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THEIR HEADS are together, their eyes are sparkling and they're talking in whispers. Then Susie giggles, and everyone begins to laugh. YOu know they're up to something - but what? What secret plot are The Cowsills hatching?
Well, if you could get your head into their huddle, you'd find out they're making some big plans. The Cowsills are planning for the future!
Of course, theis kind of plan can get changed a lot. Things don't always work out the way you expect they will. So who knows what The Cowsill will want to do in a few years or even a fwe weeks? Right now, though, The Cowsills are full of dreams and schemes . . .
Bob's already seen one of his dreams come true. For a long time he worked and planned for The Cowsills' seccess "I've been involved in this thing since I was thirteen, when I played my first professional job," he says. "I decided, 'I'm going to become famous.'" Wel all know how well that plot turned out!
But success didn't mean that Bob and the other Cowsills stopped thinking of the future and working hard to make better and better music. Bob says, "When it happened, I wasn't excited. Happy, yes; but not excited. When we finally took off, nothing had changed, really."
Now, as unofficial leader, producer and song-writer of the group, Bob has an even bigger responsibility for the development of their music. Of course, Bob knows that a group can't just decide what their music is going to be like in the future. They have to keep trying new things and see how they sound.
As Bob puts it, "... none of our songs sounds like the last one we recorded. I hate the idea of a 'success formula.' You can't be afraid to go on to the next step."
And because The Cowsills always "go on to the next step," their fans keep listening and loving their music more and more.
Bob also admits that he can't always plan and predict things about his personal life either. For instance, about the Cowsills' move to California, Bob says, "I came just knowing I wasn't going to like it. I intended to make everybody miserable. But eventually the weather turned great and I began to make friends. It made the difference."
Another thing Bob didn't plan was giving up the happy state of bachelorhood. But now he can see himself married to pretty Nancy Roberts—and, in a few years, starting to raise a Cowsill clan of his own. It's an exciting prospect for Bob—getting married and settling down. And leaving the home he's known all his life. But he's sure his marriage won't break up the group. "When you've done something together for over nine years," he said, "you don't shake it off. It becomes a part of your life."
At first, Paul didn't plan on being a performing Cowsill. Instead, he worked backstage as road manager and helped with equipment and lighting. But his plans were unexpectedly changed when Bill decided to leave the group and Paul was asked to replace him. Everyone, including Paul, was happy at the way things worked out, and Paul's strong voice and trumpet playing are a welcome addition to the group.
But football, the sport he likes best, is still an important part of Paul's life. He hopes to be able to play professionally and later on be a gym teacher. But Paul admits that even this dream could change.
Right now, he's just planning to stay with The Cowsills and do a lot more song-writing for the group. As he says, "I'm into this now, and really enjoying it."
Barry's constantly changing his plans because he makes so many of them. Though he plays bass guitar for The Cowsills, his favorite instrument is still the drums, and he thought for a long time that he'd be a drummer when he was older. But now there's nothing special Barry wants to do more than anything else.
He does know he wants to go to college, though, whatever his other plans turn out to be. Barry's favorite subject in school is science, and he thinks he might like to be a scientist later on. Or maybe he'll be a naval officer, like his father was.
One thing Barry's sure about is that hell have his own car when he's old enough. "For college, I think I'll get an old MG," he says. "They're cool. My bachelor car—a Corvette. And maybe a Rolls for 'class'."
But Barry sometimes dreams of getting away from it all and living alone close to nature. "Actually, my current plans include living as a hermit in the Rocky Mountains, even though I've never been camping except in the back yard," he jokes. "I'd like living with animals only. I could take a bear cub and raise it, build a log cabin ..."
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