After our concert review ran last week, we received a number of new comments regarding The Star Plaza Show, Peter Noone and Micky Dolenz.
In fact, this piece was originally supposed to run LAST Tuesday!!!
(Heck, at THAT point, The World Series hadn't even STARTED yet ... and now it's already over!!!)
Congratulations to The San Francisco Giants and any of their fans that may be on our list. We have friends and family in BOTH locations so it was tough to decide who to root for this year, especially with Frannie being from Texas. But I think it's safe to say that Giants CLEARLY out-played them throughout the series ... and really deserved to win.
That being said, let's move on to some of your thoughts and comments regarding Peter Noone and Micky Dolenz!
Kent Kotal / Forgotten Hits
(And I approve this message)
Jeez ... you KNOW that's all that's going to on TV tonight!!! Perhaps we can provide the perfect distraction ... browse around the websites this evening and see what you might have missed! (lol)
>>>Both my brothers are Viet Nam veterans, and one was a real Herman's Hermits fan. He told me their albums were played in Phu Bai all the time (as well as The Fifth Dimension, so go figure? Kind of different than what the movies say was the soundtrack for our generation’s war.) Janis
>>>Unfortunately, even if a film director WANTED to showcase Herman's Hermits music in a film about the Viet Nam Era, they most-likely would have been denied the opportunity to do so, thanks to the iron-fist tactics of one Allen B. Klein, who wouldn't license Herman's Hermits material for such projects. Again, check out our FH Interview with Peter for more frustrating details on this matter ... Peter had to go out and re-record "I'm Into Something Good" for inclusion in "The Naked Gun" film ... and then be careful not to make it sound TOO much like the original for fear of further scrutiny and legal actions with his one-time arch nemesis! (kk)He was such a pest and control freak, with only one thing in mind ... greed!
Best,
John
Which created nothing but a lose / lose situation for EVERYBODY!!! The fans couldn't BUY the material ... Peter Noone and Herman's Hermits couldn't PROMOTE the material (or earn royalties for it) ... and, with all the stuff locked in the vaults, Allen B. Klein himself didn't make any money on the sales of the material ... so what the heck was the point and logic in that?!?!? Seriously, check out my interview with Peter ... it makes absolutely NO sense at all! (kk)
Click here: Forgotten Hits - Forgotten Hits Interviews Peter Noone
I don't have time to read the whole thing before work ... but DUDE, YOU'RE KILLLIN' ME!!!!!!! Not only does Frannie post a pic of Micky on my Facebook, but now I see you got to go in the dressing room??? You have crippled me for the rest of the day. - Kristy
See, you shoulda come with us!!! You could have been backstage, too, hob-nobbin' with Micky and Peter before the show! (kk)
Oh my gosh, what a column this morning! And awesome pic with Peter! You've added fun to my life with your writing. And an absolutely fascinating answer to my Micky / Oh! Darlin' question. You hold on to music stats like some men hold on to baseball stats.
(For all I know, you probably hold on to baseball stats, too.)
Very cool! I will never forget this whole experience!
Thanks again!
Janis
Baseball when I was a kid ... but pretty much music ever since. (Funny thing is, on the way home from the concert Frannie ... who is from Texas ... and I had a debate regarding when and how The Texas Rangers franchise started ... naturally she and many of her friends back home are VERY excited to see The Rangers finally make it to The World Series. We wagered as to who had a more accurate memory as to The Rangers' humble beginnings. By the next morning, I had pretty much forgotten all about it ... but she hadn't ... in fact, she looked it up online to see who came closer to remembering "the most accurate truth"!!! All of a sudden, I heard her call from the other room, "Oh, by the way, honey, you were right" to which I immediately responded, "Of course, I was dear ... about what this time???" lol)
Glad you had a great time at the concert ... it was a whole lotta fun! (kk)
Kent ...
Don't know if you remember that - when the old WCBS - FM went off the air and was replaced by JACK-FM, Micky Dolenz was the morning DJ. Do you know if he DJ'd for any other stations?
Frank B.
I believe that Micky may have guest-DJ'd several times in the past, but I think this was his first regular radio gig ... and from what I heard, he did a GREAT job at it and was really enjoying himself when they pulled the plug. (We promoted his show like crazy in Forgotten Hits and heard from a number of readers who listened regularly both in New York and online. Honestly, I think Micky would LOVE to do an oldies show like that again ... and just think of the stories he could tell!!! (kk)
>>>Micky and his sister Coco sang the old Everly Brothers Hit "Crying In The Rain" ... it's one of the highlights of his new "King For A Day" CD. (kk)
And here it is ...
Even though Micky wasn't selling copies of his new CD after the show, YOU can order it from his website: Click here: Home Page
Great stuff as always and it brought back some memories for me. I remember attending quite a few shows in the 80's in Merrillville including a Doo-Wop show, The Beach Boys and none other than Rodney Dangerfield, who did his usual nervous entrance, walked on stage and said, "Hey I got it made now ... Merrillville, Indiana!"
Mark / GoHawksGo
The Star Plaza is celebrating its 30th Anniversary. (How is this possible? I could have SWORN it'd be around longer than that ... that only puts it at 1980!!!) They have an amazing wall of stars as you walk into the main entrance, showing many of the artists who have appeared there over the years ... walking through the lobby, you'll find LOTS of signed memorabilia and photos, too ... always a GREAT place to see a concert with great sound and really NO bad seats. (kk)
Wow, Kent.
Next time just loosen up and enjoy yourself, ok?
I have to laugh because unless, like you, one has experienced one of these "Pop Concerts", it is difficult to imagine why we have so much fun. Now, imagine being a child (as on my school's field trip a year ago) and you can understand that the awe (more like AWWWWWW) and thrill that you saw in their pictures was truly there. Some were so spell-bound they could not speak.
