Welcome back to
"Digging Up the Future,"
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Bible Prophecy Exposed.
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And we're excited this evening
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to have Pastor Louis
Torres with us again.
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He's been going through
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different Bible
truths and prophecies.
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You know, the Bible
says they overcame them
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by blood of the Lamb and
the word of their testimony.
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And tonight we're
going to be hearing
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Pastor Torres's
personal testimony
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and there's something about
hearing a personal testimony.
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How many of you enjoy hearing
those personal testimonies
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so what the Lord has done?
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And I'm looking forward tonight
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to having the Holy Spirit
with us as Louis testifies
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that the spirit would
testify to our hearts.
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How many of you
want that to happen?
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So let's just pray that,
that will happen this evening.
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Let's bow our heads.
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Father is heaven, we're thankful
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that there can be overcoming
power by the blood of the Lamb
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and that you can
give us a testimony
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that brings You all the
glory and all the praise
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and tonight as we
hear this testimony.
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As we hear this tribute to You,
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we just ask that Your spirit
would be with Pastor Torres
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and with each person
watching, each person here.
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And we thank You
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and we come in Your
all powerful name, amen.
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Well our special music tonight
will be in just a moment,
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before that let's stand together
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and sing our theme
song, Jesus is coming again
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"Marvelous Message we bring."
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Marvelous message we bring
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Glorious carol we sing
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Wonderful word of the King
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Jesus is coming again
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Coming again, coming again
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Maybe morning, maybe noon
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Maybe evening, but surely soon
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Coming again, coming again
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Oh what a
wonderful day that will be
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Jesus is coming again
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Well, you sung so
lovely, you can be seated.
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And I've just been
blessed as through this series
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Chris Albrecht has
been playing his trumpet.
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How many of you
been blessed by that?
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And he's going
to be playing a song
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this evening
entitled, "My Tribute."
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Amen.
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Let's pray together, shall we?
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Our Father, as
we spend time again
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this time as I
share the testimony
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we pray Your
spirit to be here present
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when Your angels
walk in these isles.
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You know, God,
what I share maybe
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that which will
lift up the hearts to You
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and bring glory to Your name is
my prayer in Jesus name, amen.
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Have you ever felt like
you wanted to feel complete?
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In the scripture it has a text
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and found in the
Book of Colossians
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and it's in 2:10.
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I want you to
notice the text that says,
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"Ye are complete
in him." And what?
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"Ye are complete in Him."
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When I was a young lad
growing up in New York City,
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I happened to be
born in Puerto Rico
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and my family was very poor.
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My mother had to
raise us up in New York City
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after my dad had
abandoned my mother
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and then finally after
my mother had remarried
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that husband passed away.
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And so it left my
mother with six boys
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and she had to raise us up
in New York City by herself.
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She also developed cancer
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and she had
arthritis and she had asthma.
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So she was a very sick woman.
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And there was
always challenges at home.
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And growing up poor
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and especially growing up in
the days of the west life story
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where we happened
to be Puerto Ricans
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and there were Italians
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and we always
had war with another.
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I pretty well got to the place
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where I didn't feel
like I amounted too much.
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In fact I remember one
time somebody coming up
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and I was around 10 years old
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and the man cleared his throat
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like he has something
horrible to get rid off
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and spat in the gutter and said
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why don't you go
back where you came from.
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I never knew that
I was worth spittle
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but it created
in me a real crisis.
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And I began to try
to figure out somewhere
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that I could become complete.
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But how do you become complete?
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Well, society
makes you think that
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in order for you to be satisfied
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like you have
really reached the,
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the heights of what
you want to accomplish
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is you try to do
something that you're good at
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and therefore you
can become complete.
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So I did all sorts of things.
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I remember thinking myself
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if I could just
become a good roller-skater.
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In those days roller
skates had the old metal wheels.
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I don't know how many of you
remembered the old metal wheels
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roller skates
with the ball bearings.
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At first they
didn't have ball bearings
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but then they finally
came out with ball bearings.
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And you could really
skate down the street.
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Well, in New York City of course
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there's no real
safe place to skate.
00:10:30.44\00:10:32.47
So you had to
become a pretty good skater
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because you have to
dash around the cars
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as they would come down
the street, you understand.
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And in those days cars were
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a lot heavier
than they are today.
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Do you know what I'm saying?
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In those days cars--
00:10:45.90\00:10:47.62
when you got hit by a car
you know you got hit by a car.
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And so the important thing was
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to always do the
escape and evasion.
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So we learned to
skate quite, quite well.
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I remember going down the street
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in a eagle form you know,
00:11:00.58\00:11:02.48
and doing all
sorts of wonderful tricks
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and jumping over sewer
hole, manholes and all of that
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and I thought,
boy, if I could just--
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then I got the bright idea.
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I thought, man, if I
could just learn to fly
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while I'm roller skating.
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And so I got myself
some garbage can tops.
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The old zinc garbage can tops.
00:11:19.62\00:11:22.15
And I thought, if I could
just skate as fast as I could
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and finally jump up in the air
I could start taking my flight.
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Well, I was discovered that,
that didn't worked that way.
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Then I got into trampolining
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and I thought if I could just
become a real ace trampolines
00:11:37.37\00:11:40.52
then I would feel complete.
