Q: “Can you tell us about your early years? What is your background ?”

A: I was born in San Francisco on August 19, 1951. As a child it seemed I was always in trouble. In school I failed almost everything. I was moved forward from grade to grade on a “trial basis” because the overcrowded inner city school system could not afford to keep kids back. I dropped out of high school at 17 so I could take drugs and hang around in the streets with low friends. I ended up in the hospital at 18 from a heroin addiction (and a bout with hepatitis acquired from shared needles.). After wandering aimlessly through three more years of life in a black depression, I went to work for my father as a “GoFer” at his insurance office. I thought the job might last a few weeks, however, after 15 years, I ended up buying him out. I continued to run this business until the age of 44, (over 20 years). I was miserable in this work, but I had money. At night, I painted as a hobby, and as an outlet. I was a weekend binge drinker. I blacked out from drinking every weekend for 20 years. I even had a drinking club of similar souls we called “The BLACKOUT CLUB”