I thought I would add a bit more about myself for my nonfiction work, “Once A King, Now A Prince,” including what I faced as I tried to contact many from my past rock and roll days, as well as my current business ventures. The problem with writing a non fiction, or memoir, is that one must be honest. Honesty includes the hurt and the crap times one goes through as part of life. Look, without downs, how would you know what the ups felt like?
Death, in a Non Fiction, is Reliving the Death
One of the most depressing aspects of reaching out to old friends, which I am currently doing for my nonfiction book, “Once A King, Now A Prince,” so that they may add some commentary, is that many are no longer with us. All members of Badfinger are now gone, Kim Simmonds of Savoy Brown, Bill Hamm, manager of ZZ Top, and Bill Hall, their agent who used to work for me at ATI, Vinny Testa, a record producer and college buddy, Bobby Caviano, my former agent and friend, as well as the manager of Grace Jones, and more. I need a drink!
My Non-Fiction Does Have an Upside
The truth is that I loved what I did. It gave me a chance to spread my wings and be innovative. My style was always such, as exemplified by my production for Rod and the Faces, where I produced a rock and roll circus that toured with the band as the opening act, along with the now-departed Badfinger, who were some of the best writers around and great kids. Another tour for Rod Stewart featured Scottish bagpipes as the opening act, in honor of Rod’s heritage.
Another of my productions took place in 1974, when I developed the concept and produced the show, “Aaron Banks Oriental World of Self Defense.” This was a show featuring the highest-ranked specialists in the martial arts.
It featuring the various styles of Karate and Jiu Jitsu, before the world became aware of the “conglomerate” styles of Jeet Koon Do, of which I studied with Dan Inosanto, the sparring partner of Bruce Lee, Krav Maga, the Israeli art of Martial Art, and The UFC, all of which have combined punching, kinking and takedowns of the individual styles from past generations. It is a fighting style that utilizes different techniques, depending on the range of space between the combatants.
What Would my Celebrity Non Fiction be without a Splurge of Luxury?
During my years at American Talent International, Ltd, I developed a passion for antiques. My home and office were stuffed with the treasures of yesteryear as I hopped from one auction house or antique store to another. My favorite was Leroy’s antiques, whose real name was probably Marvin, but Leroy was “the king,” and also one of the great clockmakers of all time. It made sense.
I would also venture into New York City’s museums and explore the antique furniture sections to see firsthand what made these priceless works of art so significant. Aside from age and the provenance from kings on down, the thing that struck me the most was the fineness and beauty of the workmanship. What these artisans had accomplished was to create something akin to a fine piece of jewelry.
My first antique clock was a wooden-cased English clock from the late 1700s. I purchased it in the 1960s from a small shop on Portobello Road, a section of London that housed many antique stores and once featured an outdoor flea market for antiques as well. This sparked my love for the beauty and rarity of fine antiques, which I later turned into a business in the early 2000s after acquiring a few more antique mantel clocks. The company, which initially started as a hobby, did quite well, as antique clocks were in high demand back then, and many people still valued their beauty. Not so much today, as the younger generation couldn’t give a flying fart about antiques.
Nothing Like a Recession to Dampen a Non Fiction
When the recession hit in 2008, I noticed that my commercial printing business began to suffer, as printing, advertising, and labor are among the first things companies cut back on during economic downturns. Within a couple of years, around 2012, I decided that the “disposable income” required to purchase antique clocks was drying up. Here I was, virtually owning all the top spots on Google, but buyers had become lookie-loos.
It was soon after this that I decided to close down the business and sell off the last of my inventory, but for one clock. That one is still in my position, and it is a very rare “Palace Clock,” so called for its size of close to two feet tall, by Fd. Berthoud.
At the beginning of 2024, I must have thought, “It was so nice, I will do it twice,” and built a brand-new website, once again strong on page one in Google, as my knowledge and experience allowed me to create and market websites. ValuableClocks.com is up and rocking, and clocks are selling, but I will be the first to admit that the market has never truly come back. It is like I wrote above, about so many friends dying, except now it was the folks who valued the beauty of antiques and clocks.
Death in a non-fiction, is reliving the death as you write