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And I remember finally
getting the opportunity
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to do a double somersault.
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You know, most people do one
but if you can get to do a two
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well, then you're
going pretty good.
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So I remember
doing a double somersault
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and I could recall
getting so close to the mat
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my hair getting
so close to the mat
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and I thought to myself
I'll never try that again.
00:12:01.18\00:12:03.20
Because the idea is this
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if your head
gets caught on the mat
00:12:04.95\00:12:07.16
while you're doing a somersault
guess what, you're gone.
00:12:07.19\00:12:10.07
So I accomplished
defeat and decided
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that's good enough for me,
I need to do something else.
00:12:13.33\00:12:16.47
Then by this time I was
beginning to notice girls.
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And I thought that
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since the others
didn't made me complete
00:12:25.91\00:12:27.86
maybe this will make me
complete, do you understand?
00:12:27.89\00:12:30.41
if I could just get a
pretty girl in a school
00:12:30.44\00:12:33.37
I would be complete?
00:12:33.40\00:12:34.82
And I did get
myself a girlfriend
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and she was quite an
attractive young lady.
00:12:37.11\00:12:39.93
In fact I thought quite honored
that she became my girlfriend.
00:12:39.96\00:12:43.48
And I used to walk with her with
00:12:43.51\00:12:44.87
you know, her arm in my arm.
00:12:44.90\00:12:47.67
And I used to see the
other guys looking at me
00:12:47.70\00:12:49.71
and I used to think to myself,
eat your heart out, guys.
00:12:49.74\00:12:55.21
Well, I thought
that maybe complete
00:12:55.24\00:12:57.31
but I discovered
when summertime came
00:12:57.34\00:13:02.14
that she found somebody else.
00:13:02.17\00:13:05.99
And the worst of it was this
00:13:06.02\00:13:08.41
summertime came,
school ended, you know.
00:13:08.44\00:13:09.99
So that means we wouldn't
see each other everyday.
00:13:10.02\00:13:12.18
And then she broke off
with me to go with another guy.
00:13:12.21\00:13:14.79
And then there was
a rock and roll song
00:13:14.82\00:13:16.82
that became
popular during the summer,
00:13:16.85\00:13:18.80
in that particular summer.
00:13:18.83\00:13:19.98
And the words were this,
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"Yes, it's going to
be a cool lonely summer."
00:13:21.34\00:13:25.50
And every time I heard that
song what do you think I did?
00:13:25.53\00:13:28.63
I just cried to think
that I lost my completeness.
00:13:28.66\00:13:32.92
I finally decided that
maybe girls were not the answer
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and I noticed by this time that
00:13:41.68\00:13:44.88
rock and roll had
already gotten popular.
00:13:44.91\00:13:50.26
And I also noticed that people
who were rock and rollers,
00:13:50.29\00:13:54.74
looked like they were complete.
00:13:54.77\00:13:57.95
They had everything,
girls were scream at them
00:13:57.98\00:13:59.84
and you know
people would yell at them
00:13:59.87\00:14:03.29
and they had their cars
and they had their tuxedos
00:14:03.32\00:14:05.82
and all these
things and I thought,
00:14:05.85\00:14:07.44
"All right, well,
man, if I can just become
00:14:07.47\00:14:10.96
a rock roll musician
then I would be complete."
00:14:10.99\00:14:14.81
So I began to try to sing
00:14:14.84\00:14:16.94
and unfortunately
because I was very poor
00:14:16.97\00:14:19.84
we had no means of getting
music lessons or anything
00:14:19.87\00:14:22.62
and so when I began to
try to put a group together
00:14:22.65\00:14:25.44
I remember they
called me bitter tone
00:14:25.47\00:14:29.87
rather than better tone.
00:14:29.90\00:14:32.16
But I decided to continue
00:14:32.19\00:14:34.57
and then until finally
I learned to sing harmony
00:14:34.60\00:14:37.55
and not before long
by the time I was 13,
00:14:37.58\00:14:40.14
we had our own group
called Danny and the Twilights.
00:14:40.17\00:14:43.62
And now we had a
manager and sure enough
00:14:43.65\00:14:46.17
we had our own car
with our name written
00:14:46.20\00:14:48.83
on each side of it
and short skin suites.
00:14:48.86\00:14:52.42
I don't know how
many of you have,
00:14:52.45\00:14:54.12
ever had short skinned suits.
00:14:54.15\00:14:55.59
And for those of you
who are dinosaur aged
00:14:55.62\00:14:57.65
you remember
those things, don't you?
00:14:57.68\00:14:59.62
Our manager was so proud of us
00:15:03.92\00:15:05.65
we're little
tykes but we could sing.
00:15:05.68\00:15:08.65
And we began to
accelerate very quickly
00:15:08.68\00:15:12.82
in popularity in
Brooklyn, New York.
00:15:12.85\00:15:14.84
And then we were
taken up to the Bronx.
00:15:14.87\00:15:17.32
We sang at the
Puerto Rican casino
00:15:17.35\00:15:19.70
then we sang at
the Copacabana there,
00:15:19.73\00:15:22.79
the Cuban
Copacabana in Manhattan
00:15:22.82\00:15:27.24
and we were going places.
