Multi-talented entertainer Peter Noone has been delighting audiences nearly all his life. At the age of fifteen, Peter achieved international fame as the lead singer of the legendary Sixties pop band Herman's Hermits and later acting in prime-time television shows such as Married With Children, My Two Dads, Quantum Leap, and Laverne and Shirley. He joined Ian Punnett (Twitter) to discuss his experiences working in the entertainment field for over 50 years. Noone grew up in Manchester, UK, where he said all kids were "expected to have a job," but became interested in music, and was soon earning money at it. He recalled touring Britain at the same time as the Beatles and even selling more records than them in 1965. Noone added that, at the time he (and most people in the entertainment business that he knew) thought that the Beatles "were so much better than everything around" and "were very personable."
Noone also met such notables as Little Richard and even Elvis Presley, who surprised him with his wit and his "great one-liners." He recalled the intimate nature of the music industry in England in the 1960s, saying that "just being in a group made you part of the scene." Noone recorded the song "Oh, You Pretty Things" and it became a UK hit before David Bowie later did a version of the song, and in fact, Bowie played piano on Noone's version. Noone said he feels rejuvenated by performing as a singer because he believes the songs he interprets onstage still have "a magical energy" to transport him back to when he first recorded them.
-------------------
During Open Lines, Mike called in from Massachusetts and recalled a Peter Noone concert from the 1960s where Noone "blessed the crowd." Afterward, Mike gave him a crucifix from around his neck when the singer said he admired it. Frequent Ian Punnett caller, Mike in Colorado, lamented that millennials seem to have no appreciation for classic rock such as Herman's Hermits and other 1960s and 1970s groups. Bill in California challenged Ian to a game he says he invented called "post-doc rock" wherein he made up very complicated names for pop songs such as "The giant fusion generator approaches" and had Ian and the listeners guess the famous song he was naming (which was "Here Comes The Sun.")
Joel in Canada, referring to Ian's request for aliens to "eat the Canadians first" in his usual intro said that they should save the people from the Province of Alberta "for dessert." Ian promised to use that phrase on Saturday's show. Mitchell in Washington state said he was "mad as hell" at the Chinese government for covering up the first reports of COVID. Neil from Alabama agreed, saying that it is "a designed disease," and that any forthcoming "vaccine will not be well tested and will be forced on our children."