{"id":133329,"date":"2019-04-12T05:00:45","date_gmt":"2019-04-12T09:00:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.sheilaomalley.com\/?p=133329"},"modified":"2019-04-12T10:13:12","modified_gmt":"2019-04-12T14:13:12","slug":"r-i-p-david-cassidy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sheilaomalley.com\/?p=133329","title":{"rendered":"Happy Birthday, David Cassidy"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><big>This is what I wrote when David Cassidy died. Re-posted now for his birthday.<\/big><\/p>\n<p>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sheilaomalley.com\/?attachment_id=133330\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-133330\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sheilaomalley.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/171119084329-david-cassidy-organ-failure-orig-vstop-dlewis-00000000-exlarge-169.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"780\" height=\"438\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-133330\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sheilaomalley.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/171119084329-david-cassidy-organ-failure-orig-vstop-dlewis-00000000-exlarge-169.jpg 780w, https:\/\/www.sheilaomalley.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/171119084329-david-cassidy-organ-failure-orig-vstop-dlewis-00000000-exlarge-169-100x56.jpg 100w, https:\/\/www.sheilaomalley.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/171119084329-david-cassidy-organ-failure-orig-vstop-dlewis-00000000-exlarge-169-200x112.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.sheilaomalley.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/171119084329-david-cassidy-organ-failure-orig-vstop-dlewis-00000000-exlarge-169-768x431.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sheilaomalley.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/171119084329-david-cassidy-organ-failure-orig-vstop-dlewis-00000000-exlarge-169-400x225.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>\nMaybe you &#8220;had to be there&#8221; to really get just how huge he was back then. I wasn&#8217;t the biggest Patridge Family fan in the world, and I was too young to get hormonally fangirl about David Cassidy like every teenage girl in my neighborhood who went BANANAS for him -but even I &#8211; still listening to Broadway musicals on my turntable and playing with Fisher Price &#8220;peeps&#8221; &#8211; knew who he was. He was <i>everywhere<\/i>. A GIGANTIC star. Who can forget the Annie Leibovitz photo of him on the cover of <i>Rolling Stone<\/i>?<\/p>\n<p>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sheilaomalley.com\/?attachment_id=133333\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-133333\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sheilaomalley.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/rs-102865-1daa28e2a4e05585fa63f71fc9191497f54c5cf4-c9b2a2b7-a82e-4452-8d2a-5821e0fd6e2c.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"920\" height=\"1211\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-133333\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sheilaomalley.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/rs-102865-1daa28e2a4e05585fa63f71fc9191497f54c5cf4-c9b2a2b7-a82e-4452-8d2a-5821e0fd6e2c.jpg 920w, https:\/\/www.sheilaomalley.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/rs-102865-1daa28e2a4e05585fa63f71fc9191497f54c5cf4-c9b2a2b7-a82e-4452-8d2a-5821e0fd6e2c-76x100.jpg 76w, https:\/\/www.sheilaomalley.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/rs-102865-1daa28e2a4e05585fa63f71fc9191497f54c5cf4-c9b2a2b7-a82e-4452-8d2a-5821e0fd6e2c-152x200.jpg 152w, https:\/\/www.sheilaomalley.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/rs-102865-1daa28e2a4e05585fa63f71fc9191497f54c5cf4-c9b2a2b7-a82e-4452-8d2a-5821e0fd6e2c-768x1011.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sheilaomalley.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/rs-102865-1daa28e2a4e05585fa63f71fc9191497f54c5cf4-c9b2a2b7-a82e-4452-8d2a-5821e0fd6e2c-304x400.jpg 304w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 920px) 100vw, 920px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>\n(Completely unsafe-for-work additional photo from that same shoot below the jump.) <\/p>\n<p>And I always liked his biggest hit.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/2r9UtIhOI8M\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>\nI met him back when he starred in the musical <i>Blood Brothers<\/i> on Broadway &#8211; along with his brother Shaun, Petula Clark and &#8211; most importantly &#8211; my amazing aunt Regina O&#8217;Malley. <\/p>\n<p>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sheilaomalley.com\/?attachment_id=133331\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-133331\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sheilaomalley.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Blood-Brothers-cover.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"520\" height=\"748\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-133331\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sheilaomalley.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Blood-Brothers-cover.jpg 520w, https:\/\/www.sheilaomalley.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Blood-Brothers-cover-70x100.jpg 70w, https:\/\/www.sheilaomalley.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Blood-Brothers-cover-139x200.jpg 139w, https:\/\/www.sheilaomalley.