When I'm a Rock'n' Roll Star /David Cassidy/

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 I love the recorded album's version of that song ( from 1975) 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOojp5r5qYU&list=RDJOojp5r5qYU&start_radio=1

DC as  a songwriter..I'm not objective , I love most DC's music  for many reasons, but of course  writing about a song that 'it's great' is not enough. I've just checked (on the DC website) how many songs he wrote or co-wrote - 60. Some of them were his versions of someone's elses songs, kind of covers, like most tracks from the 'Romance' album. Those songs were originally written by Alan Tarney for Cliff Richard. DC was a great interpreter, I wrote that many times..Anyway, 'When I'm a Rock'N'Roll Star' (like a whole album - 'The Higher They Climb The Harder They Fall' )was his very brave and sincere attempt to became a serious artist. And it happened that at the end of the 80s ,DC played  a fictional rock star 3 times : on stage, in a tv series and in a movie. And in a tv series he even performed his own song . Here is DC as Joey Mitchell in 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents' Ep.3.14 'Career Move', aired May22, 1988.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxFNBO4ElMg

In an interview made while he was doing that episode , DC talked about the price of fame.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xB90Ve8wH4U

But the most important rock star he played in the 80s, was Chris Wilder from 'Time' .That musical was written by Dave Clark (from the famous 60s band Dave Clark Five). 

The plot - Chris Wilder, a rock star was transported with his band to the High Court of the Universe, and they had to defend the Earth.

There were a lot of songs, a lot of special effects, including a huge projected floating head (Sir Laurence Olivier's) and a massive steel set with a hydraulic lift. The role of Wilder was very demanding physically and vocally. The world premiere was at the Dominion Theatre in London, in April 1986 ,and a year later DC replaced Cliff Richard in a leading role. Here is David Cassidy with his co-star , Stephanie Lawrence (1949-2000), at the time a  star of musical theatre in London..She died much too soon.. as the result of alcoholic liver disease..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0FjkvhRsv8

The musical was very successful despite such reviews :'It's like a science fiction Sunday school lesson. London critics had a field day sneering at its greeting card philosphy and 1960s flower-power platitudes. But children, the young at heart, tourist with little English and any lover of sheer spectacle will be enraptured '(1986,May10th, Philadelhia Intruder'

DC played Chris from April 13th to October 1987. He sold himself dearly..In an interview posted below, Johnatan Ross asked David why he had taken the role in 'Time'..DC answered that of course because of money, and everybody laughed. What a joke..In 2001 Johnatan Ross interviewd DC once more (BBC Radio 2). He asked David what was the lowest point of his life..And he said it was while he was reading the script of 'Time'. He only did it because  was broke..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AkdsEcQcSkw

'They paid me a lot of money  to do the play.(..) Even it was a hit I thought it was a bad play - no story really, no substance.(..) But it had incredible sets, lights and special effects. And it was promoted extremely well. I had a great success with it. My fans came in droves" (David Cassidy :C'mon Get Happy, 1994)

 Yes, for fans it was an opportunity to see David on stage, they brought flowers and gifts for him, waited for hours outside  the theatre .One of  my English friend saw DC in 'Time' three times. This is a fragment of her memories :

'David's performance was fantastic on each occasion., I just couldn't take my eyes off him. I'm sure many people that saw David in 'Time', who were not fans, would have been surprised  of his talent (..) At the performance of Sep 26th they allowed anyone who wanted to go to the front of the stage at the end of the performance, as David was leaving the show a couple of days later (..) This was great and was the nearest I had ever been to him. (..) He was really lovely taking all the flowers and presents that fans had brought for him. I even managed to take some photo. I'm so glad that I did..' 

 David Cassidy singing the most famous song from that musical:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LC4TR4QLyg

https://www.flickr.com/photos/afagen/28441553507

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