Obscurity Check: The Hello People (60s-70s)

Would YOU hire a buncha mimes to play your frat party?

By Fred Mills

File this under “useless news item of the day,” or simply geek out if you’re inclined to waste your time trolling for obscure bands like all of us at BLURT do!

So, my colleague-in-obscure-bands, the Rev. Keith Gordon, and I have been getting our mojo workin’ talking about the late, maybe not so great, Hello People. Described by certain pundits as a “mime rock group” — somewhat inaccurately, since a mime rock group technically wouldn’t make any sound, now, would they? — they performed in, yes, a mime’s white greasepaint and, occasionally, mime-like attire.

Forming in the late ‘60s, they issued their first, best known album, The Hello People, in ’67 and went on to release records well into the mid ‘70s before breaking up. Along the way they also toured and worked with Todd Rundgren, but for the most part they never really mustered more than a blip or two on the public consciousness radar. The albums were decent enough, a mixture of flower-powery folkrock (watch out though – Flute Alert!) and have-a-nice-day pop, so isn’t it about time for some of this band’s back catalog to be reissued for the digital era? Admittedly, one might want to dig out the bong for maximum “appreciation” of the band, but hey.

You can read more about them, if you are so inclined, at the Cool Groove site, which includes the photo above — really, a picture says a thousand words — along with some other pics and an archive of videos, including the one we’ve got for you below.

There’s just something about a mime in mustache and huge sideburns that’s wrong…