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Have you ever had thoroughly soaked new white boots, or braved a mass of frantic, screaming fans at 6:30 in the morning?
Thanks to a Hollywood radio station, we did!
For three solid days, the news that Herman and his fab Hermits were stopping in L.A. was blasted all over the airways. Naturally, we decided that we just had to greet them and Sunday morning at 4:30 we fell out of bed, dashed into our gear, and tore down the freeway to the airport.
We looked around gloating that we were the only ones there. Then we turned a corner . . . Blam!!. . . we ran head on into the frantic fans. Now who on earth would be zany enough to want to stand in the middle of an airport at 6:50 a.m. just to see Herman! US! And about 300 other devoted fans, that's who!
Quickly we grabbed a guard, said "We're press" and ushered ourselves in as a mass of Hermaniacs surged toward the door.
Whew! We made it! "Hi, Pete!"
A flash bulb went off in our faces.
At the business end of the camera was Karl Green, wearing the ginchiest straw hat we'd seen yet. As we looked around, Karl laughed and pointed that camera again. We turned just in time to avoid the evil flash and see Pete (Herman) relaxing in a chair. He said he'd been up all night and asked us to sit down. Well, how could we refuse? We sat!
Naturally we'd come with yards of questions to ask Herman and, just as naturally, we were speechless. Herman smiles and suddenly we blurted out, "How did you really lose your tooth, 'cause we've had all kinds of letters asking us about it."
He grinned, "Bean (Barry) and I were having a game of knuckles . . . you know . . . well, I moved and he hit me . . . the tooth fell out . . . so, it was Bean's fault."
"Why didn't you duck?"
"Because it was too late . . . he hit me quite by accident, rather hard."
"Not to be changing the subject, why were you in Hawaii?"
"Just for a holiday . . . er . . . vacation."
"Holiday's all right."
". . . All right, holiday . . . it rained every day except for one . . . the weather wasn't at all like here . . . it's beautiful outside."
"What did you do in Hawaii?"
"Surfed all day . . . every day."
"Even in the rain?"
"Yes, and I think it's great . . . I learned how to surf last July . . . the first time I stayed on the board all the way in, then I fell off every other time . . . that was the first day."
"Who taught you how to surf, or did you learn by yourself?"
"A world champion surfer taught me. I don't remember his name off-hand."
Someone then asked if we wanted coffee and Pete's answer was "Yes, with a lot of sugar."
"How much is a lot," we asked, saying that we wanted 3 teaspoons.
"That'll be fine," Pete agreed.
Now where were we . . . oh yes . . . sitting down. We didn't really want to ask the next question because we were afraid of the answer, but we did. "Pete, do you have a special girlfriend?"
"No, just lots of dates," he grinned.
When, we sighed and demanded to know what he was going to do in New York, and why he couldn't stay here with us instead.
"Why don't you come along with us. How about it, Charlie, can they?" (This to a yummy looking guy sitting across from us who's his personal manager.)
We said we'd love to, then thought of bosses and parents and had to refuse. (Darn!!!)
"Anyway," he said, "We are on our way to New York to record a single" . . . "Not an album?" we interrupted . . . "No, just a single and we'll do some publicity pictures and press interviews."
That camera went off in our faces again and Karl laughed saying, "I like cameras!" That, we decided, was obvious, even at that hour of the morning.
Here's a pic of lek taking a pic of Karl taking our pic(?)
"We were just in Australia," continued Pete (We'd already asked him what name he preferred - "Pete" he answered) . . . where were we . . . oh yes! Australia! No, we weren't, Pete was . . . "and Japan and Hong Kong. After we leave New York, we are going to England for 12 days, then Paris for 1 night, Finland for a week, then back here, the USA for 30 days."
Lek interrupted at this point with "I enjoyed Japan, the people were friendly, but they kept bowing to us and of course we had to bow back. It became a bow-wow sequence."
"At first I wanted to ride in a rickshaw, but I heard some tales about being dumped in the river, so I decided not to ride one."
