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The Fools
THE FOOLS by A.J. Wachtel
There is a lot of history to this band that hails from Ipswich. By 1975, Mike Girard, Rich Bartlett, and Stacey Pedrick formed The Fools, and by 1979, with the release of their Talking Heads parody, “Psycho Chicken,” they became very well known across the country. The group followed with “It’s a Night for Beautiful Girls,” a huge hit that peaked at #67 on the Billboard charts. EMI signed the band and they toured with The Knack and released their first album, Sell Out. In ’81, their second album, Heavy Mental, was released with their cover of Orbison’s “Running Scared” reaching #50 on the Billboard charts. They joined Van Halen on their Fair Warning tour and drummer Leo Black jumped aboard for the ride. By 1985, The Fools put out World Dance Party, with four of the singles becoming huge hits. The title song, “Life Sucks Then You Die,” “She Makes Me Feel Big,” and a cover of Manfred Mann’s “Doo Wah Diddy” got considerable local and national airplay. Their MTV video for the last tune increased their popularity a hundred fold. In 2010, Mike released Psycho Chicken & Other Foolish Tales, a book that outlined the hilarious history of the band. Current bassist Eric Adamson became a Fool in 2012 and, currently, this gregarious group continues their quest for world domination through their own special brand of tomfoolery and musical monkeyshines.
Noise: You guys have been together performing since 1975. Most marriages don’t last that long. Why are you still together?
Mike Girard: I think we’re still together because we allow ourselves to cheat on each other and play with other bands. Rich and I also play with Beatlejuice, and Stacey and Eric also play with The Mockers.
Rich Bartlett: We tried to break up! We were unsuccessful at that, too!
Stacey Pedrick: Our longevity? Okay, well I guess you don’t know us very well, I thought it was common knowledge that Mike not only does ALL the dishes, ALL the laundry, and ALL the cooking, but he never ever asks us where all the money went! We’d be… fools… to break up.
Noise: 35 years ago, “Psycho Chicken” was released and you’ve played that song hundreds of times. Do people still remember it’s a parody of the Talking Heads song, “Psycho Killer,” or has it taken on a separate life of its own?
Mike: I don’t know what you’re talking about. Who are the Talking Heads and what is Psycho Killer?
Rich: I know you didn’t ask, but I got the idea for the guitar part from Link Wray (“Run Chicken Run”).
Noise: “It’s A Night For Beautiful Girls” is a sweet New Wave romance song. Is it a happy tune or a sad one, and what band would you have liked to seen cover it and why?
Mike: I’ve always thought of it as a happy song, but in a desperate way. It’s the way most of us feel about an approaching weekend; it’s full of promise. I’d have loved to hear 10cc cover it.
Noise: I know it’s in your book but, you toured with The Knack and Van Halen. Which headliner treated you worse as their opener and in what ways?
Mike: So many bands treated us so well: The Knack, Rush, The Ramones, J Geils, The Doobie Brothers and more. Eddy Van Halen was always friendly, but the one calling the shots at that time was David Lee Roth, a world class rock singer, but also a world class asshole. For the juicy details, read my book, Psycho Chicken & Other Foolish Tales… available at Amazon.com.
Noise: Your book Psycho Chicken & Other Foolish Tales is funny in a serious way. What are The Fools serious about in 2014? It’s a great outline of the hysterical history of the band. Will there be a Vol. II? Is there a new CD in the future?
Mike: Our job is to not take anything too seriously, but we are involved in a few local charities and I guess we’re serious about that. Yes, there is another book in the works, and I’m finally starting it. Me and Rich are also starting work on a new batch of tunes.
Noise: Are you onstage activists in a sense? Are your sets more “political and making a statement” or more of a “social commentary” in any way, or something completely different?
Mike: I want people to feel like the circus is coming to town. By the time the night is over, I hope they feel like they’ve seen something with a bit of spectacle to it, like a circus, but minus the big pile of elephant crap in the corner.
Rich: We do like to address subjects that make some people uncomfortable, but in a humorous way… sort of like an x-rated Disney cartoon.
Stacey: I think our sets are purely musical and hopefully entertaining. Sure, our un-flinching support of Legal Personhood for Pets is nearly legendary, but we don’t bring such serious matters to the stage. People should think at home.
Leo Black: I’m onstage to get into the zone with the other guys and experience the fun and the sheer joy of sharing that with people.
Eric Adamson: I see it more like political and social satire with a humorous twist. Try to have fun and don’t take anything too seriously
Noise: Your live shows are very interactive with the audience. You walk into the audience during a song and do your schtick in a light-hearted, comical, and very entertaining way. Have these exchanges and responses generally remained consistent throughout the years? Are there any songs you don’t play anymore because times have changed and they’re not as funny anymore?
Mike: Most people come to our shows expecting to have fun. That feeling in the audience carries us in the band. When your job description is to have fun, good things happen.
One song that used to work well for us was called LL Cool Bean. I’d come on as a rapping guy from backwoods Maine, wearing a green hat with flaps and a hunting jacket. But over time, as rap music turned more into hip hop, the song stopped feeling relevant… if it ever was.
Noise: How much of the group’s purpose and execution changed over the decades, or will seeing a show in 2014 be reminiscent in any way to being present at one in 1984?
Mike: We’ve always seen performing rock ’n’ roll as kind of a funny thing to begin with. It’s an art form where we scream our most heartfelt feelings to you at an ungodly volume. Our viewpoint about that hasn’t changed, but I think we’re better at delivering the goods.
Noise: One word to describe Mike Girard?
Rich: Fearlesstalentedfunnyenter-tainingfriend.
Stacey: Ubiquitous!
Leo: Best.
Eric: DEBAUCHERIST.
www.thefools-band.com
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Great article!! Great band!
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