00:15:27.27\00:15:30.86
And I remember when
our practice hall was the--
00:15:30.89\00:15:35.12
the entrance to the
subway in the New York City.
00:15:35.15\00:15:38.28
If you want an
excellent echo chamber
00:15:38.31\00:15:40.67
that's were you have to go.
00:15:40.70\00:15:42.67
Because you
could sing like frogs
00:15:42.70\00:15:45.23
but inside the echo chamber,
you sounded like a prince.
00:15:45.26\00:15:48.77
And so we were going
there and we would practice.
00:15:48.80\00:15:51.07
Well, we didn't realized however
00:15:51.10\00:15:52.97
that by practicing
in the subway entrance
00:15:53.00\00:15:56.22
that people were
coming up and down
00:15:56.25\00:15:58.19
and we just got lot of contracts
00:15:58.22\00:16:01.35
just from people
who heard us sing
00:16:01.38\00:16:02.71
and they were so
impressed with our singing
00:16:02.74\00:16:04.16
that they want us to sing.
00:16:04.19\00:16:05.38
Well, they had to
contact our manager
00:16:05.41\00:16:07.02
and we would get booked
00:16:07.05\00:16:08.97
and we would
perform in different places.
00:16:09.00\00:16:12.07
But unbeknownst to us
00:16:12.10\00:16:14.54
along with the popularity
and along with all that,
00:16:14.57\00:16:18.51
that show business
brought other things came.
00:16:18.54\00:16:24.65
Danny who had quite the voice,
00:16:24.68\00:16:27.33
Danny had such a
golden voice that Count Basie.
00:16:27.36\00:16:31.88
I mean I'm calling up names
and some of you may recognize
00:16:31.91\00:16:34.97
and some of you
may not recognize
00:16:35.00\00:16:36.77
especially overseas or
wherever the viewers are.
00:16:36.80\00:16:40.39
Count Basie is the
famous jazz musician.
00:16:40.42\00:16:43.57
Anyway he was
acquainted with Danny
00:16:43.60\00:16:46.44
and wanted Danny to
leave us and go with him.
00:16:46.47\00:16:48.99
Fortunately, Danny
never did go with him
00:16:49.02\00:16:51.51
because we were very close
friends and we stayed together.
00:16:51.54\00:16:54.35
Danny had such a voice,
00:16:54.38\00:16:56.03
one of the songs that he loved
to sing was called "Valerie."
00:16:56.06\00:16:58.93
And that particular song
was of a person whose girl left
00:16:58.96\00:17:03.72
and he was brokenhearted
00:17:03.75\00:17:05.09
and he's crying
for her to comeback.
00:17:05.12\00:17:06.51
And so he takes
out the handkerchief
00:17:06.54\00:17:08.68
and he's down on his kneels
and he's crying in the song
00:17:08.71\00:17:12.13
and of course you
can see all the girls
00:17:12.16\00:17:13.63
just weeping and wailing
00:17:13.66\00:17:14.81
because Danny has weeping
over girl that has been lost.
00:17:14.84\00:17:19.85
We had the ability
to sing in such a way
00:17:19.88\00:17:23.96
and he had such
a magnificent voice
00:17:23.99\00:17:26.93
that when he sang you
could hear him for long ways.
00:17:26.96\00:17:31.31
Well, Danny got
involved also with drugs.
00:17:31.34\00:17:35.97
And by the time he was 15,
00:17:36.00\00:17:38.54
we found him
overdosed in front of his house.
00:17:38.57\00:17:43.22
So he was gone.
00:17:43.25\00:17:44.42
It was devastating
to us because we knew
00:17:46.96\00:17:51.51
that we could never find
another voice like Danny's.
00:17:51.54\00:17:56.46
Well, it was resilient and
we decided to continue to sing
00:17:56.49\00:18:01.78
and we started or formed--
00:18:01.81\00:18:04.36
there was another
group and we joined together
00:18:04.39\00:18:06.42
and that group then
became the "Vampires."
00:18:06.45\00:18:10.56
So, the Vampires
actually dressed like vampires
00:18:10.59\00:18:16.08
keep in all, our
car was a funeral hurst.
00:18:16.11\00:18:20.09
And everything
about us was vampires.
00:18:20.12\00:18:24.64
Even this-- notice, the
white on the sides there.
00:18:24.67\00:18:28.99
We'd a white spray
paint that you get you know,
00:18:29.02\00:18:31.63
hair spray or you
can spray white and comb
00:18:31.66\00:18:33.81
and then look
like we had white hair.
00:18:33.84\00:18:36.28
Everything was supposed
to kind of look vampires.
00:18:36.31\00:18:39.08
Well, we had a
manager with this group
00:18:39.11\00:18:42.24
and that manager was a
very well known in New York City
00:18:42.27\00:18:46.51
because he happened to be what
is called as Borough president.
00:18:46.54\00:18:49.82
In New York City
there are five Borough's,
00:18:49.85\00:18:51.63
Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens,
Manhattan, and Staten Island.
00:18:51.66\00:18:55.56
And he happens to be
00:18:55.59\00:18:56.62
the Borough
president of Brooklyn.
