‘We crack each other up’: Rocker Rick Springfield talks Richard Marx, more before Friday show

Career longevity in music and aging like a fine wine, what more could you want from your rock star?

How about another rock star that “suffers” from the same traits? Get ready to rock out loud on Friday when Rick Springfield and Richard Marx roll into town for a one-night-only, all-acoustic show at L’Auberge Event Center in Baton Rouge.

Whether it’s date night, family night or “we’re just friends” night, singing along to “Jessie’s Girl,” “Don’t Talk to Strangers,” “Right Here Waiting” and “Endless Summer Nights” will be an evening well spent.

If you’re a fan of Springfield and Marx, this is a can’t-miss show.

Before heading for Louisiana, Springfield talked about his musical partner in crime Marx and touring all these years. The interview has been edited for length and clarity. 

How did you and Richard Marx decide to join forces for shows?

We’ve been friends since the late ’80s and we did a couple of shows together, but separately. He would play and then I’d play, and we would get together at the end and do a couple of songs. … So I thought it would be more fun if we just did the whole show together.

It makes perfect sense that you two are friends now thinking about it. What’s the backstory there?

Richard said he was a fan and contacted me just to get together and write songs. We tried to write a song together, and I thought it would be easy, but it sucked. We both agreed it wasn’t the best song either of us had ever written. We stayed friends and went out on our own tours separately, until we started doing a couple of shows and it went from there. I look forward to doing the shows with him because we crack each other up and the audience seems to really like it.

I love to see you thriving from coast to coast. How has the act of touring changed over the years for you?

It’s actually a lot more fun now because there is less pressure. And I get to tour when I want to. I have a great audience who are very loyal and fully awesome. I could never get on another tour bus again, though. I did it too much during the ’80s so I fly everywhere now.

Gassing up a tour bus would be nuts too! I was reading about “Late, Late at Night, The Rick Springfield Story” and it sounds beyond cool. What is it like to see your life story in play-form?

I haven’t seen the show yet, so it’ll be a surprise. Hopefully a good one. The guy is very talented, that I know, but I haven’t seen the actual show. I will be watching it with the audience and commenting via text when it plays.

You really do stay so busy. What else do you have in the works?

I’m doing a video for a new single called “Lose Myself.” I’ve also done a cover of the Raspberries “Go All the Way” for an Eric Carmen tribute album. I was a big fan of Eric‘s and I actually opened for the Raspberries in 1975 when we played high school gyms. I’m working on the acting thing and will have some news on that later on, and I’m touring quite a bit with my band, the show with Richard and on my own solo show. There’s also an orchestral show I do occasionally, there’s a “Greatest Hits Volume 2” coming out soon, and I have a rum company with Sammy Hagar called “Beach Bar Rum.” Plus, I’m taking walks along the beach with my wife and dog and that is freaking awesome!