Michael Gladstone:  

For anyone who is truly interested I am glad that it is almost forty years since I left Long Island behind me. This allows me a better perspective of what I could not appreciate back then. I left angry and resentful and totally unappreciative of the great environment that I was raised in. My first move was to Manhattan and the hippie life. Soon I was involved in the music business, playing and singing my own songs in clubs and touring with rock bands as a Roady or Tour Manager. In the past forty years I have worked for over thirty five different bands and a few actors thrown in for good measure. I moved to Los Angeles in 1974 and spent my twenties enjoying what Hollywood had to offer, mostly Sex, Drugs, and Rock and Roll. My penchant for drinking and drugs fairly ruled my life for the next three decades and for that story I guess you can come hear me speak at an NA or AA meeting. I have been sober for the past decade with one small momentary lapse of sanity for a few months about 5 years ago. It wasn't very long but very intense. I should be dead for all of my mis-adventures but I guess God did not have that in mind for me. I lived a very fast and loose lifestyle and figure I would be dead by thirty( the anger and resentment issues), so when I turned fifty It was kind of embarrassing. I moved back to New York in the eighties and started a film courier business bringing film in and out of movie locations called "Over The Top". It was an apt name. I worked on hundreds of feature films and made way too much money and after about four years of living like a rich 19 year old my drug addiction and misery finally took it all away. My five star life was over and the bottom was in sight to all but me. I managed to get back to LA in late 89 and went on the Road with Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker from Cream. After that I went out on tour with Burt Reynolds until January of 92. In February of 92 I took a ten day vacation to Sydney Australia with a bunch of drugs and spent the next three years in prison there as a guest of her Majesty the Queen. In case it is not obvious to you all yet, I was out of my mind... I got back in 95 and although I was sure that I was cured of being a very intelligent person that did incredibly stupid things. I was not. For the next three years I continued to slide do...Expand for more