Hey, it's Jeff Zito and thanks for checking out another episode of the Celebrity Jobber podcast. Streaming on Apple Podcasts Spotify, iHeart, or wherever you listen to podcasts, we're everywhere. So please subscribe. We'd love a five star rating and please leave a review. You can follow on Instagram, celebrity underscore, jobber underscore podcast. The YouTube channel is youtube.com slash the at sign celebrity jobber. And for past guests and episodes, you can check out celebrity jobber.com. So if it wasn't for being a star, what would Sean Cassidy do? Kind of different circumstances with Sean Cassidy. His father is Jack Cassidy, very famous actor, married to a very famous actress, Shirley Jones, Sean's mom, Mrs. Partridge, his brother, David Cassidy was Keith Partridge. So a very famous family kind of born into showbiz, if you will. So you know, he had a little bit of a different career path, but where has Sean Cassidy been? You know, last I remember he was on the Hardy Boys and I haven't heard too much about him. What's he been doing? Do you think Sean Cassidy had any like regular jobs growing up outside of being a teen idol? Well, we're going to find out. Sean Cassidy from the Hardy Boys is my guest this week on Celebrity Jobber. Hey Sean, how are you? I'm great, Jeff, how are you? I'm doing fantastic. How's mom doing, by the way? Mom's great. She's 91. She lives five minutes away from us. We live in Santa Barbara and we moved her up here after the pandemic because I didn't get to see much of her then. And she's in great health. She looks younger than I do. She's awesome. That's awesome. I can't really hear that, man. What a trip. I mean, I got to tell you, I haven't been on the road in a little bit. I just saw a clip of you performing at the Grand Old Opry a few months ago. But man, oh man, how long has it been since you've been out on the road and how does it feel? Well, it took a little break, about 40 years. It's weird and it's fantastic. But I didn't know I'd be taking a break. My last concert tour back in the day ended at the Houston Astrodome. 55,000 people, I said goodnight. Thought, well, see you soon. But I ended up segwaying into writing and producing television, which has been my main job for all these years. And I just found that I missed the connection with people. I missed, you know, I'd locked myself in a room writing stories, which has been great, but I wanted to get out again. And so in 2020, I kind of dipped my toe in the water and I had impeccable timing because the pandemic was starting. So you couldn't really tour at all. So this is really the first, well, it's the biggest tour I've ever done in my life. I never got to do a tour of 60 cities over six months back in the day because I was doing the Hardy Boys and I was making records at night and I just couldn't commit to that much time. But I'm doing it now and it's wonderful. That's cool. It looks like you're having a good time. Take me all the way back, Sean, if you could, because you've got to be you've had to have very different life than a lot of other celebrities, you know, who tell you about their big break. And I mean, your mom and dad were in show business. But can you remember when you I mean, and obviously your your older brother, I'm sure there was a little sibling rivalry, maybe, maybe with him when you were younger. But can you tell me like what your first big break was as as a kid becoming a performer, becoming a teen idol? Well, certainly getting the Hardy Boys. I mean, I I have a weird career, for sure. The trajectory of my career is pretty unique in that I had this huge success of an early 18, 19, 20 year old. And then at 21, I stopped. I just stopped all. I mean, I basically stayed home for the 80s. I stayed home. I got married, crazy young 21. I had three kids with almost 25. And I really didn't know what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. I knew I didn't want to keep being a performer. Not that I didn't love it. I loved singing and I loved being on a stage, but I didn't like the life and like being chased by paparazzi. And I was more private and I'm more of an introvert, honestly. And I felt a lovely writing. I fell in love with the process of writing, even on the Hardy Boys. It's been more time in the writers room than on the set. So when I found out I could write, I thought, oh, this gives me a creative outlet, but it gives me a better life. Right. And I've been really fortunate. I was able to do it. As I said, I missed the audience. But I had the models of David and my mom and my father who all dealt with it in very different ways, good, bad, everything in between. And I got to go to school on them. You know, and you and you were mentioning, Sean, that like, you