Rick Springfield is getting something of a career re-boot this week. Twenty-seven years after “Jessie’s Girl” and the Working Class Dog album made him one of the ’80s’ first superstars, Springfield is ubiquitous once again – if only for a few days: Good Morning America, Live with Regis and Kelly, Fox and Friends, Nightline on Friday evening. He even returned to his old haunting grounds on the General Hospital set, singing his new single “What’s Victoria’s Secret?” in the guise of aging rocker Eli Love. (See, Love is a doppelganger for Springfield’s classic character, Dr. Noah Drake, who one time had to fill in when Eli … oh, never mind.)

All this renewed attention accompanies Springfield’s fine new album, Venus in Overdrive. It’s his first for the New Door label, which has built a roster of “heritage” artists that’s beginning to look like a Behind the Music episode guide. In Springfield’s case, New Door has exhibited a knack for exploiting pre-existing name recognition and for coaxing familiar-yet-fresh music from an artist who has seemingly done it all before. The title track is a song Chris Daughtry might wish he’d written, while “What’s Victoria’s Secret?” feels like 1981 again, but in a good way, reminding us why “I’ve Done Everything for You” and “I Get Excited” were such terrific power-pop (while not-so-subtly echoing the guitar riff that helped drive “Jessie’s Girl” to the top).

Popdose caught up with Springfield on Tuesday, shortly after his appearance with Reege.

Did the show go well this morning?
I don’t know! I’m the last person to ask. I never have any idea how I come off on TV. They tell me it was fine, so I just take their word for it and go on to the next thing.

So, listen, Rick: Some screaming girl I didn’t even know dug her fingernails into my forearm during one of your concerts in 1982. I still have the scar.
Oh, man. (Laughing) You’re not gonna sue me, are you?

No, but I would like an apology.
Oh, I don’t know. I think there’s a statute of limitations on those sorts of things, isn’t there? So… (assuming voice of Nelson from The Simpsons) Ha-ha! (more…)