Remember the woman who came on here with a sob story that quickly unraveled when people started asking questions?
Like the headline says, she's still at it and it's been years since we last saw her here.
Now her story is more involved than before, many medical conditions, and since her first fundraiser didn't hit its goal she kept it up and has been updating weekly.
Unreal.
I'm an administrator of a local facebook community page and last night had someone post a Go Fund Me to cover plane tickets and hotel rooms so her kids could attend and compete in a horse show in Georgia.
We removed the post as one of our rules is no ads and we felt this qualified.
The conversation about the nerve of the horsey woman reminded me of our former fundraiser.
I do remember her. Kept posting old interviews she had done and needed a new apartment, I didn't realize she was still at it. Sucks to fall on hard times, always hope people land on their feet but it's a shame some people abuse those fundraisers and take advantage of the generosity of others.
I am not familiar with the person referred to on Ron's post.
I'm not a big fan of Go Fund Me (aka Come Pay My Bills). I've seen and donated to several drives that I know were worthwhile and legit. I've seen a bunch that ranged from people who lack personal responsibility, motivation or drive to pull their own cart - to others seeking help getting out of a hole that they dug.
In Alabama - during the Presidential campaign, the giant "Baby Trump" balloon was brought to a University of Alabama football game my an opposing campaign. While it was on display, this neanderthal attempt at a human being "attacked" the balloon with a knife - causing the balloon to deflate.
He was arrested and charged - then his friends (fellow hard core Trump supporters) started a GFM designed to pay his legal fees. GFM supposedly bans drives to raise legal expenses, but this guy's drive was worded/organized to where paying his fine wasn't the focus. He raised waaay beyond his legal fees and was allowed to keep the money - which he donated to the Trump campaign.
Rusty, after her first post on this site about her troubles people started asking questions because her story didn't quite seem 'right".
Every answer she gave led to more questions and finally we had the whole picture (we think) at the time.
She accused people of not paying her for work done, didn't have any legal way to get the money, etc.
Originally her plea was because her car was totaled but the company whose truck hit it wouldn't replace it, blah blah blah.
That led to questions when answered she admitted to living in the car.
It was an ongoing string of more bad luck, coincidences, much nuttery.
Yup. I recall. Didn’t think too much other than wondering how she interviewed all these folks and wrote so many pieces and didn’t have any paying gig.
Just figured she was an amateur freelancer or something.
ArleneWeiss was the username, right?
Everything in Moderation. Including Moderation.
@photoron286 As somebody who has known a few folks who fell onto hard times - via their own bad choices or just a run of really bad luck, I can commiserate with someone in her situation. Living in a car? That's some pretty down stuff. I've got stories I could tell ... but I wont. I hope that her lot in life improves. I do remember someone who would post "articles" and then pretty much demand that anybody who had read them send money. Unless you're a certified, seasoned and verified professional, journalism is a lot like playing music. Until your dream job takes off, it's wise to keep some sort of real job to make ends meet and such. I sincerely wish for better days for this person.
Funny you mention her as I just started getting a slew of emails in the past 6 months or so asking to Go fund Arlene after she first came on here years ago. I donated a small amount back then.
Hadn't heard anything until recently.
I'm OK with offering sporadic help but when it becomes a longer term dependency thing is where I draw the line. I really hope what you are saying is accurate so I can send those to junk. Otherwise I'll always wonder if I was turning my back on someone.....
@islalala [url] https://www.gofundme.com/f/save-arlene-she-needs-a-home [/url]
Do you remember how many years ago she was here?
Seems like for some - especially single women over 40 - it gets harder to pull themselves up the longer they stay out of the job market. There are a lot of people who think they're going to make $$$ as blog/instagram/tiktok stars. I know a young guy who had a tiktok vid go viral - got 1mm followers overnight; he was planning how to spend all the money that would roll in - what he got was a lot of free stuff to promote instead of actual cash to pay the rent. Think there are going to be a lot of sad stories due to Covid's effect on employment & housing; people fall through the cracks. I try to help those I know rather than blanket requests & it's a gift not a loan. The last thing people need is a debt hanging over them.
This is an interesting topic and let me relate something currently going on here in the Bay area that is closely related.
There is a local harmonica player here in the South Bay who has been around in the blues clubs here as long as I have been living here which is 36 years. I'll call him John (not his real name). This dude is the REAL deal. To prove it, let me tell you that he was in The Ford Blues Band for awhile which included Robben Ford and his brother Pat Ford (Robben's other brother Mark is also a harmonica player but was not active musically at that point in time). John is a VERY hot harmonica player and I will just leave it at that. Heard him in clubs many, many times.
