In his mid-thirties, he was six feet four inches tall and portly, with wild, shoulder-length, flaming red hair, an out-of-control beard, permanently bloodshot eyes, and a crazed facial tic which gave one the impression that every few minutes he was winking obscenely.An American citizen, he had lived and worked in England for ten years, originally coming over with Nellie and the Knockers, an all-girl group whom he had managed for three rambunctious years. When Nellie decided to become a nun and the group disbanded, he’d taken over the career of Michael Hollywood, a young solo artist. Under Doktor Head’s management, Michael Hollywood became very big very quickly – and for several years the unlikely combination of the laid-back young singer and his outrageous manager flourished.Michael Hollywood was killed in a plane crash in 1974, at the peak of his career. Doktor Head never forgave himself for not being on the plane. He went on a four-year rampage of drugs and booze, and when he walked into the audition hall for The Wild Ones, with his new discovery – a female keyboard player whom he’d named Fingers – he’d been straight for exactly five weeks.Kris, grabbing a can of Coca-Cola from a machine in the back, noticed the odd duo first.
