The Popular 1960s Band Mick Jagger Called ‘Sh*t’
While the Rolling Stones were a rock band, they sometimes performed alongside a bubblegum pop group during the 1960s. Mick Jagger had no respect for this group. In fact, this other band purposefully antagonized the Rolling Stones — though its frontman has some fond memories of Keith Richards.
The pop band that grinded Mick Jagger’s gears
In a 1995 interview with Rolling Stone, Jann S. Wenner asked Jagger if the Rolling Stones were often compared to the Beatles. Jagger noted how the Rolling Stones were compared to the Fab Fab and every other band under the sun, including Herman’s Hermits, a band fronted by Peter Noone. Herman’s Hermits were one of many bands from the 1960s whose work bore lots of similarities to the Beatles’ early music.
“I remember one time playing in Philadelphia, and Herman’s Hermits were top of the bill, and we were second, and there was some argument about the dressing rooms,” Jagger told Rolling Stone. “[Noone] was complaining because he was top of the bill and his dressing room wasn’t good enough. … And one of the most impossible things was going out to have a hamburger, and some guy would go, ‘Are you Herman’s Hermits?’ It would kill you. So you go, ‘F*ck you. Herman’s Hermits is sh*t.”
Herman’s Hermits snubbed the Rolling Stones in more ways than one
This wasn’t the only time there was strife between the Rolling Stones and Herman’s Hermits. According to the book The Rolling Stones in Concert, 1962-1982, the Rolling Stones performed a show in Philadelphia with Herman’s Hermits. Because the Rolling Stones didn’t respect Herman’s Hermits much, the Rolling Stones insisted on closing the show. Noone decided to make his set longer so the Rolling Stones would have less time to perform. This caused members of the audience to leave only a few songs into the Rolling Stones’ set, a development which annoyed Jagger.
Performances weren’t the only ways the Rolling Stones and Herman’s Hermits crossed paths. The Billboard Book of Number 1 Hits says “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” was knocked off the top of the charts by Herman’s Hermits’ “I’m Henry VIII, I Am.” It’s amazing to think a disposable bubblegum pop song replaced a rock ‘n’ roll classic at the No. 1 position.
How Keith Richards helped Peter Noone
Jagger certainly had some negative experiences with Herman’s Hermits. Oddly enough, Noone has fond memories of Jagger. In an interview with the Niagara Gazette, Noone recalled how he became famous when he was underage. He noted how many of the people around him wanted to keep him out of trouble — including Keith Richards.
“One day in New York City, Keith Richards and [the Rolling Stones’ manager] Andrew Oldham cornered me and told me if they found out I was doing drugs they would beat me up,” Noone said. “And Keith Richards has some big knuckles. There were always people looking out for me, because I was just a kid.”
