Maria Savva's Blog - Posts Tagged "nyc"

My guest today is an accomplished entertainer, Jerry Castaldo. He regularly plays over 300 shows a year. He has opened for such stars as Jerry Seinfeld, David Brenner and Dom Deluise.
Jerry Castaldo has enjoyed playing such well-known venues as the Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City, NJ, and the Waldorf Astoria Hotel (including benefits honoring Christopher Reeve and Ray Charles). His repertoire spans the eras--everything from big-band favorites (he has also performed in concert with the Sammy Kaye Orchestra) to contemporary standards.

Watching him today, his audience would be unaware that twenty years ago Jerry was barely surviving. He had an addiction to drugs and alcohol and that led to criminal activity and even a suicide attempt. He is a survivor who proves that it's not impossible to turn your life around. In his memoir, Brooklyn NY: A Grim Retrospective, he has set out to explain his past and to be an example to people who may be going through similar struggles.

His book is a compulsive read. Jerry tells me that for the past two years it has been sitting at the #1 position in Top Rated Biographies and Memoirs of entertainers on Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/gp/top-rated/di...



Jerry not only agreed to answer my interview questions, but also to give away a signed print copy of his book to one of my blog followers! To be in with the chance to win this book, all you need to do is leave a comment for Jerry below, or simply 'Like' this interview. A lucky winner will be chosen on 20th January 2013.


Here's my interview with Jerry:



Your autobiography is a very honest and no holds barred account of your life growing up in Brooklyn New York. You have admitted to various crimes that you were in involved in when you were a teenager and in your twenties, and to a serious drug addiction and alcohol abuse problem. In the introduction to your book, you have stated that you were warned by some people that you should not publish this book as it may damage your career; I understand you're now a successful entertainer in New York. What was the driving force behind your decision to publish this book, despite the warnings?

First off, thanks for having me. Great question, Maria. The driving force behind my decision to publish this book, even though many in my professional circle had advised me not to, is very simple. I wanted to explain to everyone, including those who I grew up with and to my extended family and friends, exactly what was going on with me back then and to let them know who I really was.


How long did it take you to write the book? Had you kept diaries about your life, or were you just writing from memory?

Over the last twenty years, I’d tell people some of the incredible things I’d experienced in my travels growing up in New York City and around the world, and I’d always get a wide-eyed, jaw-dropping response coupled with, “Man, you’ve ‘got’ to write a book!” So I started making notes, grouping my stories into chronological order, where things happened and with whom I was with. That took about two years, and then the book took another year to actually write. Because I wanted the book to “move,” I wound up using on thirty percent of my notes, sticking to the really interesting stuff. I guess it paid off, because if you browse the over 300 “Five-Star” reader reviews on Amazon and Barnes and Noble Online, you’ll read the same descriptions of my book from these readers, over and over, “Fast-paced”, “This book really moves,” “I couldn’t wait to read what happened next” and so on.

I agree with those reviewers' comments. It's a fast-paced book, and I was definitely hooked!

Was it difficult for you to dredge up the memories from the past in order to write the book? You had, after all, faced some very hard times, and you'd also attempted suicide. Was the writing process cathartic in any way, or did it just bring back bad memories that you would have preferred to have forgotten?

I have a very good memory, despite my long-term alcohol and drug use. Of course while you are under the influence, you have blackouts, so there are many things that happened to me that I’ll never remember. I used to wake up some mornings, laying in my bed bloodied and with my clothing torn, sort of like the werewolf did in the movie. But anytime that I wasn’t high, I remember lots of details. Yes, it was difficult to dredge up, but there was no way around it. I just had to tell my story. I think my mother had a harder time because she had to relive it all when she read the book.

You have stayed away from crime, drugs, and other negative addictions for about 20 years now. That's a great achievement. In your book you've described how your life up until your early thirties had been dogged with drug/alcohol addiction and the inevitable criminal activity resulting from that. You seemed to go through times when you were clean and then rebound into the destructive behaviour again. In your life, what do you think are the factors that have ensured you have been able to kick your previous habits and successfully resist going back down that route again for such a long time?

As I write toward the very end of my book, when I finally walked into an AA meeting, that was the turning point. I attended one or more meetings every single day for over one year. That solid “base,” beginning, is what ensured that I’d never go back. Of course, there’s no guarantee I’ll stay clean and that’s why it is important for me to stay connected to AA in some way, so that I know it’s there if I should need them. I’m still a drug addict and an alcoholic, and I will be for the rest of my life, so there is always a chance of relapse, although I feel confident that it won’t happen to me. And if it ever does, I will seek help. By the way, this is not an AA book and I don’t preach. I only mention that organization at the very end of my story as they were who helped me.

In your book, it is clear that you were aware that your habits in your younger years were having a destructive effect on your relationships with partners, friends, and family. Do you think that there was anything the people close to you could have done to prevent you getting back on the downwards spiral after you were clean, or to prevent your suicide attempts? Or were these things that ultimately you take responsibility for?


As most family members and friends who are fortunate enough to get their own help from the group “Al-Anon” know, there is absolutely nothing that they can do to help the addict. They can only love them and make sure that they do not help the addict in such a way that would allow the addict to continue to use drugs and alcohol. For example, by giving them money to buy drugs or alcohol, or giving them a place to live free of charge, they only enable the addict to continue to slowly kill themselves. As difficult as this is, they must more or less abandon the addict so that he or she can fall flat on their face and hit rock bottom. To enable the addict is to help the addict die.