00:18:56.65\00:18:58.78
And because of that he'd
connections with City Hall
00:18:58.81\00:19:01.22
and he'd
connections with politicians.
00:19:01.25\00:19:03.21
And as a result then we had
00:19:03.24\00:19:05.54
a lot of wonderful
opportunities to perform.
00:19:05.57\00:19:09.94
I remember one time that he
took us to the Waldorf Astoria
00:19:09.97\00:19:13.46
now, I don't know
how many of you have
00:19:13.49\00:19:15.07
heard of that Waldorf Astoria.
00:19:15.10\00:19:17.37
It's a well known
hotel in New York City
00:19:17.40\00:19:19.92
and it's pretty
pricy to stay in that.
00:19:19.95\00:19:23.21
We then did performance for
00:19:23.24\00:19:25.06
all that the city
officials at that time
00:19:25.09\00:19:28.10
and I remember we'd
eight go-go girls with us
00:19:28.13\00:19:31.83
and we were performing
00:19:31.86\00:19:33.86
and Larry Desmond,
our manager then finally
00:19:33.89\00:19:37.22
after the performance they took
us upstairs to the penthouse.
00:19:37.25\00:19:40.97
And up there I
remember the girls
00:19:41.00\00:19:42.93
owing and awing about
some handsome Hispanic.
00:19:42.96\00:19:46.16
And I didn't know who it was
00:19:46.19\00:19:47.43
and finally discovered it
was a guy named Placido Domingo.
00:19:47.46\00:19:52.22
Any of you have
ever heard of that name?
00:19:52.25\00:19:55.03
And so we were constantly
finding ourselves in arenas
00:19:55.06\00:19:59.20
with people who
were famous etcetera.
00:19:59.23\00:20:02.22
And so I was thinking,
"Man, I'm on top of the world."
00:20:02.25\00:20:07.44
Do you
understand what I'm saying?
00:20:07.47\00:20:09.72
Here we have a manager and
we have all the connections.
00:20:09.75\00:20:12.44
We began to record records.
00:20:12.47\00:20:13.92
You know, in those days
if you really wanted to be
00:20:13.95\00:20:16.53
on top of the world you
have to record a record.
00:20:16.56\00:20:19.10
And so we began to record,
we recorded our first record,
00:20:19.13\00:20:22.23
we record our second
record and things were going,
00:20:22.26\00:20:25.71
going quite well for us
00:20:25.74\00:20:27.67
except that along with
that as well came the drugs.
00:20:27.70\00:20:33.23
One of the boys Tony,
he was a Boy Scout director
00:20:33.26\00:20:38.30
always he'd never
smoked and never drank etcetera
00:20:38.33\00:20:40.92
till he join
our band, our group.
00:20:40.95\00:20:44.77
And unfortunately the
last time my brother saw him,
00:20:44.80\00:20:47.13
he said that he was so,
what is called spaced out
00:20:47.16\00:20:51.30
that he was so drugged up
00:20:51.33\00:20:52.80
that he didn't
seemed to recognize anyone.
00:20:52.83\00:20:56.43
Sad to say, that
along with all the glee
00:20:56.46\00:21:00.74
and all the glitter came
things we had not bargained for.
00:21:00.77\00:21:07.35
Well, one of the problems we'd
was that drugs took their toll
00:21:07.38\00:21:11.55
and so after loosing two boys,
00:21:11.58\00:21:13.47
we finally ended
up with four of us.
00:21:13.50\00:21:16.35
And so it did mean that
00:21:16.38\00:21:19.72
we didn't
continue in those practices
00:21:19.75\00:21:22.26
it just means simply that
00:21:22.29\00:21:24.85
we just were
able to hang together.
00:21:24.88\00:21:29.19
By this time now, we
are pretty upset with,
00:21:29.22\00:21:33.40
the fact that we
had three managers.
00:21:33.43\00:21:38.30
We had the first
manager, the assistant manager
00:21:38.33\00:21:40.91
and the booking agent.
00:21:40.94\00:21:42.58
And some people
complain about God's plan
00:21:42.61\00:21:45.81
for example for
offering some tithes.
00:21:45.84\00:21:49.28
How many of you have
heard of tithing? Okay.
00:21:49.31\00:21:51.92
Some people say,
boy, tithing is so stiff.
00:21:51.95\00:21:54.76
Well, listen if you thing
that's bad go in show business.
00:21:54.79\00:21:57.94
Our manager we paid 20%,
the other manager we paid 10%
00:21:57.97\00:22:02.39
and the booking
agent we paid 20%.
00:22:02.42\00:22:04.72
So how much were we paying out?
00:22:04.75\00:22:06.64
We are paying 50% of our
income just to have managers.
00:22:06.67\00:22:10.57
So when I became a Christian,
discovered God only wanted 10%
00:22:10.60\00:22:13.51
I thought, man, that's a deal.
00:22:13.54\00:22:15.10
So, we had finally decided,
00:22:18.51\00:22:22.43
we got to have
get rid of our manager
00:22:22.46\00:22:24.08
because all our money
was going out for managers
00:22:24.11\00:22:26.15
and we didn't realize that,
the equipment belonged to him.
00:22:26.18\00:22:30.32
Somehow we knew it
but we forgot about it.
