Love Somebody

So those who know me know that I like, love, am obsessed with

(And if you don't know who this is a picture of DO YOU EVEN KNOW ME???)
My love "affair of the heart" (see what I did there?) started waaaay before "Jessie's Girl". See, when youknowwho first came to America from Oz, he had a cartoon called "Mission:Magic" back in 1973 and I remember watching that cartoon on Saturday mornings. Funny story: in 2017 when we went to see "him"at Treasure Island, I had the DVD set of the cartoon with for him to sign. When I handed it to him, he said, "Where in the world did you get this?" and I replied, "Honey, you can find anything on Amazon. And I actually watched this cartoon on tv when I was a kid!" He looked at me like I was out of my mind and I said, "How old do you think I am?" and he replied, "I'm not touching that." (oh how I wish he would've "touched that" RAWR) and I told him I'd just turned 48 the week before and he said, "Well Happy Birthday, honey."
Kerplop. I died right there at the Treasure Island Resort & Casino theater in front of the stage. HE CALLED ME HONEY!!!
Yeah; we had a moment. No big.

Anyway.... back to 1981 when RS is hitting it big on "General Hospital" as the charming, handsome Dr. Noah Drake and "Jessie's Girl" and the album "Working Class Dog" are shooting up the charts. I did not own this album but my sister did and our bedrooms shared a wall and she played that album non stop and there was a vent in our connecting wall so I could hear that album being played non stop and learned all the songs through that wall. The same for the next album "Success Hasn't Spoiled Me Yet". Every. Song. Every. Word.
And then came the Minnesota State Fair and RS was coming to the grandstand.
Sweet Baby Jesus in a manger; I was going to my first concert!
I was in 8th grade and I believe grandstand tickets were under $20. There were four of us going (one being my sister) and I was soooo excited! It was the "Sweatin' For Success Tour" and I was ready for it! I even splurged the $15 for a jersey and back then, that was a LOT of money for an 8th grader! But I had to have it! Funny story: 2016 at the concert at the State Theater in Minneapolis, they sold replicas of that very same jersey. Hell yes I got one! (And I may or may not have walked down the street in the dark in Minneapolis saying "I love my jersey" while I rubbed it on my cheek over & over again.)

I saw him again a couple more times in the 80's before he sort of faded into obscurity and I'm not gonna lie; I kind of forgot about him. I know; I hang my head in shame but he was always there in a small piece of my heart. The music was always there.
Now jump into the time machine to 2015 and Mystic Lake Casino. My good friend, Kelly, and I are heading to the show and I decided to surprise her and splurge by getting us Meet & Greet passes. Best. Surprise. EVER! So RS is delayed and we're waiting waiting waiting and talking to some other people and these nice ladies point out this one blonde chick and say, "That's Missy; watch out for her as she'll plow right into you to get a middle seat." Oh yeah? My response, "We're from Wisconsin; we don't know Minnesota Nice only Wisconsin Bitch and let her try it." Hey; it's my first M&G and there's no way in hell some poorly peroxided bimbo is gonna steamroll ME at my first M&G for RICK F*CKING SPRINGFIELD.
So we FINALLY get let into the theater and I am not even kidding you--it's like our own private mini concert. At that time, M&G's were Soundchecks so you sit right in front of the stage and he actually practices. I grab Kelly and we roll past blonde bimbo and plop our Wisconsin behinds right in the center seats in front of the stage.
And there he is. Oh. My. Gawwwwwwd. It's unreal. He's singing...TO US! Like RIGHT THERE IN FRONT OF US! Ok, I know I was in my mid-forties but I totally reverted back to 8th grade me at the State Fair in my brain and heart. It was effing AMAZING! And then after he got done playing, he hops down from the stage for autographs and photos. You know, just my buddy Rick puttin' his arm around me and also signing my pink Chucks because he's RICK F*CKING SPRINGFIELD and I am once again a teenager!

So fast forward to 2018 and Grand Casino Mille Lacs. Kelly and I roadtrip on a Sunday to go see RS. Super early concert (6 p.m.) and we did the M&G but it really sucked as they'd just changed the format and there was a screw up & yadda yadda and my photo is hideous so I'm not posting it. Okay so I got us front row seats which we're SUPER excited about but when the show starts, all these "women" ( I use that term lightly) rush the effing stage and security does NADA about it so now instead of front row, we're basically third or fourth row which pisses us off. Anyhoo, the concert, as always, is great but something kinda odd happened at one point. RS is singing and, I swear on a holy stack of Bibles and my dog's life, Rick looked right at me and we made eye contact for several seconds. When it happened, Kelly said, "What the f*ck was that! He looked right at you!" I WASN'T HALLUCINATING! The man looked RIGHT AT ME!

We obviously have a connection, right?

So this year, RS is coming to perform in the first concert series at the MN Vikings practice center and my good friend, Julie, and I are going. It's an outdoor concert which is not thrilling and I find out AFTER I purchased the tickets that VIP is standing only. Great. After the fiasco of the M&G in Mille Lacs I'd contacted the merch manager who'd told me they'd give me 2 M&G passes on the house and to let her know when I wanted to use it. PERFECT! So Julie & I are going "backstage" to meet RS. Since we're both turning 50 less than a month after the show, I had a banner made which, if I do say so myself, was REALLY EFFING COOL. After some tense moments of not being sure we're on the list, Joey the merch dude (who is the sweetest, cutest thing on the planet and I just love him) finds us and HALLELUJAH; we ARE on the list! We get our swag bags and are brought to some alleyway type thing and are told that since RS is getting over a bad cold, he won't be singing a song for us which sucks but it is what it is. So we're waiting with 2 other people and then there he is. *SIGH*. Be still my little black heart. Now it's June in Minnesota and the weather has kinda sucked that day but it's still in the 60's. What's the first thing RS says?
"It's f*cking cold here!"
I laughed and replied, "Honey, you've been here in January; this is a heat wave!"
So he chats with us then does photos

and autographs and when it comes to be my turn, I hand over 2 photos I took in Mille Lacs. Now, I'm not gonna lie: I'm not a good photographer but the photos I took and had printed at Walgreens (a steal, btw) are really good

He looks at them and asks, "Where did you get these?" I tell him I took them last year at his show up in Mille Lacs with my cell phone and he says, "Really? They're really good!"

KERPLOP. Died AGAIN! RS likes my photos!

M&G was quick but fun, as usual, and I'm so glad that Julie got to experience it even though she admits she's not a big fan but she became a fan that night which is super cool and I'm glad I was able to give my friend the experience.

So, yeah I've rambled but that's what I do.

You may be asking "Why does she love this guy so much?" and my answer is: I really don't know. I guess it's a myriad of things. The music for the most part but when I met him in 2015, I just felt like he was a nice, quiet guy who appreciates those of us who have stuck around. He's been honest about his mental health struggles which I so appreciate and he's been honest about what a d*ck he was for a long time when fame went to his head. After reading his autobiography, I gained a whole different kind of respect for the guy and the things he's gone through. He's done a lot of stupid sh*t and owns it and he works damn hard at 70 years old. He's really an incredible song writer (seriously; listen to some of his newer stuff; it's KILLER) and musician and there's just something about him that "does it" for me.

So now you know about my "Affair of the Heart" for myboyfriendwhodoesntknowhesmyboyfriend Rick F*cking Springfield.

But don't try to tell me

you think it's all physical

It goes much deeper than that

You ought to know

It's an affair of the heart

It's an affair of the heart

It's an affair of the heart

Have a little blind faith, believe

It's an affair of the heart

"Affair of the Heart"

from the album "Living in Oz"

Rick Springfield