Gratitude, A Brief History of Time – and some pictures from way back. My dear friends – I had no expectations when I posted my situation up here a few days ago, but the amount of love I’ve received from you in the form of kind words, positive messages, and gifts of money at this time of year when your families need it the most has left me speechless. Some of you have taken on my cause like it was your own, and its hard to express my gratitude - words are clumsy and hopelessly inadequate when trying to explain that which comes from the heart. As most of you reading this will already know, I had to reach out for assistance to help with legal costs to renew my work visa and continue to work in America with HEDpe, my band of twenty years. It was not easy for me to go public with this - I am very much an independent person and have always handled my own business, but this time I just ran out of options. In my earlier post I was perhaps not as clear as I could have been about why I’m in this position and why I have reached out to my friends and fans of my band for assistance. I am often asked why not get a green card or apply for citizenship? I would love to do either, but unfortunately I can’t - despite the length of time I have been here, the unorthodox way in which I came to America has left me ineligible for a green card or citizenship; so renewing my work visa every three years is my only way to continue my career as a musician and bass player for HEDpe. I’m a British citizen, born and raised in northern England. I grew up in the ‘80s (and have the bad-hair photos to prove it) and I cared for nothing other than playing bass – it was my all-consuming passion and all I ever wanted to do. I got older but never grew up, and by age 20 I was studying at university but only cared about playing bass,. I just needed to find a band. And all my heroes of the day were based in Los Angeles so I figured that’s where I needed to be. Going to LA didn’t seem like a big deal at the time, and when I finally graduated college I was on a plane to Los Angeles within a week, absolutely sure I was headed to fame & fortune. But within a month I was broke as a joke, semi-homeless, sleeping on floors and couches, and checking out every crappy band in southern California that was looking for a bass player. My return flight to England took off without me, and the good-paying job I had been offered back in England went to someone more eager to wear a suit & tie than I was. So I stayed in America, far from home, just trying to survive and relentlessly pursuing my goal of a career in music which I eventually achieved. Many years later, when I finally applied for a green card, I thought it was a sure thing. But it wasn’t – I was denied a green card. My only option for continuing my career in music with HEDpe was a temporary three year work visa. I have had several of these over the years, all very expensive and every single dollar paid for by myself. But my line of work – like many lines of work – has taken a serious downturn in recent years. For those who assume we ‘rock stars’ are just living the dream, the reality for me personally is an annual income now so low it makes minimum wage look rich. I’m not lazy – I love to work and I would get a second and a third job in a heartbeat if I could, but the legal restrictions on me as a foreigner mean I cannot work for anyone but my band. The responsibility for this situation is all mine and no-one elses; I take full responsibility knowing that all my past actions and decisions have lead me to this present moment. I could very easily pack up my things and move home, settle down and live a comfortable life. But that’s not yet my calling. I will continue this journey with my band as long as I can, and I appreciate any assistance I can get from our global community. If you would like to contribute to my cause, the incredible Lauren LoveaBull Lyons has set up a fundraiser on my behalf, and donations can be made via PayPal to yogibass.hedpe@gmail Mark.
Posted on: Tue, 09 Dec 2014 04:03:14 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015