Wednesday, August 21, 2013
Helicopter
My "obsession" for this week has been Bill Graham. Sunday afternoon, when I came home from church, we watched our DVD of the "Live Aid" concert from 1985. This is what started it all.. I knew who Bill Graham was...have since I was a kid. He organized "Live Aid"...the huge benefit concert done in both the US (Philadelphia) and Great Britain (Wembley Stadium). "Live Aid" was basically an attempt to wipe out hunger in third world countries. This is why the infamous " We Are the World" Ballad and the whole effort was called "USA For Africa.". Now obviously, we did not wipe out hunger, in the USA OR Africa; but it seems a whole bunch of musicians agreed to get together and try. Apparently, the show was largely put together by concert promoter Bill Graham. The idea had been based on Bob Geldof's benefit concert "Band Aid."
Anyway...how does one do that? How does one get about 47 DIFFERENT artists in one recording studio to record one song, scrawled out on paper at about three in the morning, by Quincy Jones, Michael Jackson and Lionel Ritchie? Furthermore, how does one put together an enormous benefit concert, not unlike "Woodstock," with over 60 different bands, the venues, the sponsors, the air time (Seen on 95% of the televisions on earth (that's according to the DVD). I'm sure, I don't know. But concert promoter Bill Graham (with the help of A LOT of friends) did. Graham also organized "Woodstock" in 1969, so it seems he was the man for the job.
Bill Graham was tragically killed in a helicopter crash in 1991. Apparently, he and his girlfriend Melissa Gold were leaving a concert...and it was storming that night. The helicopter apparently hit an electrical tower. Naturally, when the news got out, it was plastered all over the papers: "Bill Graham Dies in Crash.". There were headlines everywhere about the famous "impresario" who'd opened The Filmore venues (East and West), and managed groups such as "Santanna,"The Band," and "The Grateful Dead.". But there were two other lives lost that night: That of Steve Kahn (Graham's pilot) and Melissa Gold, Graham's girlfriend.
A 22 minute short film, created by Ari Gold, gives a glimpse into the aftermath of 3 young adult "children," trying to face the sudden and tragic loss of their mother. "Helicopter" depicts through animation, voice-overs, and some personal photos, a tragic, surreal experience of a beloved mother's death, lost in the shadow of celebrity. Chances are, many of you are now thinking of the HBO series "Entourage," because of the fictional Ari Gold, played by Jeremy Piven and his fictional wife named Melissa, played by Perrey Reeves. In all honesty, I've heard of "Entourage," but never have watched it. While looking for information on the crash that killed Bill Graham, I had no idea I would find more information on the fictional Ari Gold then on the real man.
In the film "Helicopter," the real Ari Gold says that he, his twin brother Ethan, and his sister Nina hardly knew Bill Graham. Graham and their mother Melissa had originally met several years before, and then began dating when they met again sometime later. Apparently, both had been married and divorced to other people. Ari Gold, through a series of answering machine voice overs, asks his mother if Bill Graham had turned out to be the guy she'd always wanted. Ari says Graham's courtship of his mother spanned two decades.
"He never had time to disappoint you," Ari said.
An interesting way to word it, I think. With Bill Graham being the huge icon that he was in the business of promoting music, one can imagine that he was extremely busy. This would probably explain why Melissa Gold's three children hardly knew him. Imagine riding in a limo following a memorial service that was put on for BILL GRAHAM and "two others"... Melissa Gold and pilot Steve Kahn. Imagine there are thousands of people outside...some of them chanting "Jerry!... Jerry!... Jerry!... Jerry! Imagine a woman jumps on the roof of the limo and mumbles... What did she say?? Now imagine some really loudmouthed (whoever the hell he was) OPENS your limo door and takes a seat in the car next to you...just as you're slowly rolling down the street...
