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MUCIE, IND.: We were admitted backstage amid quite a few dirty looks from fans who'd been standing outside trying to get in. But once backstage we didn't know what to do. There were quite a few persons from the press there and we kept wondering where to go and what to do to even see a celebrity, let alone interview one! I noticed a boy standing a few feet away. He was dressed in black slacks, blue shirt and his hair was a bit longer than an American boy's. He kept watching us and I got the vague impression he was "Somebody" and he was sort of waiting for us to recognize him. I feel so silly now when I realize we didn't have the faintest idea who he was then. All we could think of was how much he looked like Ringo from the back. Suddenly we began really looking at the people around us. The celebrities we were "looking" for were right here. A few feet away, talking to the long haired boy was a member of the Hondels. Lead singer of the Hondels was in the phone booth.One of the Ikettes was waiting in line at the coke booth and Little Anthony and one of the Imperials walked by us quite a few times. Round Robin was walking around with one of the cute Ikettes. Jamie kept nudging me and saying, "Look, look!" but I was so intent on watching the long-haired boy, I turned just in time to see Herman pass in front of us. "There goes Herman," I choked out. "That's what I've been trying to tell you," she said. Herman was sensational looking. He had on a navy blue sports shirt trimmed in white, black pants and boots. He went on out, and we stood there a bit stunned. We'd just seen Herman! A few minutes later we were told to leave. We were sure glad, too, because who do you think was leaning against the railing outside! Barry Whitwam ... we met our first Hermit. He was just too good to be real. He was nice; we got his autograph, talked to him a bit and then took some pictures. We each posed with him. (Treasured possessions.) After a while we decided to walk around a bit more. We got a couple of the Hondels' autographs and some from the other acts with the Caravan. It was shocking to see those celebrities walking around so casually outside. While we were standing there, out came Herman again. All we could do was watch him because several police sort of hung around him. We were standing by the railing when the backstage doors banged open and a bunch of guys |
came out. It was evident they were headed for the football field to play some catch, because they were tossing a ball around. One of the guys looked straight at Jamie and said a friendly "hi" as if he knew her personally. That caused a bit of commotion because the guy was none other than dreamy Karl Green, left handed guitarist of the Hermits. We waited around thinking maybe Herman would come back out, then we decided to take off to the football field ourselves to watch the boys. The only people there were a photographer from the local TV station, two girls and, of course, Karl, Barry and one of the Imperials. I stood and talked to the photographer while Jamie watched Karl. He was just a few feet away. Finally she said, "When you get a minute will you come here, Karl." He came right away, and we met our second Hermit. After awhile we didn't want to be pests, so we left. Once again, we used our press passes to get us inside. Before we knew it, we were talking to Herman; he was signing autographs for us and answering questions. Jamie asked Herman what he thought of the reaction of teenagers to their music. He said, "Great!" He said he liked America, but bus riding was getting tiresome. They had completed over 10,000 miles and the first week of the show. Herman said, "I hate riding buses. It's crowded, uncomfortable and smells." Lynda then asked Barry and karl what they thought of America. Barry said he liked it fine, but Karl just said it was OK. Here's our personal analysis - Herman, we felt, was a bouncy type like Paul McCartney. He laughs a lot and has sort of a girlish voice, but it's gear. We think he may be a bit swell headed, but he's really pretty nice. He absolutely never sits down. Barry is rather quiet with a very good flare for dressing. When we talked with him, he had on beige slacks, Beatle boots and a blue and beige plaid madras jacket over a white shirt. He wore black wrap-around shades all the time. Keith was the quietest and looked like Ringo from the back. Yes, he was the long-haired one we were trying to figure out. Karl is the friendliest and biggest flirt. We never talked to lek. He must have been in one place while we were in the other, although that seems impossible because we were all over ... believe me. - BONNIE (JAMIE) HENDERSON, AGE 17 AND LYNDA LYONS, AGE 15, YORKTOWN H.S., YORKTOWN IND. |