The last word faded out as some nutty putty was produced and Lek started to toss it around. "Pete," we asked, "How did you like working in films?"
"Oh, I loved it, it was great working with Shelley . . . I like to act."
"What are your plans, Pete?" we asked as Lek's nutty putty landed in our coffee.
"I haven't any plans for the future . . . I just enjoy what I'm doing right now . . . it's all a big laugh (we understood that to mean he luvs it muchly). I'm not in this business for the money, just for the laugh. I think my parents are buying a home in L.A., I really don't know."
"Are you going to move here, too, Pete?" we asked hopefully.
"No."
"oh," we said crestfallenly.
We heard the word "goofy-footed" shouted across the room and saw Bean turn red. "It really wasn't an insult," cooed the fortunate girl fan, "but you DO surf goofy-footed" (right foot forward for the uninitiated).
That camera flashed again as Karl said, "Hold still. I know who you remind me of . . . Keith Richard!"
"Somebody mention my name?" said a pair of beautiful deep blue eyes.
We found ourselves hypnotized by those eyes and suddenly sitting next to Keith Hopwood, who said, "This is the first English newspaper I've read in two days and I'm homesick," (as he poured over the paper.) "I really liked the pictures you've had of us in Teen Screen . . . May I have a cuppa coffee please? I'm so tired . . . Do you know we were up all last night?"
Keith catching up on the latest news!
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"Hold on, Keith, no, not you . . . HER!" It was karl with that camera again, so we stuck our tongues out and smiled. As we turned to catch Lek's nutty putty, we felt cold water! Letting out a wild scream, we turned to confront Peter, who was grinning winningly with an empty water glass in his hand.
"I just wanted to see if your legs were waterproof."
We smiled damply.
"Pour water in your boot??? a nice kid like me?" (Yes)!!
After pouring the water out of our boots, we asked Pete how he felt about music.
"Music" and he gave us a vocal demonstration, then got serious for a moment. "Musically we all want to become better. We're still looking for that quality so important to good music."
Another fan's note interrupted this discussion and keith stuck his nose in.
"I am short-sighted, not near-sighted. There is a difference, you know. at least in England; the difference being that when you are near-sighted you are usually old and bla and when you are short-sighted, you are just bla!"
"You really want to be a beach bum?" Someone was yelling at Bean again.
"Well, I don't want to sing all my life. I'd like to be a beach boy, not a beach bum! A beach bum has no money and he has to work hard for what he can get. A beach boy has money. I don't like to work."
We decided to interrupt this beachy conversation with "How do you like your holiday?"
"I had a very restful holiday," said Bean. "I learned to surf this last trip and I surfed all day. I only fell off every other time, and so what if I do surf goofy-footed?"
"I don't have any time off!" said Karl, snapping our picture once again. "Except this trip. Do you want to ask me about it?"
"Sure."
"All right. I surfed all the time and I learned how to surf last June. It's great."
"Where did you get your hat," we asked.
"In Hawaii, do you like it?"
"The hat or Hawaii?"
Dug Karl's crazy topper!
We hastily changed the subject. "Do you date much?"
"I have a few girlfriends since I haven't always got the time."
"How about the Byrds, Karl?"
"Birds? I love them!"
"No, the singing group!"
"Funny you should say that. We have some friends in Manchester and they have a singing group. There are 3 of them and they look just like some of The Byrds. They are very good."
"It's time to go, fellas. Get your gear together!" Harvey, another manager, said.
"You girls sure you don't want to come with us?"
"We'd luv it!"
"Come on then!" yelled Pete.
"Nobody will miss you," said Charlie.
"We can't! Do you have to leave?"
"Yes, but we'll see you in July Luvs!" they yelled as the fans screeched, and the doors closed behind them.
Oh well, maybe we didn't get to go on a trip with the Hermits, but we did in a way! Because this group is a trip and a half!
The Hermits made a "secret" (hah!) stop in Hollywood enroute from Hawaii to new York.
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