00:22:30.35\00:22:32.75
And when we broke off
our relationship with him
00:22:32.78\00:22:37.43
he kept all our equipments.
00:22:37.46\00:22:38.74
So we were without equipments.
00:22:38.77\00:22:42.60
So in the club we were
performing at that time
00:22:42.63\00:22:47.17
we told the owner that we
couldn't perform any longer.
00:22:47.20\00:22:50.51
He said, "why not?"
00:22:50.54\00:22:52.01
We don't have any equipment.
00:22:52.04\00:22:53.07
He said, "Well,
we'll take care of that,
00:22:53.10\00:22:54.61
tomorrow come and meet with me
00:22:54.64\00:22:55.80
and I will take you some place."
00:22:55.83\00:22:57.11
So the next day
we went with him,
00:22:57.14\00:22:58.59
he took us some place.
00:22:58.62\00:22:59.71
When we went to his club,
we could see along the walls,
00:22:59.74\00:23:03.32
pictures of famous people.
00:23:03.35\00:23:05.20
One of the first pictures
I saw was Frank Sinatra.
00:23:05.23\00:23:07.92
Many of you probably remember
or heard of Frank Sinatra.
00:23:07.95\00:23:11.83
We saw other
pictures of boxers etcetera.
00:23:11.86\00:23:14.62
Most of them were Italians
that were along the wall
00:23:14.65\00:23:18.38
and it turned out then that he--
00:23:18.41\00:23:20.75
they introduced
us to this gentleman
00:23:20.78\00:23:22.23
who had a big cigar
and came up to us and said,
00:23:22.26\00:23:24.99
"Boys, I
understand you got a problem."
00:23:25.02\00:23:27.08
Oh, yes.
00:23:27.11\00:23:28.57
"Well, we'll fix
that for you, boys."
00:23:28.60\00:23:30.74
He had this big
cigar and he said,
00:23:30.77\00:23:32.17
"I am Godfather
for arena for you."
00:23:32.20\00:23:34.80
Nicky was his name.
00:23:34.83\00:23:35.95
And so that
became our Godfather.
00:23:35.98\00:23:40.72
Then he said "We'll
take you and get your stuff."
00:23:40.75\00:23:43.31
So they took us, he took us
over to a music shop Sam Ash
00:23:43.34\00:23:47.09
which was a very
popular music store
00:23:47.12\00:23:49.51
right there on
45th street Manhattan
00:23:49.54\00:23:51.97
and he said "boys,
whatever you want, go and get."
00:23:52.00\00:23:54.29
We couldn't believe
that. "Are you sure?"
00:23:54.32\00:23:56.01
"Yes, go ahead,
get whatever you want."
00:23:56.04\00:23:57.87
We went crazy like
kids in the Christmas story,
00:23:57.90\00:24:00.88
you understand?
00:24:00.91\00:24:01.94
And we took everything
we thought and then he said,
00:24:01.97\00:24:04.37
"Doesn't look
like you have enough."
00:24:04.40\00:24:06.34
Well, we'd all that we needed.
00:24:06.37\00:24:08.12
He said, "Well, go
ahead and make sure."
00:24:08.15\00:24:09.49
And so we went and
got some more stuff.
00:24:09.52\00:24:11.87
Anyway then he
said, "Are you finished?"
00:24:11.90\00:24:13.34
Yeah, we're finished.
00:24:13.37\00:24:14.67
And we'd never seen so
much money at one time.
00:24:14.70\00:24:17.60
He took out a lot
of money, all of his--
00:24:17.63\00:24:20.01
a ward, out of his pocket
00:24:20.04\00:24:22.43
and just counted it
out and paid it cash.
00:24:22.46\00:24:26.48
Our mouths were open
because now we'd hit it rich.
00:24:26.51\00:24:31.85
You understand what I'm
saying? We were in it now.
00:24:31.88\00:24:35.11
Well, he took us back
to that club and he said,
00:24:35.14\00:24:37.70
"Okay boys, now you gonna
00:24:37.73\00:24:39.07
need to sign a
little piece of paper."
00:24:39.10\00:24:41.59
And so we singed a
little piece of paper.
00:24:41.62\00:24:43.89
It was a contract and
the name of the people
00:24:43.92\00:24:48.16
that we sign the contract with
was called "The Association."
00:24:48.19\00:24:52.02
And I think
most of you recognize
00:24:55.65\00:24:57.12
what that means, right?
00:24:57.15\00:24:59.08
And so now we were
00:24:59.11\00:25:00.45
under the protectorship
of The Association.
00:25:00.48\00:25:04.55
The other name--
known name, the Mafia.
00:25:04.58\00:25:08.98
Well, it was all
right we thought.
00:25:09.01\00:25:13.79
Now we have all
the protection we want
00:25:13.82\00:25:15.36
and we can do everything we want
00:25:15.39\00:25:16.63
and we can
really, really stay high.
00:25:16.66\00:25:18.75
If they protect and they
support these other people
00:25:18.78\00:25:21.89
then certainly
they can support us
00:25:21.92\00:25:23.61
and we'll go as
high as they've gone.
00:25:23.64\00:25:26.02
Remember now, I'm trying
to find how I can be what?
