San Remo, February
We saw and heard six of them in Sanremo, while they sang Le Opere Di Bartolomeo with the Rokes, the others members in the audience, and some function as managers. The Cowsills, in fact nine father, mother and seven children. A ____ family singing and ____. And they do it in a workmanlike manner ___ demonstrated by their song "The Rain Park and Other Things" _____ and it has been ____ translated into numbers ____ a few million ____ sold for weeks.
____ Cowsill (the final s ____ notched after, and ___ plural) who are tired___ ____ are ___ quarantines ____ of the beat girl who of the quiet lady the only concern is to keep the family going; Bill, 20 years old, rhythm guitar and arranger of the band; Bob, 19 years old, guitar and organ; Barry, 13 years old, guitar and cello; John, 12 years old, plays the drum and the drums. Finally Susan, the pious nine-year-old, whose job is to sing together with her mother. The three Cowsills behind the scenes are Mister Bud, father and coordinator of the group, Dick and Paul managers. In short, it is a model family industry.
The nine landed in pop music just over a year ago. Until that moment the nine characters had limited themselves to a few performances at family parties in Newport, a city in the state of Rhode Island, and to long training sessions at home amid the indignation of the neighbors who saw their rest disturbed. An overall blissful and worry-free life. But one day, suddenly, the Cowsills found themselves in disastrous economic conditions, due to some bad deals. They had no money, the telephone and electricity wires had been cut and the house mortgaged. But the nine did not lose courage, they held a family council and by acclamation decided to try their luck by performing in public, they had nothing to lose anyway, New York was their first stop, and chance brought them into the arms of Lenny Stogel, one of America's biggest businessmen. Stogel immediately noticed the musical qualities of the extravagant family, he valorized them and in a short time the Cowsills (con *la*s*) came to the attention of the public. With success also came money, and with money came electricity, a telephone and a mortgage-free house.
An immense house, twenty-two rooms on three floors, in which the most indescribable disorder reigns: broken windows, unhinged doors and creaking ping-pong tables in the bedrooms, beds in the kitchen. But the pride of the family are the seven bathrooms that the Cowsills show to the numerous guests who crowd the house. It's a shame that the systems rarely work. To complete the confusion, there is Curly a dog who considers himself a great hunter and tries to prove it by threatening cats, chickens and rabbits that roam undisturbed in the large uncultivated park surrounding the house. Until recently, Clyde, a little monkey, also lived with the Cowsills and shared room and board with them. Unfortunately, the harsh winter that hit the north-eastern coast of the United States this year killed it. After the American success, the Cowsills wanted to try their luck in Europe too, and to do so they chose the most difficult route, that of Sanremo. According to the first results, we can say that the family has made it here too, even if the song didn't even make it to the final. The applause from the audience immediately after their performance was significant. The Rokes, fellow workers from Sanremo, who before the festival had expressed some doubts about the Cowsills, were the first to recognize their skill and applaud them. "If we were eliminated" said Shel, "it certainly wasn't their fault. Indeed, I really think that they will sell many more records than us." And all nine members reciprocated by stating that they haven't found a place where you feel as comfortable as in Italy yet. And, to confirm it, they remained in Sanremo until the end of the festival. It is not excluded that one day they will move, bag and baggage, to some nice home, perhaps with working bathrooms.
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