The Fool were a Dutch design collective and band in the

psychedelic Psychedelics are a subclass of hallucinogenic drugs whose primary effect is to trigger non-ordinary states of consciousness (known as psychedelic experiences or "trips").Pollan, Michael (2018). ''How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of ...

style of

art Art is a diverse range of human activity, and resulting product, that involves creative or imaginative talent expressive of technical proficiency, beauty, emotional power, or conceptual ideas. There is no generally agreed definition of wha ...

in British popular music in the late 1960s. The group was named in reference to the Fool

tarot The tarot (, first known as '' trionfi'' and later as ''tarocchi'' or ''tarocks'') is a pack of playing cards, used from at least the mid-15th century in various parts of Europe to play card games such as Tarocchini. From their Italian roots, ...

card.

The original members were Dutch artists (1 February 1939 – 28 February 2020) and (born 6 November 1943), who were discovered by photographer Karl Ferris among the

hippie A hippie, also spelled hippy, especially in British English, is someone associated with the counterculture of the 1960s, originally a youth movement that began in the United States during the mid-1960s and spread to different countries around ...

community on the Spanish island of

Ibiza Ibiza (natively and officially in ca, Eivissa, ) is a Spanish island in the Mediterranean Sea off the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula. It is from the city of Valencia. It is the third largest of the Balearic Islands, in Spain. Its l ...

in 1966. He took photographs of clothes they designed, and sent them to London where they were published in ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...

''. Ferris took The Fool back to London, and together they opened a studio, with the Dutch artists producing clothes and art, and Ferris pursuing photography. Barry Finch (10 April 1943 - 11 May 2021), a maverick public relations man in the music scene, discovered the couple's talents and working for Brian Epstein got them their first designer deals in the industry. When the offers kept coming, Marijke Koger insisted that Josje Leeger (Yosha 25 September 1943-4 Juli 1991), her best friend and a fashion designer with whom she had collaborated in Amsterdam, come over to join the two. Barry and Yosha Finch became a couple and so The Fool was born.

Works

Their work includes: *the colourful clothes worn by

the Hollies The Hollies are a British pop rock band, formed in 1962. One of the leading British groups of the 1960s and into the mid-1970s, they are known for their distinctive three-part vocal harmony style. Allan Clarke (singer), Allan Clarke and Graham ...

on the cover of their 1967 album ''

Evolution Evolution is change in the heritable characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. These characteristics are the expressions of genes, which are passed on from parent to offspring during reproduction. Variation ...

''; *stage costumes and the front cover design for the self-titled 1967 debut LP '' Move'' by the Move; *stage costumes for Procol Harum; *the cover of the Incredible String Band's 1967 LP ''

The 5000 Spirits or the Layers of the Onion ''The 5000 Spirits or the Layers of the Onion'' is the second album by the Scottish psychedelic folk group, The Incredible String Band (ISB), and was released in July 1967 on Elektra Records (''see'' 1967 in music). The album was recorded follo ...

''; *cover art for

Boudewijn de Groot Frank Boudewijn de Groot (, born 20 May 1944) is a Dutch singer-songwriter, known for "''Welterusten Meneer de President''" (1966). Biography Youth Boudewijn de Groot was born in wartime occupied Dutch East Indies in 1944 in a Japanese concentr ...

's 1968

Psych-folk Psychedelic folk (sometimes acid folk or freak folk) is a loosely defined form of psychedelia that originated in the 1960s. It retains the largely acoustic instrumentation of folk, but adds musical elements common to psychedelic music. Charact ...

LP ''Picknick'' (credited to Simon & Marijke); *stage costumes and decoration to instruments used by

Cream Cream is a dairy product composed of the higher-fat layer skimmed from the top of milk before homogenization. In un-homogenized milk, the fat, which is less dense, eventually rises to the top. In the industrial production of cream, this process ...

, including

Eric Clapton Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is often regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s list of ...

's famed Gibson SG guitar (also named The Fool), Jack Bruce's

Fender Bass VI The Fender Bass VI, originally known as the Fender VI, is a six-string electric bass guitar made by Fender. Design concept and history The Fender VI was released in 1961 and followed the concept of the Danelectro six-string bass released in 1956 ...

bass, and Ginger Baker's drum kit, created for the group's 1967 tour of the US. The Fool's best known artworks are those they created for

the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

in 1966–67. They include: * the clothes worn in the 1967 television broadcast of " All You Need Is Love"; * the clothes worn in the " I Am the Walrus" segment of the 1967 '' Magical Mystery Tour'' television film; * the three-storey mural painted in psychedelic colours on the facade of the Beatles'

Apple Boutique The Apple Boutique was a retail store located in a building on the corner of Baker Street and Paddington Street, Marylebone, London. It opened on 7 December 1967 and closed on 31 July 1968. The shop was one of the first business ventures by th ...

in London's

Baker Street Baker Street is a street in the Marylebone district of the City of Westminster in London. It is named after builder William Baker, who laid out the street in the 18th century. The street is most famous for its connection to the fictional detec ...