About a month ago a musician friend named Scott messaged me and said John was living in a homeless shelter, was going to be booted from there soon, and did I know anyone who could help with a sofa for him to crash on? I certainly was not going to do that. I replied, "Why doesn't he get a job? Is his musician's ego too big to work for $12 an hour? If so, I'm not interested." Scott's reply? "He wants to work! He's looking."
John is in his early 60's now. I know from friends that he has been on hard times for about 5 years. He had a huge drinking problem but I hear he quit several years ago. His ex-wife was putting him up for years but apparently she has had enough. I didn't elaborate on the subject to Scott anymore, but my thinking is this: Sure, the ex has had enough: John is a freeloader who thinks the world owes him a living. As I mentioned to another friend who has known John for many years, "Classic Car Wash right down the street is starting people at $17.50 an hour. You can rent a room somewhere for that. But he'd have to show up every day and HUMP. Is a great harmonica player going to do that? I have sincere doubts." He agreed with me 100%. As mentioned, John has been on hard times for at least 5 years. IT DOESN'T TAKE 5 YEARS TO FIND A MINIMUM WAGE JOB, or a car wash job for $17.50. Why is it only urgent to do so now, after 5 years? Easy: John really does not want to work.
Now Scott has organized a benefit concert for John on April 17th. I may show up; hell, there's gonna be 15 or 20 GREAT local players there and it's only $10. I'd put in $20 if I go. Still, I have a bit of a hard time with this. WHY DOESN'T JOHN GET OFF HIS ASS AND SUPPORT HIMSELF? Answer, at least in my opinion: Because he thinks he is too damn good for Burger King or the car wash.
I know there are a lot of musicians out there. Interested in feedback.
It's perfect that he's a harmonica player. Probably never had to carry his own amp up a flight of stairs.
For a lot of us, our identities are tied to what we "do". It's an existential question until it's literal: what am I? I'm a banker. I'm a lawyer. I'm a musician. Oh no, I'm broke.
I'm sure we've all had thin financial stretches where we had to rethink how we will pay our bills. I've had stretches where I took work I wouldn't otherwise have said 'yes' to. But I had no other choice.
Some people want to work but are in such a rough patch where they can't claw their way out - whether it's transportation in an area that doesn't have decent public transportation, or ability to get clean clothes just to show up to fill out an application. They legit need money or assistance in order to take that first step. But once they take that first step they can take it from there.
But then some people will rationalize why they "can't" do something. I imagine it becomes more difficult to rethink who and "what" you are as you get older, but many people manage to reinvent themselves. I know some people who are too proud to accept charity, which makes it hard to understand why some people are too proud to be seen in coveralls.
I think that's what didn't smell right about the person Ron is referring to - she kept asking, and not just for help, but for a 1-bedroom apartment and a car. There are plenty of people who work hard all week and still can't afford that.
I think that's what didn't smell right about the person Ron is referring to - she kept asking, and not just for help, but for a 1-bedroom apartment and a car. There are plenty of people who work hard all week and still can't afford that.
That is exactly why the horse show fundraiser got me thinking of Arlene.
I was somewhat surprised to see she was still trying the online soliciting.
If I remember right, her first fundraiser goal was to get enough to replace her car.
It then increased to an apartment, now it's pretty much for every expense she has.
Can't really comment on the harmonica guy, but if you know where you can find a room for $17.50/night in the Bay area, shout out!
I have a lot of entertainment clients & my first advice is that their talent is only ONE part of them; they are also citizens who have to pay rent, transportation, health insurance, taxes, and act like a grownup unless they have a patron or parents/spouse who will support them indefinitely. They need to understand the business side of the entertainment field & make calculations as to how much they need to live on. This "oh, he's an artist" dreamy excuse for letting artists get by has always been a pet peeve even before I started working - Tom is a great sax player so let's pay for his dinner? movie ticket? late rent? seemed to crop up in college yet no one seemed to say Ted is a great chemist so let's subsidize him. I firmly believe that artists/musicians are smart people & just as capable of figuring out supporting oneself as the rest of us.
Drugs/alcohol aside, the ones that seem to have problems later in life are those who were successful out of the gate & either didn't plan for the future, didn't actually make enough to save, or didn't know enough about the business so they let their managers/agents/labels/film co take too much. The Rosemary Clooneys of the world ended successful careers singing at Holiday Inn lounges to pay the IRS because 1 of her husbands "forgot" to pay taxes. That's why once-big names do dinner theatre in south FL & background music at weddings. And that's IF the talent & health holds out.
And then there's Gregg, who presumably gave himself 2 years to try music before going to dental school as planned. Glad the music thing worked out.
Dang, I'm an artist an no one's ever offered to subsidize me. Maybe I should have thought to ask?
But it's not just artists or creatives - anyone who comes into a large amount of success, especially at a young age, can easily squander it. How many NBA and NFL stars end up bankrupt 10 years into "retirement"? Heck, I know construction workers who didn't plan on their bodies aging them right off the job site.
