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Pt. 1
My wife and I were watching a
wonderful video related to the life and music of Karen Carpenter on public
television last night. This particular documentary has been re-broadcast every
December for the past several years, and has an obvious two-fold agenda behind
its existence, since it was not only designed for its entertainment value, but
as a fund-raising vehicle.
Throughout the program the camera
switches to a local spokesman for the network who with well-chosen words
celebrates Karen’s beautiful repertoire of songs, and urges viewers to call a
particular phone number with their pledge.
Almost half a century hence I managed
a Kinney Shoe Corp. lease department in a local Woolco. And it wasn’t unusual
for our store to play the latest “elevator music” over the intercom. Karen
Carpenter seemed to be a favorite of the powers that be, and I can’t begin to
guess how many times I heard, “We’ve Only Just Begun,” and Karen’s greatest
hit, “For All We Know.” As I went about my duties in that obscure little
department store in north Alabama, I learned to love and appreciate Karen’s
music.
Richard Carpenter, Karen’s brother,
narrates the documentary, and we follow the progress of the brother-sister duo
as they gain national and international attention and popularity.
Petula Clark tells a story about the
first time they met.
“I happened to be at an event in which
Karen performed on stage, and afterwards I introduced myself with, ‘Hi, I’m
Petula Clark.’ Karen was a bit taken aback, smiled her famous smile, and said,
‘Man!’ In retrospect I realize how ‘Karen’ her one word response was that day.”
Pt. 2
Karen preferred to be referred to as a
“drummer who sang,” (rather than the other way around). It was common to see
her seated at the drums, and banging away, as she crooned into a microphone. As
one of her biggest fans I would take exception to Karen’s characterization. She
was definitely a singer who banged on a drum.
It is only in the last few minutes of
the program that her brother, Richard speaks about Karen’s untimely passing.
“Karen struggled with what we call in
modern parlance a ‘food disorder.’ She progressively lost weight, and, of
course, I became very concerned. We had an especially contentious discussion,
not long before her death, in which I told Karen how wane and pale she looked,
and I begged her to get help.” (With this a photograph flashes on the screen.
In the picture we see the brother-sister duo sitting a couple of feet apart,
staring into one another’s eyes, and wearing rather belligerent expressions on
their faces).
Shortly thereafter, at the tender age
of 32, Karen sustained a heart attack, and “the rest is history.” One of the
most unique voices of the 20th century was hushed that day, and her
adoring fans were, no doubt, deprived of a host of unsung songs.
From my perspective there are just no
other contenders for their crowns. Two women and one man with the first names
of Karen, Whitney and Elvis are the greatest vocalists of all time. And as I
watched the PBS program, it occurred to me that each of these gifted performers
experienced what might be referred to as a “self-induced meltdown,” and left us
before their time. (I hesitate to refer to their passing as, “slow suicide” as
something bigger than they, themselves had them in its clutches).
Pt. 3
Whitney Houston was not only an
accomplished singer, but an actress. Perhaps her most memorable song was, “I
Will Always Love You,” which was included in what may have been her most
memorable movie, “Bodyguard.”
Whitney sang in church as a child, and
apparently had a relationship with the Creator as a young person. Cissy
Houston, her mother, sang backup for her niece, Dionne Warwick, as well as
Aretha Franklin and Elvis Presley, (the third of the three vocalists whom I
will refer to shortly).
At least for me, the two most
memorable performances of Whitney’s life were her magnificent rendition of “The
Star Spangled Banner” during the 1991 Super Bowl, (which took place during the
Persian Gulf War), and her portrayal of “Julia Biggs” in the movie, “The
Preacher’s Wife” in 1996. I’m biased, but “for my money” Houston’s rendition of
our National Anthem is the greatest of all time. And while “The Preacher’s
Wife” may not have won any Oscars, it is one of my favorite movies, and I still
watch it two or three times a year.
Sadly, Whitney Houston struggled with
drug addiction for decades, and over time her habit began to have an impact on
her record and movie careers.
In 2005, Cissy Houston visited her
daughter’s home in Atlanta, after her son notified the former that the latter
“was in trouble.” Nothing could have prepared her for the God-awful scene
inside the house.
“Somebody had spray painted the walls,
painting big, glaring eyes and strange faces,” Cissy wrote in her 2013 memoir,
“Remembering Whitney.”
She continued.
“In another room was a big, framed
photo of Nippy (Whitney), Bobby and Krissi, but someone had cut Nippy’s head
right out of it.”
When Whitney appeared at the top of
the stairs, the once glamorous vocalist and movie star, who had sold almost 200
million records, more than any female vocal artist in history, “looked like
someone I didn’t know.”