Shelley J. Sweet-Tufano
Hey, we had nothing BUT a great time!!! (I sound like a broken record, but how can you NOT?!?!?) When you consider that I've probably seen Micky every bit of 20-25 times ... and Peter Noone at least a dozen ... and STILL found the show fresh and entertaining, I have NO difficulty at all imagining how a first-time viewer (no matter HOW young or old) would feel witnessing the same show. (In fact, part of the fun in going to some of these shows ... The Monkees, Herman's Hermits, and the aforementioned Beach Boys ... has always been taking somebody who HASN'T seen them perform before, just to enjoy the expression on their face when they experience it for the first time! (kk)
>>>An added bonus was the fact that Micky's back-up band included Vance Brescia, who wrote "That Was Then, This Is Now", on bass guitar ... later doubling his duties as Peter Noone's lead guitarist, musical director and chief choreographer! (lol) This guy's a show all by himself! (kk)
Vance indeed is a great showman! The guy can wail on a guitar, is an incredible singer / songwriter and his stage presence is impeccable! Peter has to thank God he's got the Vance-man out there for every performance ... he was born to be a "Hermit"!!!
(Oh yeah, and I forgot to mention the guy is a chick magnet.)
I first met Vance about 6 or 7 years ago at Hot August Nights in Reno and we've been friends ever since. A couple years ago I introduced Herman's Hermits as "Ed Sullivan" at a Colorado summer performance. After the show, we hung out for hours as Vance (half-heartedly) tried to pick up the girlfriend of a buddy of mine. :-)
He was nice enough to show me how he gets the guitar sound for "Mrs Brown" (cool stuff) and showed me the licks to the lead of "Listen People". Vance is the REAL DEAL! His new solo CD is incredible as well.
"Wild" Bill Cody
We've plugged his website before (in fact, I think it was at your suggestion the first time!) and are happy to do so again ... he's a VERY talented guy ... give a listen to some of his solo tracks! (kk)
Click here: Singer, songwriter Vance Brescia presents V-Place ... Watch, listen, laugh and learn about Vance's career and the
Hi Kent!
Thanks for the very enjoyable and informative entry in today's blog.
Yes, I'll admit, I'm a Noonatic who had to be content watching the Oklahoma Sooners lose to the Missouri Tigers on Saturday rather than getting to travel to what sounds like was a wonderful evening of entertainment!
Of course we all know that Peter and the band put on a great show no matter where or when but having Mickey Dolenz open for them is a great two'fer! So glad you and Frannie were able to go and share your reviews and photos with us. Lucky Janis, who won her tickets, is the one of the most enthusiastic fans we've got - the girl has a way with words for sure!!!
As always, Forgotten Hits is a good read!
Karen Thompson (Oklahoma City)
I've been listening to a great compilation CD called "When Pigs Fly" ... can you ask Peter Noone how he came to record "White Wedding"?
Ed
We gave this CD quite a bit of coverage when it first came out back in 2002 ... quite an unusual (eclectic???) assortment of music to be sure ... everything from the really cool (The Box Tops doing the Blondie chart-topper "Call Me"; a great reading of "What A Wonderful World" by Roy Clark) to the REALLY bizarre (how about Don Ho singing the Peter Gabriel hit "Shock The Monkey"?!?! Ani DiFranco doing a duet with Jackie Chan ... yes, Jackie Chan ... on "Unforgettable", the remake duet that was such a bit hit for Nat "King" Cole and daughter Natalie a few years back.) The whole concept is artists doing songs you'd NEVER expect them to do in a million years ... The Oak Ridge Boys doing a better-than-you'd-ever-expect-it-to-be rendition of the Kansas classic "Carry On Wayward Son" ... and (get this!) Lesley Gore taking on AC/DC's "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap"!!! And that's why you get Herman's Hermits starring Peter Noone doing a very "popped-up" version of "White Wedding", the Billy Idol head-basher from twenty years prior!
The CD is still in print (and only $12.98 through Amazon.com ... you can check it out here: Click here: Amazon.com: When Pigs Fly: Various Artists: Music) and, I have to admit, it's a WHOLE lotta fun to listen to.
I had really hoped this series would have taken off ... it had ENORMOUS potential for pushing the envelope (and attracting artists to record a song their record company might never have given them the chance to do otherwise!)
I asked Peter Noone about his contribution ... figuring that this probably WASN'T a question he'd already been asked a couple of thousand times!!! Here's what I got back:
I was asked to be a part of a project in which the most unlikely people were connected to a song. I think the original idea was to connect me to an ozzie song but I thought was too obvious as he was doing the "sharrrrron" tv reality show at the time.
David Polemeni and I chose white wedding by billy idol and I have to admit it was great fun recording it. the mrs. brown banjo still makes me laugh and herman singing 'nice day for a white wedding" makes me wet your pants!
-- Peter Noone
peternoone.com
And finally, special thanks to Scott Shannon for reading Frannie's Peter Noone concert review on the air the other day! (I know, I know ... short, concise and to the point!!! Mine and a couple of the others were far too long-winded for radio play but hey, it sure seems like EVERYBODY enjoyed the show! Scott received numerous phone calls and emails from fans who were at The Star Plaza last Saturday Night ... and we all LOVED it!!!) Oh, and for the record, Frannie is NOT a Noonatic ... (not that there's anything wrong with that!!!) ... she just appreciates a really good show! (kk)
You'll find our full review here: Forgotten Hits Concert Review: PETER NOONE and MICKY DOLENZ (Saturday, October 23rd, at The Star Plaza Theater in Merrillville, Indiana