"It's amazing out there, right? It's like the old days...there's the same vibes, the same chicks, the same
real music. It's also weird because we're witnessing a tragedy, right? I mean, BILL GRAHAM was a great
man. I knew him, I mean, he's...he was an asshole...I'm...he might punch ya...but he'd never take the money!
Dig?? Did you guys know Bill?"
"Our mother was in the helicopter."
"The Helicopter! Yeah, they were a great band!"
The dialogue continues and gets increasingly embarrassing for this fool who won't even let the situation sink in. Finally, he understands that these three people are not the Bill Graham influenced celebrities he'd hoped for. These two brothers and their sister, have lost their mother...one of the OTHER passengers in the helicopter that night...
The real Melissa Gold was born in Washington DC. She grew up in Princeton New Jersey, and attended Radcliffe College. Eventually, she moved to San Francisco. Her first husband was Herbert Gold, a writer. Her father was J. Richardson Dilworth, a former chairman and chief executive of the Rockafeller Group in New York. Okay, so this is information I got online from an article in the New York Times. Amazing how the public eats up details about people they know nothing about. Most importantly, she was the mother of three. Three kids who then became very successful adults. Nina Gold, Ethan Gold and Ari Gold.
In honesty, this is where I get very confused. Apparently (according to what I read), the real Ari Gold's REAL name is Ari Emanuel, and he is the brother of former Obama chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, also mayor of Chicago. But these articles make no mention of a twin brother named Ethan. Ari and Ethan Gold (who are twins) have a band called the Gold Brothers, but the info. I read on them makes no mention of a Rahm Emanuel. Aside from that, Ari Gold, the short film maker says on his website that someone, borrowed his name for a show (I'm paraphrasing), and that he hopes one day to get something out of it. Wait...so the FICTIONAL Ari Gold was not the REAL Ari Gold's idea?? The fictional Ari even has a wife named Melissa! So (somebody) used his mother's name as well?? Rahm Emanuel's mother is listed as Marsha Emanuel. Rahm and Ari's father's name is Benjamin Emanuel, but these articles make no mention of a sister Nina or a brother Ethan. Am I talking about a step brother? Melissa Gold was said to have three kids, with Ari and Ethan being twins. If the real Ari Gold is brothers with Rahm Emanuel, what happened to his TWIN brother Ethan? Am I even talking about the same family??
My goodness, you guys...all this, and I was only looking for information on the crash that killed Bill Graham! Ethan Gold's biography on his website mentions Bill Graham and his mother Melissa, and the crash which tragically took her life. And of course, Ari Gold made his amazing short film that won him a student Oscar. Check out the film "Helicopter" on Ari's website or on YouTube. Also check out Ethan Gold and the Gold Brothers...really cool!! I think a really amazing lady named Melissa Gold would be amazingly proud of her sons today. I wish I could 've known her myself. I'll be honest...I wish I could've known Bill Graham too. He has fascinated me since childhood. I think anyone connected to that much music that so many of us grew up with would likely be quite interesting. . To Ari, Ethan and Nina: I can't imagine how much you must miss your mother everyday. Thank you Ari for bringing her to life, in a sense, so people can get to know who she was a bit. My apologies for any incorrect details I may have gotten mixed up in your story :). But suffice it to say that the helicopter crash that killed a famous music impresario, was a terrible tragedy...in more ways than many people are aware, I think.
Links:
http://liveaid.free.fr/
http://www.nytimes.com/1991/10/28/obituaries/melissa-gold-47-aide-for-california-causes.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ari_Emanuel
http://thegoldbrothers.com/
http://www.businessinsider.com/henry-blodget-the-real-ari-gold-takes-over-hollywood-2009-6
http://imahollywoodexecutivewhore.com/the_real_ari.html
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=tyDozqrdz8w&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DtyDozqrdz8w
http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=DAk0ep76WEg
Anyway...how does one do that? How does one get about 47 DIFFERENT artists in one recording studio to record one song, scrawled out on paper at about three in the morning, by Quincy Jones, Michael Jackson and Lionel Ritchie? Furthermore, how does one put together an enormous benefit concert, not unlike "Woodstock," with over 60 different bands, the venues, the sponsors, the air time (Seen on 95% of the televisions on earth (that's according to the DVD). I'm sure, I don't know. But concert promoter Bill Graham (with the help of A LOT of friends) did. Graham also organized "Woodstock" in 1969, so it seems he was the man for the job.
