The Fools, a "slightly bent" rock and roll band were formed in 1975, the pride of Ipswich. A show from these guys was "90 minutes of madcap adventure." Mike Girard took pride in breaking everyone up, including the band, on any given night. Many performances turned into miniature events, theme nights, and just plain insanity. The boys established their style in local clubs and on major tours. The trips included a major Knack tour, 45 Van Halen arena shows, and half a dozen trips throughout Europe. The band has generated sales of over 500,000 units worldwide, and a wild and loyal following. The kids were a part of Peter Casperson's Castle Music stable of artists. The boys scored airplay aplenty with a tape of "Psycho Chicken," an x-rated parody of the Talking Heads' "Psycho Killer" in 1979. In a dream come true scenario, a local DJ requested a tape of the song, played it once during a lunch time show and watched (in horror or amazement) as the phones lit up like Christmas trees. Other stations were forced to move on the tune, and that success led to local, national and even positive European press and airplay. A non-parody song, "A Night for Beautiful Girls" followed and the record execs were jetting in for the June 30 Blondie show at the Orpheum Theatre to catch the Fools opening set. EMI offered to sign the band and sent the group out immediately to tour with The Knack, an unprecedented set of circumstances seeing as the band had never released a record. In due course, and after rave reviews the boys returned home to record and veteran scenesters have fond memories of wall to wall promotional parties at Castle Hill, in Ipswitch. (On April Fool's Day of course.) The madcap funsters even hired the New England Patriot's cheerleaders to lead the audience in spelling out F-O-O-L-S. And we won't talk about the irreverent ode from "Don Law" (as imitated by Mike Girard), then as now, New England's premiere rock impresario. But I'm sure you could picture a bedraggled Mike, literally climbing over a wall in an intoxicated state. From this vantage point, he sang a Satchmo-flavored "Mack the Knife." A comedic approach to the pain and angst-filled anthem "Life S*cks (Then You Die)" became the most requested song EVER on every "local" station within the band's traveling area. WBCN, WFNX, WAAF, WHJY, and WBRU in Providence were right on, seeing through the "Mel Evans and the In-Laws" alias. PVC ran out of its initial 6,000 pressing and rush ordered product to fill the surprise demand. The act was chosen by 'BCN to appear at the "Homeless" Benefit at the Expo Center (11/86). Mike's brother John appeared in the "Smuggler's Blues" episode of the TV show Miami Vice. By 1989 Foreman was in a North Shore cover act, "Little Sister," while Stacey Pedrick was playing hometown gigs with "Drive In." Holaday plays out with Brad Delp (frontman for the band Boston), drummer Muzz (Aces and Eights, The Reflectors, Farrenheit, et al) in the Beatles tribute act, Beatlejuice. Bartlett played out in the late nineties with Ben Orr (The Cars)