DEAR BOB…

MY RESPONSE TO THE UNBELIEVEABLE OUTPOURING OF OPINIONS AND EMOTIONS IS OVERWHELMING..

ITS NOT BEEN AN EASY LIFE, IN FACT IT’S BEEN A HARD LIFE…BUT I BLAME NO ONE BUT MYSELF..I HAD A CHANCE TO HAVE IT ALL AND I BLEW IT WITH BAD DECISIONS AND AN INSATIABLE APPETITE FOR ANYTHING THAT FELT GOOD…..I REMEMBER STAYING AT THE SUNSET MARQUIS HOTEL WHEN "INTO THE NIGHT" WAS PEAKING AND I WAS DOING A LOT OF NATIONAL TELEVISION AND IN MY ROOM WERE BEAUTIFUL WOMEN AND ASHTRAYS FILLED WITH DRUGS…

WELL SPRINGSTEEN WAS ALSO STAYING THERE AND WE WOULD CHAT AND EXCHANGE PLEASANTRIES. I’D ALWAYS MAKE HIM LAUGH BY TELLING HIM HOW SICK I WAS OF HEARING "BORN TO RUN"…AND HE WAS A GREAT GUY..

BUT I SHOULD HAVE GOTTEN THE MESSAGE BACK THEN, BECAUSE WHILE MY ROOM WAS FILLED WITH ALL THE ROCK MAGS AND WOMEN AND DRUGS, BRUCE WAS SITTING POOLSIDE IN A PAIR OF BOXER SHORTS AND A WIFE BEATER READING THE WALL STREET JOURNAL….

I MADE SOME MISTAKES, YOU DAMN RIGHT…BUT MISTAKES WERE MADE BY POLYDOR AS WELL, AT THE MOST CRITICAL TIME OF MY CAREER COMING OFF OF A HUGE RECORD…AND THEN THE DRUGS TOOK OVER AND MY FRUSTRATION AND ANGER TOOK ME TO THE POINT OF NO RETURN..

MCGATHY STOOD BY ME AS DID A FEW OTHERS IN MY LIFE, BUT BASICALLY I DISAPPEARED BECAUSE I DIDN’T WANT ANYONE TO SEE ME AND SEE WHAT I HAD BECOME…I MAY NEVER SEE SUCCESS LIKE THAT AGAIN OR MAYBE THIS LATEST ALBUM THATS COMING OUT WILL SHOW EVERYONE THAT MY VOICE IS AS STRONG AS EVER AND THAT IN THIS, MY ACT THREE, I AM WRITING THE BEST SONGS OF MY LIFE…

I DEFY ANYONE TO LISTEN TO "THE TRAIN DON’T STOP HERE ANYMORE" OR "WHEN THE LIGHTS GO OUT" OR "INNOCENT GIRL" TO MENTION A COUPLE AND TELL ME THAT MY WORDS AND MELODIES ARE NOT THE GOODS…IT MAY OR MAY
NOT SELL..BUT ITS THE GOODS….

AND LET ME JUST SAY THIS…I LIVED THROUGH WHAT WOULD HAVE KILLED MOST MEN…AND AFTER I HAD LOST EVERYTHING AND EVERYONE, I QUIT A THOUSAND DOLLARS A DAY FREE BASE HABIT ON MY OWN, ALONE IN A ROOM IN SYRACUSE, NEW YORK, SIMPLY OUT OF MY STUBBORN REFUSAL TO NOT BE THERE TO RAISE MY NEWBORN SON SO HE HAD A FATHER BECAUSE I NEVER DID…NOW HE IS 20 YEARS OLD AND BEAUTIFUL….

AND I FACE MY PARKINSONS DISEASE LIKE I FACED EVERYTHING ELSE IN MY LIFE …HEAD ON WITH NO BLAME..I PLAY THE HAND THATS DEALT..AND I HAVE HAD SOME HARD HANDS TO PLAY..BUT THATS LIFE…MY LIFE..AND THROUGH IT ALL, I TRIED TO BE NICE TO EVERYONE AND GRATEFUL TO RADIO FOR THEIR LOYALTY TO "INTO THE NIGHT" WHICH LITERALLY KEPT A ROOF OVER MY SON AND MY HEAD AND FOOD ON THE TABLE..AND ALONG THE WAY BECAME ONE OF THE MOST PLAYED SONGS IN ROCK N ROLL HISTORY…

I MAY NEVER DO ANOTHER THING THAT PUTS ME RIGHT FINANCIALLY OR BACK ON THE RADIO…BUT NO MATTER WHAT, I’VE LEFT MY FOOTPRINT IN THE SAND WITH A BEAUTIFUL SONG CALLED "INTO THE NIGHT" THAT BROUGHT A LOT OF PLEASURE TO MILLIONS OF PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD…

I REGRET MY FOOLISH WAYS AND LOST OPPORTUNITIES….ROY ORBISON USED TO TELL ME…"BENNY JUST SING AND YOU’LL HAVE IT ALL"….I SHOULDA JUST SANG………..BENNY MARDONES