WEIRDLAND: Untamed Youth: Buddy Holly & Eddie Cochran

Sunday, November 13, 2016

Untamed Youth: Buddy Holly & Eddie Cochran

Buddy Holly was terribly shy; he tended to complicate his alienation because of his extreme shyness, his self-consciousness about his 'homely' looks.  He never seemed at ease with the lime light of the show business scene. Buddy not only knew rock 'n' roll would last, he also understood it had to evolve over time. Buddy was our superior from a musical theory aspect.

Buddy Holly's Song Catalog from the Songwriters Hall of Fame: AM I EVER GONNA FIND IT, BABY WON'T YOU COME OUT TONIGHT, BECAUSE I LOVE YOU, BLUE DAYS AND BLACK NIGHTS, CHANGING ALL THOSE CHANGES, COME BACK BABY; CRYING, WAITING, HOPING; DON’T COME KNOCKIN’, DOWN THE LINE, EVERYDAY, FOOL'S PARADISE, GIRL ON MY MIND, GONE, HEARTBEAT, HOLLY HOP, I GUESS I WAS JUST A FOOL, I’M GONNA LOVE YOU TOO, I’M GONNA SET MY FOOT DOWN, I’M LOOKIN’ FOR SOMEONE TO LOVE, IT'S NOT MY FAULT, IT’S SO EASY, IT'S TOO LATE, LEARNING THE GAME, LISTEN TO ME, LITTLE BABY, LONELY LITTLE LOVER LOST, LONESOME TEARS, LOOK AT ME, LOVE ME, LOVE’S MADE A FOOL OF YOU, MAYBE BABY, MODERN DON JUAN, MY BABY’S COMIN’ HOME, NOT FADE AWAY, OH BOY!, PEGGY SUE, PEGGY SUE GOT MARRIED, RAVE ON!, REMINISCING, ROCK AROUND WITH OLLIE VEE, ROCK A BYE ROCK, SEND ME SOME LOVIN', SEPTEMBER HEARTS, TAKE YOUR TIME, TELL ME HOW, THAT MAKES IT TOUGH, THAT’LL BE THE DAY, THAT’S WHAT THEY SAY, THINK IT OVER, TING-A-LING, TRUE LOVE WAYS, WELL ALL RIGHT, WHAT TO DO, WISHING, WORDS OF LOVE, and YOU’RE THE ONE.

At a big New Year’s party, Eddie Cochran invited everyone. Don Everly brought a girl with him and they got into a big argument. The girl locked herself in the bathroom and refused to come out. Eddie watched Don’s dilemma and said, “You don’t have the right technique, Don. I’ll handle this.” Eddie knocked on the door... “Who is it?” “Buddy Holly.” She opened the door, there Eddie stood, beer in hand, laughing. She slammed the door shut again. At about this time, Buddy arrived at the party. He noticed Don and Eddie standing by the bathroom door. “What’s going on?” he asked. “Oh, this girl, she’s mad at Don and locked herself in the bathroom. Hey, Buddy, if anyone can talk her out of there, I’d bet you can,” Eddie suggested. “I’ll give it try,” Buddy knocked on the door... “Who is it?” “It’s Buddy, Buddy Holly.” When she opened the door this time she had armed herself with a hairbrush. Whoosh-bang! Poor Buddy, he didn’t know what hit him. Before she realized who stood there, she crowned him right on top of the head. Eddie stood by howling of laughter.

Later, back in Hollywood I had a date to go to the movies with Eddie. The August early evening air, stifling hot. What we Californians refer to as ‘earthquake weather.’ “Sharon, sit down, I want to talk to you,” Eddie said. His suite had two sofas across from each other. I sat on one, and he stretched out on his stomach, his chin propped on his hand, his mocassin’d feet dangling. He stared at me without mercy for a few moments. “Sharon, are you in love with me?” he asked in a very quiet voice. I could hardly bear it. I struggled to get a few words out, “Why...what makes you think that? Just because everytime you turn around I’m there? How rude! I— I don’t think that you have the right to ask me such an embarrassing question!” “Well... let me tell you... You’d damn sure better be because I’m in love with you.” A Hollywood screenwriter could not have written a better movie scene.

My heart thumped, then stopped, and I heard bells ringing in my ears. He got off his sofa and sat down close beside me. He put his arms around me and gave me a big luscious kiss. “I love you very much,” he said with passion. “When did you know?” “The first time I ever saw you.” “And you let me chase you around for two whole years? Why on Earth didn’t you tell me?” “Do you love Ricky Nelson?” Eddie asked. “No, of course not.” Ricky Nelson at the peak of his career idolized Eddie. “Do you love Don Everly?” “No!” I started to wonder where he was going with this. “Do you love me?” “Oh, yes!” 

“You see, Kid Cochran’s not so dumb. I had to make damn sure.” Eddie gave me his ring and ID bracelet to seal our engagement although he preferred to keep it a secret for now. Sure he dated Connie Stevens, Julie London and the likes. I mean, with that kind of competition, how could I stand a chance with him? He never dated any of them more than a few times. His mother later told me that I was his first, and the only girl he ever loved. My competition as it turned out was not other women, it was music, his guitar... —"Summertime Blues: A True Rock 'n' Roll Adventure with Eddie Cochran" (2010) by Sharon Sheeley

According to Eddie Cochran's nephew Bobby Cochran: "there was definitely a mutual attraction between Eddie and Mamie van Doren and some hint of hanky panky between them." In 1986, Mamie van Doren told fanzine Kicks the film "Untamed Youth" (1957) was one of her favorite films: "Eddie Cochran appeared in the film and we rehearsed the songs at my place in Hollywood Hills. Buddy Holly accompanied him sometimes. Buddy Holly was completely crazy, Eddie was charming... Eddie was more handsome than Elvis, terribly sexy and cool."

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