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For the first time anywhere, here are the deep, dark, secrets these adorable two have been trying to hide!
John:
"You see that grinning Cowsill over there - the one in the dark shirt? Well, that's my brother Barry Steven (he hates his middle name!). I'm so glad that I finally have the chance to spill the beans and tell you all about "Bee Boy". (That's his nickname - and he doesn't like that either!)"
"Barry is very weird - for instance, he actually likes school very much! He's an excellent student and he reads a lot too - even when he doesn't have a book report due! That doesn't seem like fun to me. But then maybe I'm the one who's weird?!"
"To be very honest, I can't really think of anything bad to say about Barry, cos he's actually a good guy. Except - Bee always butts in and defends Susie when I tease her, and that takes all the fun out of my teasing! Barry also has a habit of punching me in the left arm. But I have to admit, sometimes I do deserve it! The only time I really get mad at Barry is when he pulls rank and says, "I'm older than you". That's something I'll never live down, since he just turned fourteen on September 14, and I was only twelve on March 2. It's tough on me - being the youngest boy in the family. Can you blame me for teasing Susie - she's the only Cowsill younger than me!"
"Barry is a very serious person and is always coming out with important-sounding statements on all sorts of subjects. Sometimes I don't understand what he's talking about. But he has his crazy side too. Like when he does his imitation of a turkey and walks around the house saying, "Gobble, gobble". But I guess we all have some strange moments!"
"Barry is quiet but not shy - he just waits to be spoken to. I know that he likes girls an awful lot, and that's just about the only thing I don't tease him about! Last year, he had a crush on every girl in his class. (He thinks the girls in my class are too young for him). And he loves to meet and talk with all the girls we see when we're on tour. Would you believe he not only reads every letter that is sent to him - but that he also tries to answer as many as possible!"
"Well, that's my number five brother. And you know what - I wouldn't trade him even if I did have the opportunity! But don't you ever tell him I said that!"
Barry:
"Now it's my turn to tell you all about the Cowsill 'family tease' - the one and only John Patrick Cowsill! John is constantly teasing Susie, and - boy - does he get angry when one of us 'older' guys butts in to defend Sue! Yet, when Susie doesn't feel well, John blows his cool. He's the one who jumps to her rescue, takes care of her, reads to her and so on! You see, he's not as bad as he pretends to be!"
"The truth is, John is very sensitive. He's a perfectionist too, and he gets very mad at himself if he makes a mistake. He usually releases his anger and frustration by beating up his pillow! John loves to hear from his friends in Newport, and whenever we go back to Rhode Island the first thing he does is visit his buddies and usually sleeps over at their houses."
"Hey, wait a minute - I'm being much too nice. Let me tell you some other things about John! He's always sneaking around looking for some sort of mischief to get into. I think you could safely say that John agrees to disagree. He loves to instigate arguments. I think that John's personality is like that of 'Lucy' in the Peanuts cartoon series. In other words, he's an official member of the 'Fussbudgets of America'!"
"From what I've told you, I guess you can see that John can be quite a menace. But he also has his shy side - and that pops up when he's around girls! He becomes a different person, very quiet, and has almost nothing to say. But I guess he'll get over being girl-shy once he hits thirteen!
"More than anything, John loves to play his drums. He doesn't like school all that much. In fact, I think his favorite subject is recess. John dreams an awful lot too. And believe it or not, he always dreams that he's flying - sometimes in a box, but usually on his own, like Might Mouse! That's a pretty big ambition for a kid who gets airsick every time he rides in a plane - but, knowing John as well as I do, I wouldn't put it past him! So if you ever look up at the sky and see something flying - it isn't a bird or a plane - but it may very well be our very own 'Superman' - John Cowsill!"
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