Remember the 1966 TV episode of Batman in which Catwoman stole the voices of British teen idols Chad and Jeremy?
Neither do I.
But I do recall Chad and Jeremy as one of the British Invasion bands, including most notably the Beatles, who magically rescued rock music from the musical desert of early ‘60’s bubblegum pop for this Highline High teenybopper.
Now, Chad and Jeremy are coming to little old Burien, Sunday, Oct. 14 to perform at the Highline Performing Arts Center, starting at 2 p.m. They promise a 2-hour show with a fan meet-‘n-greet afterwards.
Purchase tickets at www.brownpapertickets.com or by calling 1-800-838-3006. Lots of deals are available through www.greatwesternconcerts.org.
Chad Stuart and Jeremy Clyde scored seven top 40 hits between 1964 and 1966, including “Summer Song,” “Yesterday’s Gone,” “Willow Weep for Me,” and “Distant Shores.” They also appeared on classic TV programs like The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Patty Duke Show and Laredo. They even hosted Hullabaloo and performed on the Tonight Show.
Yeah, I know they haven’t had a hit in over 40 years. But if in 1964, you had told me Chad & Jeremy would one day be performing next door to my high school, I would have said something like, “No way, dude!” My female classmates would have just squealed.
I tracked down the present-day Chad and Jeremy to a Holiday Inn, somewhere on the East Coast.
They remember those British Invasion days as “chaotic” and a “roller-coaster.”
“One day, we were in a little folk club in London and the next day we were in a huge arena in America,” Chad recalled.
They realized it couldn’t last. Besides Jeremy wanted to be an actor. He’s appeared on the West End stage in the award-winning dramatic play “Three Days in May,” the Emmy-winning British drama “Downtown Abbey” and the Academy-award winning film “The Iron Lady.”
‘It was fun working with Meryl Streep,” Jeremy noted.
Meanwhile, actors Demi Moore and Bruce Willis lured Chad up to the resort town of Hailey, Idaho where he gave private music lessons to their kids and others for 20 years until he “ran out of patience,” he said. He’s also toured solo and released a CD of children’s songs.
“We are fortunate to both still be here,” Jeremy said. “We still got our hair, still about the same weight, we sing better than ever and we still make each other laugh.”
Chad adds they found a way to avoid the bad feelings that break up bands.
“It’s simple, we live on different continents,” Chad explained. “That’s also a recipe for successful marriages.”
But how have they managed to sing the same stuff over and over again for 40 years?’ I asked.
“That’s the whole point. We haven’t been doing the same thing.” Chad replied. “Also, we’ve stripped down the songs, made them more acoustic.”
Jeremy chimed in, “Repeat customers will see a whole new show. It has the hits but we do other things.”
Although the Misty Mama’s will open for them in Burien, Chad and Jeremy say they prefer to do the whole show.
“The problem is getting us off the stage,” Chad said. “We want people to feel just like they are in their living room. We tell some stories, make ‘em laugh.”
Oh, by the way, don’t worry about Chad and Jeremy not singing well on Sunday. In 1966, after kidnapping Chad and Jeremy’s voices, Catwoman blackmailed the British government because it faced the loss of tax revenue from the Fab Two’s performances. Thank heavens, Batman and Robin saved the day and restored their voices.
I don’t recall youtube back then, but here’s the episode link-- www.youtube.com/watch?v=biH oM4v-DO.
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A cottage industry has sprung up featuring ex-rock stars in their 60s and 70s, augmenting their Social Security checks by performing for nostalgic baby boomers at Indian casinos, state fairs and suburban arenas.
For example, Barry Manilow is coming to Kent on Jan. 11 for what is being billed as “an evening of majestic skating and music.” I swear I’m not making up the show’s title—“Pandora’s Unforgettable Moments of Love on Ice.”
Having dragged Marge to many of these concerts by long ago teen heart-throbs, my overall review is the performers are a lot better than they need to be to satisfy their hearing-aid assisted listeners. Many use young backup bands that seem to energize them.
The Bill Graham of south King County is promoter Orin Wells of Great Western Concerts. Check out the website for upcoming concerts, including Mr. “Eve of Destruction” himself, Barry McGuire.
I have forgiven Wells for promoting his concerts as music for seniors. Actually, he hasn’t changed his tune. But I have worked through the seven stages of grief for my lost youth and now accept that this baby boomer is a golden oldie. If you take the discounts, then you gotta call yourself a senior.
That stipulated, with our large number of Highline retirement communities we should be able to fill up those vans for Wells’ concerts so we get more of them back to the PAC.
