Don Johnson: Oh, The Stories We Could Tell

On Women, “Monstering,” Tabloids, His Body, a little Philosophy, His Belief System and If not an Actor, then what?

Don Johnson was born December 15, 1949 on a farm in Flat Creek Missouri. He grew up pretty fast.

Women

Rumor has it that Don, at the age 12 seduced his babysitter, at 16 moved in with a woman who was 25 years old and that during his college days seduced his female drama teacher.

Clearly, Don has lived his life in the fast lane. He has been called the Warren Beatty of the '90s.

His name has been linked with many famous women -- Barbara Streisand, Oprah Winfrey, and Cindy Crawford, to name but a few.

His lips are sealed

Don said, “In all of the years in my relationships with a number of women, I have never spoken an ill word about any woman or any person, and I'm not starting now.”

He met Melanie Griffith when she was 14 and he was 22, and they later married for six months, got divorced, then remarried years later, and stayed together about six years.

“Monstering”

[Don and his buddy Glenn would refer to “gettin’ down and partyin’ real good,” as "monstering.” He said, "Your face changes after you’ve been up for two or three days and it gets all contorted and stuff when you’re trying to speak”]

Don tells of a profound thing that happened to him when he returned home after a weekend of some serious “monstering.” His son (who was 10 months at the time) was sitting at the breakfast table and his mother was feeding him. Don described what happened: “I walked in—and of course, he looked up and saw Daddy’s face all monstered out. And I recognized the look in his eye and I said, "Okay, that’s it. Boom. Done. Next!”

Not long after, a Hollywood magazine ran Don’s picture on the cover and it read, ”Don Johnson: Making Sobriety Sexy".

Don’s body

Some years ago, when asked about some nude scenes he had done, Don said, “I'm an exhibitionist on some levels. I'm very proud of my body. I'm pleased with the way I carry myself. I feel that it's all there to be used—the looks and everything. Some people have great minds, and they were given them for a reason. I've never been accused of having that great a mind, but I do have my looks, and I think that they should be used—see what I mean?”

Tabloid talk

“I believe that everyone is entitled to privacy on some level, even a public person. And I think that we have overstepped our boundaries into their bedrooms, into their living rooms, into their bathrooms, into places that we do not belong.”

“I made up my mind a long time ago to live by a really simple code: What other people think of me is none of my business -- only what I think of myself, and only how I feel about what I'm doing. I don't usually read any of the things that are written or said about me.”

A little philosophy

“I think that if you don't have a sense of humor in life, you've pretty much lost about half of the experience, if not more than that. I'm certainly not trivializing anybody's pain, and certainly not my own, but I don't necessarily think that you need to dwell on it.”

Don has said that he does just about everything he wants to do, but does it in moderation. He believes that anything you do in excess is bad for you. “Anything!,” he emphasized.

He admits to having a very, blessed life. “The Chinese have a saying: ‘May you live in interesting times.’ That’s one of the greatest betrothals of good fortune that the Chinese would give you. And if that's the case, then I have had an abundance of interesting times (laughs).”

A belief system

Don thinks that if you believe in what you're doing, and if you totally commit to it, there isn’t anybody that can put you down.

“I can more or less accept everybody's trip,” he has said, “the lowest junkie—I can understand his trip, not because I'm a junkie, which I'm not, but because I can relate it to other things that I am a junkie for. I can understand that need—that desire for something.

I feel that I'm a super-complicated being. I mean, I live a very simple life, but complicated in that I feel a lot of different things all the time. I just accept the fact that I have certain emotions that even I don't understand. But they're mine. I was endowed with them.

If he wasn’t an actor…

Don has said that if he didn’t make it as an actor, he’d probably be in jail by now. He claims that he is not qualified for anything else. “i would imagine that I’d either be doing something larcenous or I would have already been caught. (Laughs again)”

“I'm not really an actor’s actor. I do it because it's the only thing where I really do Grade-A, thoroughbred stuff without really feeling like I'm working at it, and I hate to work.”

“Maybe tomorrow,” he says, “I'll find out that this isn't really what I want after all, and I'll just split into the mountains somewhere and spend the rest of my life playing my guitar. I'll just go away and get into a whole different lifestyle.”

“You know, I've always thought that I'd like to go back and live on a farm, and raise my own food, and just shut out everything else in the world.”


For other articles of interest to those over 50 (seniors and boomers) visit http://www.letlifein.com/. With a cutting edge and a (sometimes irreverent) sense of humor, LetLifeIn.com explores all aspects of being 50+ -- the concerns, the issues, and the controversies as well as the fun stuff.

Online Dating: Pros and Cons for those 50+

There are about 1,000 dating web sites. Probably, more than that. Online dating makes up 1% of all Internet usage. That means that one out of every 100 people logging on visits an online dating site.

Many of us who are 50+ find that being part of the online dating process -- getting out there and doing something for ourselves -- is positive and empowering whether or not the matches are successful.

In any event, like everything else in life, it has its pros and cons. Here are the ones most frequently mentioned:

Pros

1. There are a lot of people out there to choose from.
Remember high school? Remember college? Remember all those girls and guys there and the tremendous number of possibilities? Well, not since then will you find that many potential dates (and mates) in one place.

It’s also comforting to know that you are not alone—that there are many single people your age out there who are looking for the same things you are. Companionship and perhaps love.

A word of advice: Meet as many people as you can. A mistake many 50+ people make is thinking that meeting two or three people in a month, all of whom they don't like, is a good reason to stop. There is someone out there. Don’t give up.

The mainstream sites allow you to search for singles in specific age ranges and geographic locations, but there are also plenty of sites catering to singles who share an ethnic background, a hobby or a sports interest.

2. It won’t cost you an arm and a leg to participate.
Look at it this way –it’s cheaper than going on a senior cruise to (maybe) meet someone. Also, drinks at a singles bar aren’t cheap. Besides if you are past 50, it’s not as easy to “hang out” like you perhaps did in your younger days.

Although you can find free chat rooms and sites that run personal ads, you are probably better off paying a small fee to a legitimate online dating site to meet people who are more serious about meeting you. Most sites have a sign-up fee of about $25 to $50 as well as a monthly fee.

3. Personal Profiles can say a lot.
Most sites require you to write a personal profile. If written with thought, profiles are an excellent way to describe what a potential date is like. Include hobbies, movies, political beliefs, dreams, goals and favorite activities.

