Page 26 - Black Velvet Issue 91

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gave me courage, it got me out of myself, I be- girlfriend, other comforts of home. You get on ing for Lionel Richie. This was the height… it
came this other persona…. very confident. I the bus. It’s a moving vehicle and you’re con- was when Cher was playing stadiums. Lionel
liked that effect. It made me outgoing and more stantly moving, so that in itself creates some- Richie too. So I remember them but I also re-
assertive. I don’t know if it necessarily made me thing, right, to be able to deal with that. You have member going to the bathroom and fixing up so
smarter but in my mind I thought it did. So I liked to sleep there, you eat there, you spend I could have the courage to go through the au-
being under the influence. That led to pills, which 12/13/14/16 hours of the day in that vehicle. dition. So there you go, it wasn’t supposed to
led to alcohol, which led to the rest. And when I When you get to another level, you get to nice happen. Chances are I wouldn’t be here. I
found opiates, found heroin… that was it. Before hotels like this one, but you’re in the hotel room wouldn’t be able to handle the pressure. It didn’t
you know it you develop a hardcore addiction to by yourself. A lot of downtime. Most of the time happen. I went on. I was doing what I call my
it, where my existence consisted of me doing it, when you get to our age, you’re either working jazz years which for me to this day was the best
getting it, running out of it and getting more. That out, trying to get energy for the show tonight, or learning experience that I could imagine, playing
was it. Everything else suffers. I got married very resting. So why not? A little pick-me-up. I have with all these cats… musical giants. Maybe not
young, I had two kids, my first marriage suffered an issue with sleeping and I talk about it. There’s in profile by name, but knowledge. So I went
because of nothing that I through three or four years of just jazz, I want to
that. Sec- can take other work on that and learn more as a bass player,
ond mar- “The amount of highs that I’ve than over-the- harmony and melody and rhythms and all that.
r i a g e , counter stuff, So in that environment, it’s even more pro-
a n o t h e r reached in sobriety way over- and I’m con- nounced, believe it or not, so I got in trouble.
child, failed stantly asking Again, I developed a strong addiction to heroin
because of exceed what I could do with my friends, and cocaine. Ended up in New York and Florida
that. All “What are you playing with some heavy cats, but I had a big ad-
along I’m chemicals.” - Marco Mendoza taking? What diction of opiates.”
trying to be are you tak- He wasn’t the only one like that.
productive ing?” and if it “It’s so funny, jazz, looking from the outside
in the industry, in the music business. Somehow falls under the category of even slightly addic- looking in, it really looks like people are to-
I did. I was a functioning alcoholic addict if you tive, I won’t touch it. Melatonin for me is what I gether,” he says. “I’m not saying that we’re all
will, until it got really bad. Things came to a do. I wonder if it still works as I’ve had sleepless like that. Generally speaking, at that time, when
screeching halt when I got in trouble with the law nights, many of them. But the bottom line for me, I was in New York, Miami and working around,
in my late 20s and it was time to decide. Do I I’m not going to die from lack of sleep, I’m just yeah, people had some issues with it. But some-
want to keep living like this or am I ready to quit? going to be a little tired and I’m going to look like how we functioned, y’know. It was part of the en-
In my life, in my circumstance, I had divine in- this.” He points at his face. “And that’s ok, be- vironment. And so you fit right in. There’s no
tervention, no doubt in my mind. For me, it was cause that’s all I have. Under no circumstances reason to quit. A lot of blow, a lot of cocaine. So
something that happened in order for me to am I going to be motivated to take anything that you continue, until… I ended up in Las Vegas.
