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“With
A Little Love....”
Hi everybody. I need your help!!!! As most of you know, I’m fortunate enough to be friends with Mark Bryan from Hootie & the Blowfish. Well, recently I was thinking about how I was able to make this wonderful friendship. For those of you that know me, you’d agree that it’s a pretty amazing story. So I thought this story should be told to as many people as possible. It seems like the only time you hear about celebrities is when something bad happens. I think it would be extremely refreshing to hear about how a person in the celebrity spotlight has remained so down to earth and has changed a person’s life, mine. I attempted to have this story published in the local newspapers, but to no avail. The only way they would do the story is if Mark was present for the interview. This would be impossible since they’re constantly touring. And even if I were lucky enough to get Mark here, I wouldn’t want to spend that time doing an interview. Anyway, I decided to write the story myself. This is where you all come in. If you would please pass this story along to the people you know, and ask them to pass the story along to their friends, I would be extremely grateful. Even if that’s only one person. So here is my story. I hope you enjoy it. Hi. My name is Chris Pittman. I’m 23-years-old and I’m from Easton, Pennsylvania. I have Muscular Dystrophy and use a ventilator to help me breathe. I’m a Junior at Moravian College. Some have told me that I’m an inspiration to them because despite the many obstacles in my life, I always have a positive attitude. Well, I would like to tell you about the people that inspire me. I hope that you all enjoy my story. It all began on February 22, 1994. That is the day my best friend Jeremy lost his battle with Muscular Dystrophy. He was only 22 years old. This affected me greatly since I too have MD and this was the first time I had someone very close to me pass away. Because of this, I didn’t know how to express the pain I had inside. As a result, I kept the pain bottled up inside. In April of 1995 this changed. My friend Sharon let me borrow Cracked Rear View by Hootie & the Blowfish. I had heard of Hootie & the Blowfish and I even liked their first single off of CRV, “Hold My Hand.” I never expected that these four guys from Columbia, South Carolina with a funny name for a band would change my life. When I first played Cracked Rear View I instantly loved it. From the first song “Hannah Jane” to the last song “Goodbye,” I was amazed. Then for some reason I found myself repeatedly playing the tenth song on the album, “Not Even The Trees.” The song is about how the lead singer, Darius Rucker, felt when his mother died. I couldn’t believe it! He was describing exactly how I felt inside. I played that song every day for over a month. Thanks to this song, I was able to make peace with Jeremy’s death. In June of 1995 I graduated from high school. As a graduation present, my friend Sharon got us tickets to go see Hootie & the Blowfish in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. I was very excited to say the least. We got to the arena early to beat the crowd. As we were sitting there, I thought how cool it would be to meet the band. I told Sharon my idea and although she agreed meeting the band would be extremely cool, she also thought it would be impossible to do so. I told my nurse, Bob, my idea and he said he would ask someone. He discussed it with one of the ushers at the show and she said she would see what she could do. The concert began and it was unbelievable. They played for two hours. It was the most amazing concert I had ever been to. At one point during the show, people started body surfing. The guys stopped right in the middle of a song to ask the crowd to stop doing that. They said they didn’t want to see anyone hurt, plus it was blocking people’s view. I thought it was great that they were concerned for the safety of others. After the show the usher Bob had talked to earlier came back. She said she talked to the head usher who in turned talked to the head of security for the band, Jeff. Jeff talked to the lead singer Darius and he said me and my friends were welcome backstage. Needless to say we were in shock. The first one we got to meet was the drummer, Soni. I was really nervous, but that quickly changed. After only five minutes of conversation with them, we all felt like we had known them our whole life. Mark and I hit it off right away. We talked about everything from the concert that night, to sports, to school. It was really cool. Bass player Dean Felber and Mark have known each other since high school and that was obvious backstage. They were bustin’ on each other like brothers. It was awesome. The last one we got to meet was Darius. Here was my chance to thank him for helping me deal with Jeremy’s death. I wanted to tell him everything, but I didn’t. I was afraid he would think I was weird or something. That night was one I’ll never forget. Little did I know, that was only the beginning of my incredible Hootie & the Blowfish experience. Shortly after the night of the concert a strange thing started happening. The cover on one of the speakers for my stereo kept falling off. At first I didn’t think anything of it. That is until my sister said something that got me thinking. She said it was Jeremy knocking the speaker cover off. She said it was his way of saying hello and letting me know he was alright. I asked her what made her think this. She said she couldn’t really explain why she felt this way, she just did. Now I knew I had to tell the guys from Hootie & the Blowfish about this, but I didn’t think I would ever have another chance to meet them. I mean, something like that only happens once in a lifetime, right? Well, I was quickly proven wrong about that. In April of 1996 Hootie & the Blowfish’s second major album was released, Fairweather Johnson. I obviously bought the album the day it came out and loved it the minute I played it. That summer HBF went on their second major tour, the Small Talk Johnson Tour. One of the dates included a show in Hershey, Pennsylvania on August 15, 1996. I was able to get tickets to the show for me and my family and about ten of my friends. My nurse Bob called HBF’s management and talk with one of their