(which also stocked their creations; months later, the mural was painted over by civic order, due to protests from other local businesses, before the shop failed); * decoration to John Lennon's piano and one of his

Gibson Gibson may refer to: People * Gibson (surname) Businesses * Gibson Brands, Inc., an American manufacturer of guitars, other musical instruments, and audio equipment * Gibson Technology, and English automotive and motorsport company based * Gi ...

acoustic guitars; * decoration to

George Harrison George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician and singer-songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Indian c ...

Mini The Mini is a small, two-door, four-seat car, developed as ADO15, and produced by the British Motor Corporation (BMC) and its successors, from 1959 through 2000. Minus a brief hiatus, original Minis were built for four decades and sold during ...

car and his bungalow

Kinfauns Kinfauns was a large 1950s deluxe bungalow in Esher in the English county of Surrey, on the Claremont Estate. From 1964 to 1970, it was the home of George Harrison, lead guitarist of the Beatles. It was where many of the demo recordings for the ...

in Surrey, as well as several of Harrison's guitars, but not his Fender Stratocaster known as "Rocky" which Harrison painted himself; * the set design for Joe Massot's 1968 movie '' Wonderwall''; * the graphics in the disc-inner sleeve of the 1967 ''

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band ''Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band'' is the eighth studio album by the English rock band the Beatles. Released on 26May 1967, ''Sgt. Pepper'' is regarded by musicologists as an early concept album that advanced the roles of sound composi ...

'' LP. After moving to Los Angeles, the Fool created the largest mural in the world at the time (1968) on the exterior of the Aquarius Theatre for a production of the Broadway musical ''

Hair Hair is a protein filament that grows from follicles found in the dermis. Hair is one of the defining characteristics of mammals. The human body, apart from areas of glabrous skin, is covered in follicles which produce thick terminal and f ...

'', by invitation of producer Michael Butler. Simon and Marijke went on to paint other theaters where ''Hair'' was playing, in San Francisco, Seattle and Chicago. Thereafter, The Fool split up, Simon, Barry and Josje eventually going back to Amsterdam while Marijke remained in Los Angeles to continue her artistic endeavors.

Musical career

The Fool also released an eponymous album ''The Fool'' in 1968, in the psychedelic folk style, produced by Graham Nash. It was re-released in 2005. As Seemon & Marijke they released another album called ''Son of America'' on A & M records, also produced by Graham Nash, in collaboration with Booker T. Jones, in 1969. Seemon & Marijke recorded a third album called ''Mediterranean Blues'' produced by Booker T. Jones in his Homegrown Studio in 1972. Their second single "I saw you" was a hit in the Netherlands. * '' The Fool'' as The Fool (1968) * ''Rainbow man'' (USA single), as The Fool (1969) * ''Shining Light'' (USA single), as The Fool (1969) * ''Son of America'' (album), as Seemon & Marijke (1971) * ''I saw you'' (single), as Seemon & Marijke (1971) * ''Keep on keepin' on'' (single), as Seemon & Marijke (1972) * ''Vegetable Stew'' (single), as Seemon & Marijke (1972) * ''Dreamboat'' (single), as Seemon & Marijke (1974)

Personal life

Simon Posthuma's son,

Douwe Bob Douwe Bob Posthuma (born 12 December 1992), professionally known by only his first and middle names Douwe Bob, is a Dutch singer-songwriter. He won the Dutch talent show ''De beste singer-songwriter van Nederland''. He specializes in folk and cou ...

, is a Dutch singer-songwriter who represented the Netherlands in the

Eurovision Song Contest 2016 The Eurovision Song Contest 2016 was the 61st edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Stockholm, Sweden, following the country's victory at the with the song "Heroes" by Måns Zelmerlöw. Organised by the European Broadcasting ...

. Simon died on 28 February 2020, aged 81, having been suffering from

Korsakoff syndrome Korsakoff syndrome (KS) is a disorder of the central nervous system characterized by amnesia, deficits in explicit memory, and confabulation. This neurological disorder is caused by a deficiency of thiamine (vitamin B1) in the brain, and it i ...

for some years. "Ontwerper Simon Posthuma (81) overleden: ‘Rust zacht lieve papa’", ''Het Parool'', 29 February 2020

Notes

External links

Marijke Koger's personal website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Fool, The 1960s fashion Apple Corps Apple Records Dutch artist groups and collectives Dutch designers Dutch rock music groups Psychedelic artists Design companies of the Netherlands Dutch fashion designers