context is given. Are the three fan clubs compared in the early seventies? If so, well, Elvis was no longer at HIS peak and The Beatles had broken up. If the three clubs are compared at everyone's peak of fame, is the marketing factor taken into account? The David Cassidy fan club - with Laufer publications at the helm - was probably better publicized than either one of the other two (sort of like taking into account inflation when comparing movie box office revenues).

I have a vague recollection of seeing the statement quantified once - with 200,000 fans - but I've never been able to find that number again. Was it online or in a TV bio? Don't recall. Speaking of source, the boast would have come to light when David Cassidy's wife overheard it on the TV game show "Hollywood Squares". Apparently the audience was surprised at the answer to "Who had the biggest fan club? Elvis Presley, The Beatles or David Cassidy?". Unfortunately, I don't recall where that tidbit of info comes from either (his books?).

Anyone out there have hard numbers for us? (Is that giggling I hear? Sheesh. You're just a bunch of twelve year olds, aren't you?)

What becomes a teen idol most?

Why, a Rolex Oyster Perpetual Air King, of course.

Let's just file this under wtf, okay? Excuse the crass language. This page popped up in a "non-Google but powered by Google" search and honestly, it looks like one of those dynamic sites that returns its hawked wares with your celebrity search name and corresponding bio "cleverly" inserted in the text. Or maybe David Cassidy's publicist really got him this endorsement deal.

Who cares, right?

Is our interest in "David's Sunday Disaster", aka "the David Cassidy Debacle", akin to rubber-necking an automobile accident on the highway? Perhaps. For me though, what really comes across in most comments, especially those on my blog, is that David Cassidy fans CARE about him. We are concerned about him and about his career. We want him to succeed, we want him to be remembered as a multi-faceted and talented performer, not "just" a teen idol. (The quotation marks are there because I don't think it's that simple being a teen idol and I resent how the press dismisses a performer with that label.)

As I look back on David Cassidy's career, I can't help but know he never got the career his talent deserved and I think it's a shame. There are a lot of factors that come into play into creating a successful career. It's not just talent. Some factors are beyond a performer's control but others, such as conduct, should be within a performer's control. Stars have publicists to help them when their conduct is less than stellar. I can't understand why David Cassidy's management team effed up the whole thing as it did with the rebuttal in The National Enquirer. It reads more like the work of a sworn enemy than the work of a publicist. Seriously, wtf??? Thank you, CassidyFanNoMore, for directing us to the response from the organizers of The Hollywood Show. Once more, I tip my hat to Ms Moose's class act. And kudos to Scott, at C'mon Get Happy, for managing the discourse in this whole mess with the deftness of a bomb disposal expert.

It's true, this whole debacle won't get much more coverage than the National Enquirer and David Cassidy/PF boards, fan sites, blog(s?) and the like. Who else cares about David Cassidy today?

"I'm no Diva" - David Cassidy Apologizes?

The National Enquirer - probably the only publication to have reported "David's Sunday Disaster" - printed David Cassidy's "apology" in their latest issue. You can view it on the C'mon Get Happy Site - Scott posted it on November 12 at 11h45 pm. Tried to upload the article image here but it's not as legible.

Note to David Cassidy and his management: this is not an apology; this is an excuse along the lines of "poor me, can't you see it's not my fault if I acted like a jackass?". Shame on David Cassidy's management to enable him to disrespect his fans this way. First, he blamed the fans and now he blames the event's organizers. So many other ways this could have played and turned out well. Copyright issues with pictures? Fine, don't sign those. Sign the other memorabilia that fans from far and wide brought you to sign, thirty-five years after your fame's peak. Can't shake hands or pose with fans because you've got the flu? Not a problem. We understand. You're a trooper for showing up in that condition, thank you for minimizing the contagion risks but most of all, thank you for making our dream of meeting you a reality.

By the way, Mr. Cassidy, explaining the refusal to sign Partridge Family photos with "That was then; this is now" at an autograph and memorabilia show IS diva (sic) behavior.

