THE NEW LEADER 
September 24, 1981

 

THEY ROCK 'N' ROLL AT ALL AGES UP HERE

 

By Larry Lewis and Michael Holtzman

 

 

North Brookfield – There are Rolling Stones fans in every age group, it seems. In some instances, the respect which band members have earned from townspeople is based more on their personalities than the music.

 

Jack Cutrumbes operates a farm "next door" to Long View Farm, just past the studio on the hillcrest of Stoddard Road.

 

"They keep to themselves," he says of the band. "They're down to earth, they're not snooty." Cutrumbes has met drummer Charlie Watts who, with Mick Jagger, has favored riding horses at Long View. "I thought he was just a horseback rider. He seemed like a nice guy. I talked with him a lot," Cutrumbes says.

 

"Then my son went to the show they put on in Worcester and there he was on stage. My son couldn't believe it," he adds.

 

Cutrumbes explains that any problems he's had with Stones-watchers have not been caused by the younger fans. Instead, "It's the adults who defy you." He admits he's confused though, why people would want to stand in an open field in pouring rain for the chance to hear the group rehearsing. "That doesn't make sense to me. I'm not into this rock 'n' roll stuff." Ironically, Cutrumbes, at age 44, is almost a contemporary of the band in years. "I'm right up there with them," he says.

 

William Nelson lives on Oakham Road and has been jogging past the recording studio for five years now. He jogs or takes long walks every day, in fact, which is no mean feat for a 71-year-old.

 

Nelson, too, has found himself caught up in recent events. He's met Mick Jagger. "He was nice to me," says Nelson, echoing an opinion of the singer often made.

 

Nelson knows studio owner Gil Markle as well, and has been taking his camera along when jogging in hopes of getting a picture or two. "No, I haven't had any luck yet, but I'll keep trying," Nelson said earlier this week.

 

At the other end of the age scale are Tim and Kim Perron of Rutland. Although Kim professes she's "not that much of a Rolling Stones fan," her husband, 22, is a die-hard follower.

 

The Perrons have visited Long View where Kim was able to take pictures. They were also lucky enough to have been among the select 300 people who attended last week's warm-up show in Worcester. "It was an experience," remembers Tim. "You couldn't sit down, you couldn't breathe.

 

"It was great. It wasn't loud. They sounded like any other band, but because you knew it was the Stones…" his voice trails off. "Jagger took off his shirt and danced around. He was up for it," adds Tim, who notes he wouldn't go through the experience again, however, because of the size of the crowd. He also recalls, "We saw more people from the 1960s than the kids; 45- and 50-year-olds. I couldn't believe it."

 

He says, the show was "one of the best things to ever happen to Worcester.

 

"The best thing to ever happen to my wife and me was meeting Jagger." He says. "You can listen to the records any time but it's nothing like talking to him."

 

Perhaps the biggest stir in town was Monday when Mick Jagger casually walked into The Pub on Summer Street during the 6 o'clock news.

 

"He wanted a Heineken," explained bartender Joanne LeBlanc. "We didn't have any. Jagger settled for an Old Milwaukee draft," she said. He hung around for about an hour before the place began to fill up.

 

"I was so shocked I didn't do anything. I didn't want his autograph, I wanted a ticket," said Dave Lovett. Lovett sat in the stool next to Jagger and said he had seen the Stones' leader on TV a few minutes before he came in.

 

"My brother owns Poor Boys' and I was sitting right here when I met him," he said pointing.

 

"I knew he was going to come in here sooner or later," said Glenn Waugh, sounding like a sure-of-himself pub owner. "He was a regular guy. Arlo Guthrie was here playing poker with all the guys a year and a half ago."

 

Glenn's wife, Debbie, who oversees the operation of the bar, knew something was up when she left for home and saw two North Brookfield policemen near The Pub. She called the bartender from her house.

 

"Mick Jagger was here!" said LeBlanc.

 

"Somebody forgot their jacket down there?" asked Debbie Waugh through the bad connection.

 

 

 


 All original material copyright © Gilbert Scott Markle. All rights reserved.