Rocker Rick Springfield returns in an independent mood

Rocker-actor Rick Springfield hasn't played hunky heartthrob Dr. Noah Drake on "General Hospital" since 1983. Still, the genial 54-year-old who performs Friday night at the Tower City Amphitheater could have used some medical help from his alter-ego during a recent conversation.

"Everything I read, I think about it in terms of musically," he says. "I get a lot of my approaches to writing a song from books I read. I've always read a lot [and] certainly always pulled some titles out of books.

"And I forgot what my point was. I must have taken too much cough syrup. I just got out of bed . . . [from] being in bed for two days with a cold, trying to shake it before I came out on the road."

Don't think this mental fogginess has any bearing on Springfield's career, however. The man who once lusted after "Jessie's Girl" and warned "Don't Talk To Strangers" recently self-released "shock/denial/anger/acceptance," his latest solo album.

The native Australian's gritty growl makes "Perfect" and "Will I?" ideal bar-band fodder, while "Jesus Saves" and "God Gave You to Everyone" could slip easily onto WMMS' playlist. Current single "Beautiful You," a lovelorn, piano-driven pop-rock sliver, and ballads such as "Angels of the Disappeared" are sensitive but avoid sounding like adult-contemporary sap.

With its universal themes of heartache and longing and contemporary-rock sound, the disc sounds undeniably fresh. Indeed, Springfield agrees that "acceptance" probably will surprise some people-"but in a good way, hopefully."

"I had a lot going on, a lot of emotional stuff," he says about his lyrical inspiration. "I didn't name names, but it was definitely relationship-based issues, just things everybody has. It's just my take on it, how it affected me.

"That's really the only time I write, when I have something like that to deal with, which is why the record is called the name it is, which is the four stages of healing."

Like many artists disillusioned with big record companies, Springfield released "acceptance" on his own label - named Gomer, after his dog. Deciding to strike out on his own was "a big decision," but a no-brainer considering his passion for playing hasn't waned.

"I'm still very hungry," he says. "We don't go out to play to make money, we go out to play 'cause we wanna play. If it ever got to the point where it wasn't fun, I'd absolutely stop.

"I certainly know of these bands that go out and have to have separate buses and everything. That's a fate worse than death."

He reflects this enthusiasm in his live show, during which he promises "a sweaty, hot time" and some possible mischief up his sleeve.

"It's a party," he says. "It's a very audience-driven show. I go into the audience and pull them up onstage. My only place to connect with people is when I play live, so I make the most of it."

Does he like to embarrass people and pick those who are cowering and look like they're saying, 'Don't pick me'?

"Yeah, very much so," Springfield says with a laugh. "They're the ones I go for, and they know it."