# Did Dr. Hook ever make the cover of the Rolling Stone? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 16, 2010, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-dr-hook-ever-make-the-cover-of-the-rolling-stone/564380 "2010-12-16T17:04:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Carptracker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ac91a4/32.png) [@Carptracker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carptracker)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2010, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-dr-hook-ever-make-the-cover-of-the-rolling-stone/564380/1 "2010-12-16T17:04:32Z")
Not certain if this is a cafe question or not - but I am looking for a serious answer. ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2010, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-dr-hook-ever-make-the-cover-of-the-rolling-stone/564380/2 "2010-12-16T17:10:09Z")
[“What’s Their Names Make the Cover”](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/62/131hook32973.jpg) 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Carptracker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ac91a4/32.png) [@Carptracker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carptracker)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2010, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-dr-hook-ever-make-the-cover-of-the-rolling-stone/564380/3 "2010-12-16T17:32:02Z")
How did you come up with that? Is it a real cover picture? I didn’t find it on Wikipedia with a search there. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2010, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-dr-hook-ever-make-the-cover-of-the-rolling-stone/564380/4 "2010-12-16T17:36:27Z")
> [@Carptracker](#): > > How did you come up with that? Is it a real cover picture? I didn’t find it on Wikipedia with a search there. Google “dr. hook rolling stones cover”. ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2010, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-dr-hook-ever-make-the-cover-of-the-rolling-stone/564380/5 "2010-12-16T17:36:30Z")
Easy as pie. Just googled the song title, and the Wikipedia article came right up. “The song was first recorded by Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show, reaching number six on the U.S. pop chart. It was the band’s second single, and the band did get on the cover of Rolling Stone — albeit in caricature rather than a photograph and with the caption ‘What’s-Their-Names Make The Cover’.” [The Cover of the Rolling Stone](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cover_of_the_Rolling_Stone) ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2010, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-dr-hook-ever-make-the-cover-of-the-rolling-stone/564380/6 "2010-12-16T17:41:36Z")
I had _no_ idea that Shel Silverstein wrote that song. ---
**Author:** ![cjepson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9adbd/32.png) [@cjepson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cjepson)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2010, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-dr-hook-ever-make-the-cover-of-the-rolling-stone/564380/7 "2010-12-16T18:04:05Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > I had _no_ idea that Shel Silverstein wrote that song. He wrote a whole lot of the stuff they did… basically, he was their main songwriter at first. ---
**Author:** ![mckall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eada6e/32.png) [@mckall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mckall)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2010, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-dr-hook-ever-make-the-cover-of-the-rolling-stone/564380/8 "2010-12-16T18:22:57Z")
Shel wrote they’re second album. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2010, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-dr-hook-ever-make-the-cover-of-the-rolling-stone/564380/9 "2010-12-16T18:46:14Z")
> [@wiki](#): > > Shel Silverstein was an American poet, singer-songwriter, musician, composer, cartoonist, screenwriter and author of children’s books. My word! That man had many talents to rival Steve Martin, Hugh Laurie, John Lithgow, & Woody Allen. ---
**Author:** ![Carptracker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ac91a4/32.png) [@Carptracker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carptracker)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2010, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-dr-hook-ever-make-the-cover-of-the-rolling-stone/564380/10 "2010-12-16T19:02:41Z")
Holy cow, they have wikipedia articles on INDIVIDUAL SONGS?? People have way too much time. Ok, I admit I asked the question… ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2010, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-dr-hook-ever-make-the-cover-of-the-rolling-stone/564380/11 "2010-12-16T19:14:31Z")
