David Cassidy Interviewed by Elliot Mintz

[@Playitstraight44]

I did a little digging on David's musical career in the 70's just to give me some context here because I was only 9 or 10 when he was at his apex of fame in those days. Here's my perspective for its day. I very much watched the Partridge Family back in that time. I would say it was a staple in our house for a couple of years, but not for the life of the show. As a individual entertainer I only saw him on magazine covers, but I always associated those moments as an out branch from the show aimed at girls. I wasn't hearing anything on the radio from him (as a solo artist)which is supported by his limited chart presence in those days. And his record breaking concerts overseas might as well have been played on Mars, because the limited nature of communication back then did not afford him the same kind of instant public awareness social media gives today. So those moments went unnoticed by people like me in those days. By the time we got to the mid 70's, I was really getting into music and if you think about it, that was a big time for change on the musical landscape. On the live front, you had bands like KISS, Zepplin, and Queen rising to prominence. On the song writing front, you had the Eagles, Billy Joel, Elton John, and of course Paul McCartney with Wings. Then musically you had the Bee Gees beginning their dive into the R&B sound. So as a young person I was really getting exposed to allot of new music and imagery that someone like David Cassidy (whose fame was born from television) was going to have a hard time competing with. And I say that as an objective reflection, not as a put down. I also think the Beatles and Elvis comparisons in his marketing are laced with a bit of hyperbole if you look at their commercial decline during that time period. Screen Gems kicked those notions around with the Monkees as well. But unlike the Monkees era, David Cassidy came along after the Beatles had broke up and Let it Be was a Label release, not a new concept album the band had been working on. I think David drank that Kool-aid a bit too much. It would be like Larry Holmes bragging about beating Muhammad Ali at the end of his career. Unless you apply context, that statement is a bit misleading. The early 70's were a kind of transitional period for music and the move away from the hippie generation in the 60's. The Manson murders had tainted that image and so there was a kind of social void on that front. It was an ideal moment for the Partridge Family and David Cassidy to bridge the gap and get people out of their dull-drums of losing the Beatles and trying to recenter what the young generation was all about. No wonder everyone has such fond memories of this show. It was the perfect tonic to combat what was happening in the real world. I give him props though for stepping back and getting away for a while, because honestly he saved himself from the inevitable decline he would have experienced with the onslaught of all these new trends in music. Perhaps his elected removal delayed that eventual reconciliation he would have to make with his audience, but I think it was going to happen no matter what direction he chose. Tough shoes to be in.

[@juliettebrown2673]

Great interview of the "real David Cassidy," such wisdom from a young, accomplished man, in all his beauty, openness, and intelligent insights, of a generation gone by, in reflective joy, David Cassidy, you were here, and now beyond, blessings on your continuing journey♡

[@wendybrick7672]

I’ve heard many interviews of David over the last 50 years and the ones he does with Elliot Mintz are just at another level because they are friends, I guess. But also, I am so impressed with the way Elliot asks the questions and then let’s David talk. It is so refreshing to have an interviewer let the person talk. Any redirection is done so skillfully and smoothly that it’s barely perceptible. I could listen to these interviews all night long. Just brilliant. What a goldmine I have found on this channel. Thank you!!!

[@elliotmintzvideos]

hi wendy. happy you found the channel. the best way people can show their appreciation for the material presented is to simply subscribe, it is free. hope you join those who have.

[@sallyangus8194]

Facinating interview.Is great to hear an interviewer who can ask a sensible question and then actually listen to the answer.

[@obscurelyvague]

But there is no mention of the original air date. It sounds as if if David is is no older than 25 years old here.

[@joebonadonna5525]

May he rest in peace.

[@Cella960]

Incredible interview by Elliot Mintz,!,

[@Bernz861]

The dive he is talking about was 15 minutes away from where I lived. His performance was unbelievable at MSG.

[@francescaruby1150]

Thanks for sharing. Love his voice

[@viickidameral7468]

Thank you for sharing this interview with David Cassidy I enjoyed hearing David talk thank you so much for sharing this with me

[@CherishDavidCassidy]

Thanks Elliot for sharing this !!

[@tina_mariemurphy9410]

Brilliant interview David had an old head on shoulder's. he was so deep he worried about what people thought about him critics.