Idols, we've got idols.

This list might not give David Cassidy the warm and fuzzies, but it does keep his name in the public's consciousness and any heyday fan of his who comes across it is only going to have fond memories of those Cassidy-mania days. Not only that, but if that fan hasn't kept up with DC's career, this mention might prompt a quick look-up on the Interwebs or uTube after wondering, "whatever happened to him?"

And that, as we all know, is when the fun REALLY starts.

(Barry Williams at #14 with Donny Osmond at #19? All sorts of wrong there.)

How can we help? Do we even want to?

Two great posts over at the C'mom Get Happy site today (kiethlives' very insightful one at 3:58 and Scott's hilarious one at 5:07) about David's Sunday Disaster (that's what I'm calling it now, folks - almost sounds good enough to eat, no?) but one tidbit particularly caught my attention: "it's going to hit the tabloids next week".

Crap. Once it hits the tabloids, that's it, it's everywhere. People love to mock celebrities and their bad behavior. And it soon becomes a dog pile. (For the record, we are not dog piling here; we are discussing, assessing, bemoaning and speculating. We are doing a lot of things but we are not dog piling.) I can just hear radio announcers having a field day mocking David and the Partridge Family. It makes me wince. It makes me angry. It's undeserved. Well, maybe David's attitude deserves something akin to mocking, but how dare they disrespect the PF! So what do we do? Email them our dissertations on why The Partridge Family still deserves a following forty years after it debuted? Request they play David's version of "Ain't No Sunshine" instead of looping the ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-baba refrain of ITILY while they laugh in the background?


Then again, maybe it'll hit the tabloids and nothing will happen. It'll be like your first birthday party where you invite your whole class and two people show up.

Something else caught my attention in Scott's post: did David really call a woman in the audience at a concert the *c* word? That is beyond bad. Was he drinking? It doesn't excuse the behavior - it just explains it. Did this incident hit the press at the time?

With a publicist like this, who needs bad press?

Have you seen the latest update on Sunday's "mishap" on the "C'mon Get Happy" bulletin board? Scott actually contacted David's publicist and was told to "get a life". Seriously?! Hmmm. In one of my first blog posts, "Get a life!" is how I imagined people would respond to my admission that David Cassidy was on my mind a lot since I rediscovered him. In these past few months, I've spent many hours researching David's career and discovering his recordings. More than once have I asked myself if he was really worth all that time and effort. Sunday's incident and his publicist's sardonic response lead me to conclude that he isn't.

Apparently, The Partridge Family "is not how David cares to be seen or remembered." David Cassidy really doesn't get it, does he?

In a review of one of David Cassidy's concerts back in 2001, Mary Ladd had this to say about him:

"David Cassidy, the adult version, strikes me as someone who could throw a temper tantrum real good and clean, like a shock (sic) put. He's like that kid on the playground who can't take a joke and is therefore the butt of all of them. Not happy with the sound level at Incahoots, David Cassidy kept complaining about it, giving stern looks to the loitering stage hands. Ominous looks backstage and then turning back to smile at the fans, as if to say, "No, my children, it’s not you." It brought the room down."

According to Ladd, Cassidy takes himself too seriously. The review can be found here.

Discuss. If you still care. And haven't gotten a life yet.

Damned If This Ain't Classless

I wasn't there but this account seems impartial enough to be believable. Guess Mr. Cassidy is still ambivalent about his past as a teen idol. "That was then; this is now." It's unfortunate for him, but for the most part, David Cassidy will always be, first and foremost, a teen idol to his fans. Even more so to fans who attend an event that mainly celebrates nostalgia and memorabilia. Any star who doesn't want to be associated with his past shouldn't participate in this type of show. Such events don't exist to promote careers: they exist to make fans happy and generate cash for celebrities and the organizers.

Seeing his name on that show's roster surprised me. Part of me had trouble believing he'd do this type of event, especially since "Ruby" was not renewed. I was doubly surprised to see the PF pics one could order by mail for an autograph.