Spend time thinking about what you think someone else would like to read about you. Try to make it fun, funny, wry, whatever you think reflects your personality. Then bounce it off a few friends- ideally of the same gender that you hope to attract - to read through it critically and help you identify what's sounds cool and what sounds corny.

Profiles are most often what makes one decide if there is enough in common to make a connection.

Something to note: If you read a profile that someone has posted that is short and it seems apparent that the person writing it put no thought into it, you can expect that kind of communication in real life.

4. It’s easy to connect with someone without feeling awkward.
Say goodbye to the awkwardness that usually occurs on first dates. By exchanging email you get to know each other slowly and relaxed. If you decide to meet, you’ll already know a lot about each other, and that will help you both feel more comfortable.

Con

1. Free is not always good. Beware, there are some strange people out there.
Some sites allow people to post their profiles and respond to others for free. Unfortunately these free sites often attract some strange people. It’s important to check out the site carefully before you join.

For example, here’s one reader’s experience: “One guy resembled the Incredible Hulk while another said he preferred educated women who would spend their lives serving him. Then there was this fellow who ordered one steak to split while dining at a fancy restaurant. He then informed me that sex was expected at the end of the night because an erectile dysfunction drug had been ingested.”
---Name withheld

2. It may cost more than you think.
Many sites will allow you to view other people’s profiles before joining so you get an idea of who’s available. But some may charge to let you reply to a profile, and here’s where you need to be careful.

Check out the membership dues and rules before you join, especially if you provide a credit card number. Make sure you know exactly how much it will cost, when you’re signing up for an automatic renewal that will be charged to your credit card, and what you will need to do to quit the site when you’re ready.

3. Pictures sometimes aren’t honest.
Photos are often an important component of online profiles. Unfortunately, some people post photos that were taken many years ago, when they looked much younger. Often the photos are extremely flattering and not very true-to-life.

Here’s a good rule of thumb: If you remember that he or she probably won’t look as good as his or her photo, you won’t be disappointed.

4. People can lie, too.
No, really? I’m afraid so. In an effort to get more responses, or in some cases, to deliberately mislead, some people lie in their profiles. Don’t believe everything you read—if he or she sounds too good to be true, he or she probably is. <<

For other articles of interest to those over 50 (seniors and boomers) visit www.LetLifeIn.com. With a cutting edge and a (sometimes irreverent) sense of humor, LetLifeIn.com explores all aspects of being 50+ -- the concerns, the issues, and the controversies as well as the fun stuff.

Joe Pesci: A Life of Surprises

Has anybody seen Joe Pesci lately?
He's around but believe it or not, he hasn't made a movie in over 5 years.

Here's the scoop!

Joe has recently said," I've given my whole life to show business. I'd like to find out about another part of life, a more relaxing and spiritual part and a more enjoyable part."

Martin Scorsese: A Spiritual Leader

Joe, speaking of Scorsese has said, "In my eyes, he is a great spiritual leader. Even though many people think that Martin, Bob (DeNiro) and I are ambassadors of violence, I can assure you, we detest it as much as everyone else. But, under Martin's watchful and meticulous eyes, he tries to show how terrible and violent life can be. If you never see the evil man can do, you will never long for the goodness."

You should see Martin on the set when he's talking about any subject. He's so inspirational. Sometimes there are actors and crew members sitting on the floor around him like a flock listening to the shepherd. I've never seen film crews more eager to work and please "the Master".

"For me, Martin has awakened my spiritual side to unbelievable heights. We talk for hours about life, death and spirituality. I can't say enough about how much I love and respect him. Honest to God."

Joe's famous scene

Joe has been referred to as consummate character actor. He has appeared in 3 films directed by Scorsese (Raging Bull, Goodfellas
and Casino). He won an Academy award for Goodfellas as probably the all-time menacing crazy mobster. His famous rant is a classic, and is often repeated in bars across the country when guys have had one too many.

I'm funny how?

Here it is. Try it on your friends.

"What do ya mean, funny? Let me understand this cause, I don't know maybe its me, I'm a little f...... up maybe, but I'm funny how? I mean, funny like I'm a clown, I amuse you? I make you laugh........? I'm here to f....'amuse you? What do you mean funny, funny how? How am I funny?

Joe holds the world's record and dubious distinction of saying the "f" word about 120 times in Goodfellas.

Backtracking

Joe was born February 9, 1943 in Newark, New Jersey. He started his career in radio as a child actor at the age of four. When he was 10, he was a regular on the TV variety show, Star Time Kids.

Little Joe sure can sing

Joe's acting career hit a lull in his teenage years. In his early 20's, however, he began a musical career under the name of Joe Ritchie. He had an LP called, Little Joe Sure Can Sing

Let's twist

I can't picture this either, but, remember Joey Dee and the Starliters of Peppermint Lounge fame? Joe was their guitar player.

Not counting Let's Twist, a 1961 film he appeared in, Joe made only film, The Death Collector, in 1975. It went virtually unnoticed and Joe decided to give up his acting career, what there was of it.

He returned to New York and ran an Italian restaurant.

"I couldn't get any jobs, and when that happens you get so humble its disgusting. I didn't feel like a man anymore........ I felt really creepy. I was bumping into walls saying, 'Excuse Me'."

"My daughter is the one really great thing that came out of my early life. I'm a good father now. I wish I'd been a good one back then.

The Death Collector as career move

One of the few people who saw Death Collector, was Robert DeNiro. He was impressed by Pesci's performance and brought the film to the attention of Scorsese.

Scorsese cast Pesci as Jake LaMotta's brother in arguably the best film of the Eighties, Raging Bull. The performance earned Pesci an Academy Award nomination as Best Supporting Actor.

The rest, as they say, is history.

Joe has made 24 films. Among them are the 3 Scorsese films mentioned above, Lethal Weapon 1, 2, 3 and 4, Home Alone 1 and 2, My Cousin Vinny, JFK, and Once Upon a Time in America.
To purchase Joe's movies, click here.