Bill Graham was tragically killed in a helicopter crash in 1991. Apparently, he and his girlfriend Melissa Gold were leaving a concert...and it was storming that night. The helicopter apparently hit an electrical tower. Naturally, when the news got out, it was plastered all over the papers: "Bill Graham Dies in Crash.". There were headlines everywhere about the famous "impresario" who'd opened The Filmore venues (East and West), and managed groups such as "Santanna,"The Band," and "The Grateful Dead.". But there were two other lives lost that night: That of Steve Kahn (Graham's pilot) and Melissa Gold, Graham's girlfriend.
A 22 minute short film, created by Ari Gold, gives a glimpse into the aftermath of 3 young adult "children," trying to face the sudden and tragic loss of their mother. "Helicopter" depicts through animation, voice-overs, and some personal photos, a tragic, surreal experience of a beloved mother's death, lost in the shadow of celebrity. Chances are, many of you are now thinking of the HBO series "Entourage," because of the fictional Ari Gold, played by Jeremy Piven and his fictional wife named Melissa, played by Perrey Reeves. In all honesty, I've heard of "Entourage," but never have watched it. While looking for information on the crash that killed Bill Graham, I had no idea I would find more information on the fictional Ari Gold then on the real man.
In the film "Helicopter," the real Ari Gold says that he, his twin brother Ethan, and his sister Nina hardly knew Bill Graham. Graham and their mother Melissa had originally met several years before, and then began dating when they met again sometime later. Apparently, both had been married and divorced to other people. Ari Gold, through a series of answering machine voice overs, asks his mother if Bill Graham had turned out to be the guy she'd always wanted. Ari says Graham's courtship of his mother spanned two decades.
"He never had time to disappoint you," Ari said.
An interesting way to word it, I think. With Bill Graham being the huge icon that he was in the business of promoting music, one can imagine that he was extremely busy. This would probably explain why Melissa Gold's three children hardly knew him. Imagine riding in a limo following a memorial service that was put on for BILL GRAHAM and "two others"... Melissa Gold and pilot Steve Kahn. Imagine there are thousands of people outside...some of them chanting "Jerry!... Jerry!... Jerry!... Jerry! Imagine a woman jumps on the roof of the limo and mumbles... What did she say?? Now imagine some really loudmouthed (whoever the hell he was) OPENS your limo door and takes a seat in the car next to you...just as you're slowly rolling down the street...
"It's amazing out there, right? It's like the old days...there's the same vibes, the same chicks, the same
real music. It's also weird because we're witnessing a tragedy, right? I mean, BILL GRAHAM was a great
man. I knew him, I mean, he's...he was an asshole...I'm...he might punch ya...but he'd never take the money!
Dig?? Did you guys know Bill?"
"Our mother was in the helicopter."
"The Helicopter! Yeah, they were a great band!"
The dialogue continues and gets increasingly embarrassing for this fool who won't even let the situation sink in. Finally, he understands that these three people are not the Bill Graham influenced celebrities he'd hoped for. These two brothers and their sister, have lost their mother...one of the OTHER passengers in the helicopter that night...
The real Melissa Gold was born in Washington DC. She grew up in Princeton New Jersey, and attended Radcliffe College. Eventually, she moved to San Francisco. Her first husband was Herbert Gold, a writer. Her father was J. Richardson Dilworth, a former chairman and chief executive of the Rockafeller Group in New York. Okay, so this is information I got online from an article in the New York Times. Amazing how the public eats up details about people they know nothing about. Most importantly, she was the mother of three. Three kids who then became very successful adults. Nina Gold, Ethan Gold and Ari Gold.
