The British invasion rocked the world in the 1960s. Some of the superstars from that era like the Rolling Stones are more popular than ever. Peter Noone of Herman’s Hermits enjoys a huge following. Besides his musical and dramatic skills, his quirky sense of humor has kept him in the spotlight.
It was a pleasure to interview Peter Noone recently. His very, very tongue-in-cheek responses follow.
VIEW: You have never been busier with tours and a whole group of Noonatics. What are Noonatics?
NOONE: Noonatics are my very own version of “Deadheads.” Except mine are alive and flock to many of my concerts. The word is a mixture of my name, “Noone” and my ancestors, the lunatics. They once terrorized all of southern Ireland. I am fortunate that they have remained faithful and that I get new members regularly.
VIEW: Do you reside in the U.S.? What about your family life?
NOONE: I live in two places. Not fulltime in either place. In London, England where I have a super flat and in Santa Barbara where I am going super flat broke! I rarely mention my family, as I don’t wish to share them until they have their own TV series. My dad is 86 and my mother is 82. I can vouch for their happy dispositions and will have them delivered via UPS or FedEx.
VIEW: Who influenced you musically?
NOONE: I like the new country male singers and I like Fifty Cent. I am thinking of having my parents visit Fifty Cent to sort him out.
VIEW: During the British Invasion, were you friendly with other superstars?
NOONE: I was only friends with people who were superstars or their girlfriends - when the superstars were away on tour.
VIEW: With songwriters like Carole King creating hits such as “I’m Into Something Good,” would you have preferred more intense songs, other than the incredibly popular but lightweight “I’m Henry the VIII, I Am,” and “Mrs. Brown, You’ve Got a Lovely Daughter?”
NOONE: I liked my hits especially because they were not intense. Looking back it was a pretty intense period with a war in Asia. All the attention that was brought to Britain caused some of my fellow musicians to try to meet aliens without leaving their homes! This caused my popularity to surge as I was able to travel everywhere and had the gift of lucidity. “Henry the VIII” has replaced “The Wheels on the Bus Go Round and Round” in all the classrooms of the world and has been voted the best song about dysfunctional members of the royal family ever, forcing Richard II and III into lesser positions.
VIEW: What advice can you offer young people?
NOONE: The persistent one wins. NOT the faster one.
The Queensborough Performing Arts Center located at 222-05 56th Ave in Bayside present Herman’s Hermit’s Peter Noone this Saturday night at 8 p.m. Buy tickets online at www.visitqpac.org or call 718-631-6311.
As always, save me a seat on the aisle.
