Rascals: The Blackest White Group of All

“I told him I was going to phone the state police and that seemed to shake him up. They put two guys with us and said, ‘All right, all right, never mind, we’ll go along.’ These guys didn’t seem to care at all. Not at all. But they came and we had two cars and we had to unload this trailer. When we got to the gas station where we left the trailer– — this is the truth — –there must have been 50 or 60 motorcycles waiting for us. On each of the motorcycles there was at least one person. Some of them had as much as three. They were going to kill us, evidently. They definitely wouldn’t just hurt us.

“Now one cop got out of the car and he reluctantly said, ‘Aaahh go on home now. All right, go on home.’ But he really didn’t want to do that. You could see that in his eyes.

“So I told the guys let them do their little thing and let’s get everything out fast. We were just like a chain and kept everything going. It was unbelievable. The two cops would have never stopped them. ‘Go on home now,’ and you hear vrooom, vrooom. It was really horrifying. Well, they followed us all the way to the outskirts of town. It made quite a mark on the group. Eddie was like a child compared to the people that were going to hurt him. He got so mad he swore he was going back in there and clean the town out with a machine gun.”

When Felix toured the South with Joey Dee, he experienced similar problems. Gas station attendants often refused to serve them and sometimes even throw things; he once saw some rednecks lasso a black girl in a convertible, pull her out and drag her down the street; in Mississippi, after the Rascals had let some black kids without money in a back door to watch their show, the stage crew tried to keep them from going on.

Shortly after the Florida tour the Rascals released “People Got to be Free,” and Felix announced a new appearance policy– — the Rascals would perform at no more shows that didn’t include at least one black act. This meant even more than the free shows groups like the Dead, Airplane and Peter, Paul and Mary had been doing for years, because it was a permanent financial sacrifice. Many of the Rascals’ dates in the South and other places had to be canceled. (“You’d be surprised how many other places in the country are just as uptight.”)

Felix claims he feels better doing a free gig after a series of paying ones: “It evens things out.” Among a long list of benefits the Rascals have played are the Soul Together show for Martin Luther King two years ago at Madison Square Garden; a UNICEF benefit last year in London with John Lennon and Yoko Ono; a thing for Cesar Chavez and the grape strikers; gigs for the Long Island Tenant Farmers’ Union, the University of the Streets, The Young Lords and even (scheduled) a show for the Hell’s Angels. There is also a record label Felix has put together for ghetto talent called Ki.

“They’re not all successful,” Felix admits, “but some of them do some good. Besides, it’s nice to get out among the people. I’d like to see some other rock groups doing that.”

Felix means it, of course, and that kind of outspokenness is not likely to ingratiate him any more than his other opinions. Asked what he thinks about the Rascals’ general “ungroovy” reputation he is likely to say something like: “That’s right. We don’t get busted, don’t rape any little girls, don’t take our pants off in public and don’t talk dirty on stage. And we don’t intend to do these things.”

The Rascals still get their best singles by inviting a lot of friends over to hear tapes and releasing the song that gets everyone most excited. It’s the same kind of approach that allows Felix to enjoy his big home in Connecticut these days and to “become a completely aggressive person in New York” without feeling guilty. It also allows Dino to work out some personal problems he’s been having without destroying the group.

Felix recently announced the departure of Eddie Brigati. Though the two remain good friends, Eddie had admitted that he wasn’t satisfied with his own music, and wanted “a rest.” He may study music formally.

Simultaneously, the Rascals announced a label switch to Columbia. The contract is reportedly near the million dollar mark, and Felix hopes Columbia’s extensive distribution channels will get the group exposure in Europe. As far as style and content go however, he doesn’t forsee any major change.

After four gold albums, four gold singles and one platinum LP, the Rascals may not be the biggest group in rock and roll, but they are still together.