Filmography:

Lethal Weapon 4 (1998)
Gone Fishin (1997)
8 Heads in a Duffel Bag (1996)
Casino (1995)
Jimmy Hollywood (1994)
With Honors (1994)
Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992)
Lethal Weapon 3 (1992)
My Cousin Vinny (1992)
The Public Eye (1992)
Ruby's Dream (1992)
JFK (1991)
The Super (1991)
Betsy's Wedding ( 1990)
Goodfellas (1990)
Home Alone (1990)
Lethal Weapon 2 (1989)
Man on Fire (1987)
Once Upon a Time in America (1984)
Easy Money (1983)
I'm Dancing as Fast as I Can (1982)
Eureka! (1981)
Raging Bull (1980)
Family Enforcer (aka The Death Collector) (1976)

For other articles of interest to those over 50 (seniors and boomers) visit www.LetLifeIn.com. With a cutting edge and a (sometimes irreverent) sense of humor, LetLifeIn.com explores all aspects of being 50+ -- the concerns, the issues, and the controversies as well as the fun stuff.

Aging (and Living) with Friends

"It’s fun having company and just plain smart to pool resources. All we want is to safeguard our quality of life, our independence and our pride.”

Some women are choosing to spend their later years living with their women friends. It could be a sensible alternative to retirement homes.

It’s not sweeping the nation just yet, but the idea is gaining momentum. Sociologists and demographers have noted the growing interest of baby boomer and senior women to team up and face their retirement years together.

The Golden Girls had the right idea.

Heterosexual women who are either single, divorced or widowed are pooling their resources, buying homes together, splitting the chores, buying long term health care insurance --all while enjoying each others friendship and sharing each other’s lives.

A wake-up call.

It is not uncommon for these women to have witnessed their own aging parents having to be dependent on children or paid caregivers.

In many ways it has been a “wake-up” call for them.

(In 1940, only 13% of people over 60 had a living parent. In 2000, 44% did.)

They say this is not the kind of life they want for their later years. The friends-helping-friends living arrangement could very well the answer.

Planning ahead.

Women on the average live seven years longer than men. Although thinking about it is not what they’d like, many women expect to be widows. Planning ahead is not a bad idea.

So what else is new?

Women have had experiences with living in sorority houses and college dorms. They have shared apartments after graduation and have traveled together. Many have been there for each other during divorces, deaths of parents and family emergencies. The closeness is there. There doesn’t seem to be anything unusual about the taking the logical next step.

Health related issues.

Besides the companionship, the reason most mentioned is to be there for each other for health related issues. Taking care of each other during illnesses, not to mention everyday aches and pains is a very compelling reason to consider this kind of living arrangement.

Is it the same for men?

For the most part men in this age group expect that their wives will take care of them should they get ill. Most men over 60 are not used to the caregiver role themselves. One woman voiced what others were thinking. “My husband wasn’t there to change the children’s diapers. It’s hard to imagine him having to take care of me.”

Many women say they would sooner trust their friends to be good caretakers.

Make-it-up as you go along.

Since this phenomenon is relatively new there doesn’t seem to be a right way or a wrong way of going about it. It’s kind of ‘make-it-up as you go along.’ Some have considered an arrangement similar to a pre-nuptial agreement that would make clear rights and responsibilities.

Things to consider.

And then there are inheritance issues to be considered.

There are many legalities that have to be worked out so that it doesn’t become sticky later on.

If they buy a house together, contractual matters need to be discussed and made clear.

Health-wise, it’s easy to say they will take care of each other during flu season but what about severe Alzheimer’s?

New territory.

No doubt about it, we are exploring new territory. But as we all know, things are changing rapidly and we all must consider what “family” really means today. We can’t be stuck in our parent’s way of looking at things. We have to be open to new ideas. Some aren’t as radical as one might think.

As one woman put it, “Let’s face it. It’s fun having company and just plain smart to pool resources. All we want is to safeguard our quality of life, our independence and our pride.” <<

For other articles of interest to those over 50 (seniors and boomers) visit www.LetLifeIn.com. With a cutting edge and a (sometimes irreverent) sense of humor, LetLifeIn.com explores all aspects of being 50+ -- the concerns, the issues, and the controversies as well as the fun stuff.

Dustin Hoffman: True Confessions

Dustin Hoffman was born August 8, 1937. He was a slow starter.

As a young man, Dustin attended Los Angeles High School. He described himself as “unpopular, unattractive, shortest kid in class, and kind of a misfit.”

He wasn’t a jock, and never hung out with the guys. “I never felt an identity growing up but I didn’t know that I didn’t feel an identity. I just didn’t feel right. When I started taking acting classes there was a connection.”

“Looking back on it now”, he adds, “I only knew who I was when I was being someone else.”

The “rewards” of success.

After the success of The Graduate, in 1967, Dustin confessed he went on a sex binge.

He admitted that he was addicted to having sex in public places, like the Studio 54 club in New York, and says he also enjoyed threesomes. "I met a couple of girls in bed more than once.”

He described those years as "the candy-store years because there were drugs, stardom, the Pill.”

Dustin also confessed that he tried cocaine - but had to stop because he was allergic to it.

He said: "I couldn't breathe for weeks afterwards."

First sexual experience.

Dustin revealed how he lost his virginity to an older woman who had mistaken him for his brother. .

His first sexual experience was cut short when the woman – who was 20 and was five years older than Dustin - realized “in horror” that she was not making love to his older brother, Ronny.

"I jumped off her, stark naked, and left the room.

I wound up in the living room, and guys were sitting around having beer and talking, and I was naked.

This may have been the beginning of my acting career without my knowing it, because they stood up and applauded - and I liked the applause."

Condom talk.

“My oldest son, Jake, who is twenty-three, loves to tell this story about our condom talk.

I had lectured in a UCLA class on a Saturday and when I left there was a biology class in session next door. On the door was a carton of free condoms, and I stole it. Actually, I said to the instructor, since I’m not getting paid for the lecture can I have this instead? He said, ‘Sure, take ’em.’ And I took off.

I came home, went to Jake’s bedroom where he was lying on his bed talking on the phone. He said, ‘Hey Dad, what’s up?’ I just walked over and spilled all of them on his head—hundreds of condoms!”

Spirit and life force.

“I am a sexual being and I dispute the way society views sex. I think they compartmentalize it. Sex has to do with spirit and life force.”

“Whether you’re gay, bisexual, or straight—I don’t care what combos you want to put in there—sex is a good thing. And God bless everybody, and may they come off the charts any which way they can! Just protect yourself,” (referring to condoms)

Risk equals excitement.

Dustin explains, “In terms of sex, I think there’s always been a correlation between sex and danger. Before HIV there was the risk of getting a girl pregnant and playing that game was a part of the excitement, especially during the teen years.”