00:25:26.05\00:25:30.38
Complete.
00:25:30.41\00:25:31.57
And so in my pursuit
of becoming complete,
00:25:31.60\00:25:34.02
I was willing to
sacrifice a lot of things
00:25:34.05\00:25:36.37
that otherwise I
would have never sacrificed.
00:25:36.40\00:25:38.71
And that's what happens to us.
00:25:38.74\00:25:40.42
We tried to find completeness
00:25:40.45\00:25:42.33
and we think we could
find it in this and that
00:25:42.36\00:25:44.67
and we're willing to sacrifice
anything to accomplish it,
00:25:44.70\00:25:48.37
to get it, is that true?
00:25:48.40\00:25:50.11
Many many people
sacrifice principles and morals
00:25:50.14\00:25:53.33
just to find what
they think is completeness
00:25:53.36\00:25:56.49
only to discover that
00:25:56.52\00:25:58.52
you cannot find
completeness in those things.
00:25:58.55\00:26:01.28
Well, I didn't know that.
00:26:01.31\00:26:02.82
So we're
performing in this clubs
00:26:02.85\00:26:05.74
but things are going
down, I see what's happening,
00:26:05.77\00:26:09.24
I'm getting concerned
00:26:09.27\00:26:10.30
because my
brother told me one time,
00:26:10.33\00:26:13.46
never get
involve with that group
00:26:13.49\00:26:15.20
because once your
in you can't get out.
00:26:15.23\00:26:17.87
Well, I understood
that but the popularity,
00:26:17.90\00:26:23.02
the protection and
everything that came with it,
00:26:23.05\00:26:24.87
we thought it was great.
00:26:24.90\00:26:26.20
But I began to get
more and more concerned
00:26:26.23\00:26:28.03
and the thing about it is this,
00:26:28.06\00:26:29.99
that while we were performing
and everything was going great,
00:26:30.02\00:26:35.64
I felt complete until
I went to the motel room.
00:26:35.67\00:26:40.62
And It was those
moments, when you buy yourself
00:26:40.65\00:26:43.55
that you begin
to kind of reflect
00:26:43.58\00:26:45.70
and think to
yourself, what am I doing here?
00:26:45.73\00:26:49.62
I felt there was
something missing
00:26:49.65\00:26:50.88
and I didn't know what it was.
00:26:50.91\00:26:52.83
But I didn't think
that it was religion
00:26:52.86\00:26:55.76
because prior to my
get into the show business
00:26:55.79\00:26:59.81
I remember that
I had Jewish kids,
00:26:59.84\00:27:02.64
they took me to the synagogue
00:27:02.67\00:27:03.77
but they only took
me to the synagogue
00:27:03.80\00:27:05.42
to teach me how they
could get drunk for free.
00:27:05.45\00:27:09.26
The next door
neighbor boy, was the alter boy
00:27:10.70\00:27:13.72
and he had the
filthiest mouth on the block.
00:27:13.75\00:27:16.95
And unfortunately the
priest used to invite my friends
00:27:16.98\00:27:20.27
and you understand
the rest of the story.
00:27:20.30\00:27:23.31
And so I got to the
place where I thought
00:27:23.34\00:27:26.35
religion was for
people who are ugly or old.
00:27:26.38\00:27:32.37
If you are ugly or
old you can't really
00:27:32.40\00:27:34.25
get with it out in the world,
00:27:34.28\00:27:36.72
so you might as
well go the Church.
00:27:36.75\00:27:39.00
So that's what I thought.
00:27:39.03\00:27:40.36
I didn't liked the environment
00:27:43.46\00:27:45.04
and finally we were performing
00:27:45.07\00:27:47.26
in a night club
upstate New York.
00:27:47.29\00:27:50.56
It was about Christmas time,
00:27:50.59\00:27:51.63
the boys wanted to
go back to our home club
00:27:51.66\00:27:53.37
which was nugget I
didn't want to go back there.
00:27:53.40\00:27:56.27
So I threatened them, I said,
00:27:56.30\00:27:58.30
"if you go back I will quit."
00:27:58.33\00:27:59.78
I thought I was
so important to them,
00:27:59.81\00:28:01.11
they wouldn't go back
there, you understand.
00:28:01.14\00:28:03.20
Well, they were
just as proud as I was.
00:28:03.23\00:28:04.90
And they said "Fine,
you want to quit then quit
00:28:04.93\00:28:06.93
we we're going back."
00:28:06.96\00:28:08.51
Well, it shocked me.
00:28:08.54\00:28:10.62
And they then went to the
club and then what they did was
00:28:10.65\00:28:15.79
they confiscated my equipment
00:28:15.82\00:28:17.93
to force me to
performing in the clubs.
00:28:17.96\00:28:19.31
So I gave them two weeks.
00:28:19.34\00:28:20.37
I said "Okay,
I'll give you two weeks
00:28:20.40\00:28:21.73
and then you'll need
to find somebody else."
00:28:21.76\00:28:23.63
And that's what I did, I quit.
00:28:23.66\00:28:25.02
And by that time I was so angry
on that what they did to me,
00:28:25.05\00:28:27.90
take my equipment and
try to force me to play.