I bought five copies. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2010, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-dr-hook-ever-make-the-cover-of-the-rolling-stone/564380/12 "2010-12-16T19:28:12Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > My word! That man had many talents to rival Steve Martin, Hugh Laurie, John Lithgow, & Woody Allen. For a the “children’s author” segment of his audience, it was probably best that it wasn’t widely known that he’d also written Dr. Hook material like “Freakin’ at the Freaker’s Ball”. That cover was good handling of the phenomenon by The Rolling Stone. The song was a huge hit (wiki claims it peaked at #6), and the band clearly gained enough popularity to rate a feature article. (Note - the article on Silverstein notes that he also penned Johnny Cash’s “A Boy Named Sue”, The Irish Rovers’ “Unicorn Song” and Tompall Glaser’s “Put Another Log on the Fire”. Those I did not know.) > [@](#): > > I bought five copies. Did your mother enjoy them? ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2010, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-dr-hook-ever-make-the-cover-of-the-rolling-stone/564380/13 "2010-12-16T19:30:44Z")
Verily! ---
**Author:** ![cjepson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9adbd/32.png) [@cjepson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cjepson)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2010, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-dr-hook-ever-make-the-cover-of-the-rolling-stone/564380/14 "2010-12-16T20:12:05Z")
> [@yabob](#): > > For a the “children’s author” segment of his audience, it was probably best that it wasn’t widely known that he’d also written Dr. Hook material like “Freakin’ at the Freaker’s Ball”. He actually put out an album under his own name, entitled “Freakin’ at the Freakers’ Ball”, around the same time as the Dr. Hook stuff… I’m guessing Dr. Hook was the backing band. With one exception (“Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout Would Not Take the Garbage Out”), the material is not children’s fare at all, at all. Titles include “I Got Stoned and I Missed It”, “Polly in a Porny”, “Stacy Brown Got Two”, and “Masochistic Baby”. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2010, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-dr-hook-ever-make-the-cover-of-the-rolling-stone/564380/15 "2010-12-16T20:18:47Z")
> [@KneadToKnow](#): > > I bought five copies. > [@yabob](#): > > Did your mother enjoy them? > [@KneadToKnow](#): > > Verily! Well, sure, Mom liked them, but his poor old grey-haired Daddy is _still_ driving his limousines! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2010, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-dr-hook-ever-make-the-cover-of-the-rolling-stone/564380/16 "2010-12-16T20:29:56Z")
When I was younger my dad had a Dr. Hook record and I had Shel Silverstein’s books. I remember reading a poem from one of them and thinking how it went right along with the rhythm of “The Cover of the Rolling Stone.” I felt triumphant when I later found out he wrote some of their songs. I wish I could remember the poem… ---
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2010, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-dr-hook-ever-make-the-cover-of-the-rolling-stone/564380/17 "2010-12-16T20:31:30Z")
come on babies, grease your lips, grab your hats, and swing your hips, and don’t forget to bring your whips 'cuz we’re going to the freakers ball. ---
**Author:** ![postcards](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8e8cbc/32.png) [@postcards](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/postcards)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2010, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-dr-hook-ever-make-the-cover-of-the-rolling-stone/564380/18 "2010-12-16T20:50:22Z")
> [@cjepson](#): > > …With one exception (“Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout Would Not Take the Garbage Out”), the material is not children’s fare at all… Two. “The Peace Proposal” appears in _Where the Sidewalk Ends_ as “The Generals”. And then there’s my favorite, [_Uncle Shelby’s ABZ_](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncle_Shelby%27s_ABZ_Book), a children’s book for adults. ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2010, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-dr-hook-ever-make-the-cover-of-the-rolling-stone/564380/19 "2010-12-16T21:22:41Z")
> [@KneadToKnow](#): > > I bought five copies. … for your mother? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2010, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-dr-hook-ever-make-the-cover-of-the-rolling-stone/564380/20 "2010-12-16T21:58:41Z")
> [@Carptracker](#): > > Not certain if this is a cafe question or not - but I am looking for a serious answer. [moderating] Yes, I think it is a Café Society question, especially since you’ve already received the GQ answer, so I’m moving it over there now for further discussion. [/moderating] [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-dr-hook-ever-make-the-cover-of-the-rolling-stone/564380.md?page=2)