Making money can be easy, knowing how to keep it can be the hard part.
@cyclone88: Don't know where you are getting your numbers, I NEVER said you could find a room here for $17.50/night. I said you could start at the local car wash for $17.50 an hour, which based on a 40 hour week is $700 a week which adds up to $2,800 per month. Even with taxes taken out of that, you can easily rent a room in the Bay area for that.
You may want to get your facts straight regarding someone else's post before you try to tear it apart.
@cyclone88: Don't know where you are getting your numbers, I NEVER said you could find a room here for $17.50/night. I said you could start at the local car wash for $17.50 an hour, which based on a 40 hour week is $700 a week which adds up to $2,800 per month. Even with taxes taken out of that, you can easily rent a room in the Bay area for that.
You may want to get your facts straight regarding someone else's post before you try to tear it apart.
Chill. I didn't think that kind of job was a 40 hour week thing. I did misread the $17.50/hr translating to a night's room.
I was AGREEING w/you that artists aren't exempt from being responsible & paying their own way.
I too started getting weekly emails from gofundme for her about a month or more ago, I finally had to reset my GFM account settings cause unsubscribe had no effect. I think she must have kept adding my email back or something.
She certainly isn't getting more than sandwich money out of it. And that's PB&J level fixins from the dollar store
I don't recall the old thread, but, she's clearly not stable.
In explaining this thread to my girlfriend I told her about the original thread.
Then I told her why we questioned things like this, not taking them at face value.
Two subjects were revisited.
1. Cat caused a fire, send me your shows guy
2. Entitled high school kid who wanted dtb for a charity fundraiser that turned into a turf field for his rich school district
Y'all remember those good times?
Two subjects were revisited.
1. Cat caused a fire, send me your shows guy
Was that the guy that also wanted handicapped seating to ABB shows. Some of us saw him at the Niagara Falls shows and he was in a wheelchair. But he did want some of our best shows. 😉
Everything in Moderation. Including Moderation.
@lee I thought give me your best shows guy was from Georgia.
Yeah that does sound familiar now that you mention it. Tennessee maybe? But he was at the 2006 shows at the Niagara Falls casino in Canada. BigSix, Cujo, Wharfie and a few others were there.
The shows kind of sucked and were short but it was a fun weekend. I think that was the only time I've ever heard Rocking Horse & Soulshine back to back. 😮
Everything in Moderation. Including Moderation.
Yeah that does sound familiar now that you mention it. Tennessee maybe? But he was at the 2006 shows at the Niagara Falls casino in Canada. BigSix, Cujo, Wharfie and a few others were there.
The shows kind of sucked and were short but it was a fun weekend. I think that was the only time I've ever heard Rocking Horse & Soulshine back to back. 😮
Presumably in the background from the bar! 
lol! I was just thinking about that thread a few days ago. She was asking for $60 K. Some folks have a lot nerve. Not the first time and it won't be the last. Be cautious everyone.
I will be doing a GoFundMe so you all can help me put a paint job on my 72 Firebird. I only need 12K. If I promise to live in it, will you help me? This is a great cause, in spite of it being a play car that is not driven much. I NEED it damn it!!!!!
Yeah that does sound familiar now that you mention it. Tennessee maybe? But he was at the 2006 shows at the Niagara Falls casino in Canada. BigSix, Cujo, Wharfie and a few others were there.
The shows kind of sucked and were short but it was a fun weekend. I think that was the only time I've ever heard Rocking Horse & Soulshine back to back. 😮
Presumably in the background from the bar!
Funny you say that. The second night the third song was Rocking Horse so of course I had to leave. At this place when you leave the seating area you can't here anything in the lobby (it is a very nice place) so I got a beer, waiting until I thought the song was over. I start to go back in and Cujo comes out and says they just started Soulshine. I thought he was BSing me but I walked in and sure enough they were so I just turned around and went back to the bar.
AND I was in the front row next to BigSix. No long shows in casinos as has been discussed here before. And the best shows guy was toward my left. They let him get quite close as I recall.
Sorry to deviate from the topic. 😮
Everything in Moderation. Including Moderation.
@lee I was there with Mikey.
We did the Saturday show and I had my local high school graduation to shoot the next day.
We met Buffalo Bill & Gail that weekend, attended their wedding anniversary party.
Been to many shows in the Buffalo area with them.
Had a nice pre-show get together in Albany for ABB @ The Palace.
I will be doing a GoFundMe so you all can help me put a paint job on my 72 Firebird. I only need 12K. If I promise to live in it, will you help me? This is a great cause, in spite of it being a play car that is not driven much. I NEED it damn it!!!!!
Up it to 15K so you can get a matching Firebird guitar.