If you could go back to Brooklyn in the '60s/'70s and talk to your old self, what piece of advice do you think you would give, and do you think he would listen?

That’s easy. I would have said to myself, “Jerry, get help! Counseling, join AA or NA.” I wished I’d been committed to some kind of rehab. Many, many years of pain and suffering, for both me and my family and friends, could have possibly been avoided, had I heeded the advice that I “was” given at various times during my addiction.





Do you think it is always the circumstances in a person's life that will cause him or her to get involved in addictive and self-harming behaviour, or do you think it's the individual who is responsible?

I think it can be either or, and also a combination of both of those things. Of course, there is no hard and fast rule to anything when it comes to this subject. But again, if there is a mentor or someone else who is in a position to help or guide someone starting to engage in this type of behavior, then that is always a great thing. Unfortunately, for me, I was totally out of control and even though my parents loved and cared for me, they were unable to do anything.






From reading your book, I know that becoming a successful entertainer, for you, was always a dream that you reached for, even in your darkest days. Now you are living your dream, with relative success in that field, is it everything you dreamed it would be? What plans/hopes do you have for your career, and where do you see yourself in 5 year’s time?

Ah, the “where do you see yourself in 5 years” question. I work on my career 24/7 and I don’t give much thought to the future. When I first got into rehab, I found one “slogan” to be the most helpful and I now find it to be the most useful. That slogan is, “Live in the now.” Of course I plan for the future regarding my finances, making sure I’m booked a year ahead at all times and that sort of thing, but I focus on living each day to the fullest and not projecting too much. If I can never get any further in my career, I’m OK with that because I’m performing all the time and am able to maintain a nice home and lifestyle for myself. That, coupled with eating right and exercising regularly, make for a great life for me. Plus, I have a supportive, loving family. What more could I ask for?




What do you hope people will get out of reading your book?

Hope, inspiration and the ability to be able to see the “real me.” Not the crazed, drug-addicted, violent criminal that I had morphed into as a teenager growing up on the streets of Brooklyn, NY.



I understand that your current career involves 300 shows per year. What kind of things do you do in your shows?

I am primarily a singer who does a one hour show of songs from “The Great American Songbook” as well as songs from the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. I also play guitar in my show and I do some comedy by interacting with the audience. You won’t find me standing still on stage during my shows. I’m leaping, sliding and spinning.



As well as doing shows, you also record music. Do you have any albums or singles on sale that people can buy? If so, where can they buy them?

I have several original songs that I sing in my show that I plan to release on iTunes in the future. My original ballad, “When Did You Stop Loving Me?” is currently in production for a music video. A few months ago I was interviewed by one of the biggest radio shows in the US, “The Howard Stern Show,” and they also played my song on the air. I’m excited that such a hugely popular radio show, that has had up to 20 million listeners at times, has invited me back when the finished video is done. They also have an “On Demand” TV show of the radio show where snippets of my music video may play. You can view a two minutes video sneak preview of “When Did You Stop Loving Me?” on “You Tube” right now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Tczd...

Which entertainers were your favourites when you were growing up?

At age ten, I started playing guitar and started a band at eleven. We played a lot of The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin and other current rock songs in that vein. So I guess those bands we emulated were my favourites.





What sort of music do you like listening to?

My musical tastes run the gamut. I love everything. If I had to pinpoint any type of music that I wasn’t too excited about, I guess it’d be traditional Country music and “hard-core” rap.



Do you like reading? If so, what are some of your favourite books?

I love reading, and it was my favorite thing to do as a pre-teen. These days I’m mostly reading business related stuff though as I need to keep up with the entertainment industry as well as the book business. My favourite books have always been “self-help” types, such as “The Sky is the Limit” by Dr. Wayne Dyer. Other examples are, “The Road Less Traveled” and anything non-fiction that I can learn from.



Where are the best places for people to connect with you online?

Besides my website, www.jerrycastaldo.com, I’m very active on Facebook, You Tube and Twitter. Again, look for all of my music videos on my “You Tube” channel, along with acting videos of scenes and monologues that I’m using to increase my chances of securing more acting work.



Where can people buy your book?

Amazon, Barnes & Noble Online and most any other online bookseller. The huge Brooklyn Public Library recently gave “Brooklyn NY: A Grim Retrospective” a great review, and I’m excited to have so many other public libraries around the country carrying it. As far as “brick and mortar” bookstores, it’s hit or miss as to which ones choose to carry my book because the online booksellers seem to be where most readers find it easier to order from.



Do you have any news for your fans?

I’m excited to share that a couple of Independent film companies have contacted me about having my book adapted to a screenplay, but I’ll believe it when I see it, ha, ha. Also, I continue to perform about 300 of my music shows a year, mostly in the northeastern part of the US. Finally, please don’t forget to visit my “You Tube” channel, Friend me on FB or follow me on Twitter. It’s very exciting to be able to communicate directly with my readers and fans of my show. I make every effort to write everyone back. Wishing everyone a very healthy and happy 2013!

Happy 2013, Jerry! Thanks for taking the time out of your busy schedule to answer my questions. I wish you continued success with your career.

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Remember, for your chance to win a copy of Jerry's memoir, please leave a comment below or 'like' this post. Good luck!