Here are my theories about his requests though: I've read that he's had a few eye operations to repair optic nerves in one eye. Flashes might blind him which would explain why he often refuses photographs. Limiting the number of autographs might be linked to the painful skin condition he's written about having on his hands. Still, these "reasons" don't excuse the divo behavior. They just warrant a matter-of-fact explanation to very understanding, forgiving fans.

What happened, David? Did you forget that if it weren't for your loyal fans, you'd be pumping gas somewhere? Do you still resent how much fans cherish The Partridge Family? Why do you insist on proving you aren't worthy of all the adulation?

If you want your fans from THEN to be fans NOW, how about endearing yourself to them instead of treating them with contempt? Throw in a free "Then and Now" poster/bookmark/mouse pad or other promo trinket with the autographed picture for which they paid so dearly. You really want to make them love you NOW? Include a CD single of "Ain't No Sunshine" from that release.

David's website features this recent pic of himself performing in Bensalem. Lots of shots of his fans too. He should take another look at those; he seems to have forgotten them.

So, it wasn't worth it?

One of the highest prices David paid for his fame in the 70s was his total loss of privacy. This was mentioned in practically every article about him at the time, followed by a quote from him saying that it was worth it because he loved what he did, loved his fans and knew that one day the fame would subside. He was grateful that The Partridge Family was the springboard for a lifelong entertainment career.

But then, his autobiography "Could it be Forever" comes out in 2007 in the UK and he makes the round of TV interviews bemoaning how he lost five years of his life during that time. (I calculate four years because I'm pretty sure his star had dimmed quite a lot by 1975, especially with him being very reclusive after he quit touring, but whatever.)

So, the price wasn't worth it, Mr. Cassidy?

He admits he never would have had a recording career had it not been for the show. If he could go back in time, what would he change, I wonder? Would he turn down that pilot for The Partridge Family? I know he didn't set out to be a heartthrob, but would he have had the same impact otherwise? Maybe he just didn't want to have that impact on a generation. Then why write a book about the journey?

Seriously? Cassidymania redux?

"Teary fans from throughout the United States, Europe and Canada are frantically requesting front row seats, backstage passes and even special permission to “touch” actor, singer, songwriter, and guitarist David Cassidy, who will perform at Queensborough Community College on Saturday, November 21, 2009 at 8:00PM."

"In fact, Cassidymania has reached such a fever pitch at QPAC that David Cassidy recently posted a message on his official website, imploring fans to not be “overly persistent with venues”.
The superstar, along with his rock band, will perform the all-time favorites I Can Feel Your Heartbeat, Come On Get Happy, I’ll Meet You Halfway, Point Me in the Direction of Albuquerque and more."

Seriously? Who wrote this? It seems just a little over the top, no? And "superstar"? Today, in 2009, in the age of Hannah Montana, the Jonas Brothers and Lady Gaga's video garnering 50 million+ views on YouTube, is David Cassidy still considered a superstar? Gotta love all the monikers used to describe Mr. Cassidy: actor, singer, songwriter, and guitarist. They forgot race horse breeder and humanitarian.

(The title links to original article.)

Please Please Me

In one of the Partridge Family or David Cassidy biographies, The Partridge Family's producer, Bob Claver, mentions that David never refused to do anything for any of his scenes. Shirley Jones would. She'd tell the writers if she thought the script wasn't realistic, for example. But David never did. That remark struck me. Afraid to rock the boat, David?

Naked Lunchbox, that infamous profile on David Cassidy that Robin Green penned for Rolling Stone magazine in 1972, gives us two bracketing images of David as a people-pleaser.

The first is David, post-concert, wiped, battering off the flu with antibiotics (thanks for contributing to the evolution of super bugs there, David), slumped in a cab with his entourage as they check out discos in The Big Apple. His pleas to go straight to the hotel are met with chides to try one more place and he ends up muttering his consent.

