David Cassidy on the Web
Could it be forever?
April 5, 2007
By Ruth Addicott
www.theargus.co.uk
The arrival of Seventies hearthrobs David Cassidy and The Osmonds in Brighton this Friday has sent life-long fans into a frenzy.
Ruth Addicott tracked down the women with seats in the front row to hear the extraordinary lengths they go to, to meet their idols.
Scaling walls at the BBC, hiding in toilets and trekking all the way to Utah to stake out the home of your favourite pop star are all the kind of antics devoted fans might get up to at the age of 14.
There is one group of hardened fans, however, for whom age is no object. They may be in their 40s, they may even be married - but when it comes to David Cassidy and The Osmonds, nothing stands in their way.
They've queued in freezing temperatures, elbowed security out of the way and collected every memento under the sun, from fading posters and suit tassels to tatty old paper cups (touched by the lips of Donny Osmond).
With Cassidy and The Osmonds due to give live performances for the Once in a Lifetime Rewind Tour in Brighton this Friday, anticipation and excitement for these fans is almost at bursting point.
Lin Paton, 50, a sales assistant from Hailsham, has been a Cassidy fan since the Seventies. She's had half a dozen "hand holds" and seen him in concert 17 times.
"David Cassidy was my first love. There will always be part of my heart reserved for him," she says. "I've got records, rosettes, books, magazines, scarves, millions of posters and half a dozen T-shirts. I even had a piece of his shirt once, which I won in a competition. I play the albums nearly every day. My husband's used to it now."
Asked what it is that makes her go weak at the knees, she's in no doubt: "It's those eyes. They used to set my heart fluttering then and they still do today. You always had that dream - one day you'd meet him and he'd end up being your boyfriend." Since discovering a plethora of fellow DC fans across the country, Lin's social life has taken off in a new direction. Armed with photos, mementos and memories, the fans (sometimes as many as 30) converge on Wetherspoon pubs up and down Britain and reminisce about old times.
"Someone once even brought along a tassel off one of his suits, which he'd thrown into the crowd," she says.
Lin has a couple of (unframed) posters in her dining room and a DC calendar in the bedroom.
Her most treasured mementos, however, are photos of her and David - in fact, they are so treasured she won't even share them as part of this feature. All she'll say about meeting the singer is: "It was very special. It's private. If you say too much, people get the wrong idea. I am a fan - a big fan, but I'm not someone who assumes he's going to know who I am."
Fellow fan Sue Taplin, a 47-year-old financial advisor from Brighton, has seen Cassidy in concert 16 times in the past three years (including two trips to Connecticut). Her husband has also learned to live with it. She wears a DC badge and carries a plectrum from one of his guitars in her purse wherever she goes, along with an artificial credit card bearing a picture and the words "celebrating over 30 years of love and fandom for David Cassidy".
"He's just got so much charisma," she enthuses. "He's still the same old David on stage - the way he moves, sings and flirts.
He may be 57 this week but he's 19 again when he's on stage."
Sue was once on the phone from 6am to 9am pressing re-dial constantly in a bid to get front row seats. And that's apart from the time she queued for two nights and two days at a casino in Connecticut.
While she is quick to point out there are boundaries ("David doesn't like to be pursued and certainly doesn't like to see anyone in his hotel"), even she has had a brush with security, emerging from one concert with her arms covered in bruises in her efforts to get to the front.
Speaking to The Argus from his home in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Cassidy is charm personified.
"The fans are great," he says. "They still scream like they're young. Their voices may have dropped an octave but they sing well, especially in Britain.
It's like they've been out in the parking lot rehearsing before the show." Although he's still got the knack for making women fall at his feet, he says he's enjoying touring a lot more now the hysteria has calmed down.
"The Seventies were so insane for me, I had so much security everywhere I went, it was almost impossible. I get recognised all the time but I still go to the supermarket. I do the hat and glasses thing and most people are quite respectful."
Asked what he thinks it is that women find so attractive about him, he laughs and says: "I've been blessed but I like to think it's who you are - the essence of who you are - that comes through. I'd like to think that's the reason they liked me rather than it being for the shape of my ass."
Like his fans, he insists age hasn't hindered him. He may have auctioned off a few jumpsuits but claims his fitness levels and vocal chords are "way beyond what they were in the Seventies".
"I'm as energetic as I always was. Age doesn't play a part in it," he says.
However, it's not just Cassidy fans who'll be pushing their way to the front this Friday. The arrival of The Osmonds has sparked an equal frenzy.
Karen Muxworthy, 40, from Uckfield has been an Osmond fan since she was six. She has more than 100 records and has travelled as far as Utah to see them perform.