He continued, “I don’t think that has subsided in today’s world. It’s the same with smoking and drinking. There’s a danger. It’s a flaw in the human makeup. We take on that which scares the shit out of us.”

Now for something really kinky.

Dustin says his lucky socks are one of his cherished possessions. “I have different pairs, some have question marks, and some have nutty faces. They’re funny. I found them in Paris, and they are my Achilles’ Socks. If I need good luck, or fly in an airplane, I wear my lucky socks.”

For other articles of interest to those over 50 (seniors and boomers) visit www.LetLifeIn.com. With a cutting edge and a (sometimes irreverent) sense of humor, LetLifeIn.com explores all aspects of being 50+ -- the concerns, the issues, and the controversies as well as the fun stuff.

Being Sting: A Tough Job but Somebody’s Got to do it.

Showbiz: “He's a multimillionaire rock super-star with one of the happiest marriages in the business. Plus, he's super-dad to six children. But is he happy?"

Sting was born in 1951. Before he was Sting he was Gordon Sumner. His father was a milkman and his mother a hairdresser. When “Gordie” was eight he was up at 4 AM delivering pints of milk with his father.

Sting described his parents as being reserved and uncommunicative. Mealtime conversation was limited to "Pass the salt." Love, he says, was “guessed at rather than expressed.”

Goodbye Gordon, hello Sting


Sting left home when he was 19 and became a teacher. He was given the name ‘Sting’ because of the bee-like quality of a black and yellow sweater he used to wear when he played in jazz bands at nights and weekends.

"My father never could call me Sting -- he never quite understood what I became. He had aspirations for me that I never realized -- he wanted me to work in a bank.”

Writing as therapy

Sting claims that writing his recent book, Broken Music: a Memoir, was very therapeutic for him because it gave him a chance to go back over everything and write it down. Sting said that he found that writing about his life at the age of 50 enabled him to be grateful for his parents, love them and tell their story proudly. “I wouldn't have been able to do that if I was younger - I needed to be a certain age and have the perspective and life wisdom that it brings," he said.

“I'm still in touch with my parents in a psychological way. In situations where something wonderful happens to you, they are still there as part of my consciousness. It makes my current life seem even more extraordinary.”

Personal songs

Many of Sting's own biggest hits have been songs written at periods of emotional turmoil - the break-up of his first marriage, the death of both his parents within a year of each other. He has spoken in the past about his need to channel emotion – “Disguise it as pop music,” he has said. “Melancholy is not a bad thing.”

Advice to young musicians

"I tell them you probably won't make it," he says. "But that the spiritual journey you go through to become a musician is a soul-nourishing job. The chances of becoming rich and famous are slim, but that's not important. What's important is doing the job and working at it for your own sake."

Speaking of pop music…

As a father he says (somewhat ironically), that he is suspicious of the role of pop music in today's culture. "Pop is basically about sex. It sells sex to children who have no ability to understand it.”

Speaking of sex… what about all that talk about Tantric sex?

Despite the rumors, Sting claims that he and his wife Trudie do not engage in sessions of Tantric sex. He says that he doesn't even know what the phrase means and that the story came about as a result of being misquoted at a party.

Hallucinogenic drugs

He does, however admit to taking hallucinogenic drugs. Sting was offered an herbal tea to put him into a spiritual trance while campaigning for the protection of the Brazilian rainforest and living with the Brazilian Indians.


"It's a substance they've used for thousands of years," he says. "You drink a cup of this horrible liquid. The first time I took it I had an hour of mortal terror and then a good hour crying for everything in my life - relationships I'd had with my parents, my family, my wives, my girlfriends and my children. That's when I first decided to write about my life."

Success, wealth and housing (X7)

Sting is one of the world’s most successful musicians but won’t discuss either his success or how rich he is. He does not mind people knowing that he owns seven homes - two in London, one in Los Angeles and one in New York; Then, there’s a 20-room 600 acre estate in Tuscany, his family's main 60 acre residence in Wiltshire and a house in the Lake District (England).

He says that he uses all of his houses and that it is important for him to have them. He explains it this way: "I spent a quarter of a century living out of a suitcase traveling through hotels on tour. It's far nicer if you can go back to your own home instead with a few books that are yours, some art on the walls that you bought and sit on your own furniture.”

No sign of a mid-life crisis

Although Sting is 54 years old, he says he doesn’t believe he is at the so called middle-aged ‘mid-life crisis’ stage just yet. He says, “I feel like I'm as curious as I was when I was 14.” He adds, “I've got as much energy.”

Living normal

He was quoted as saying, "I want to live as normally as possible and I demand my right to walk around in a normal way, without protection or bodyguards. I go out and get the newspapers in the morning, I walk the dogs and I demand respect from people on the street. Not as Sting, but as a guy who's got the same right to be there as anyone else in the community. I'm a citizen, if you like, and I have citizen's rights."

Being 54

Sting is extremely fit from many of hours of yoga each week. He probably looks better now than he ever has. He has some grey streaks in his short (and thinning) hair but that's the only sign of his age.

Now, an apparently perfect life

Life now for Sting is apparently perfect - he combines being a rock super-star with being a multimillionaire super-dad to six children. He seems to be enjoying what has been called, one of the happiest marriages in show business.

(God knows where he finds his 'melancholy' these days.)

“I am happier in my skin than when I was 22.” I’m not just saying that,

I really am.” <<

For other articles of interest to those over 50 (seniors and boomers) visit www.LetLifeIn.com. With a cutting edge and a (sometimes irreverent) sense of humor, LetLifeIn.com explores all aspects of being 50+ -- the concerns, the issues, and the controversies as well as the fun stuff.

We Are No Longer Boomers. We Are YAPS.

To refresh your memory, a third of the US population ---76 million of us– were born between 1946 and 1964. We were the “baby boomers.”

Boomers had monumental effect on virtually every American institution throughout their lives such as media, education, politics and consumerism.

We were a force to be reckoned with.

What about now? Are we still a force to be reckoned with?

Yes, I think so. But the tag “baby boomer” is meaningless to us. Today the term seems archaic. It described who we were then, not who we are now.

Who are we, we baby boomers and what are we like today?