[@cazzer5790]

Fabulous questions and interview. Thanks for allowing us to share this Elliot

[@patricemarie3412]

Thank you for posting this! What year was this? David was always very well spoken in this and all of his interviews I've listened to!

[@viickidameral7468]

Thank Mr.Minitz for this brilliant interview From David where’s part four.

[@elliotmintzvideos]

hi viicki. if you are subscribe to this free channel, we will let you know when new material is posted.

[@frankfacts6207]

his dad was an amazing presence on tv/ movies

[@sharnavalli9707]

Just wonering will you be relecing any more tapes were david talks about his early concerts

[@elliotmintzvideos]

hi sharna. it depends on audience interest. to date, more than 50,000 people have listened to excerpts from my lengthy interview with david cassidy. but only 10% subscribed to this free channel. that could simply mean, they were satisfied with the material i posted and do not wish to hear more. if i was made aware of the fact that 10,000 more fans of david subscribed, i would consider preparing more hours. it is a very tedious and costly process to digitalize and edit cassette tapes that were recorded decades ago. i would have to be truly motivated.

[@daisycassidy2448]

David's stardom as a teen idol was his prisoner.

[@donnagoldsmith9353]

Wow.

[@sharnavalli9707]

Will you be loading anymore of these recordings

[@elliotmintzvideos]

hi sharna. it will depend primarily on listener interest. if thousands more of david's fans, request more by subscribing to this channel, i will consider posting additional material.

[@lsteph1000]

Wonderful interview, I suspect he had a lot more to say, he hid his intelligence behind the quips. Why did he let the fame leave an empty space, when obviously his instincts were to stay grounded and real? what were his demons? Did the addictions make his father the excuse for them? Was it an inherited gene? learned behaviour? I feel so sorry for everyone in his life,who knew and loved him and he loved them it seems, but all the love in the world could not fill that emptiness or save him. And we, his fans loved him for his talent and wonderful smile and mourn his loss. Highly recommend your website of archived material it;s fascinating. Thank you for publishing it and of course we would love to hear more of the archives of David.

[@elliotmintzvideos]

hi linda s. you raise some very important questions about a highly complex man. i wish i could provide the answers. i cannot and don't want to engage in speculative freudian explanations regarding david's self acknowledged feelings of isolation and pain. ever since the 'a&e' documentary aired, i have heard from many people who asked that i publish material from our 13 hours of unreleased interviews. it would seem that it would be the right thing to do (as opposed to keeping the tapes locked away in a bank vault). of course, some of the material is a bit 'raw'. david speaks of people who are still alive and may take exception with the way they are portrayed. he was completely 'uncensored' in our conversations and some of the revelations are highly sensitive. so, i am left with a complex decision. the 'journalist' in me says, i should publish the material as it is. david knew we were taping his comments for publication and wanted his views expressed. however, we were also close friends and i would not wish to present material that he shared with me freely at a time he could not have known what fate had in store. so, give me a little more time to seek balance in the pursuit of clarity. i know his many fans want to understand what happened. and i wish to be respectful to an old friend in a non-exploitative manner.

[@lsteph1000]

Hello Elliot thank you for taking the time to read the comments and for your response. Your site, to me, appears to be an important historical snapshot of America in a time of great changes and growing cultural influences, it seems you were in the right place at the right time to document these changes. David Cassidy to my mind was one of the greatest exports of American Pop Culture and for this I believe he has not been given due credit, but then I am a fan. Having seen some of your interviews and diplomatic style, I believe and hope you will find a way of publishing the interviews without betraying your good friend's trust, but in a way that will show the multi-dimensional and complex personality that seemed to be David Cassidy. Fans believed they knew the man as he seemed to always be so open and honest in interviews, so I can believe your interviews are probably very candid. Speaking for myself, I miss David Cassidy the entertainer and just cannot believe he will no longer pop up on a talk show somewhere and is no longer with us. Even at the end that smile and self deprecating humour was still there. Thank you once again and look forward to trawling through your archives for more interesting interviews and perhaps one day, further interviews of the late, great wonderful David Cassidy.

[@elliotmintzvideos]

hi linda. i deeply appreciate your thoughtful comments. i'm still considering the most meaningful manner to publish my extended interviews with david.....and should reach a decision ny the end of summer. of course, i'll share details here, the website and my 'Facebook' page.