know, thing, you just took a break in the 80s. You stayed at home. You went into a different you went a different path. You started writing, doing more behind the scenes stuff. Was that your choice because you were an introvert or, you know, was it, you know, everybody has a shelf life. I mean, it just it just happens. Did did things dry up for you? And was there any kind of a rocky road after it was all over 55,000 seats sold in the Houston Astrodome, or did you transition kind of into, you know, what you were what you're doing behind the scenes? I don't think the road was rocky, but it was certainly uncertain. And, you know, I didn't know what I was going to do when I when I said goodnight at the Astrodome, I didn't know it would be my last concert for 40 years. I figured I'll go home for a year or maybe go do another television show or whatever. You know, I did a lot of work in the theater. I did plays, but I didn't know I'd stop acting. Right. I but I found that I I love writing. I love the life that writing afforded me. And when I sold my first television show was a show called American Gothic. Sam Raimi was my producing partner and it became a real like cultural phenomenon. We got rave reviews and it was very dark. The show came on in 95. I think Sarah Paulson's first job to play the young girl in the show. And suddenly the world was looking at me very differently because, you know, I'd had kind of boy next door persona and I'd written the darkest show in the universe. You're like, now we now we don't know what box to put him in, which is good, you never because no artist wants to be in any box. Really. You want to be able to do a wide variety of things. But once I found out I could write, it was like, oh, set me free. I'm going to run with this. And I did. And I'm sorry. I just I just turned in my latest pilot NBC yesterday. I'm still doing it. That's great. The celebrity jobber podcast with Jeff Zito. Celebrity jobber. So when you were younger, was it acting or was it on stage performing as a singer? Or did you not know? Did it just kind of happen? I was in bands in high school and I ended up playing some clubs on Sunset. And because I, you know, came from a famous family, you know, people were sort of looking at me a little closer, maybe. And people are taking my pictures and my picture ended up in teen magazines. But that was really because of David and my mom and dad to a lesser extent. But then I ended up on the Hardy Boys and I'd signed a record deal in high school, which was crazy. I signed with Holland. I was making records for Holland and then Australia and then Germany. And the idea was if you get a hit record somewhere in Europe, maybe a disc jockey in America would be, you know, give it a more than a kind of second look, get you airplay here. But then it all became moot because I got on the Hardy Boys and suddenly Warner Brothers, it was a recording, my record company put the album out and became the biggest selling solo debut in history until Whitney Houston came along. She later took the crown. But so that was all insane. And, you know, I didn't really know if it's really what I wanted to do. I just kind of did it because that's what everybody did in my family. Right. Wow. That's a pretty, it's pretty incredible when you just kind of, it just happens for you. And then you, you know, you sit back years later, you reflect on it and it's got to be, it's got to be a trip. And don't take this the wrong way, Sean, but have you ever had like a regular job? Have you ever, you know, delivered pizzas or, you know, worked, you know, had a newspaper? You did. What was it? When I was, well, I don't know if this is a regular job, but I was a magician. I did children's birthday parties all over LA from like 13 to 16. Fact I played Jennifer Aniston's fourth birthday. Really? I did the National Children's Party. Yeah. That's pretty cool. Was that your first job? Was that your first paying gig ever? I think I wrapped Christmas presents at a department store. That was a job I did that a few years. But yeah, I mean, weirdly, I think writing and producing TV is a regular job. It's, it's an artist's job, but it's a job. No doubt. It's not, you know, it's, it's a worker job. And that has been my main job. As I said, the performing thing was a kind of freak of nature. Early on, and now I'm doing it again, but I'm doing it. Storytelling is a big part of my show, so it feels authentic to the job I've had. And I can still sing. In fact, you know, humility, I think I sing better because I haven't sung for 40 years. I didn't blow my voice out. And you can go to Sean Cassidy.com. By the way, that's S-H-A-U-N-C-A-S-S-I-D-Y.com. You can see a list of tour dates. And these aren't like, like