I'm taking a short break from my insane writing pace to talk about one of my favorite things. Rick Springfield and the Romantic Wounded Hero with a Past.
Wait, that's two favorite things.
Math was never my strong suit. I wrote a lot of short stories in Algebra class.
First of all, I recently finished reading Rick Springfield's autobiography "Late Late at Night."
1) He actually wrote it.
No ghost writers here...this is one celeb who can string together a paragraph very well. There's very little polish. This is Rick, speaking from his heart. Warning to those of you who haven't read it and plan to: The language is very, very explicit. Keep this out of reach of the wee ones!
2) He pulls no punches and doesn't try to make himself look good.
Those who have followed the public image of Rick will probably be more than a little stunned to read his detailed accounts of...well pretty much everything from drug use to sex on the road, to attempted suicide. He doesn't justify a thing, and takes responsibility for his actions. His unblinking honesty is heartbreaking at some points. As someone who has a family history of emotional and mental illness and as someone who battles depression, this memoir broke my heart and gave me hope.
3) My hero has feet of clay, and a gassy dog. Sound familiar?
Wow...I started writing "Dream in Color" six years ago. At that time I knew I wanted an aging teen idol, someone who might have something dark in his closet. For those of you who have read it, yes, obviously, Jesse is inspired by Rick. But reading this memoir, I was stunned at just how close the two were. (Seriously, I know Rick has a copy of "Dream." I'm starting to fear that restraining order! LOL!) Yes, right down to the gassy dog. Egads!
4) I have a whole new hero...and she's awesome!
Through the entire memoir there is one shining light, Rick's wife, Barbara. This woman should be awarded medals or something! I've long looked at the broken state of marriage in our society and wondered if anyone bothers to stay true to their marriage vows. Barbara Porter Springfield (Springthorpe) is the image of a wife determined to keep her marriage and her family intact. I always figured it was hard being married to a public figure, especially a rock star, whose entire world revolves around general hotness.
Which brings me to the point of my blog today: The wounded hero we all want to fix. Call him what you will, every woman I know has a fantasy that includes healing the wounded hero. Taming the bad boy. Fixing the deeply misunderstood golden hearted bastard. Romance novels are silly with this theme. Shoot, I'm writing one right now. (Only, since I have a deep need to explore the dark side of every character, my heroine isn't exactly a fresh summer peach.) We as women are obsessed with movies that involve that bad boy (Johnny Depp, Russell Crowe anyone?) and how we can make him love us.
As writers, we love to create the hero who isn't really a hero until he realizes he's madly in love with his heroine...and that heroine as we all know is always a younger, thinner, prettier, more talented version of ourselves. (Okay, Michele B, you were right and I admit it now! I AM RAMONA! Happy?) And there's nothing wrong with that. Sorry, but the Beta male is going to lose in novels. The good guy marries the girl in real life, if the girl is smart, but never in the novels.
So I applaud you, Ms. Barbara Porter. You are my new hero because you've stuck to your vows in the face of stunning betrayals. you give the rest of us out here working on marriage inspiration to keep going, to never give up.
And the rest of you...go read Rick's memoirs. And oh, then go read Dream in Color!
Meanwhile, I'm back to work!
