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John, Barry, Susie, Bob, Paul and Barbara let you in on what's caused them pain, hung them up, turned them off and almost done them in! Read the details.
Look out, here comes The Cowsills! Newport, New York, California or San Remo - the singing family is apt to show up anywhere.
When they charge out onto that stage, you know they're a team, that they seem to thrive on the hard work and long hours that make them successful. But even though they're a hit and very happy about it, they have those frustrating and discouraging moments, too. So sit back and find out what The Cowsills think of when they think in terms of HEADACHES, HEARTBREAKS, HURTS and HATES!
JOHN COWSILL: John's biggest HEADACHE concerns his brothers. Bob, Paul, and Barry, it seems, are always after John to practice. And John feels he could do without their "gentle prodding." Another grief for John is having interviewers ask what kind of girls he likes.
"They expect you to say a girl with a good personality, " John admitted. "But I'd rather say I like groovy-looking girls. Having to stretch the truth is a pain."
John has a very special HEARTBREAK He'll never forget - and for good reason.
" There was this girl - I met her when we were on tour," he said. "She was cute and little and blonde - really dynamite! Anyway, I talked to her for awhile, but we had to leave before I got her last name or address."
Since John is very sensitive, he's really HURT if someone lets him down or tries to take advantage of him. For example, once he was stranded without any money and needed a dime to make a phone call so someone could "unstrand" him. He went up to a man who was selling an "underground newspaper" and asked him for a dime John go the dime, but he had to give the man his good leather belt for it. And that really turned him off.
On the subject of HATES, John can really go to town. With the rough schedule he keeps, he's always on the go, and he hates not having enough time to enjoy all the things he'd like to. He would have loved to have spent more time seeing the sights in Europe when The Cowsills were there the last time. However, he did have time to meet a lot of friendly people. He really digs talking to people.
Another hate of John's is haircuts - he can really do without them! And would you believe a major disagreement with Barry is over incense? John hates the smell, but Barry likes to burn it in their room to keep the mosquitoes away. John says he'd rather have the mosquitoes!
BARRY COWSILL: The fact that Susan always seems to get the "last lick" sure is a HEADACHE for Barry. He also wishes he'd stop spilling things and being late all the time. Another hang-up? His tendency to exaggerate. Except that causes headaches for everyone else ... like the time he convinced himself and everyone his cold was pneumonia!
Barry didn't even have to think about his HEARTBREAK - it concerned his first set of drums.
"When I got my first set of drums, I was ecstatic" he said. "They were great. I called them my lucky drums because they could almost play themselves. Well, we were on tour last year and our manager dropped us at the hotel while he went to set up at the theater. After awhile, we got a frantic call from him saying that my drums were missing. They must have been lost at the airport and we never found them. Even though I got a new set, I miss them - they were special."
Fans really HURT Barry when they think he's a snob because he has to hurry by them. He loves talking to fans, but sometimes there just isn't time. As for HATES, John rates a big one when he turns off the TV in the middle of Barry's favorite shows! Girls who dress and look like boys are also on his hate list. He has strong likes and dislikes about clothes too - red or green jackets are definitely out for Barry!
PAUL COWSILL: Paul really loves singing, but it's a cause of HEARTBREAK for him. It seems that with all the singing he does, he doesn't have enough time for his fist love - football.
Paul has a list of HEADACHES a mile long too. To begin with, all those one-night live performances around the country can get to be quite a pain. Of course, the audiences are wonderful. But a town is still awfully hectic! Since The Cowsills travel so much, the kids have had to change schools often. Why, Paul's been in fifteen different schools and he's only a Junior in high school! Even though he doesn't like the constant moves, he has a chance to meet a lot of people. And that softens the blow of moving.
One thing that can never be softened is the HURT Paul feels when he finds himself playing a role. Being true to himself is important, but sometimes he finds he's being what other people want him to be rather than what he wants. Moving all the time seems to be the main HATE for all The Cowsills, and Paul is no exception. Pushy girls really bug him, too.
BOB COWSILL: Bob's biggest HEADACHE is the lack of privacy that goes with a big family. While The Cowsills lived in New York, for example, they were all crowded into a single apartment - and it was a madhouse! Finally, Bob and Bill had to move into their own apartment to get some peace of mind.
Moving to California from their home in Rhode Island was a HEARTBREAK for Bob. He even planned to make everyone so miserable, they'd move back home! At first, Bob thought the people in California considered him just a performer and not an individual. And that really HURT him. But Bob's since learned that people are the same everywhere, and now he loves it in sunny California.
He's pretty definite about his HATES too - especially about music. Even though "Indian Lake" was a smash hit, he really hated that song! Another pet peeve is the "success formula" song when some groups latch onto one style and play it to death. Bob thinks all their songs sound the same.
SUSAN COWSILL: Susan considers her brother her biggest HEADACHE. (Hummmm - that sounds familiar.) But she has to admit they've been pretty nice at times - especially when they let her join the group. She kept begging them to let her sing with them but they never paid attention to her or even answered her. Finally one day, they yelled at her while they were practicing, and she knew she was IN! That sure cured her HEARTBREAK of being left out.
Even with all the fame and fortune, it still HURTS Susie not to be able to be with her friends more. Since Susie can't take her friends along on the tours, Mom and Dad Cowsill got her a little poodle named Suebar. So naturally Susie just HATES it when she can't be with Suebar all the time.
BARBARA COWSILL: Mom Cowsill says her major HEADACHE is the kitchen. With that big family of hungry boys, she spends the same amount of time cooking as she does singing. At least, it seems that way.
The kids are Barbara's main concern. So it's a HEARTBREAK for her if one of them is unhappy. But she always tries to remind them of how lucky they are. After all, there are so many talented youngsters throughout the world who'll never get their chance for success.
As for HURTS, Barbara has sympathy pains for the kids when they get disillusioned and wonder if it's all worth it. However, the kids have always been able to make their own decisions about staying in or leaving the group. So Barbara HATES it when some people accuse her of being a pushy mother.
Barbara loves her kids ... her kids love her ... you love her kids ... her kids love you. Isn't it nice that everything works out so well?
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