managers, Nicole. He told Nicole about me and how I was fortunate to meet them the year before. He explained how it would mean so much to me to meet them again. She said she had to check with the band and she would let me know as soon as possible. A few days later she called and said there would be backstage passes for me when I got to the show. I was so excited!!!!! Here was my second chance to thank them for what they did for me. I decided the best way to do this would be in a letter. So I typed a letter telling them everything about Jeremy and how their song “Not Even The Trees” helped me handle his death. The day before the concert I finished the letter and printed it out. That night the cover to my speaker fell off. I knew at that moment Jeremy was telling me I was doing the right thing. The day of the concert I was nothing but nerves. We got to the venue and found our seats. When the guys walked onto the stage you could just feel the electricity in the entire place. The guys played a blistering two-hour show that ended with an awesome ten-minute version of “Mustang Sally.” After the show it was off to meet the guys. As if it were meant to be, I got to meet Darius first. I never expected him to remember me. I mean, it had been over a year since we last met, plus he meets hundreds of people a week. There’s no way he would remember me. Boy was I wrong. He walked over to me shook my hand and talked to me like we were old friends. He even remembered my name. Words cannot describe how special that made me feel. Now was my chance. I asked Darius if I could talk with him privately for just a minute. He said no problem. He told everybody that we’d be right back. He wheeled me over to a spot that was away from everyone so we could chat. I told him that I wrote something for them and that I really hoped they would read it. He said they would and I gave him the letter. The next one I got to meet was Soni. He too remembered me. We talked about the show and he asked if I had good seats. I told him even though I was in the handicapped section, I couldn’t see because people kept standing in front of me. He said if they had known I was there and couldn’t see, they would have put me up on stage with them. I asked if he was serious. He said absolutely. They would do that for me next time. I was in complete amazement. Mark was the next one I got to talk with. Just like Darius and Soni, he remembered me. We talked about tons of stuff. He signed my CDs and we got our picture taken. Just when I thought he was going to say goodbye, he said something that has since changed my life completely. He asked if I thought we would ever see each other again. I of course said that I hoped so. He said that he thought we should make it a goal to see each other again one day. He suggested that I write to him. He said we could become pen pals and eventually we would meet again. I couldn’t believe this was happening. Here was the lead guitarist for one of the most popular bands of the decade, if not of all-time, and he wanted to take time to write with me. He gave me an address and told me that it would take him about a month to respond to my letters, but he would write back. Mark and I said goodbye and shook hands. Shortly after this, Dean came over to see me. Holding true to form, he too remembered me. Dean spent most of our conversation asking me Hootie & the Blowfish trivia. To his surprise, I was able to correctly answer most of his questions. The drive home that night was spent talking about how unbelievable Mark’s idea was. When I got home that night, the speaker cover was lying on the floor. I just smiled. My speaker cover hasn’t fallen off since. Two days after that unbelievable night in Hershey, I wrote to Mark. Even though he told me he would write back, I didn’t believe it until he actually did. Exactly one month after I sent my letter, I received one from him. I immediately called all my friends and read the letter to them. I couldn’t believe it! Later that year I became very sick. Because of this, I was unable to go to my classes for about a month. One night during this time my phone rang. I wasn’t able to answer it before my voice-mail picked up. After a few minutes I checked the message. It was Mark!!!!! He called me all the way from Tacoma, Washington just to see how I was feeling. He told me to get better and keep writing to him. I was so excited that he called, but at the same time very disappointed that I missed the chance to talk to him. I immediately began feeling better after that night. The following August, August 19, 1997 to be exact, Mark called me again. We talked for only a few minutes, but it was great. He told me they were working on their new album. I wished him luck and told him how much I appreciate his friendship. He said that he valued my friendship too and he’d see me in 1998. I didn’t know that 1998 would be the beginning of the greatest year of my life! On June 22, 1998 I had a very interesting dream. I dreamt that the guys were at my house. I remember asking Mark how the new album was coming. He said great. I asked what one of the songs was called. He said one song was called “Wishing.” That was the only thing I remembered about that dream. So I wrote to Mark telling him about the dream. He wrote me back telling me that there was a song called “Wishing” on their new album. In fact, he wrote it. He said it looks like we have some kind of telepathy thing happen. I was just in total shock! The new album titled Musical Chairs, with “Wishing” on it, was set to be released on September 15, 1998. I was fortunate enough to get tickets to see the guys perform on the Late Show with David Letterman on September 14, 1998. Two days prior to the Letterman show I received something in the mail from Mark and his wife Laura. Before I tell you what that was, let me explain something. Starting last summer my family and friends began to raise money to help buy me a new wheelchair accessible van. The van I had was twenty-five years old and kept breaking down; plus it was completely unsafe for me to travel in. I had mentioned to Mark that we were doing this, not in hopes to get him to send money, but just because he’s my friend and I thought he would be interested. I never once, nor will I ever, ask him to do that. So with that said; two days prior to seeing the guys on Letterman, I received a