little tour dates, like weekend. You're like, you got a full schedule all the way up until March. And by the way, just a quick FYI in Florida in Orlando, the Plaza, December 11th in Clearwater, the Capitol Theater, one of my favorite venues. That's December 12th. Pona Vita, Pona Vita. Well, you play golf, saw grasses right there. That's a great spot up in Jacksonville, December 13th. I got to hook up up there, Sean, if you're a golfer. That's a that's a great course. You're going to definitely want to play that while you're there. But huge, huge schedule, man. Yeah, it's crazy. I never did it before. I mean, I did concerts, obviously, but they were sporadic because I was doing them around the Hardy Boys and around recording, making records. The only thing I'm doing now besides touring is writing TV. And I've been doing that in the back of an SUV or doing it in my hotel room. Before soundcheck. So it's all fun. You take 40 years off. You don't know if anybody's going to care or want to be there. And I honestly didn't know if I'd like it, but I love it. I'm having the time of my life. Celebrity Jobber, the Celebrity Jobber podcast with Jeff Seeto. So before the very first show, we're having some anxiety over like, man, it's been a long time since I've been out here. Does anybody remember? Does anybody care? Those thoughts went through your mind. Oh, all of it, of course. Yeah. And will I enjoy it? Will I, you know, be comfortable? Will it feel, you know, the thing I was always anxious about, because I've been offered like, come play Vegas over the years, like every five years, someone would call and say, you should do a tour. You can come back. You can come back. It was like, I don't really want to come back. I just want to go forward. I want to do new things. And the thing for me with this was, oh, storytelling. Right. I couldn't do that back in the day. That is my job now. Feels authentic to what I do now. So, yes, there's a lot of nostalgia in the show. I sing songs that were big hits 40 years ago and a lot of the audience know them. But the stories are what make it feel relevant to me now. And they seem to be a big part of the positive takeaway for the audience. That's what I've heard anyway. Sean, you talked about, you know, what you're doing now, which is mainly behind the scenes, you're writing TV shows. Six very successful as you stepped away from the public eye 40 years ago back on tour. But I also hear you've got like a passion project. You're making wine. It's called my first crush. How did you get into the wine business? Our family lives in the wine country of Santa Barbara. And when the pandemic started, a very good friend of ours is a brilliant wine maker called me and said, Hey, I've got 500 cases of exquisite Pinot Noir that was supposed to go to all these high end restaurants and the restaurants have closed. No place for the wine to go. Do you know anybody that might want to do? You can sell it. And I had been involved and still involved with a great organization called No Kid Hungry that feeds kids all over the world. And I thought, well, maybe we can do this, help the wine maker, help the great growers in our valley and help these kids. Many of them were getting their only meal at school. And now the schools are closed during the pandemic. So I called No Kid Hungry and said, I'm going to put out this wine. We're going to give you money for a money you in. They said, great. I called my wine maker friend. I said, I've just trademarked my first crush. Sounds like a good name for a wine. Why don't we put it on the label? I'll sell it over my social media and it kind of took off. And then we started up myfirstcrush.com. You can order the wine all over the country and the wine is exquisite. It's beautiful wine of all varietals and it's a labor of love. It's not really profitable, but it's really fun. Now you join our wine club. So myfirstcrush.com and we'll all get a glass of wine together. That's myfirstcrush.com and the bottles of wine are, I mean, they're very reasonably priced, you know, everywhere from like, you know, it looks like the most of them are between 20 and 30 bucks. I know I'm not the first guy to ask you this. But I'm thinking about who was your first crush. Celebrity jobber. Hey, call my wife. Calling UK wildlife. No, call my wife. Here's a cheese knife, Leicester. Voice assistance, not working for you. With BlackRock Investment Trust's hands on investing, long term approach to growth and regular dividends, you have a lot working for you. I live in Kent. Get to know BlackRock Investment Trusts at BlackRock.com. You have a lot working for you. Capital at risk, marketing material, BlackRock Investment Management, UK Limited, authorized