|
Well Established Member Of This Awesome Society
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Long island, New York
Posts: 137
My Mood: 
|
A Musician's Story by Lou Vitti
Dear Community
I'm sorry and not going on. Excuse me if I have many rants because I forget things fast,short term. I have a memory problem since the 12' fall on my head when the conductor's stool broke and I fell backwards playing the trumpet and landed on the floor. I also have other neurological issues, lost my organizational skills, comprehension, attention, spelling, writing, response time and other things. I am still finding out but my music became real strong and simple, kind of a revelation. I also have nerve damage in my back and herniated discs in my neck. All my doctors say I'm lucky I am alive. I didn't even fracture my skull.
Before this, we got a new principal, 36 years old and never taught. The new wave in NYC. It's crazy! I was a union delegate at the time and he left me alone. I created the school which was based on community service. I created the 1st community service program in NYC and won the Citibank Success Fund award and many other grants. I lectured in NYC, New Orleans and Rhode Island to show teachers how to create such a program. It was really like music, networking, being social and liking people in non-profit org.. I was a good writer but it takes me a long time and drafts to write now. You would not believe how many errors I fixed during this rant. He wanted to be the man(the new principal). He harassed all the creators out of the school, they could not take his BS and transferred. I quit the union because it was a hectic schedule to be active, play music and spend time with your family. Before the Xmas vacation, he came up to me and told me to find a new job or he would make my life miserable. Our other principals empowered and respected us. He said he was giving me a chance to leave with dignity. I said no since after 20 years a principal cannot excess you out of a school. My old principal came by one day and gave me heads up. She said he was trying to get me on medical. Ruin my life with 33% pay and I did nothing to him. For 30 years, I was an excellent teacher, now suddenly I was terrible. He knew I had Tourettes and sent me to the medical unit for being unfit. No doctor wanted to mention this capably disabled disease, not even mention the word. They found me fit with no examination. Being in the union, I started to keep a log which included date, time, place and conversation. In two years, I had 26 pages and I thought I could take it. He only hired young teachers and isolated and frightened the faculty. He had teachers who would tell him anything you said. No one trusted anyone no more. With our other principals, everyone gave extra time and came back at night. We were compensated in many ways. Not this guy. He disrespected us by always violating the contract and this was an excellent small school with good kids.
I spent time in the ghetto but the kids were different and it was fun to teach there. Everyone was happy, we met at clubs at night and fooled around. The kids saw this and this was contagious. They behaved good. I also learned a lot from the older teachers about things that college classes never teach you. Some college professors have no clue about teaching because they never did. What works in a college classroom does not necessarily work in a real HS with kids with many problems. Anyway I won. I brought him up on harassment charges and won step 1. Then I got injured. After I received a disability retirement, the union president called me and said we are going to step 2, we got him. Unfortunately, I was retired and could not pursue it. She didn't know because it takes a long time for paper work to go through the Bd of Ed in NYC. I finally realized its nice to be out and I won. I make more money now than working.
Going back, my wife said she was not attracted to me any more. One day ,as usual. once every two weeks, I brought home flowers to her and she threw them away. I know now the affects of sexual abuse and rape that occurs later on in life to women. They have a lot of anger towards men and you are just a representation of the male sex.
In the seventies, I traveled with a band that had a hit record, Keep on Dancing by Gary's Gang. I was just paid a salary. We recorded this song in a garage studio in Queens, NYC. The leaders made a lot of money but left touring to open a production company in NYC and create a second album in a 50's style. Well it bombed and that was the end. They should have stayed with the same style, but they got supted up, bought houses, expensive cars, houses for their parents and took limos everywhere. They made 250,000 in the 70's just on the single. Now, they are broke and doing weddings. On the road, it is difficult as a musician to play the same thing every night. We even did the 11:30 late shows pushing the record scene and all was lip sunked. This and on the road, every night you had to play the exact solo you played on the record. This was not Guns&Roses and Slash, Weather Report, The Brecker Brothers, Pat Metheny, Sonny Rollins to name a few. I was a jazz musician and to play and never express your feelings with music when you play is hard on your mind.
There is a clue with every band on the road. On a pair of drumsticks, a piece of paper is wrapped around a pair of drumsticks and given to girls to attend the party after the concert at a certain hotel and room. They came for drugs, all kinds, tree and powder. The roadies took care of this. It was not a Governor Spitzer thing where we are finding out he was a coke head and that's why the escort girl took amtrak rather than a plane. She was carrying a lot of white. After his tryst, the papers said he attended a dinner, spoke a lot and was very manic. I think you all know why. At these parties, I really never used girls. I was not married and was kind of looking for a relationship. something sensual, not just sex. You might as well maturbate.
Another affect of abuse on women. My wife forbid maturbation and considered it a form of cheating. My son is 15 and I have spoken to him about it to make him feel it is normal. I do not know if he started. I told him that I would not see him and make him feel he did not have to hide any books, just don't let his mother see them,and not do it in the open. Lock yourself in your bedroom or do it while we are not home. My parents never spoke about sex to me, plus maturbation is something you learn on your own. You don't look up the directions on the internet.
One night on the road, a girl invited my trumpet player friend and me to her house after a show. We were sitting in the living room and she said she had to go get something in the bedroom. She came out with a rope with lingerie showing underneath. I didn't feel into it. Even though he was a good friend, I did not want to have sex with another man along with a girl. I was thinking, suppose he cums on me. Uhh..... I said that I was going out to the store and get some beers. I left my friend there and never came back.
As for the girls in the community that get hurt by guys. I know that feeling also. I met a girl at a party and went home with her and the sex was great. I picked her up at her job in NYC for 3 days and it seemed like a relationship was starting. I had to go on the road for the weekend and called her on Monday. I knew it was her but on the phone she told me she was her sister and would leave a message. It never came and I tried a few more times and got the same fake out. I realize what girls go through, especially to those in the community that have rants on this subject. This hurt me and I felt used but in the opposite way. Wow, at that point, I realized what girls go through.
I gave a private message to a moderator, but if you want to help and maybe get involved, Gary Vitti, a doctor for the LA Lakers runs a volunteer organization in Venice, CA. I t is called a Window between Worlds and helps battered and abused women and children through the arts. Their web is
To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 1 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
. I'm not pushing this but as an artist, I believe it works. I have contacted Gary who comes from CT where I used to go for the summers in the 60's and sleep over my cousins house. He knows all the places I hung with my cousin. Somewhere down the line, we must share common ancestors since the name Vitti comes from one small town in Italy in the mountains 4 hrs from Rome, Settefratti. Have courage, I know its hard and I am coming back. I hope to blossom with the tulips this spring. My students always said I was a good story teller. I hoped you learned and enjoyed mine. Women and children who have been abused need a lot of help, intimacy, love, caring and stability.
Thanks,
Lou Vitti
Last edited by louvitti; 06-16-2008 at 06:42 PM.
Reason: corrections, renaming story about my experiences and feelings
|
NY Philharmonic Orchestra
Linear Mode
