Ladies, if you’re like me, you had a teen idol. Yes, I know. It is a bit embarrassing to admit that any of us “mature adults” once dreamed of meeting Elvis, dancing with Paul McCartney or breathing the same air as Bobby Sherman. My idol (surprise!) was Peter Noone, Herman of Herman’s Hermits, the group that gave us such ear …
Idol Talk is here!
First copies of the long-anticipated anthology rolled of the presses on May 29. What began as a fun email exchange between writer Elizabeth Searle and me more than four years ago has become the first-ever collection of essays about teen idols by some of America’s most fabulous female writers: Ann Hood, Jill McCorkle, Leslea Newman, B.A. Shapiro, Judy Goldman, Susan Straight, Dolen Perkins …
Turning 14–again–is something good
I’m one of the lucky few who can claim to be 14 again and mean it. It happened two Sundays ago. While visiting family near Los Angeles, I had the good fortune to attend a live concert by my teen idol, Peter Noone. And I must say that turning 14 the second time was way more fun than the first. …
A Noonatic’s take on history
Fifty years ago a producer named Mickie Most signed five teen-aged musicians from Manchester, England to a record deal. It didn’t go unnoticed that Peter Noone, the lead singer, resembled a young John F. Kennedy. The resemblance proved more than skin-deep. Peter was talented, charming and Catholic to boot. And he, like Kennedy, spoke with an intrusive R–“Americar,” “Canadar,” “Cubar.” …