AT 20 he is a dollar millionaire. He is in the highly enviable position of never needing to work again to live comfortably for the rest of his life.
He stays in the best hotels, travels in style - and still goes to football matches and drinks pints of bitter over a game of darts in locals.
Now he is making a welcome re-appearance in the NME chart, this time with a ditty called "Sleepy Joe." "He" is Herman, one of the more friendly and happy-go-lucky members of the pop star set.
But it was not so much about his singing, which has brought him international stardom, as his acting that we talked about as we walked through London's busy Haymarket the other day.
As an actor, he is hoping to become known under his real name, Peter Noone. Herman will be reserved for his singing.
"In 'Pinocchio' which I've done for American TV, I am Peter Noone, not Herman," he told me. "I'm billed as Peter Noone. There is the actor and the singer, two different people.
Silliest
"I used to be Peter Noone all the time before I became a snger and I only chose the name Herman because it was the silliest thing I could think of. I couldn't really change it now for my singing career so I use my real name as much as possible for acting.
Though "Pinocchio" was filmed several months ago, it has not yet been screened. It is due for Christmas transmission in America and there is talk of it being shown here, too. So we may yet see Peter Noone billed on our screens.
"I'd have to change the name of the group if I became Peter Noone, wouldn't I?" he went on. "Could you imagine billing Peter Noone and the Hermits? No, I don't think we'll change it now. We're too well known as Herman's Hermits for that."
We entered a bar and met a crowd of friends from a record company. Before long, however, a mass of girls had gathered outside the door and were beginning to venture inside.
"They probably wouldn't know who Peter Noone was if you asked them," Herman grinned. "To them, it's Herman and that's it."
Shortly he is off to America for a tour. This will take in a lot of colleges and is the first time he has tried anything like it.
"I think the college audiences are a lot better because they will listen and tend to be more appreciative," he mused. "Over here I
|
|
probably wouldn't do universities, but in America it's a different scene."
Did this mean that Herman was joining the ranks of the "shuddup and listen" brigade?
"No, not really," he replied. "But it's obviously far better for everyone concerned if the audience is quiet while you're playing. You can hear what you're doing and the audience will get a chance to hear."
Sceptical
He was a little sceptical about the possible outcome of his tour with John Rowles, Amen Corner and the Paper Dolls which begins today (Friday). He felt that if "Sleepy Joe" became a hit, he would stand a better chance after so long without a British tour.
Everyone in our company said they were sure he would have another success on his hands and Herman pointed out that when it came to releasing records, it was almost always Mickie Most who had the final say in what went out.
"I only picked two of the singles and they were our biggest flops," he laughed. "Now I leave it to Mickie, he's uncanny that way. I think the tour will be all right though. We haven't done one for two years and we've been asked to, so there must be enough people who want to see us.
"We've got a strong supporting bill and everyone on the tour has enough fans to guarantee a success, I think."
It should be pointed out that Herman has a pretty sensible business head on his shoulders and often takes part in pretty difficult discussions which could affect his finances. If he has anything to do with the tour, that'll be another hit for him, together with "Sleepy Joe."
|