Our ages today are about 50—65, give or take a few years on both ends. Not yet seniors, we are pre-seniors. (The terms “pre-senior” and “senior” or “senior citizen” can often be a state of mind and need not coincide with a person’s actual numerical age. How one perceives oneself is the key).

So, here's what I propose: From now on, start calling us by a term we can identify with. Are you ready? We are YAPS. Y-A-P-S. Youthful, Active, Pre-Seniors. (You can call us "Yappies", if you like.)

What YAPS are like:

YAPS are youthful in appearance and attitude. We try to stay active. We exercise, watch our diet and eat healthier than those Gen X-ers half our age. As the NY Times has pointed out, the average age of the 5 directors nominated for Academy Awards this year is 60. Clint Eastwood, the winner, is 71.

We still listen to rock ‘n roll (classic rock, not rap or hip-hop), are fashion conscious, get nipped and tucked when need be and have romantic inclinations.

YAPS lead active sex lives and are Viagra’s prime market. We are prominent in the work force, are politically motivated, surf and shop the internet, play video games (really), take vacations, frequent restaurants, travel, buy luxury items (more than any other demographic) such as plasma TVs, new cars, boats and houses.. We help provide for our children, spoil our grandchildren, and today more than ever, take care of our aging parents.

YAPS are a demographic.

The YAPS demographic is growing faster than you can shake a stick.

When you consider that every 7 seconds someone turns 50, that means the “YAPPIE” population increases every 7 seconds. The mind boggles at our numbers and the power we can (still) yield.

Sadly, we are a virtually untapped market. So marketers, wake up and start tapping. We are tired of being ignored. YAPS will spend upward of three trillion dollars in 2005 on anything and everything that prolongs our (forgive me) yappiness.

We do NOT roll over and play dead once we turn 50. We are still that “narcissistic, self indulgent group” we were when we were baby boomers, and we still believe the world owes us a living. We are alive and kicking, and don’t you forget it

Fitting into pop-culture

We think the time is right for our segment of the population to be recognized, appreciated and have our very own pop designation.

There were hippies, yippies, and yuppies.
2005 is definitely the year of the YAPS!

Long live the ‘Yappies!’

For other articles of interest to those over 50 (seniors and boomers) visit http://www.letlifein.com/. With a cutting edge and a (sometimes irreverent) sense of humor, LetLifeIn.com explores all aspects of being 50+ -- the concerns, the issues, and the controversies as well as the fun stuff.

Keith Richards: Satisfaction, Guaranteed

Answer: Keith Richards and Cockroaches.
Question: Name 2 things that would survive a nuclear war.

It's an old joke but hey, Keith Richards is a survivor. He is known as the man with 5 strings and 9 lives. Keith has been arrested at least 10 times; his reputation is that of a chain-smoker, hard drinker, drug using rock superstar. He's been a Rolling Stone for 40 years. The man takes a licking and keeps on ticking.

Early Keith

Keith Richards was born in Dartford, Kent on December 18, 1943.
He grew up in the London suburbs.
You might say he was a rock and roller from practically the beginning. (I say practically because believe it or not, he started singing as a choir boy and had an "angelic voice".) Elvis, Buddy Holly and Chuck Berry were his heroes during his teen years. He was also a fan of American Blues singing, especially Muddy Waters and Willie Dixon.

He got his first guitar when he was 15 and he says at that moment it became the most important thing in his life. He teamed up with an old mate from his sandbox years "a kid named Mick Jagger" and played small clubs and pubs around London. They found a few other guys and formed a band. One of them, Brian Jones, suggested they call themselves The Rolling Stones (after an old Muddy Waters song, Rolling Stones Blues).

The rest is history

At first they did covers of songs others wrote. When they found they were good at writing songs themselves, they were on their way. Their lyrics were about sex and drugs and that soon made them the talk of London, to say the least. That, combined with Keith's edgy guitar style, gave the band a sound like no one had heard before. They became the "bad boys" of rock and roll. They were considered "raunchy, crude and irreverent". While parents were merely shocked by the Beatles, they were repulsed by the Rolling Stones. The Beatles, after all, only wanted to hold your hand. The "Stones" wanted to (God protect us) spend the night together.

To make things worse, their behavior off stage became as notorious as their on-stage performances. Mick and Keith became tabloid darlings. Keith, in particular, became the poster boy for the drug abuses of the 70's and 80's. Keith has been quoted as saying,"I never had a problem with drugs, only with cops." Keith's drug and alcohol abuse however, didn't hurt his rock and roll image one bit.



Famous Keith stories

Keith's reputation became bigger than life. Real stories and rumors spread like wildfire. (You don't become a rock and roll legend for nothing.) It's been said that half the stories about Keith aren't true. The frightening part is half of them are.

Here's but a sampling:

Dr. Dracula

Everyone "knew" someone who swore it was true. Keith, in order to cure his heroin drug addiction, traveled to Switzerland for a blood transfusion. He stayed at the chalet of a famous physician who had developed a method to replace all of the patient's "addicted" blood with "good clean blood".

Then there is what's known as "the famous pissing incident".

After being denied the use of a men's room at a gas station, Keith, Mick and Bill Wyman proceeded to urinate on the wall, thus pissing off the owner, who filed charges. They were arrested for "insulting behavior".

Who could ever forget "the fur rug" bust?

The police raided Keith's house and found amphetamine tablet's in Marianne Faithful's coat. (Marianne was Mick's girlfriend at the time) They also found resin and ash of (possibly) marijuana. The police said that Marianne was wearing "nothing but a fur rug." The tabloids went wild. Keith was charged with "allowing on his premises" and given a one year sentence and fined 500 pounds. His conviction was appealed and overturned, the evidence being too circumstantial.

And of course, there was the "saved by the blind woman" story.

Keith was busted for heroin possession in Toronto. He would have gone to jail (most likely) had not for the pleas of a young blind woman who told the court how Keith had gotten her home safely after a Stones' concert. A plea bargain was worked out that included a benefit show for the Canadian National Institute for the Blind.

The "Don't do drugs, kids," public service announcement got a few laughs.

Keith was asked to do a public service announcement urging the kids of the world to stay off drugs. The joke going around was that the kids of the world couldn't do any more drugs because Keith had already done them all.

Probably the best story yet had to do with Satisfaction.