In honesty, this is where I get very confused. Apparently (according to what I read), the real Ari Gold's REAL name is Ari Emanuel, and he is the brother of former Obama chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, also mayor of Chicago. But these articles make no mention of a twin brother named Ethan. Ari and Ethan Gold (who are twins) have a band called the Gold Brothers, but the info. I read on them makes no mention of a Rahm Emanuel. Aside from that, Ari Gold, the short film maker says on his website that someone, borrowed his name for a show (I'm paraphrasing), and that he hopes one day to get something out of it. Wait...so the FICTIONAL Ari Gold was not the REAL Ari Gold's idea?? The fictional Ari even has a wife named Melissa! So (somebody) used his mother's name as well?? Rahm Emanuel's mother is listed as Marsha Emanuel. Rahm and Ari's father's name is Benjamin Emanuel, but these articles make no mention of a sister Nina or a brother Ethan. Am I talking about a step brother? Melissa Gold was said to have three kids, with Ari and Ethan being twins. If the real Ari Gold is brothers with Rahm Emanuel, what happened to his TWIN brother Ethan? Am I even talking about the same family??
My goodness, you guys...all this, and I was only looking for information on the crash that killed Bill Graham! Ethan Gold's biography on his website mentions Bill Graham and his mother Melissa, and the crash which tragically took her life. And of course, Ari Gold made his amazing short film that won him a student Oscar. Check out the film "Helicopter" on Ari's website or on YouTube. Also check out Ethan Gold and the Gold Brothers...really cool!! I think a really amazing lady named Melissa Gold would be amazingly proud of her sons today. I wish I could 've known her myself. I'll be honest...I wish I could've known Bill Graham too. He has fascinated me since childhood. I think anyone connected to that much music that so many of us grew up with would likely be quite interesting. . To Ari, Ethan and Nina: I can't imagine how much you must miss your mother everyday. Thank you Ari for bringing her to life, in a sense, so people can get to know who she was a bit. My apologies for any incorrect details I may have gotten mixed up in your story :). But suffice it to say that the helicopter crash that killed a famous music impresario, was a terrible tragedy...in more ways than many people are aware, I think.
Links:
http://liveaid.free.fr/
http://www.nytimes.com/1991/10/28/obituaries/melissa-gold-47-aide-for-california-causes.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ari_Emanuel
http://thegoldbrothers.com/
http://www.businessinsider.com/henry-blodget-the-real-ari-gold-takes-over-hollywood-2009-6
http://imahollywoodexecutivewhore.com/the_real_ari.html
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=tyDozqrdz8w&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DtyDozqrdz8w
http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=DAk0ep76WEg
Saturday, August 10, 2013
Update: Pray for Her
A couple weeks ago, I wrote in this blog about an underweight woman I'd seen in the doctor's office. For a while, I have struggled over this couple of people (a mother and daughter), wondering if there were anything more I could...or should do for her daughter. Was she a minor? My instinct tells me no. I asked my mother about that, and she agreed. Would there by any legal grounds to try and help this woman? Possibly. But there was a check in my heart.
Usually, when a person is particularly hostile as well as controlling, a sudden jolt in the reality they are used to can cause them to think the whole world is against them...and possibly do something desperate. Is it right for this mother to be abusive to her daughter in that way? Absolutely not. In truth, I've been most concerned about this underweight woman throwing up. But what if the mother got it into her head that her DAUGHTER had called the authorities? Say they checked into it, only to find that this girl is not a minor? In that case, how much worse would this woman's reality be? Because of suspicion...paranoia...fear? (on the part of the mother, mean.) Say she IS a minor... and she is possibly removed from the situation. What would that do to this mother? Would it then backfire and fall on this girl's head like a ton of bricks? I say this, because I'm worried about her DAUGHTER. I'm not concerned about the mother's personal feelings...but master manipulator's only know how to manipulate more.
