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The Rave is a long non-existent Sixties journal, full of all kinds of bon mots. It is also the starting point for the song, "Frank Mills," used in "HAIR." Long before Shelley Plimpton took her place on stage at the Biltmore, and became a Legend Of The Musical Stage," the following text appeared in the journal's section called "Boys And Girls Lost And Found--"
"I met a boy called Frank Massey on
holiday at Rhyl, but unfortunately
lost his address. Last seen with his friend.
drummer with the Sidewalkers.
Lives in Manchester, and goes to the Twisted
Wheel most Saturdays. Please help me find
him.--Cindy Hines, Bartley Green,
Birmingham 32"
The similarities are so striking that I cannot help presenting this on what today is known, in my world, as "Frank Mills" Day. Yes, I will be going to the Waverly, and doing a special rendition to honor Shelley, but Rado and Ragni must have been aware of this item when they dreamed up the song. So, there is a kernel of truth to it, but not like the truth Shelley brought to it.
Here it is! Enjoy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
7 comments:
Dear RQ,
Happy Frank Mills Day!
I too am a committed devotee of Frank Mills and Shelley Plimpton, and today is FMD for me too (although two years after your post, above). I wish I could be there watching and listening to you outside the Waverly today - along with that wino you mention in a couple of other posts, maybe - does he come back every year?
I have a copy of the relevant page from Rave that I found somewhere on the web, which unfortunately doesn’t show the issue number or date or even a page number on it, dammit. There are also, of course, several other mentions in the Boys and Girls - Lost and Found column that found their way into the song, but that aren’t specifically mentioned in your blog post.
But James Rado added another level of gloss to the matter. In Eric Grode’s 2010 book, Hair – The Story of a Show that Defined a Generation, Rado is quoted as saying, “I learned a funny thing not that long ago. ‘Frank Mills’ stemmed from a letter to the editor in the Village Voice. I was so moved by the letter. I showed it to Jerry, and it became a Crissy speech that turned into a song. But a year or two ago, a journalist showed me a British rock magazine from early 1967. It had personal ads in the back, and several of the ads had one line or another from that letter. Somebody at the Village Voice had mixed them all together and made a fake letter out of them!” And Galt MacDermot is quoted in that book as saying “It was a letter in the Village Voice, I was told.”
Interesting stuff. I apologize if you were already aware of the quotes in Grode’s book, but I didn’t pick up a mention of them from your blog posts on Hair.
God, I wish I could find the original of the Rave issue and also a copy of that letter to the editor in the Village Voice! Not to mention, thinking of Hair more generally, the script and music of the original (off-Broadway) production. Oh well, it’s always dangerous to let your imagination get captured by something, but who could possibly resist the charm of Frank Mills?
I wish you a really great FMD and, assuming you’re there singing outside the Waverly today, an appreciative (if curious) audience. If I was in New York I’d be there myself, hopefully welcome even if invading your space. Instead I’m stuck in Geneva (Switzerland) with the f***ing coronavirus floating around everywhere.
With very best wishes, Philip Thomas
Hi, Phillip,
Glad to know of another "Frank Mills" and
Shelley Plimpton aficionado. I have never
read Grode's book, but now I want to. I
did not know about the Village Voice letter,
so thank you for that info.
I did sing it yesterday, but as I was wearing a
mask, I am not sure if people grasped what I was
doing. Though two women listened for a sec, as if
what they heard was familiar. And, no, I have never
seen that wino since. He probably now a Wall Street
exec!
I hope you had a happy FMD too!
I just happened upon your column on the Rave Magazine connection to the Frank Mills lyrics. I am, in fact, the journalist, referred to by Jim Rado, who discovered the connection. I had sat on the knowledge for many years and finally decided to write an article about it. In preparation, I introduced myself to Jim at a Hair anniversary get-together and told him of my discovery. Unfortunately, I gave him a photocopy of one of the pages and he proceeded to give it to a theatre company, which then posted it on the internet! So much for my "exclusive" information. Instead of the article, I proceeded to write a novel, "The Flash of Midnight," which used the Rave page as the jumping-off point for the story. My heroine is so affected by the George Harrison reference that she manages to hook up with Harrison for a one-night stand.
The one little-known fact about that magazine is that on a separate page are the comments about being embarrassed to be seen with the boyfriend. I have had the complete magazine for more than half a century, still in excellent, well-preserved condition. It is one of my greatest treasures. - Robert Armin
Robert,
Thank you so much for sharing this story.
I love it, and I am sure others will. Did you
ever meet Shelley Plimpton? And is it possible to
find/read your novel, "The Flash Of Midnight" anywhere?
I would love to read it.
I sing the song a lot. I use it as a vocal warmup.
Thank you for sharing! Feel free to drop in here
anytime
The novel is available on Amazon. Just search for "Flash of Midnight Robert Armin." I highly recommend the audiobook version read by Remington Moses (a member of the Nelson family acting dynasty). Incidentally, I had someone search through The Village Voice issues from 1965-66 and no such letter was ever found. I'm going with the theory that Ragni wrote the lyric and then told Rado it was from the Village Voice. I'm still researching that possibility.
I have yet to meet Shelley Plimpton. I sent her a copy of the book in 2011, but have never heard from her. I did, however, mention it to her daughter, Martha.
Robert,
I have met Martha, admire her talent greatly,
but alas have never met Shelley. Thank your for
answering my questions and the info on the book.
I will look it up.
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