Peter Noone Reviews & Such

Chats On His Web Site?

By Christopher Blank, Copyright St. Petersburg Times

CLEARWATER -- The letters were carefully worded, neatly folded and sealed with a kiss. Some writers asked for pictures. Others for a rendezvous.

But by the time Peter Noone, lead singer of ’60s pop group Herman’s Hermits, got around to reading his fan mail, it was often too late to make contact. The band may have just left town. Or worse, some other teen idol had stolen the fan’s heart.

Thirty years later, Noone is answering more fan mail and connecting with more fans than ever. And he’s doing it at the speed of light.

Noone’s web site (www.peternoone.com) is more than just a billboard for merchandise and tours. He talks to fans in his chatroom. He answers most of his e-mail. And after a concert, he hangs out with his Internet buddies. For Noone, high-speed connection with the fans is part of being a good celebrity. For his admirers, who have dubbed themselves "Noonatics" (rhymes with lunatics), it’s a chance to rub gigabytes with the guy who sang the hit songs I’m Henry VIII, I Am and Mrs. Brown You’ve Got a Lovely Daughter.

"I’ve never seen another entertainer as active and responsive to his fans," said Marc Haze, a producer at Tampa Bay oldies station 92.5 WYUU-FM. "He’s on his chatroom almost every day, and the result is he’s making new fans everywhere he goes. People fly in to see his shows."

Last Sunday, Herman’s Hermits headlined an oldies concert in Clearwater. Noone, 51, danced around the stage in a polka-dotted jacket, he squeezed into a pair of ladies underwear someone threw at him, and when it was over, he signed hundreds of autographs. Then he headed to the Adam’s Mark Caribbean Gulf Resort on Clearwater Beach, where members of his Internet fan club gathered on the tiki deck. He knew most of the 50 people by name.

"When he first answered my e-mail, I nearly fell out of my chair," said Christina Buckley, who flew down from Rockland County, N.Y. "He’s incredibly fun, and his writing has a sense of humor. Every time I see him, it’s like he’s an old friend."

Few artists are known to frequent their own Web sites. But when Herman’s Hermits released several greatest hits albums last year, Noone discovered that cyber-space could put him (and the group’s music) in touch with old and new fans.

Music isn’t all they discuss.

On his chatroom, Noone has helped a young girl with her homework. He has shared recipes, and gossips for hours with his devotees. Fans who visit often know his online pseudonyms: Dr. No One. Uncle Petey. Rev. Sun-Myung Noone.

Noone said that his hectic performance schedule is part of the reason he is online so often.

"I get really bored on airplanes," Noone said after the Sunday show. He carries a laptop with him wherever he travels.

"I fancy that I have a choice," Noone said. "I could either go out to the bar and drink after a show, and have useless conversation with people I don’t know, or I could go online and chat with the fans. I get mail after every concert, and now I don’t have to wait three weeks before I can answer it."

Peter Noone Reviews & Such

Chats On His Web Site?

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