That's the problem. My instinct tells me there's a million unknowns here. My instinct tells me that this girl certainly needs some help... But somehow, I'm afraid that involving (or trying to involve) the authorities would do more harm than good. I'm trying to figure if this just my own fear talking. But my personal feelings are these:
That girl was an adult...and very articulate. Emotionally there absolutely are issues, yes. But the thing is, no one can make a person get help for an eating disorder. They have to want it for themselves. As destructive as this girl's "coping" skills are...it's like telling an alcoholic to quit drinking. They have to want the help for themselves. Putting that aside for a minute...this girl had learned how to handle her mother. She knew how manipulative her mom is, and I feel that if she's smart enough to handle her Mother's abusive nature...she's smart enough to get away from it too. She can call a relative or friend. She can speak to someone herself about her situation and find out what her options are. The really sad thing is that even if she no longer lived with her mother, this does not mean that the vomiting would stop. This doesn't mean that no one should try...and I get that. But I find that if someone really wants to keep something hidden, they will. Perhaps this is not the right perspective and I should've checked into it further. My prayer is that this girl will find a solid, Biblically based church, and that she can get some support that way.
Keep praying for this girl. As I said in the first entry, I don't even know her name. I wonder if even giving this girl some time to herself without her mother around would do any good. It breaks my heart though that she is harming herself (at least, based on what mom and I saw that day.). I'm still not sure whether I did the right thing by choosing not to get involved. I just wouldn't want my actions to end up bringing more harm to her than good. Poor thing.
Usually, when a person is particularly hostile as well as controlling, a sudden jolt in the reality they are used to can cause them to think the whole world is against them...and possibly do something desperate. Is it right for this mother to be abusive to her daughter in that way? Absolutely not. In truth, I've been most concerned about this underweight woman throwing up. But what if the mother got it into her head that her DAUGHTER had called the authorities? Say they checked into it, only to find that this girl is not a minor? In that case, how much worse would this woman's reality be? Because of suspicion...paranoia...fear? (on the part of the mother, mean.) Say she IS a minor... and she is possibly removed from the situation. What would that do to this mother? Would it then backfire and fall on this girl's head like a ton of bricks? I say this, because I'm worried about her DAUGHTER. I'm not concerned about the mother's personal feelings...but master manipulator's only know how to manipulate more.
That's the problem. My instinct tells me there's a million unknowns here. My instinct tells me that this girl certainly needs some help... But somehow, I'm afraid that involving (or trying to involve) the authorities would do more harm than good. I'm trying to figure if this just my own fear talking. But my personal feelings are these:
That girl was an adult...and very articulate. Emotionally there absolutely are issues, yes. But the thing is, no one can make a person get help for an eating disorder. They have to want it for themselves. As destructive as this girl's "coping" skills are...it's like telling an alcoholic to quit drinking. They have to want the help for themselves. Putting that aside for a minute...this girl had learned how to handle her mother. She knew how manipulative her mom is, and I feel that if she's smart enough to handle her Mother's abusive nature...she's smart enough to get away from it too. She can call a relative or friend. She can speak to someone herself about her situation and find out what her options are. The really sad thing is that even if she no longer lived with her mother, this does not mean that the vomiting would stop. This doesn't mean that no one should try...and I get that. But I find that if someone really wants to keep something hidden, they will. Perhaps this is not the right perspective and I should've checked into it further. My prayer is that this girl will find a solid, Biblically based church, and that she can get some support that way.
Keep praying for this girl. As I said in the first entry, I don't even know her name. I wonder if even giving this girl some time to herself without her mother around would do any good. It breaks my heart though that she is harming herself (at least, based on what mom and I saw that day.). I'm still not sure whether I did the right thing by choosing not to get involved. I just wouldn't want my actions to end up bringing more harm to her than good. Poor thing.
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