00:28:27.93\00:28:30.55
Then I said, "Okay,
I'm done with you guys."
00:28:30.58\00:28:33.23
Well, its one thing to
get angry and make a decision
00:28:33.26\00:28:36.30
it's another
things what do you do now?
00:28:36.33\00:28:38.76
Do you understand?
00:28:38.79\00:28:40.08
All my completeness
went down the drain.
00:28:40.11\00:28:42.96
Now I was not performing,
now I was with no one.
00:28:42.99\00:28:45.29
So one night I was in a
night club, Greenwich Village
00:28:45.32\00:28:48.66
visiting a friend of
mine who is performing
00:28:48.69\00:28:50.65
and at the break I
noticed somebody came,
00:28:50.68\00:28:53.25
was talking to him and he was
pointing toward my direction.
00:28:53.28\00:28:56.52
So this fellow came up
to me and he said to me,
00:28:56.55\00:28:59.67
"I understand
you're good bass player."
00:28:59.70\00:29:01.47
Well, what about it.
00:29:01.50\00:29:02.53
He said, "Well,
we're looking for someone
00:29:02.56\00:29:05.92
for Bill Haley & His Comets.
00:29:05.95\00:29:07.91
Now when I was
performing as a bass player,
00:29:07.94\00:29:11.76
here is a shot of us
performing in the nugget.
00:29:11.79\00:29:16.44
There I'm playing bass guitar.
00:29:16.47\00:29:18.66
Tony is playing at most
right which is dual neck guitar.
00:29:18.69\00:29:22.96
So you have a six
strings and 12 string
00:29:22.99\00:29:24.72
and Mandy playing the
12 string rhythm guitar.
00:29:24.75\00:29:31.02
You see our
equipment behind there,
00:29:31.05\00:29:32.55
that's the equipment
that was bought for us
00:29:32.58\00:29:34.85
by The Association
and so we're going places.
00:29:34.88\00:29:39.68
I got to the place where I
could do a solo in the split.
00:29:39.71\00:29:44.50
So I would go into a split
00:29:44.53\00:29:46.29
and then I put the
bass guitar behind my neck
00:29:46.32\00:29:48.84
and the guys
could stand astride.
00:29:48.87\00:29:50.55
And I would go underneath them
00:29:50.58\00:29:51.67
while I'm
playing this bass solo.
00:29:51.70\00:29:53.34
So I became pretty professional
in utilizing the instruments
00:29:53.37\00:29:57.36
and also I was the one
00:29:57.39\00:29:59.33
who organized the
harmony for the group etcetera.
00:29:59.36\00:30:02.20
Well, when this gentleman said,
00:30:02.23\00:30:04.41
"I understand you
play at pretty good place."
00:30:04.44\00:30:05.91
I told him, "You're
correct. How did you know that?"
00:30:05.94\00:30:09.41
Well, I've been told
that pretty good bass player
00:30:09.44\00:30:12.07
and if you want to
play with the Comet
00:30:12.10\00:30:14.29
we like to audition you.
00:30:14.32\00:30:15.83
Well, I didn't believe it
00:30:15.86\00:30:16.89
because in New York City
there are lot of phony's.
00:30:16.92\00:30:19.20
A lot people a lot of
people will offer you the world.
00:30:19.23\00:30:20.94
Brooklyn Bridge has been
sold many times to foreigners.
00:30:20.97\00:30:23.49
Do you
understand what I'm saying?
00:30:23.52\00:30:24.89
And so I was
cautious but he said,
00:30:24.92\00:30:28.94
"If you want the
opportunity you can have it."
00:30:28.97\00:30:31.24
So, what do I have to do?
00:30:31.27\00:30:32.86
"Well, tomorrow you meet
with me and we'll audition."
00:30:32.89\00:30:35.94
Well, the next day I
went and in the audition,
00:30:35.97\00:30:37.96
"Can you play this?" Yes.
00:30:37.99\00:30:39.03
"Can you play
that? Can you play this?"
00:30:39.06\00:30:40.10
"Can you play that?"
Yes, I could play everything.
00:30:40.13\00:30:42.06
And so finally I was
on. I couldn't believe it.
00:30:42.09\00:30:45.29
To all of a sudden
take a jump from a group
00:30:45.32\00:30:51.24
that was performing
just around New York City
00:30:51.27\00:30:53.72
and some other
states up to a group
00:30:53.75\00:30:56.00
that was well
known around the world.
00:30:56.03\00:30:58.14
How many of you remember
Bill Haley & His Comets, okay.
00:30:58.17\00:31:00.76
And so, now I'm
part of the Comets.
00:31:00.79\00:31:05.85
I remember the
first time meeting Bill.
00:31:05.88\00:31:08.33
Bill was a very kind
of reclusive individual.
00:31:08.36\00:31:12.98
We rarely saw
him during day time.
00:31:13.01\00:31:15.14
We only saw him when we got
together in the dressing room
00:31:15.17\00:31:19.79
and talked about
what needed to take place,
00:31:19.82\00:31:22.41
and what we're going to perform.
00:31:22.44\00:31:24.30
By this time, I
was doing the solo,
00:31:24.33\00:31:27.01
singing this song 'La bamba.'
