2015 has been a busy year so far for RS – he started it on the west coast recording a new album and within two weeks was on the other side of the country in single-digit temperatures to testify in a ridiculous case because somebody accused him of knocking her out with his rear end at a concert at a state fair more than a decade ago.
Really, what some people will do to be in a room with Rick Springfield. Or for the money.
Because of the awesome live tweets from reporters Sarah Moses and Chris Baker from syracuse.com, RS fans got to follow along with the trial as it was happening. SarahBeth Ackerman from CNYCentral.com also provided some good coverage. Because of the absurdity of the lawsuit, most of the media reports seemed like material from The Onion or a “Saturday Night Live” skit.
Here are some reasons why RS’s time in court cemented his fans adoration of him even more (at least my reasons why).
1. He’s got class. You can tell a great deal about a person from how they deal with adversity. He handled himself so well despite having to deal with such ridiculousness. He even stopped to take photos with fans in the courthouse hallway upon their request.
2. His awesome sense of humor.
“My butt’s never received so much attention.”
“Springfield said it’s common for women at his concerts to ‘grab my butt if they’re feeling a little saucy.’ ”
His photobomb of a reporter’s report after the verdict was read.
3. He showed his sensitive side. When talking about his connection with his fans, he teared up and said, “I get emotional sometimes.”
4. He’s no wuss – he stood up to the plaintiff’s lawyer when the attorney was getting out of hand. And he stands up for what he believes in.
5. He looks so cute all dressed up. Not that we mind seeing the shirtless concert pics but he sure does look dapper in a suit and tie.
6. He has depth. Sure, he was forced to sit in a courtroom and talk about his butt all week– a main piece of evidence was a snapshot of his rear end and media coverage during the week of the trial consisted of all kind of butt-related headlines – but what did he appear to be reading on his laptop as he sat waiting for the trial to begin? A story about Charlie Hebdo. So despite having to spend the day talking about his butt and how women have been groping it during concerts for 20 years, he knows that there are more important stories out there and follows them.
In an article on syracruse.com after the verdict, he sums it up so nicely: “Our lives are incredibly limited and we shouldn’t be wasting them over doing things like this.”
7. He’s so thoughtful. The newspaper reports on the first day of trial made him see a little “emotional” about the whole ordeal (see #3 above) and he looked kinda sad in some of the shots. Perhaps he sensed that his fans would be concerned. After court was adjourned for the day, he tweeted a photo from outside the courthouse that showed the snow on the ground with this note: “There are still beautiful sunset moments. But it is 3 frigging degrees in New York state right now Xo”
(Even his tweets are poetic, he should tweet more.)
Now that this trial is behind him (sorry, couldn’t resist…), on to a better and brighter 2015. See you in March! XO
My Rick Springfield crush 