Monocled Alchemist

Article published in RAVE magazine, October 1968

Rumours, gossip, malicious scandal. Un-fortunately it’s all part of life, particularly on the pop scene. Jeremy Pascall investigates one such report on the Herd.

Pssst . . . . Herd The Latest? | A FRIEND ‘phoned me recently and said,”What’s this I hear about you managing the Herd?” Amazing! There was, of course. absolutely no truth in the rumour, which undoubtedly arose because of my friendship with Gary Taylor.

It just goes to prove how virulent, wildly inaccurate and fast-spreading rumours can be in the pop business. You must have heard the stories yourself: such a star is secretly married, another is dying of an incurable disease and the old, old one about groups splitting.

Some are based on misunderstanding of course, others on broken confidences, and others are malicious tattle spread to harm or discredit. Pop is a business of temperaments and deep-seated professional jealousies.

A group makes the big time and is suddenly bill-topping: another group has been around years, considers itself equally as good, if not better, and then resentment soon sets in.

Exaggerated truths and down-right lies are spawned, and within days —with startling and terrifying rapidity—the rumours are whispered and even shouted around. Every time they are passed on they are embellished slightly until a star’s unfortunate skin complaint becomes leukemia, or a cross word becomes an unbridgeable rift.

Pssst . . . . Herd The Latest?

The Herd have gone far and fast this year. The publicity they’ve received has been, to some eyes, out of all proportion to their status and talent. There has been resentment and bitterness among lesser groups, and disappointed hangers-on.

Rumours about the group have been rife and came to a head recently when it was reported in a musical paper that Andrew had been sacked from the band to be replaced by a drummer from another, hitless, outfit.

The story was untrue and, to anyone knowing the Herd, laughable. But it got headlines and set many a fan worrying. How do the Herd feel about smear campaigns? Gary and Andrew arrived shattered from an Irish tour to discuss it.

Andrew was playing at being sardonic. Gary was trying, unsuccessfully, to break out of his nice guy-next-door image! Do they recognise bitchiness in the business?

ANDREW: “Yes, but quite honestly (which invariably means he’s being just that) most of it goes over my head. I don’t listen to gossip unless it’s really startling, and then I always try to check if it’s true.

“I think a lot of it emanates from people in high places who get too full of themselves. I’m not sure who they are—now that you ask —but I think a percentage comes from the Press, because by picking up a rumour and sensationalising it they make good copy.

After all, that’s what they’re in the business for. They think it’s good if they spread a bit of ‘murglahs’ (a Steeleism for whatever you like!) around!

Pssst . . . . Herd The Latest?

Hang on, I’ve just thought of a classic line: surely the object of clever gossip is that you never find out who spreads it. The rumour about me being thrown out of the group was as much of a surprise to me as it was to the fans.

I cannot see the advantage or disadvantage of spreading and publicising stories like that. I was primarily amused by it, but I still haven’t found out what it was all about. Apparently somebody purporting to be from the Herd ‘phoned this drummer, told him that my departure from the group was imminent and that he had been selected as the replacement!

I can assure you that I didn’t create the whole thing as a publicity stunt, because I just don’t work like that. Anyway, now I read the papers with a touch of cynicism.”

GARY: “There are a lot of people on the fringe of the business, thinking they know it all, getting together in clubs and talking. They make up stories about their successes: and rumours just grow from there.”

ANDREW: “Each member of the group has friends who know him pretty well—his family and so on. I’ve got my friends, family, the other boys, and the cat—and as long as they know the stories aren’t true, I’m happy.

If my mother or a close friend rang me up and said ‘What’s this I read about you leaving the group?’ I’d worry. These are the people who know first about things like that they don’t have to read about it in the newspapers.

Pssst . . . . Herd The Latest?

“I’m not particularly disturbed by rumours. Anybody can start one for a giggle, and I couldn’t be hurt unless they delved into my personal life, and then . . . yes I could be. Then you’d certainly see a marked change in Steele’s attitudes.”

GARY: “In a way it’s flattering because to have a rumour circulated about you, you have to be somebody that people know.”

ANDREW: “That’s why I was surprised when it was me that was chosen for this one. If you’re going to make gossip, make it big. If it had been Peter leaving it would have been more sensational.”

GARY: “I have listened to rumours. of course; I once applied to join the Shadows when I heard Bruce Welch was leaving them —mind you. that was yonks ago!

I think if we’re honest we all admit to liking a bit of gossip, it’s only natural, but I’m not one of those people who can’t wait to hang over the garden fence. It’s a great opener to a conversation, though, to say, ‘Have you heard this one … ?”

ANDREW: “Yes, it’s good to get into the car, be first with story and watch the other boys’ heads turn in amazement!”

Commonsensical

The Herd are matter of fact and commonsensical about most things, and they’re dealing with rumours with their usual aplomb and equanimity. They’re lucky to be balanced and level headed because others, less well equipped, have been hurt by malicious gossip in the past.

And don’t be fooled, some of the lies that purport to be the truth are really vicious and twisted. It can be very difficult for fans to sort out just what is truth and what fiction. The lines of communication between a group and its fans are unfortunately, confused.

The group members talk to their fans through the papers. It is not unknown for quotes to be attributed that were never said, for stories to be garbled and, of course, for the group or its publicist to fabricate falsities or play down unflattering facts.

The Herd are an exception. If they don’t want something made public they keep their mouths shut. They know they are talked about but they accept it as part of the life they’ve chosen.

As Shakespeare said: What the great ones do the less will prattle of and it is human nature to think the worst of someone. You have to be really thick-skinned to survive in pop, you know.

As Andrew Steele says, “I just wish our fans could know me better then they’d realise how false the stories are that sweep around.”

Conclusion

So don’t believe all you hear. Was a fact that a little knowledge is a dangerous thing and can be blown into monstrous proportions. Let’s get it clear, the Herd AREN’T splitting and none of them is suffering from an incurable disease. Oh, and one other thing: There’s a rumour going around that Andrew Steele is a very rude young man. That’s false too … !