What compelled you to write Saving KC?
Anyone who knows me on a deeper level will tell you that I love all kinds of music. From the Native drum and those lovely, powerful Pow Wow voices, to old ’60s and ’70s tunes, to hard rock, along with some ’80s and ‘90s stuff, to simple rock and pop. Old country holds a place dear to my heart, as it was what our parents loved, partied, and drank to. It is woven into the Native/Indian world for better or worse. And even today, I enjoy Dimash’s work and beautiful talent (what’s not to like there? SOS if you are interested).
One of my favorite things to do late at night (I am a consummate night owl) is watch YouTube music reaction videos where a young twenty-something swoons over some long ago (’70s) music video featuring a talented group from that era. They, of course, have never seen or heard of the group they plan on reacting to (wink, wink, nod). One host featured a Carpenter video/song from the early ’70s. Upon hearing Karen Carpenter’s unique singing voice, I was taken back to that time in my life when I first heard the group, and her voice was just as mesmerizing as it was back then. Like many young men back then, Karen was my first crush; we all loved her. Oh, I had certainly heard her voice through the years but never made a real connection to the person singing. It’s different now, as we have access to a trove of videos that display the voice tied to the one behind the song. As I started listening to her again, I struggled to recall where I was in my life when she died. I vaguely remember her passing as a shock to all, with her being so young (she and I would have been the same age). My struggle to recollect during her passing was somewhat understandable, as I was nearly dead myself from my personal battle with alcohol.
Becoming ever more curious, I researched and discovered the circumstances of her life and death. I started pulling on the threads of her short life until my OCD leaped into overdrive, and I was off to the races. A few things you should know about me are that I am persistent, stubborn, and determined. So, I had to know everything and everyone involved—all the places, all the things that the Carpenters were, and all their experiences. I read hundreds of press releases and articles in old trade magazines. I read every book I could get my grubby little hands on. I read everything that contained even a scrap about her.
She and her brother worked extremely hard at their careers to earn the fame and fortune that came to them. Recognized as worldwide talents, the Carpenter siblings were almost instant superstars. Although I know that Karen must have had many happy days, she also had many things that bedeviled her and were a constant source of discomfort and pain. She was incredibly talented, and a profoundly complex personality recognized as the best friend one could ever have. She was very unselfish, known to put others before herself, and generous, with a wonderfully contagious sense of humor.
Like many young talents after her, she had her personal fears and perceived shortcomings that she valiantly tried to hide. These things ultimately conspired to end her life prematurely. Whether or not it was anyone else’s fault was of no consequence. In the end, I chose not to focus on any blaming in what I wrote. Instead, as I studied and read many web blogs about her, time after time, many people continued to comment on how she could have been saved and what that would have looked like. I found she still has hundreds, maybe thousands, of fans who are still ardent and continue to love her well after her passing in 1983.
A famous writer once pointed out that a good story can be created by bringing together two unrelated things you noticed to create a new story altogether. Just like in Quinten Tarantino’s movie “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.” I loved this movie, and it helped inspired me to juxtapose this germ of an idea I had to change Karen Carpenter’s real-life ending with the birth of a new story. Thus, we have Saving KC!
One of my favorite things to do late at night (I am a consummate night owl) is watch YouTube music reaction videos where a young twenty-something swoons over some long ago (’70s) music video featuring a talented group from that era. They, of course, have never seen or heard of the group they plan on reacting to (wink, wink, nod). One host featured a Carpenter video/song from the early ’70s. Upon hearing Karen Carpenter’s unique singing voice, I was taken back to that time in my life when I first heard the group, and her voice was just as mesmerizing as it was back then. Like many young men back then, Karen was my first crush; we all loved her. Oh, I had certainly heard her voice through the years but never made a real connection to the person singing. It’s different now, as we have access to a trove of videos that display the voice tied to the one behind the song. As I started listening to her again, I struggled to recall where I was in my life when she died. I vaguely remember her passing as a shock to all, with her being so young (she and I would have been the same age). My struggle to recollect during her passing was somewhat understandable, as I was nearly dead myself from my personal battle with alcohol.
Becoming ever more curious, I researched and discovered the circumstances of her life and death. I started pulling on the threads of her short life until my OCD leaped into overdrive, and I was off to the races. A few things you should know about me are that I am persistent, stubborn, and determined. So, I had to know everything and everyone involved—all the places, all the things that the Carpenters were, and all their experiences. I read hundreds of press releases and articles in old trade magazines. I read every book I could get my grubby little hands on. I read everything that contained even a scrap about her.
She and her brother worked extremely hard at their careers to earn the fame and fortune that came to them. Recognized as worldwide talents, the Carpenter siblings were almost instant superstars. Although I know that Karen must have had many happy days, she also had many things that bedeviled her and were a constant source of discomfort and pain. She was incredibly talented, and a profoundly complex personality recognized as the best friend one could ever have. She was very unselfish, known to put others before herself, and generous, with a wonderfully contagious sense of humor.
Like many young talents after her, she had her personal fears and perceived shortcomings that she valiantly tried to hide. These things ultimately conspired to end her life prematurely. Whether or not it was anyone else’s fault was of no consequence. In the end, I chose not to focus on any blaming in what I wrote. Instead, as I studied and read many web blogs about her, time after time, many people continued to comment on how she could have been saved and what that would have looked like. I found she still has hundreds, maybe thousands, of fans who are still ardent and continue to love her well after her passing in 1983.
A famous writer once pointed out that a good story can be created by bringing together two unrelated things you noticed to create a new story altogether. Just like in Quinten Tarantino’s movie “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.” I loved this movie, and it helped inspired me to juxtapose this germ of an idea I had to change Karen Carpenter’s real-life ending with the birth of a new story. Thus, we have Saving KC!