wake up and realize that I was going to end up will compromise my sobriety. 29 years, my so- There were a couple of shows in Las Vegas that
in jail, institutions or death. That’s the bottom briety, last September 20th. By the grace of called me, and there was a lot of reading in-
line. I love life as you can tell, everything about God.” volved and a lot of concentration and they were
life, I’m amazed. My friends joke about it but I This is what we love about Marco. Despite big shows and they were paying an exuberant
have the attitude of gratitude today. I wake up getting so addicted to drugs for so long, he man- amount of money. Long story short, Las Vegas,
and have all this energy, I’m grateful to be some- aged to get clean and sober, and is very proud 24/7 party town, and that’s where I really hit my
where, I’m grateful to be anywhere, and then the of that and lives to tell the tale. The anniversary bottom, because I couldn’t get away from it. My
fact that we get to travel the world, I get to play of him getting clean is etched in his memory and sister came. Saved by my family and friends. I
music with some of the people I love and re- he will tell you the years and how long it’s been came to California to get sober and that’s when
spect, build a business if you will, this is what I in an instant. We tell him that we’ve never drank the seed was planted. That was in ‘86. I still
do for a living. And I show up and try to enjoy or taken drugs at all. needed to go out there and get some arrows on
every minute of this. That’s what I call the ‘atti- “I’m so glad for you,” he replies. “You’re my ass and go through the feeling of suffering
tude of gratitude’.” smart. It takes a certain type of personality, and and feeling helpless and hopeless and getting
He confirms that he was not courageous it IS intelligence, because you can project and to that point again to appreciate… and finally I
and not an extrovert when he was young. see what the consequences are. All you have to got busted. That was the best thing that could
“The opposite,” he says. “I was very intro- do is look around. “OK, do I want to be that guy have ever happened to me. And facing 15 years
verted and very fearful and insecure, which sitting there, nodding off, scratching his face for in the penitentiary for drugs. So that’s when I
amazes me why I would want to play music. I re- hours at a time? That’s what happens. Or do I had a spiritual awakening. I got on my knees
member the first gig I ever played, I’ll never for- want to be that cat that’s working out, living life, and prayed, and to this day I haven’t touched
get it for the rest of my life. I couldn’t face the being productive, going somewhere in life? Look anything. September 20th at 3 o’clock, 1987.
audience. You’ve heard about stories like that. at him, he’s got life around him, he’s got an “The reason that I feel that I’m still here is
That was me. It wasn’t anything high profile. It aura.” I want to be THAT guy NOW. But I had to so that I can fly that flag. And that’s why I love to
was my cousin’s birthday. My dad and my uncle go through that process of learning for myself. I talk about sobriety and all the dynamics that go
had a brilliant idea, “Why don’t we have the boys haven’t had a drink or a pill or smoked, any in- into using, starting, why you use, how you
come and play?!” I wasn’t ready, nobody was. jections of any kind, or any snorts. I have my started, what happened and where you’re at
We had 100 people; it was a big party. I was so vices, I do snuff, the tobacco thing, recently mis- today, just to give anyone hope. If there’s just
nervous. I almost pissed my pants. I was singing construed to be something else. That’s alright. I two people out there that might consider getting
some songs so I put the mic sideways and my believe in sobriety. And people that know me some help, job’s done.”
dad got up and said, “Hey, stop, stop!” It was know that it’s snuff, tobacco, and I’m also work- He has a message for people reading, “If
family. “Turn around! Put the mic there, and face ing on quitting that.” you have any problems with drugs or alcohol
that way, and smile. If you make mistakes just check it out, there are a lot of places where you
keep smiling.” And I’ll never forget that; the best acktracking to his past again, he contin- can go, a lot of phone numbers, just reach out.
advice that anyone could give me for playing in Bues, telling us about when he got into It will blow your mind the possibilities that sobri-
front of an audience. That’s when I started taking some well-known named projects. “There were ety can bring to you and your life.”
a little shot of this and thinking, “Oh, I feel more so many bands, so many projects up to that Black Velvet asks if he’s ever thought of
confident. OK, cool.” Taking a little pill of that and point. I had been in the circuit. I had a bit of a doing any anti-drug campaigning or awareness.
thinking, “Oh, I feel better, I feel stronger, I feel reputation. I’d done some projects, I’d played “I’ve been doing a little bit here and there, not
wiser, I feel more talented,” altering who you are. with some people. I could drop some names. on a bigger scale. I’m hoping to,” he replies. “I
That’s what alcohol does, that’s what smoke, But I wasn’t together here,” he touches his fore- really believe in it. The amount of highs that I’ve
that’s what weed does, pills, opiates, cocaine, head, “and I wasn’t together here,” he pats his reached in sobriety way over-exceed what I
the whole thing. I speak from my own experi- heart, “spiritually, emotionally, psychologically, could do with chemicals. Honestly. It’s hard to
ence though.” mentally, I was weak because I had this problem explain. But you have to be ready to make that
Marco thinks that this is why a lot of musi- with drugs and alcohol. So let’s just say every commitment. If you’ve already started and you
cians start drinking and taking drugs. opportunity that came up was just half-assed. It have an addiction, there’s obviously one thing
“It’s very easy to see. You get on a tour bus. was just a gamble if I was even gonna get it. I you need to do immediately – stop – and that’s
You leave all the comforts of home, your wife, remember auditioning for Cher. I got the call, so the hardest thing to do. There’s rooms that can
your kids, whatever. If you’re not married, your I was in pretty good circles. I remember audition- help you with it, there are numbers online, ‘help
THE DEAD DAISIES