[@lynneweinstein3932]

j.denino57 I my husband laughs at me when I watch/listen to PF and DC songs - but they are truly very good! My 10 year old daughter keeps asking me to play “that cute guy’s music”. She has good taste.

[@lynneweinstein3932]

Elliot Mintz thank you so much, Elliot - you certainly have ethical decisions on your hands and all who have greatly admired David and his incredible cannon of work can appreciate and respect your dilemma - I, too, have been struggling with understanding David and his life story, and am left with such sadness for him that he couldn’t seem to have found perspectives that would have eased his burden in his last years. I’m not sure where to see if you have, in fact, decided whether to publish the interviews...

[@irmaknight2573]

Hello Elliot..are you going to do David's biography?

[@elliotmintzvideos]

hi irma. i have no such plans.

[@irmaknight2573]

@@elliotmintzvideos Thanks for replying and for posting this interview.

[@brightangel133]

It’s interesting to see how the people (yes, girls are people) that made singers like him a millionaire and world famous are denigrated and dismissed by the very successful artists they loved and supported! The Beatles did this, but there were four of them and the mania was spread around more evenly- lol ! This type of mania happened before David, i.e Sinatra, Elvis, the 60’s pop stars like Frankie Avalon, The Beach Boys, etc. Even Bob Dylan! And it happened again after him with NKOTB and One Direction and now, BTS. But were these teen idols ever as confounded or felt as victimized as David did? Perhaps some of them. In many of David’s interviews he says he’s grateful to the fans and I think he really was and he had fun on his wild ride as a sex symbol/entertainer. I think the record companies and studios and the people around him who ruthlessly used him as a commodity are more to blame for his retirement at 25 and his mental health issues than the fans that loved his music. After all, how much interaction did he really have with them? One hour on stage? Instead of one dramatic last tour, why did he not take control and slow things down to a more acceptable pace? I think he finally realized he had very few people who liked him for himself and that he had to get away from the corporate bloodsuckers and find real friends and get some therapy. If seems he had a a great family, his brothers mainly, so I’m sure that helped (and also supportive, talented journalists who wanted people to get to know the real David). What men don’t realize but I think David finally did realize, is the universe gave him millions of female fans who REALLY loved him for the message he sang to them- that young girls MATTERED. And making young women feel valued is incredibly important. He was an inadvertent feminist! He was in a place in time in which that was needed. It is needed again now, unfortunately, as women are losing what rights they had! But now there is no David to sing about how much women are appreciated. But there is Lady Gaga! And Coldplay, etc. I often reiterate to young people that the ERA was never passed! Women have never been equal to men in this country, sadly. Anyway, I don’t recall ever hearing someone like Tom Jones complaining about where his paycheck came from-his fans. He seemed to realize that if he didn’t have them, he’d not have a career. He appeared to take it all in stride and with good humor, which David seemed to do as well in the beginning. He had a great sense humor and was a great comedic actor. And when David spoke in interviews like this, he seemed much older and wiser than someone in his early twenties. I’m sure that was part of his appeal, his ability to communicate in interviews in addition to singing. He had it all for someone in entertainment -a sexy singing voice that matched his good looks and also real acting talent. It’s too bad he had to struggle to get back to a place in the industry where he felt he wasn’t a punchline to a joke. As a young man he said he was serious about acting. But did he go to RADA and play Romeo and get some real stage cred? I know he eventually did act on stage, but it seems he did it almost too late for his career to rebound. He had a hit or two when he went blond in the 80s and then played Broadway with Blood Brothers and Dreamcoat. It was enough for his loyal, lifelong fans, but was it enough for him? He had so much love in his life, but was it enough of the right kind? I know there is a movie about him, but I think a musical would be a much better way to pay tribute to such a likable, handsome, and talented yet tormented man. But then the corporate blood suckers would make millions off of his image again, just like they’re doing now with Marilyn Monroe and others. It’s a shame David didn’t admit to his alcoholism earlier than in his 60s. He would have made a great advocate for people to get help for such a pernicious disease. In the end, I hope he knew what a great person he was, what a great friend he was, what a great musician he was, what a great dad he was, and what a great contribution he made to the world.

[@elliotmintzvideos]

hi bright angel. have you taken a moment to subscribe to this free channel? that's how people express their appreciation for the posts.