The last is David, pre-concert this time, arriving in Maine, where "...hundreds of fans stood in snow, waving banners expectantly. "Look at all those fans," David moaned. "Standing out there in the cold, waiting for me. I feel rotten. I look terrible. After a weekend of killing myself, I have to show up and smile. I can't handle it. I ain't going. I'm staying right here."

David sat with his arms folded across his chest, staring out the window. The men in the van filed past him, out to a waiting bus. Ron, Henry and Stele were ready to go. "Well," said David, softening, "I suppose I should put on my coat.""

I interpreted that to mean he couldn't handle showing up and disappointing his fans with a sub-par David.

In those early days, his career was a runaway train but he wasn't the conductor. He had no artistic control over his material and had signed away his likeness to the company that produced The Partridge Family. David Cassidy became a money making machine for all business parties involved and they had no qualms pushing him to the limit to maximize their own profit. They all knew "teen idols don't last" so they took while the getting was good.

David put the brakes on the runaway train and just jumped off in 1974, quitting the Partridge Family and his concert touring. Still today, interviewers ask him why he quit everything as he did back then. There are several reasons - exhaustion, loss of identity and normalcy chief among them - but as a fan too young to experience his teen idol reign, I can't help but wonder if he couldn't have re-negotiated his contract to better suit him.

His initial contract was invalid because he was underage when he signed it and his manager re-negotiated it for better financial compensation. As the David Cassidy money making machine was well underway that second year, didn't he realize that the pace would lead to a burn-out? Couldn't he have re-negotiated aspects of his contract a second time? Spaced out his concerts to give himself a break? Restrict use of his likeness and coverage in teen magazines, the main fuel for the madness? Wrestled for more artistic control on those solo efforts? Perhaps he tried or did ("Rock Me Baby" was a rocking departure from "Cherish", after all), I don't know. I haven't read his autobiography yet (only excerpts found on the web) - perhaps he shares more about his contract in it?

I'm not a psychologist nor do I play one on TV, but I get the impression that while he worked his tail off during that crazy period, saw the big picture and wanted a long term career in the business, he mainly worked to please those around him. That was his subconscious drive. When you have a fear of abandonment (as most anyone whose father left him at a young age would), you develop a strong need to please others because you fear rejection. Nose to the grindstone, you play by the rules to gain approval from those you admire who, ironically, are often those who rejected you initially. While working like a dog to gain this elusive approval, you lose yourself and your goals. The resentment builds and builds until you can't see any other solution but to say "I quit".

I'm convinced David would have lived a similar scenario even if he hadn't been in show business.

The butt of a joke

Did you see the recent Family Guy episode that mentions David Cassidy? My husband was cracking up watching the show and called me over to see the clip figuring I'd get a kick out of it. Called "Three Kings", the episode is the parody of three Stephen King movies. In the Shawshank Redemption parody, the warden is so upset that a prisoner has escaped that he "could throw a rock at that David Cassidy poster on the wall" (paraphrasing). The poster in question has David in a back pose looking over his shoulder (should such a poster exist, I need it ;)). The warden throws the rock where it lands right on David's butt and leaves a hole in the poster. The warden gets closer, puts his finger in the hole, then his fist, only to realize that the poster is covering a huge hole in the wall which was obviously the prisoner's escape route.

I groaned seeing this. On one hand, they're implying that David is gay. On the other hand, they chose David for the poster. They could have used any number of well known "teen idols". Seems "David Cassidy" is still shorthand for pretty poster boy. As I told hubby, everyone over the age of thirty-five knows who David Cassidy is. He was THAT famous. And his heyday was almost forty years ago, so no chance of offending a huge fan base, right?

How will David Cassidy react to this clip? (Apparently, he's a fan of the show.) "Hey, as long as they mention me, it means I'm not forgotten!"? How many viewers will go, "Hmm, oh, yeah, hahaha, David Cassidy. Whatever happened to him?" and then go check him out on YouTube?

Any publicity is good publicity, right?