One good thing about having a heart attack is that it gives you a mission. Firstly, you have to survive it. Secondly, you need to recover. Thirdly, you need to change your life to ensure it does not happen again. Finally, after the first 3 are out of the way, you need to get some payback.
To achieve all the 3 is dull. I know I've just done it so the payback for my new and "lesser" existence is some charity work (I loved smoking, late nights, doing £60 up the pub on a Friday!!). How is charity work payback I hear you ask...
Actually there are several reasons. The Charity itself is a good one. The British Heart Foundation is a very well run organisation that genuinely does it's best to support the victims of heart disease as well as sponsor research. I was part of this research during my boring and frustrating stay at the excellent Bristol Heart Institute and it was a release from the drudgery of hospital food/routines. Another reason is this...I saw some gravely ill people recently. They will not have the opportunity to help themselves. It's up to those of us....all of us....to do our bit for those less fortunate than ourselves and I have all the time in the world to do this. I am very thankful that I can do that. Also doing charity gigs and events is fun where I get my name in the paper and that's nice. I like that....it makes my head big.
Fund raising event number 1: 3 Band gig at the Royal Oak public house, 2nd September 2012, late afternoon onwards. For the raffle I contacted some new friends and tapped up an old one and they all came through. Sir Ranulph Fiennes (new friend) has donated some prizes for the raffle as has Peter Gabriel (new friend also) former Genesis front man and world renowned solo recording artist and Mr Viv Anderson MBE, the former England, Man Utd, Arsenal, Nott'm Forest (old friend - see Gibraltar posts from last year) footballer has done the same. Basically, 3 bands with a raffle. This should be good for £500 or so.
Fund raising event number 2: I'm going to do the "Camino". Northern Spain from Leon to Santiago - 400km, on foot. I want to loose another half stone and drop my cholesterol a point anyway so everyone wins. This will be a sponsored walk and should be worth another few hundred quid if I'm lucky. This will take a little organising but I still hope to do it this year - October? If those things don't kill me, I will live til I'm ninety and have yet more astonishing (for a tosser like myself) memories to dribble to when I'm an incontinent, wheel chair bound heavy rock drummer.
So it is the press tomorrow to get the first articles in the local rags publicising the event. Having the celebrities on board is a real help. The truth is they do not do anything really! They do allow you to use there name however and that catches the eye. Eye catching gets people to the gig and that is money. The success of these events is totally about money. We could all play crap but if I get £500 I will be a very contented man. If my feet end up covered in blisters and I can walk for the rest of the year but I raise £200 for the walk I will be a very contented man. In fact just for trying I feel very contented and privileged that I have the opportunity and resources to do these things. Life is a wonderful thing.... I remember a quote from the Vietnam War (I think) and it goes something like this...
"for those who have fought for it life has a lustre that others will never know"
The British Heart Foundation trys to help both types of person and you can't do better than that.
So a music choice. Alone? So what. I hope you get the joke.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Cw1ng75KP0
And another hot as fuck female singer.....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vFFyJ0s9m0
Ok guys....a third
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkXNEmtf9tk&feature=related
(1980's ladies fashion, yum yum..)
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