and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. The Celebrity Jobber podcast with Jeff Zito. Was there a certain girl that was in the back of your mind when you named this wine from way back when? Because I'm telling you, growing up as Sean Cassidy, you must have had you must have had some great teenage years for, you know, other guys that were in high school, just dying to be. You tell me, who was your first crush way back when? Well, my first first crush was a little girl sat in front of me in second grade, who just dazzled me and totally ignored me. Later, the actress who played Catwoman on the old Batman TV series, Julie Newmar. Oh, baby. Oh, you ain't kidding. She was and so I know that feeling. And, you know, people come up to me and say, hey, you were my first record or my first concert or you were my first crush or whatever. And I'll say, I get it. I know that feeling. I had it, too. I still do. And it's, you know, the crush may go, but the feelings timeless. So it's nice. It's just a just a really cool story to hear that you made it out. You know, when you hear about people, young actors that that, you know, we're in the public eye, it's usually it's not a good story. You know, it doesn't have a happy ending. For you, you seem different. You didn't like the party. You didn't like the lifestyle. It wasn't for you. You were introverted. So you step back, created your own path behind the scenes. You found what you really love to do. Now, 40 years later, maybe you're a little different. You're a little less anxious. You're a little more, you know, able to talk to people, tell your story. And now back on the road. And I'm sure a lot of people are grateful for that. Sean Cassidy.com. That's S-H-A-U-N Cassidy.com for a list of all his tour dates, not to mention his wine, My First Crush, which is MyFirstCrush.com. Real pleasure speaking with you and good luck on everything. And there's there's a lot of people in my family and a lot of people listening right now that are they're getting a little they're getting a little perspired right now. Let's say that. Well, you've made me perspire, Jeff. Thank you. His dad, actor Jack Cassidy, his mother, Shirley Jones, his brother, David Cassidy, freaking Keith Partridge. It just kind of happened for Sean. He was in a showbiz family, so he's got a record deal while he's in high school. He did say, though, that his big break, quote, unquote, happened to be the Hardy Boys, which was absolutely huge in the late 70s. But he said things just kind of ended in the early 80s. He did a sold out 55,000 person concert at the Houston Astrodome, said goodnight and took a 40 year break from being in the public eye. Now he has been a very successful TV writer and producer. So he kind of stepped away behind the scenes. He said performing and being in the public eye never made him comfortable. He was always a little reserved and somewhat of an introvert. He did not like the lifestyle either, which probably kept him out of trouble. Unlike a lot of other child stars or teen idols, you know, being from that crazy showbiz family, he did have a couple of regular jobs, which he mentions. He thinks writing and producing TV is kind of a regular job, which I can see. He said when he was a teenager, he wrapped Christmas presents at a department store and he was a magician like when he was a teenager. He said he performed at Jennifer Aniston's fourth birthday party. I thought that was pretty cool. And now back out on the road and also involved in the wine business, which you can check out online at myfirstcrush.com, Sean Cassidy.com for a list of all of his tour dates and when he'll be near you. What a cool guy, right? You know, kind of funny. After all of these years, I always kind of wondered what happened to Sean Cassidy. It's like the Hardy Boys was a huge, huge thing. I didn't know anything about him being behind that TV show American Gothic, which came out in the mid 90s. That was a pretty huge show. Well, thanks again for checking out another episode of the Celebrity Jobber podcast streaming on Apple podcast, Spotify, iHeart or wherever you listen to podcasts. Please subscribe. Would love a five star rating and please leave a review if you want to go back and check out past guests and episodes. You can do so online at celebrityjobber.com. Who knows what would have happened to some of these celebrities if not for their big break, Sean Cassidy, a little different. But where the hell was he? Well, now we know. And he's back. I'd say there's some pretty excited moms out there, maybe listening right now. Knowing that Sean Cassidy is back out there on the road until next week with another episode of the Celebrity Jobber podcast. We'll see you then. I'm Jeff Zito.