One night in 1965, Keith awoke some time in the night with a song in his head. He turned on his tape recorder, grabbed his guitar, and banged out the opening riff of (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction, and went back to sleep. In the morning he listened to the tape. He said, "It was 2 minutes of 'Satisfaction' and 40 minutes of me snoring." (Newsweek Magazine called the song's 5 chord progression, "five notes that shook the world.")



His Life.

Through everything, Keith has maintained a self-effacing, slightly bemused outlook.

"To me, the main thing about living on this planet is to know who the hell you are and to be real about it. That's the reason I'm still alive.""I've lived my life my own way, and I'm here because I've taken the trouble to find out who I am."To his credit, Keith doesn't recommend that anyone live life as he has. He says he owes his so-called indestructible quality to sturdy stock. "I come from very tough stock and things that would kill other people don't kill me."

That's nice.
Who do you know that's alive and kicking? A friend. A relative. A famous person you'd like to know. Write and let us know about them. We'd love to share the story with our readers.

For other articles of interest to those over 50 (seniors and boomers) visit www.LetLifeIn.com. With a cutting edge and a (sometimes irreverent) sense of humor, LetLifeIn.com explores all aspects of being 50+ -- the concerns, the issues, and the controversies as well as the fun stuff.

Jack Nicholson: Handling the Truth

When Jack was 37, in 1974, he found out something that changed his life: the woman he thought was his sister was actually his mother.

Jack’s “sister” June was 17 and a dancer and showgirl with the famous Earl Carroll Dancers. She had an affair with a 27 year old man and got pregnant. The man was not yet divorced from his first wife so he couldn’t marry her. (However, he paid off some officials, committed bigamy and married her anyway, thereby saving her from what was at that time, shame and humiliation).

June's mother, Ethel, was understandably upset and took matters into her own hands. June was sent to her cousin's in New York where she would carry and give birth. ( Jack was born in April of 1937 in St. Vincent’s hospital, in New York City. There is, however, no record of his birth anywhere.)

She then returned to Neptune New Jersey where they lived and it was agreed that Ethel, Jack’s grandmother would raise the child as her own. No one would know.

So Jack was raised by his grandmother, thinking she was his mother and that his actual mother was his older sister. Whoever knew, kept the secret.

The truth hit him hard.

By the time Jack found out, both his mother and grandmother had died. [June died of cancer in 1963 at age 44.]

Jack had virtually no contact with his birth father. He did call his father once, reportedly beginning the conversation with a terse "Hello. I understand you're family", but he did not allow the relationship to go any further. [His birth father also died of cancer, in 1997.]

Jack, the actor.

Jack got his training as an actor with a group called the Players Ring Theatre. He found jobs onstage and on TV - in shows such as Bronco, Hawaiian Eye, and Tales Of Wells Fargo.

Sex, violence, horror and action.

Jack’s first big break came in 1968 when director Roger Corman cast him as the lead in his low-budget film, The Cry-Baby Killer.

Since Corman often shot his films back-to-back on the same set, Jack hung around and was cast in a series of Corman films notable for their sex, violence, horror and action.

Drugs

Jack smokes incessantly and went through an intense drug period, including the use of LSD. He said he gave that up after waking one morning in a tree.

Jack, however continued to use other drugs and became very interested in internal counsciousness and the counter-culture.

He wrote the script for Corman's LSD extravaganza, The Trip, and put together The Monkees' “weird-out,” film, Head.

One thing led to another.

In The Trip, a TV director decides to score some acid and explore his mind. Peter Fonda played the director and Dennis Hopper played the dealer.

Peter and Dennis were working on their own project in 1969, called Easy Rider. When Rip Torn backed out of his role at the last minute, they asked Jack to replace him as the spirit-soaked southern lawyer.

Easy Rider got Jack an Oscar nomination and made him a star.

Jack has been nominated for an Oscar eleven times and won it three times -- as Best Actor for One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest in 1975 and As Good As It Gets in 1998. He also won an Oscar as Best Supporting Actor for Terms of Endearment in 1982.

In 1994, Jack was given the American Film Institute's Life Achievement Award.

Money, money,money!

Jack’s movies have made over $1.25 billion at the box-office. The number that is quoted most is the $60 million he received from his share of the 1989 film, Batman.

(In his Oscar acceptance speech for One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Jack thanked Mary Pickford "for being the first actor to get a percentage of her pictures.” Jack learned quick.)

Smug and sexist

Jack Nicholson has been described as “smug and sexist to the core.” He has had a reputation as a womanizer since his salacious role in the Mike Nichol’s film, Carnal Knowledge. And the racy sex scenes with Jessica Lange in The Postman Always Rings Twice did not hurt his reputation one bit.

His many affairs.

After an early marriage to Sandra Knight, 1962-'67, Jack had a 17-year relationship with Anjelica Huston. When she left him, he began seeing Rebecca Broussard. (He had two children with Rebecca -- Lorraine and Raymond. Jack also has a son, Caleb whom he had with actress Susan Anspach, in 1970).

Jack had been involved secretly with actress Lara Flynn Boyle, who was 30 years younger than him. She has said that being with Jack was like “being with a King -- talented, experienced, charismatic, fabulously well connected and unbelievably rich.” Who could argue with that?

Then there was Christine Sheehan, an ex-prostitute who claimed she went to Jack’s Hollywood home in 1996. She said when she asked for the money for her services, Jack banged her head repeatedly on the floor. She settled out-of-court for $33,000. Later, she claimed her injuries had worsened and asked for another half a million. This time, Jack contested. Jack has made love to women 26 years younger than himself on screen and 33 years younger than himself off screen.

And then there’s basketball.

Every basketball fan knows that Jack is a Los Angeles Lakers super-fan and never misses a home game. Rumor has it that the shooting schedules of his films have to be arranged around the Lakers' home schedule.

Moon over Boston.

Jack’s (in)famous basketball story happened during the 1984 NBA playoffs between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics at Boston Garden. Jack was in a private box and began teasing the Boston fans. He put his hand round his throat, suggesting that Boston was about to choke.

Well, it seems that the Celtics took the lead and held it. With the clock running down and Jack’s Lakers about to lose, Jack gave the Boston fans his editorial comment: He dropped his pants and mooned them.

You’ve come a long way, Jack.

The guy who started out playing creeps in Roger Corman B movies now sits in the front row at the Academy Awards. No need to say “Nicholson” any more. Just “Jack” will do fine.

My favorite Jack lines:

Jack Torrance (The Shining):
"He-e-e-e-re's Johnny!"