Her favourite encounter is the time she first met Jimmy in 1987. She was with a group of 20 fans waiting at the foyer of his hotel.
"Jimmy came in and said, 'Right, who wants to accompany me to McDonalds?' We all piled off. The next minute I was sitting in McDonalds eating a cheeseburger with Jimmy Osmond. He's a really special guy." Janine Newman-Smith, 47, from Brighton, has also been obsessed with The Osmonds since 1973 and has all sorts of memorabilia, from a pair of socks to a paper cup that Donny once drank from. "It's split down the sides and never been washed," she says fondly.
The first time she met Jimmy was at the Brighton Centre in 1979. "We got there at 6pm and queued until 9 o'clock the next morning.
It was freezing but we got front row seats for both the shows." Desperate to catch a glimpse of the band, she sneaked into the Brighton Centre with her friend and hid in the toilets before venturing into the auditorium.
"There was no one there so we just sat down and waited. Shortly afterwards The Osmonds came in and started rehearsing then, when they finished, we went up to the stage and spoke to Jimmy. We even went off to West Street to get them a burger at one point." It was just one of many chance encounters for Jimmy, who was also surprised to find them outside his home in Utah a few months later. "We were on holiday with friends - one of whom happened to live next door to the Osmonds," explains Janine.
"We went to visit the friend and Jimmy, Jay and Marie happened to be in the garden. They were a bit surprised to see us. We didn't want them to think we were stalking them or anything so we just stood and chatted for five minutes." Janine has since "bumped into" them about 17 times in total at various venues and hotel foyers across the country. "There's a bit of shoving but me and Kathy always manage to get to the front. It's like seeing old friends," she says.
Strains of Long-haired Lover from Liverpool can also be heard from the house of Kathy Whelan, 47, from Hangleton. Kathy plays Osmond records at least four times a week and wears a pink glittery cowboy hat bearing their autographs to every concert.
Like Janine, Kathy has done all kinds of things to meet the band - from hiding in underground hotel car parks to scaling the walls at the BBC when they appeared on Swap Shop. "We went to the BBC, got someone to give us a leg up and climbed over the wall," she recalls.
"We got inside and I suddenly spotted Donny so I chased him all the way down the corridor and got his autograph. My friend wasn't so lucky so we hung around outside his dressing room.
"Security wouldn't let him out and Donny knew we were waiting so he opened the door a little bit and stuck his hand out to get her autograph book, but as soon as she saw him she screamed and he had to shut it again." Another time, they chased the band's black limousine down the street and pounced when the lights changed to red. Jimmy who rarely refuses a fan an autograph, wound down the window and signed their book.
Persistence has paid off and Kathy has met The Osmonds about 30 times. Even her son Connor met Donny when he was four. "He'll always stop - especially if you have children," she says.
Front row centre is the only place to sit when you're a hardcore Osmond fan so buying tickets is like a military procedure. "There are five of us," explains Diane Bonner, 44, from Woodingdean. "Each of us is on the internet and landline with a mobile phone to hand so we can communicate with each other. It normally takes a good hour."
Like the Cassidy fans, they've also had a brush with security and got a serious ticking off once for sneaking around the back of the Hammersmith Apollo. "Security told us we should act our age and escorted us out," chuckles Diane, who sees the concerts as "a girlie weekend with Donny thrown in".
Speaking to The Argus from his home in Utah, Jimmy Osmond says he's looking forward to Friday's performance as much as the fans.
"I love Brighton. I just love the whole setting and feel of it," he says.
"The reaction from the crowd is amazing. People bring their families and it's as if everyone's a teenager again." He says he never ceases to be amazed at the lengths fans will go to.
"Two fans mailed themselves in the post to us once," he adds. "You can imagine what that was like. Another time we were staying on the fourth floor of a hotel and girls were hoisting themselves up with a rope. There were some wild times in the Seventies."
Asked why he thinks he's remained such a sex symbol after all these years, he says: "Whatever it is we're grateful. If you look at the hardcore Osmond fan base you see people who buy into the whole family and what we've stood for. There's a real sense of loyalty and that's really overwhelming." Unsurprisingly, all the dedicated fans have got their front row seats for Friday and already sussed out where Cassidy and The Osmonds will be staying.
"We'll be waiting for them," says Kathy. "We know which hotel they're in and we'll be there by mid-morning. We'll wait for them to check in first though, before we talk to them." The Once In A Lifetime Rewind Tour 2007, featuring The Osmonds, David Cassidy, David Essex and Showaddywaddy comes to the Brighton Centre on April 13.
For tickets, call 0871 2200260 or visit www.tdpromo.com
