Sock puppets, evil twins, an audiobook and locusts

As we as a world experience this COVID-19 pandemic, entertainment is very welcome.

Fortunately Rick Springfield and Vance DeGeneres are doing a second round to their Songwriting with a Partner series and are currently in the process of recording their second song. This round took a different turn, which includes sock puppets, evil twins and RS’s BFF, actor Doug Davidson. There’s even an unexpected sighting of Charlie Chaplin, which was pretty hilarious.

RS has also continued weekly Zoom happy half-hours with lucky fans, which he graciously answers all sorts of questions about his music, acting, books, life. It’s pretty cool that he does this as many of those on the calls are decades-long fans so to have a chance to engage this way with their teenage crush is pretty amazing.

Video highlights of these calls are on his Facebook page, which are fun to watch because you get to learn what he’s been up to, such as the final edits of the sequel to “Magnificent Vibration,” which is called “World on Fire” and due to be released on audiobook in October.

I just realized that if the book is released only on audiobook, does that mean that there will be no bookstore tours like there was for “Magnificent Vibration”? Can you have a booksigning for an audiobook? Will there be any more book tours for any author in the next year? Will bookstores even make it through this pandemic?

Argh, sorry. So many unknowns lately, my mind often wanders.

Fortunately RS is keeping busy, which benefits his fans. He’s mentioned that he and Matt Bissonette (his former bass player who most recently tours with Elton John) and Gregg Bissonette, who tours with Ringo Starr) created a band called The Locusts (first there was the Crickets, then the Beatles, now the Locusts, which is such a fitting name for a band created during a plague). He mentioned on one of the Zoom calls that they recorded 12 songs which they will soon start releasing. Whoo-hoo!

In case you missed these:

The Global News Morning Show: Musicians Rick Springfield and Vance DeGeneres talk about their creative process in quarantine and their new single “The Wall Will Fall.”

Yahoo News: “Rick Springfield reminisces about his famous working class dog: It was love at first sight.”

Update on July 10: Playlists of the videos from both seasons of the songwriting series are now on RS’s YouTube channel.