Colonel Nathan Jessup (A Few Good Men):
"You can't handle the truth."

Daryl Van Horne (The Witches of Eastwick):
"Do you think God knew what he was doing when he created woman?"

Melvin Udall (As Good As It Gets):
"You make me want to be a better man."

For other articles of interest to those over 50 (seniors and boomers) visit www.LetLifeIn.com. With a cutting edge and a (sometimes irreverent) sense of humor, LetLifeIn.com explores all aspects of being 50+ -- the concerns, the issues, and the controversies as well as the fun stuff.

Howie & Gary At Woodstock

The year was 1969... Howie and I felt old
We had gone to Woodstock as adults, not hippie kids. We had planned for the concert weeks in advance; we had tickets and a place to stay. When we drove there on Friday afternoon the traffic was backed up forever. We got as close as we could to the concert area. We parked the car behind a church about two or three miles away. (In the Woodstock movie there's a helicopter shot and I swear I can see the car.)

We joined the crowd hiking towards the concert area. We passed some kids swimming in their underwear and wondered if we could ever do such a thing right where everyone could see.

A free concert
As it turned out, we didn't need our concert tickets at all. The gates had been torn down. I don't think I ever saw so many people in one place in my life. I was a little disappointed that we were sitting so far from the stage. I wanted better "seats". That first night we strained to see Melanie, Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Joan Baez. Joan said something about her pacifist husband who was in jail, and the crowd cheered.

And the rains came
We sat in the drizzle for quite some time. When the rain started coming down harder, a huge 30-ft long plastic tarp unfolded on top of our heads. Someone either planned for the rain or swiped it from somewhere. About a hundred of us sat underneath it, holding the tarp up with our hands.

A revelation
Joints started being passed around. They were coming from all directions. The combination of the rain sounds on the plastic, the humidity under it, and the smell of the grass, was something I never experienced before or since. For the first time, I felt I belonged with these people. They were a nice bunch of young people, not just hippie freaks. (Could it have been the grass?)

That night we hiked back in the rain and found our rented room. We slept nice and dry for about six hours.

So, where's the food?
We awoke to a bright sunny day. There were thousands of kids milling around town looking for something to eat. We hadn't eaten since lunch the previous day. We joined up with this guy, Tommy, who knew the area. He told us of an orthodox Jewish summer camp that wasn't too far. We waded into the camp around the edge of a lake. We were met suspiciously by the director of the camp. He offered to feed us a kosher meal if we would eat it outside the camp infirmary, away from the children.

Afterward, we headed back in the blazing sun, towards the concert.

The truth exposed!
It was then that we came upon it. Oh my God! In a muddy lake about a hundred young people, male and female, stood around, swam, and frolicked, naked. It may have been just good, clean, healthy fun, but to me it was incredibly sexy. You just don't get to see that many naked people in one place that often. I had my camera and I started snapping away like crazy.

Liberation
After watching for about 10 minutes, to our surprise, we said, "Why not?" and joined them. Nobody knew us, so we took off our clothes. I took a picture of Howie naked and he took a picture of me.

I have to tell you, we got into it. I really liked these kids. There is something about public nudity that obviously brings out the best in people.

Back to the garden
We eventually continued our trek and made it to the concert again. In broad daylight, it was breathtaking. A sea of people. We estimated (wrongly) that there must have been about 3 million people there. I honestly don't remember much about the music that day. Just being there was amazing enough. We heard reports of drug overdoses and riots but we saw none of that.

That evening we paid $15 for a pizza in town. In 1969, that was ridiculous. We were totally exhilarated but wiped. We decided to go home to New York City that night, instead of staying through the next day. By driving back early, we beat the traffic.

I got my pictures developed right away. Howie and I had a great time looking at them. We could hardly wait 'til the movie opened. We saw it together opening day.

Epilogue
Twenty years later, in 1989, I sold a picture I had taken of Howie with some of the other bathers to Life Magazine for $500. They ran it in their 20th anniversary of Woodstock issue. He got a full page and I got a photo credit. Good Morning America saw the photo and flew Howie to New York (from California) to be on the show and tell the world how it was. He became our generation's representative. I had to brief him the night before; he admitted not remembering much. I guess that's good.

Somebody once said if you remember the sixties, you probably weren't there

If you care to buy videos and books about Woodstock, they are available from Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.com.

For other articles of interest to those over 50 (seniors and boomers) visit www.LetLifeIn.com. With a cutting edge and a (sometimes irreverent) sense of humor, LetLifeIn.com explores all aspects of being 50+ -- the concerns, the issues, and the controversies as well as the fun stuff.

Patti LaBelle: I'm 58 now. God Spared Me

Everybody knows Patti Labelle.

She's the one with the megawatt voice and 'the hardest-to-ignore hair in the business.' You'd never guess it but she's actually very shy, the opposite of the way people perceive her. She says of herself, "Onstage I'm like a lion; offstage I'm like a mouse."

Patti Labelle constantly challenges herself, both creatively and artistically."I still have so much more to do, so many other things to try. I have a young spirit in me." She says, "Age is what you make it."

Singing vs. Cooking

These days, there are two things that make Patti the happiest. Singing and cooking. "I was born to sing and cook. To tell you the truth, I'm hard pressed to say where I'm happiest - in concert or in the kitchen." In Patti's best selling book, Labelle Cuisine: Recipes to Sing About, she says, "Whether cooking or singing, I feel at ease, at peace, at one with the world."

It Hasn't been Easy.

Patti wrote her first book, Don't Block The Blessings, in 1996, at the age of 52. In it she writes about the pain of losing her mother and three sisters to cancer. Vivian, her oldest sister, died of lung cancer at 43. Next came Barbara's death at the age of 40, from colon cancer. And finally, Jackie at 43, of brain cancer. (Jackie was the sister who pushed her, saying she should be "better than Barbra Streisand").

Patti spent years of feeling guilty for surviving and yet was consumed with a fear of death. "I was saying, 'I'm getting ready to leave too'. How did she live with so much heartache? I threw myself into my work. I wrapped my very soul in my song."

"Here I Am. Over Here."

No one ever described Patti as being a recluse. The opposite of Greta Garbo, Patti prefers not to be alone. She loves when people come up to her. "When I go out, I hope they notice - I'll cry if they don't."

