With the news today that singer Richard Marx helped subdue a violent passenger on an airline light from Vietnam to South Korea, social media is alight with newfound respect for the oft-maligned soft pop singer.
Thing is, we told you he was a bad-ass four years ago!
When we read the amazing story of one blogger's run-in with Richard Marx, we couldn't help root for the blogger, being that we ARE one. But then we started thinking...Marx, who is a longtime client of Superior St., might not be entirely in the wrong. Musical taste aside, Marx is an ambitious, no-nonsense, business savvy guy who has no time for bullshit. Maybe he just decided that enough was enough and that if no one else was gonna stand up for him, then he was. Maybe he's also the guy who stands up when someone tries to hijack a plane. Maybe he's our kind of guy after all..
It's weird what we remember about certain artists, like that Michael Des Barres was the singer for a band called Scum of the Earth on an episode of WKRP, or that Billy Squier and Klaus Fluoride of the Dead Kennedys were once in a band together.
In the case of Richard Marx, this is what we know:
1. Marx first caught the attention of Lionel Richie, who suggested he come out to L.A.
Once Marx arrived in L.A., Lionel Richie was true to his word and gave Marx his first break. That's him singing backing vocals on Richie's mega-hit "All Night Long (All Night)". Marx later went on to write songs for Kenny Rogers and Kim Carnes.
2. Upon signing to EMI-Manhattan, wrote songs with Tubes singer Fee Waybill.
As a kid growing up in a small town in Michigan, my mind had been blown repeatedly by this San Francisco band's continual pushing of the boundaries. To this day, their Completion Backwards Principal album remains a near-perfect combination of impeccably arranged rock anthems and inspired performances.
Needless to say, the fact that Marx went out of his way to collaborate with Waybill on his first album was definitely worth a few bonus points in our book. Marx went one further, though, cutting at least one tune co-written by Waybill on every single album he recorded for Capitol. For Marx, that doesn't just show a great taste in musical collaborators, but loyalty as well.
3. Marx sang a duet with Donna Lewis.
The song "At The Beginning" was part of the "Anastasia" soundtrack (1997), but don't hold that against it. The song was produced by none other than Trevor Horn (he of Buggles and "Video Killed The Radio Star" fame).
4. He married Cynthia Rhodes, who was in the final incarnation of Animotion.
In 1997, he and Cynthia left Hollywood for a lower-profile existence in an upscale suburb of Chicago. Sadly, they divorced in 2014.
5. He is now married to former MTV personality Daisy Fuentes.
And she still looks amazing, even when trying to help her husband document a flight fight.