Age catches up with us all.
Anyone seen Peter Frampton lately?
Posted on 03/07/2003 2:03:52 PM PST by vannrox
While chatting with Leif Garrett the subject of Americans on High Alert elicited a laugh from the former pop sensation. "I was always on high alert," Garrett said. Indeed. Of course what Garrett is referring to is seemingly amusing but it's actually a sad oxymoron.
Anyone who has read the tabloids or witnessed VH1's "Behind the Music," which focused on the life of the '70s superstar, knows about Garrett's trials and tribulations. If Garrett's ups and downs were chronicled in the manner of a cardiogram it would be the equivalent of a heart attack.
At the tender age of five Garrett became an actor. He portrayed Tony Randall's son in the sitcom "The Odd Couple" and appeared in such films as "Walking Tall" and "Bob, Carol, Ted & Alice." By the time he was 14, he became Mr. Tiger Beat. The record company Scotti Brothers signed him and sold millions of copies of his biggest single, the disco smash "I Was Made for Dancing."
"The great thing about my success was the girls," Garrett said. "The worst thing about my success was the girls. It was this crazy double edged sword."
Garrett, due to his considerable experience, was a mature 16-year old who was hounded by prepubescents.
"Fortunately these kids were brought to their shows by their mothers," Garrett said. "I was much more into their mothers." So Garrett discreetly slipped notes to the thirty something escorts. "It worked out about three or four times." Garrett rationalized that their daughters were half his age and he was half of the mother's age. "Hey it was fun," Garrett said. "I needed to have some fun."
Making the music Scotti Brothers demanded was hardly a labor of love.
Garrett loathed the milquetoast pop he delivered. He favored hard rock delivered by Led Zeppelin. When the legendary British band played L.A's Forum in 1977 Garrett blew off his older babes in order to be slammed by the hammer of the Gods.
But as fans and the curious know, Garrett's life imploded three days before his 18th birthday. While under the influence of drugs he crashed a car that left his best friend at the time, Roland Winkler, paralyzed from the waist down. Garrett was sued for $25 million by Winkler's mother. "It was horrible," Garrett recalled. "It was an awful unfortunate incident. I was sued for money I didn't have."
Garrett started a decade-long battle with heroin and seemed to fall off the face of the earth. However, in 1999 the folks from "Behind the Music" called and asked Garrett about doing the popular program.
"I don't have cable so I haven't even seen it," Garrett said. "But they sent me some episodes. I liked the David Crosby one. The David Cassidy one was bull. He said he only had a drinking problem. Yeah, sure David we know about your sordid past. We know about you falling on your face on a London stage since you were on Quaaludes. I didn't' understand why someone would do the show and wouldn't be honest. That's the only way I would do it." Everything was fine for Garrett until the night before he reunited with his estranged friend. "I had no idea they were going to do that until they called me," Garrett said. "They asked if it was alright and I said no. They called me back five times until I gave in. I had a panic attack in my room. I was absolutely freaked out by it. But when I did it the next day it was the best thing to happen to me."
Not only did Garrett bridge a gap with Winkler, he was also back on the map. Months after declaring he was clean on "Behind the Music," Garrett was arrested for possession.
Garrett, who is now 40, claims he's turned over a new leif or is it a leaf. He stresses that he's been off high alert for more than two years and that he's focusing his lucid energy into his year old band F8, which will play tomorrow at the Balcony. The hard rock band, which also includes his longtime friend Chuck Billings, bassist Darrell 'D' Arnold and guitarist Joe Gaines, is a hard rock act, which is influenced by Garrett's beloved Zeppelin.
"The most surprising thing is that none of the old fans ask for 'I Was Made For Dancing' or 'Put Your Head on My Shoulders.' I can't believe that."
Nevertheless, every once and a while, tosses in a blistering version of "I Was Made For Dancing." "I can't do it too much because it makes the hair on the nape of my neck standup because of the Scotti Brothers business," Garrett said. "But we have a good time slipping it in here and there. Sometimes it's fun to look back."
Age catches up with us all.
Anyone seen Peter Frampton lately?
Actually, I saw him perform at the Garden State Arts Center a couple of years ago. It's interesting going to concerts for bands from the 1970s and early 1980s where the entire crowd is in their 30s and 40s...
Even 50s.
I caught the Eagles "Hell Freezes Over" tour in '94. My then girlfriend and I were the youngest couple in our section.
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