(and)
“I knew my daughter was in grave
danger.”
The 48 year old Whitney Houston was
found dead in a bathtub in the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California six
years ago. Heart disease and cocaine addiction contributed to what has been
deemed an “accidental” death. Strangely enough, Whitney’s daughter, Bobbi
Kristina, was found unresponsive in a bath tub three years later. Bobbi was
found to have alcohol, marijuana, cocaine and morphine in her system. This dear
young lady lingered in a coma for six months, and ultimately joined her mother
in death.
Pt. 4
I listen to “Elvis Radio” Channel 19
every time I set my derriere onto the driver’s seat of my automobile, put it in
gear, and attempt to fulfill my sundry commitments for that day. This morning,
as I drove to a not so distant town to do a safety meeting for my construction
crew, I listened to an interview between E.A.P.’s high school friend, George
Klein (the primary DJ on Elvis Radio), and Wink Martindale, the 70’s-80’s-90’s
gameshow host.
It so happens that Sandy Martindale,
(Wink’s wife) dated Elvis ‘way back when’ and she was with him (Wink, not
Elvis) in this morning’s interview. Sometime before (or after) the two married,
Sandy and Wink developed a close mutual relationship with ‘The King of Rock
& Roll,’ and often attended his performances.
And as it fell together, the couple
last saw Elvis at a Las Vegas show shortly before his passing. And what they
saw left them mortified. Elvis was obviously in poor health, and had gained a
great deal of weight. No doubt, they were aware that the greatest male singer
of all time had regularly indulged himself with prescription, and possibly
other substances. The most disinterested lay person could see it in his eyes.
While he seemed to maintain his cognitive abilities, such as his skill with the
recall of songs, his countenance and physical condition spoke volumes.
As Wink and Sandy visited in Elvis’
dressing room before the show, they noticed sweat beading on his forehead, and
it occurred to both of them that this could well be the last time they would
ever lay eyes on the most famous and gifted man on the planet. As the interview
neared its conclusion, Wink mentioned that Elvis seemed hesitant to leave them,
though his next show was only moments away.
Pt. 5
Ultimately, the couple said their
‘adieu’s’ and departed the premises. On their way out, they stopped long enough
to write a note for Elvis, and left it with the King’s ‘right hand man;’ (whose
name escapes me at the moment).
The note read roughly as follows:
Elvis
We would love for you to come visit
with us in our home for a few weeks.
This would give you an opportunity to
rest, lose weight, and regain your health. People tell me (Sandy) that I am a
good cook, and I don’t think you’d regret staying with us a while and dining at
our table. Hope to hear from you soon.
Love & Prayers,
Wink & Sandy
One might have thought George Klein
would have changed the subject, and prevented the Martindale’s from telling the
story. But this was not the case.
I must say I have been pleasantly
surprised at how open ‘The Elvis Channel’ and its DJ’s have been with the radio
public in regard to ‘the good, bad and the ugly’ which transpired during THE
American Idol’s all too brief 42 years on earth.
There’s a poignant passage in the
movie, “A River Runs Through It.”
In speaking of his father, the main
character, Norman Maclean, reminisces.
“l remember the last sermon
l heard him give;
not long before his own death…
Each one of us here today will,
at one time in our lives...
look upon a loved one who is in need
and ask the same question.
"We are willing to help, Lord...
but what, if anything, is needed?"
It is true we can seldom help
those closest to us.
Either we don't know what part
of ourselves to give...
or more often than not,
the part we have to give...
is not wanted.
And so it is those we live with
and should know who elude us...
but we can still love them.
We can love completely...
without complete understanding.”
Pt. 6
At least during this particular
interview, Wink and Sandy Martindale never disclosed whether Elvis responded to
their offer that he visit with them, lose weight and attempt to regain his
former health.
We can be sure, however, that if he
responded at all it was not of the affirmative kind; since the well-known
gameshow host and his wife
…never saw Elvis again.
I think Wink and Sandy were a lot like
the kind of people of whom that old preacher alluded in his final sermon, the
sort of folks who reach out in love to those near and dear to themselves;
though bereft of any understanding.
One can only wonder how history might
have been rewritten had Elvis taken them up on their gracious offer. Perhaps
the King of Rock & Roll would have given us the gift of a few more years
and a few more songs.
Like Karen Carpenter and Whitney
Houston, Elvis’ career in music, and the stress and allure of international
notoriety not only resulted in fame and fortune, but “set the stage” for his
early demise.
Karen, Whitney and Elvis.
The saddest words in any language,
…“What might have been.”
by Bill McDonald, PhD