The Early Years

Patti was born in Philadelphia as Patti Holte on May 24, 1944. She describes herself as "an insecure child with a big nose and nappy hair." She would sing in front of the mirror, "using a broom for a mike, yelling my heart out."

Patti formed her first group, the Elmstones, while she was still in high school. Her extraordinary musical talent emerged when she was a member of the Beulah Baptist Church Choir. She continued to be a soloist there even after she started her professional career.



Making It

In 1962, a record company executive changed her name from Holte to LaBelle. The group was introduced on American Bandstand as Patti LaBelle and the Bluebells. That year they had their first multimillion seller hit record, "I Sold My Heart to the Junkman." Along with other hits, they became one of the most popular girl groups of that era.

A Radical Change

They continued their success with a "stylistic transformation" and Patti emerged as the driving force behind rock's first all female band, LaBelle. Their monster hit, "Voulez-vous Couchez Avec Moi Ce Sois?" became a disco anthem of the 70's. Their popularity grew and extensive tours followed. In 1976, after becoming (in Patti's words) rocked and rolled out, the group had it, and disbanded on friendly terms.

Patti took some time off to unwind and spend with her family. By the decade's end, with her husband Armstead as manager, Patti embarked on her solo career.

Keeping A Good Thing Going

Through the 80's and 90's and to present day, Patti's superstar status continued. She produced 50 albums, wrote 3 New York Times best-selling books, was a 2 time Grammy winner (and was nominated for 10), starred in TV specials, was nominated for an Emmy 3 times, won 2 American Music Awards, did several hugely successful one-woman concert engagements on Broadway and got a star on Hollywood Boulevard's Walk of Fame. Patti's boundless energy and talent, along with her passion for fashion, and flamboyant hair, can always guarantee an exciting show.



Real Life

Through all this, Patti has always had her feet planted firmly on the proverbial ground. She has always considered her most important role was that of wife and mother. When not whipping crowds into a frenzy, Patti was at home, cooking, shopping and doing laundry. In short - being a person. She's truthful when she tells her fans, "I'm just like you, only I make records."

With her busy schedule, Patti still finds time for her humanitarian work. She has served as a spokesperson for the American Diabetic Association, The National Cancer Institute and the National Minority Aids Council. She has been active, championing adoption, foster care, Big Sisters and the United Negro College Fund.

Patty, after 30-plus years of marriage, has recently divorced. She has three sons, Zuri, Stanley and Dodd, as well as her sister Jackie's two children, Stayce and Billy.

Patty always has said, "If I make it to 45, I will be cool, and if I turn 50, I'm really over the hump. I'm 58, so now I say, "God spared me.""
Who do you know that's alive and kicking? A friend. A relative. A famous person you'd like to know. Write and let us know about them. We'd love to share the story with our readers.

For other articles of interest to those over 50 (seniors and boomers) visit www.LetLifeIn.com. With a cutting edge and a (sometimes irreverent) sense of humor, LetLifeIn.com explores all aspects of being 50+ -- the concerns, the issues, and the controversies as well as the fun stuff.

How Boomers Changed The World

Seventy-six million children-a third of the United States' population, were born between 1946 and 1964.

The photography industry, the shoe industry, and the Band Aid industry were among countless others that came along for the ride. The marketplace was bombarded with kids' products. Hula-Hoops, Slinkies and tricycles were everywhere.

Alien Ancestors
The parents and grandparents of these children came from a different world. They had witnessed World War 1, the Depression and World War 2. They grew up with the threat of poverty hanging over them and they learned to "make do". That was fine for them but not for their children.

A New World
The post-war boom resulted in thousands of new homes being built around the country and the birth of the suburbs. Unlike their parents, the "boomer" kids slept in their own rooms and played in their own backyards. To their parent's pleasure, they were overwhelmed with abundance.

Transformations
For five decades, the boomers dominated popular culture. The media didn't just watch them, it analyzed their every move. Because of their massive numbers, everything they did not only took on a greater importance, it was transformed: When they ate food, the snack, restaurant and supermarket industries emerged. Merely by seeing their doctors, healthcare systems were created. They transformed technology, the investment market, and the fashion and automobile industries. Interpersonal relationships, psychological therapy, and sex roles and practices would never be the same.

Cosmic Occurrence: Part Two
Then, on January 1, 1996 another cosmic occurrence happened: The first baby boomer turned fifty. (As for aging itself, the boomer generation has not accepted it. As a group, they will go kicking and screaming into old age. Their motto: "Hell, no. We won't go!")

Living Longer
During the last century, life expectancy has made giant strides. In 1947, it was 47 years; in 2000, it was 76 years. It has been said, the aging of America is the greatest miracle of modern medicine. Today there are 79.6 million Americans past the age of fifty. (Coincidentally, that is the same number of Americans there was in total a century ago.)

The Numbers Grow
Thanks to the baby boomers, by the year 2020 there will be more than one hundred fifteen million Americans over fifty. That is a 50% increase. But wait, there's more. When baby boomers begin to turn sixty-five in 2010, there will be 39 million Americans over sixty-five. By 2030, this group will number 69 million. By that same year, the eighty-five plus age group will have increased five-fold from what it is today. Incredible!

With Maturity Comes Wealth
But this "mature" group is not just increasing in numbers. They have become the richest by far.. 75% of the nation's wealth is in their pockets. They buy close to 50% of all luxury cars, almost 75% of all pharmaceuticals, and believe it or not, 80% of luxury travel. In the past decade, the number of mature Americans with incomes over $100,000 a year has more than tripled. With the formation of AARP, they are the country's largest and most formidable special interest group.

Major Shift
Consider the declining birth rate in the United States (as well as Europe, Japan, and other nations). The size and strength of the youth population will not be the same in this century as it was in the last. Ken Dyctwald, the author of Age Wave, has said, "Whereas the 20th century belonged to the young, the 21st century will be ruled by the old -the new old."

Are We Ready?
There will be unprecedented social, economic and political challenges that will most definitely occur. Will America be prepared for it? There will be many questions effecting every area of our lives. Fresh thinking and creative actions will be needed to arrive at solutions

To be continued...


For other articles of interest to those over 50 (seniors and boomers) visit www.LetLifeIn.com. With a cutting edge and a (sometimes irreverent) sense of humor, LetLifeIn.com explores all aspects of being 50+ -- the concerns, the issues, and the controversies as well as the fun stuff.