Peter Frampton Says Being 'Cute' Was A Huge Problem In His Early Career
By Andrew Magnotta @AndrewMagnotta
November 4, 2022
Peter Frampton looked back on his early career in a new interview and recalled how his boyish good looks were a constant source of frustration.
Frampton, who was once known as 'The Face,' tells Classic Rock magazine that the attention he got from the media as a teen idol contributed to major problems in two promising bands.
It was while fronting his band The Herd that Frampton first got put on the cover of a magazine. He said the spotlight instantly "started discontent in the band," and he felt "terrible" that his bandmates' contributions were being ignored just because he was the "cute" one.
"Being chased and having your clothes ripped off by girls was all very exciting, but it got old very quickly," Frampton said. "And I could see what that was doing to the band. And as I was to experience later in life, a teenybopper in the band can rid you of your credibility."
A few years later, Frampton formed Humble Pie with Steve Marriott. Their solution to Frampton's credibility issues was an image overhaul.
"The first thing was, we decided we wouldn't shave or bathe," Frampton continued. "We all grew beards and didn't wear groovy clothes. We wanted to be accepted for our musicality. We released our first single, 'Natural Born Bugie,' and guess what? We're back on Top of the Pops again and we're being screamed at."
The next time around, when Humble Pie had a hit with "Big Black Dog," Marriott's solution was to be rude!
"He kept calling [Top of the Pops host Tony Blackburn] by the wrong name and would answer his questions with, 'Dunno. Ask our manager, mate.' The result of which was we were never allowed back on the show."
Following the Top of Pops debacle, Humble Pie resolved to turn its focus to America, where they were virtually unknown. Frampton says the decision quickly proved to be the right one "and things really started happening."
Frampton is currently on the U.K. and European legs of his farewell tour. The guitarist is also working on a new album.