personal check in the mail from Mark and his wife for a substantial amount for our van fund-raiser. You can imagine how touched me and my family were by this. I couldn’t wait to thank Mark for his and his wife’s donation. Thanks to Dave’s assistant, I was given the chance to do so. I was allowed to go backstage to see Mark before him and the guys performed. What a tremendous feeling it was to see him. It was the first time we had seen each other in over two years. He gave me a hug and I gave him a Moravian College basketball jersey. Moravian is where I go to school and basketball is Mark’s favorite sport. He gave me tickets to see them that Wednesday at the Roseland Ballroom in New York City. Just before he went out on stage for Letterman, I thanked him for the check. He said you’re welcome buddy. Their performance on Letterman was outstanding! Me, my family and friends screamed as loud as we could when they were finished playing. The guys just looked at us and smiled. The next day Musical Chairs was released. When I got it I played “Wishing” first. It totally rocked!!!! I must have played that CD about a dozen times that day. I couldn’t wait for the concert. We got to the Roseland Ballroom about an hour before the show. I found the guys’ road manager Jeff Smith a.k.a. Smitty. He allowed us to go backstage to see the guys before they went on. It was so cool. It wasn’t like seeing celebrities anymore, it was like seeing old friends. Thanks to Smitty, we had incredible seats for the show. The guys walked on stage and this tremendous roar came from the crowd. Mark walked up to his microphone and this is exactly what he said, “Hello. We are Hootie & the Blowfish. Our new record came out yesterday. It’s called Musical Chairs. This first song is from that album and I’d like to send it out to my buddy Chris. The song’s called ‘Wishing’!” You can imagine my excitement at this point. He even pointed to me when he said my name. People were looking at me as if to say, what makes him so special to have a song dedicated to him. I’m constantly asking myself the same question. The concert was unbelievable! It took me about a month to come down from the high I got that night. I’ve been fortunate to see Mark and the guys four more times this year. In February I got to see them on Letterman again. Once again, thanks to Dave’s people I was allowed to watch the guys rehearse before the show. I was also able to see Mark beforehand. He told me they didn’t have much time after the show because they had to go do another show, but the rest of the band wanted to see me. So after the show and after all the people left, the guys came out to see me. It was awesome!!!! We got our picture taken on the stage for the Late Show right in front of Dave’s desk. Here were four guys that were on an extremely tight schedule and they took the time to see me. You have no idea how special that made me feel. The last thing Mark said to me that night was, “We’ll get you to some shows this summer.” Boy was he right about that. I made it to three concerts this summer; Charlotte, North Carolina, Atlantic City, New Jersey and Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Each show this summer was so special for different reasons. Charlotte was awesome because not only was my parents and my aunt and uncle there to experience it with me, but also I got to meet Mark’s wife. Plus, thanks to Smitty, I was allowed to sit on the stage while the guys played. What a thrill that was. Atlantic City was great because after the concert I got to join the guys at a casino. I actually won $160.00! It was an unbelievable night. The best concert without a doubt would have to be the show in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. It was possibly the greatest night of my life! On the way down to Charlotte this year, I mentioned to my mom how cool it would be if Hootie & the Blowfish played at the Bethlehem Musikfest this year. My mom said that Hootie was too big to play there. I said yeah, but it would be awesome. Bethlehem Musikfest is a ten-day music festival. I live in Easton, Pennsylvania and Bethlehem is only fifteen minutes from my house, so we go to the Musikfest every year. About two weeks after the Charlotte concert, our local radio station announced that Hootie & the Blowfish were going to perform at this year’s Musikfest on August 15th. I couldn’t believe it! The stage that the guys were going to play at was located right on Moravian College’s campus. So not only were they going to be playing at the college I go to, but they were going to be there exactly three years after Mark asked me to become pen pals with him!! I literally counted down days to Musikfest. Unfortunately the days didn’t go fast enough for me. When August 15th finally arrived, I was so excited words cannot describe it. We got there about two hours before the concert started. I saw Jeff, HBF’s head of security. I gave him a Moravian College T-shirt for Mark. I asked if he would give it to him for me. He said absolutely. As always, thanks to Smitty we had incredible seats. First row to be exact! The opening band that night was Train. They were really good. My excitement increased as it became closer to HBF’s performance. The guys walked on to the stage and the crowd of over 22,000 went nuts. I was going wild because Mark was wearing the Moravian College T-shirt I got him. After the third song, Mark spotted me in the first row. He waved at me and pointed to his shirt. I just smiled as big as I could. Every song was just amazing. Then, something I didn’t really expect happened. Mark went up to his microphone and said the following, “This next song is another song from Musical Chairs. We’d like to dedicate it to a native of this area and a student here at Moravian College. His name is Chris Pittman and the song’s called ‘Wishing.’ Let’s give it up for Chris.” The crowd actually cheered. I was almost in tears. Mark looked at me for the entire song. It was like a dream come true for me. To top it all off, after their last song of their second encore, Mark jumped off the stage and gave me his guitar pick. It was awesome! After the show we went backstage. Once again, it was like seeing old friends rather than celebrities. That night along with every other HBF experience is one I’ll never forget.
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