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Longevity is relative. According to experts, first marriages last about eight years. Average job tenure is 4.1 years.
Rock and roll bands? Many don’t make it through one year.
Then there’s The Fools.
The legendary Ipswich band, New England’s parody rock pioneers, will celebrate their golden anniversary at Salisbury’s Blue Ocean Music Hall this coming Dec. 31 — 50 years after first performing in that town at the Rusty Nail on Dec. 31, 1975.
I caught up with Fools frontman Mike Girard this week, reminding him of the interview I conducted with he and bandmate Stacey Pedrick during COVID.
“Yes, those were difficult times,” he allowed. “But we got through it and our fans stuck with us. And we’re not done yet. We have new music and a new album in the works.”
Mike says he is grateful for the local support the band has always received, as well as the camaraderie that comes with being part of a tight-knit unit.
“It’s surreal to look back on 50 years. But it’s almost as simple as these are my friends, and we like to play music together,” he said. “I also didn’t realize all those years ago how therapeutic it would turn out to be. We’ve played through broken bones, family loss, and more, and somehow every show put us back together again.”
Back at the beginning, did anyone ever tell him that pursuing the life of a rock ‘n roll musician wasn’t a great career choice?
Mike laughs. “My dad, Francis Girard, who also went by Mike, absolutely thought I was on the wrong track. He wanted me to work at GE and just do music as a hobby. Fortunately, he saw us achieve success.”
The Fools shot to national fame in 1979 with their over-the-top parody hit “Psycho Chicken,” a take on the Talking Heads’ classic “Psycho Killer.” The band followed “Psycho Chicken” with a string of hits in the 1980s — “Life Sucks… Then You Die,” and “It’s A Night for Beautiful Girls” among them — and cult-favorite albums, including Sold Out, Heavy Mental, and World Dance Party.
They’ve performed in huge arenas across the country, opening for artists like Van Halen and The Doobie Brothers, as well as in intimate clubs.
But New England was always home for the band, who were inducted into the New England Music Hall of Fame in 2024. The North Shore, in particular, has provided them with a fiercely loyal and appreciative fan base.
I caught up with a couple of those fans this week. The first, John Van Horn, grew up in Ipswich literally next door to Stacey and Chris Pedrick, two of the band’s stalwarts.
“I knew them before The Fools, when they were in groups like The Islanders and The Magic Twangers,” says Van Horn.
The secret to their success? “They operate in a niche, combining comedy and rock and roll. A lot of it has to do with Mike’s personality on stage.”
Jean Clarkin, who witnessed Mike’s antics many times while managing the Rowley Veterans Club, echoes Van Horn’s sentiments.
“What they deliver are great performances — it’s a show. They really get the audience involved,” she said.
As for the frontman? “I totally have a crush on Michael,” Clarkin says with a laugh. “I’m sort of Marcia Brady to Davey Jones. But it’s OK — his wife knows!”
The band’s legacy is being honored not just with a New Year’s Eve blowout, but with a new documentary tracing the band’s history. There is also a new studio album in the works — the band’s first since 10, released in 2007 — as well as a live album. Documentarian Karl Preusser is leading the work on the film, which will hit the film festival circuit in the fall.
As for the New Year’s Eve show, the lineup will be Mike, Stacey Pedrick, Rich Bartlett, Eric Adamson, and Leo Black.
“But joining us onstage to play ‘Psycho Chicken’ will be original drummer Chris Pedrick and original bass player Doug Forman,” Mike said. “The original lineup from 50 years ago.”
Original indeed!
Mike says if you’re discouraged by the music on corporate radio today, try tuning in to college radio stations. Bob can be reached at robert@waiteandcompany.com.