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Blood-Brothers-cover-278x400.jpg 278w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 520px) 100vw, 520px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>\nHere&#8217;s a compilation video of some of the songs\/moments from the show. Look for my aunt in the plaid jumper, listening to Petula Clark (my aunt played Clark&#8217;s daughter, and sister to David\/Shaun). <\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/VRtyeblTxG8\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>\nI loved the show. He was wonderful in it, his voice was very strong live. My aunt said he was lovely, took his work very seriously, and so wanted to be taken seriously as an actor. He worked very hard. He was nice to everyone, including the slightly-batty stalkers who flocked to the stage door every night. He was doing well at that point in his life. He had had struggles with addiction, which he had been open about in interviews (getting him a ton of shit at the time. The sneering contempt with which this huge Teenage Idol was treated &#8211; by &#8220;serious&#8221; people &#8211; is sadly par for the course in our culture &#8211; and, as I&#8217;ve said before in some of my writing about Elvis &#8211; stems a lot from misogyny. &#8220;Wait a second, WE didn&#8217;t anoint this guy. WE&#8217;RE supposed to be the ones who tell people what&#8217;s cool. We can&#8217;t let millions of screaming GIRLS tell us what&#8217;s cool. Who cares what GIRLS think?&#8221; Well, hate to break it to you, boys, but teenage girls ALWAYS know what&#8217;s cool and they know LONG before you do. When you hear thousands of girls screaming at once, you should follow the sound, not make fun of it. GIRLS anointed Elvis their King long before the mainstream did. Teenage girls &#8211; and gay boys &#8211; are early adopters.) But anyway, at the time of <i>Blood Brothers<\/i>, he had cleaned up his act and was doing well. The show was a hit.<\/p>\n<p>What I remember from going to see <i>Blood Brothers<\/i> was going backstage to meet up with my Aunt. It was her Broadway debut, so we were all very excited. We had been going to see her in plays since we were in grade school. It was a madhouse back there, and I saw David Cassidy, and he saw us, the big crowd of O&#8217;Malley kids. He was unbelievably nice to us. Thanked us when we complimented him, but he also turned the conversation around to our Aunt. &#8220;She&#8217;s so good, isn&#8217;t she? You must be proud of her &#8230;&#8221; He said that kind of thing, which is extremely gracious if you think about it. At first I was awestruck by him, thinking, as I watched Shaun walk by us in the hallway, shaking hands with the two of them, \u201cWow&#8230; THE PARTRIDGE BOYS RIGHT HERE WHAT IS HAPPENING.&#8221; David Cassidy&#8217;s Sexual Persona was still overwhelming! I mean, it was insane! <\/p>\n<p>But I kept it together and he was so nice to the gaggle of O\u2019Malley cousins coming to see their Aunt on Broadway. He sort of effaced himself knowing we were there for her. <\/p>\n<p>It made an impression. <\/p>\n<p>The man struggled and suffered and I am very sorry to hear that. He made his fans so happy in his heyday. And &#8211; as I&#8217;ve said time and time again about other similar &#8220;teen idols&#8221; &#8211; fans of such people are loyal. Go to a tour at Graceland and you&#8217;ll be getting on the shuttle bus with 80-year-olds who have loved Elvis for 60+ years. You never stop loving someone you loved at a fever pitch when you were 14. <\/p>\n<p>At least you shouldn&#8217;t. <\/p>\n<p>Rest in peace, David Cassidy. <\/p>\n<p>\n<!--more--><\/p>\n<p>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sheilaomalley.com\/?attachment_id=133334\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-133334\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sheilaomalley.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/ee658c32eb2de3b397509723c475eb18-david-cassidy-annie-leibovitz.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"458\" height=\"700\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-133334\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sheilaomalley.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/ee658c32eb2de3b397509723c475eb18-david-cassidy-annie-leibovitz.jpg 458w, https:\/\/www.sheilaomalley.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/ee658c32eb2de3b397509723c475eb18-david-cassidy-annie-leibovitz-65x100.jpg 65w, https:\/\/www.sheilaomalley.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/ee658c32eb2de3b397509723c475eb18-david-cassidy-annie-leibovitz-131x200.jpg 131w, https:\/\/www.sheilaomalley.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/ee658c32eb2de3b397509723c475eb18-david-cassidy-annie-leibovitz-262x400.jpg 262w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 458px) 100vw, 458px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This is what I wrote when David Cassidy died. Re-posted now for his birthday. Maybe you &#8220;had to be there&#8221; to really get just how huge he was back then. I wasn&#8217;t the biggest Patridge Family fan in the world, &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sheilaomalley.com\/?p=133329\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[7,17,39,23,16],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sheilaomalley.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/133329"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sheilaomalley.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sheilaomalley.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sheilaomalley.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sheilaomalley.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=133329"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/www.sheilaomalley.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/133329\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":145988,"href":"https:\/\/www.sheilaomalley.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/133329\/revisions\/145988"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sheilaomalley.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=133329"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sheilaomalley.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=133329"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sheilaomalley.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=133329"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}