I have a question. What’s up with all these no-longer-relevant types getting pulled over for DUIs, then levying violent threats against police officers who are just trying to do their jobs? I mean, first, Randy Travis, now Rick Springfield.
Actually, check that. Rick Springfield’s episode happened way before Randy Travis’. But they both threatened to shoot the arresting officers, though to Springfield’s credit, at least he was wearing clothes when he went all Billy Badass on Johnny Law.
You remember Rick Springfield, right? The Australian singer who topped the charts with “Jessie’s Girl”? You know, people forget he was an actor as well, but I don’t see how that’s possible given how hard he rocked General Hospital for all those years. And don’t even get me started on his big-screen debut—1984‘s Hard to Hold. (No word whether rumors are true that he’s working on a retrospective documentary called—you guessed it—Hard When Held.)
I bet it is, big fella.
Anyway, the rocker just dodged a pesky DUI charge—one that stemmed from a May 2011 incident when a Malibu police officer pulled over his 1963 Corvette Stingray. The officer noted that the erstwhile heartthrob reeked of booze which is when Springfield allegedly threatened to kill the guy and his family if he had his precious car towed.
Strong words to say to a man he’d never met. Especially given he used to be all “Don’t Talk to Strangers” 24/7. Regardless, in lieu of the DUI, Springfield pled no contest to reckless driving and was put on three years of probation and ordered to attend a two-month traffic program.
In his 2010 memoir entitled Late Late at Night (totally should have gone with Hard When Held), Springfield came clean on his inner demons, which included a sex addiction, depression and even an attempted suicide. So to go through such an ugly episode just a year later must have been trying, indeed.
But it’s got to be tough—going from fame and fortune to a relatively obscure life, and this dime store shrink thinks that has to play a part in why we sometimes see aging celebrities regain the spotlight with stories that are less than flattering.
Whatever the reason, I’m happy that Springfield won’t find himself behind bars, because prison can be a tough place and there’s always the chance that …(insert your “Jessie’s Girl” joke here).
I hope happier days are in store for both Springfield and Randy Travis.
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