00:31:27.04\00:31:29.11
I don't know how many of
you remember any of those songs.
00:31:29.14\00:31:31.44
And so now we're performing.
00:31:31.47\00:31:34.60
I was a soloist as well as
the bass player for the Comets.
00:31:34.63\00:31:38.98
I thought now I
would be complete.
00:31:39.01\00:31:44.63
And I thought by
joining the Comets
00:31:44.66\00:31:46.26
things would be better
because life would be better
00:31:46.29\00:31:48.41
with a higher group of
higher caliber etcetera.
00:31:48.44\00:31:52.56
But I discovered
to my amazement that
00:31:52.59\00:31:55.27
it didn't
workout the way thought.
00:31:55.30\00:31:57.25
Here's a newspaper clipping
00:31:57.28\00:31:58.31
of one of the
performances that we did.
00:31:58.34\00:32:00.79
If you notice I'm over here.
00:32:00.82\00:32:02.51
And they used to call me Louie.
00:32:02.54\00:32:04.01
Do you see that, Louie Torres.
00:32:04.04\00:32:07.87
As we were performing--
00:32:07.90\00:32:10.23
while we were performing
there was the acceleration.
00:32:10.26\00:32:12.44
It was excitement but still
there was something missing.
00:32:12.47\00:32:15.43
And I could not
understand what it was.
00:32:15.46\00:32:18.22
I thought the fact
just have more girls
00:32:18.25\00:32:19.89
if I just have more
drugs or if I had more liquor.
00:32:19.92\00:32:23.57
If I had more
activity, if I had more money,
00:32:23.60\00:32:26.09
if I had more dress.
00:32:26.12\00:32:28.16
Something has to hit
it but nothing ever did.
00:32:28.19\00:32:31.17
No matter how high you went
00:32:31.20\00:32:32.47
you always felt
you had to go higher.
00:32:32.50\00:32:34.64
No matter how
much activity you did,
00:32:34.67\00:32:36.44
you always to feel like
you'd to do more activity.
00:32:36.47\00:32:39.30
There was never enough, there
was always something missing
00:32:39.33\00:32:43.12
and I had no
understanding what it was.
00:32:43.15\00:32:46.03
But you feel like this is life
00:32:46.06\00:32:48.80
you do the best you can with it.
00:32:48.83\00:32:50.34
And so you live it
and that's the way I felt.
00:32:50.37\00:32:55.11
Then of course in
performing with the Comets
00:32:55.14\00:32:57.59
I discovered that that the
drug problem was there as well.
00:32:57.62\00:33:01.67
One of the fellows
I won't tell you who
00:33:01.70\00:33:03.44
but one of the fellows
had a $200 a day drug habit.
00:33:03.47\00:33:07.06
Now I'm speaking about
1966, 1967, 1968-- $200 per day.
00:33:07.09\00:33:14.98
He was so skinny as he
kept on using the drugs
00:33:15.01\00:33:18.46
he just get
skinnier and skinnier
00:33:18.49\00:33:20.38
that the tuxedos, we had
to actually straight pin them.
00:33:20.41\00:33:23.90
You know, we get straight pin
00:33:23.93\00:33:25.74
and in the back we
would pull it together
00:33:25.77\00:33:27.44
and then put straight
pins up the back of his coat.
00:33:27.47\00:33:30.26
And he would button in the front
00:33:30.29\00:33:31.55
so it looked like it fit him.
00:33:31.58\00:33:33.48
But reality he'd
all the straight pins
00:33:33.51\00:33:35.09
in the back of his tuxedo.
00:33:35.12\00:33:36.58
Well, nobody knew that
00:33:36.61\00:33:37.64
because he never gave
his back to the audience.
00:33:37.67\00:33:39.42
But that helps you to
understand how glorious it was
00:33:39.45\00:33:42.21
for us to be in show business.
00:33:42.24\00:33:44.03
Most people will
not tell you the truth
00:33:44.06\00:33:45.91
but I'm telling you the
truth, living in suitcases
00:33:45.94\00:33:48.57
and living that kind
of life is full budge.
00:33:48.60\00:33:52.97
And you know even
we should on them.
00:33:53.00\00:33:55.23
Anyway it was a highlife,
00:33:55.26\00:33:57.77
it seemed to be the
way to feel complete
00:33:57.80\00:34:00.29
but I found myself,
my morals had changed.
00:34:00.32\00:34:03.24
They'd corrupted by
my whole thinking process
00:34:03.27\00:34:06.48
everything that I did
I became self-centered,
00:34:06.51\00:34:08.49
I became hard and callous.
00:34:08.52\00:34:11.09
Everything that I never thought
I would ever become I became
00:34:11.12\00:34:14.43
while I was in show business.
00:34:14.46\00:34:16.08
And I didn't like it
00:34:16.11\00:34:17.40
but I didn't know
that there was a way out.
00:34:17.43\00:34:19.79
Well, we then took a vacation.
00:34:19.82\00:34:26.16
We were gonna go on a
world tour with the Comets
00:34:26.19\00:34:29.98
and we were going to
compete against The Beatles.
00:34:30.01\00:34:32.09
Any of you remember The Beatles?
00:34:32.12\00:34:34.68
The Beatles had
written some article
00:34:34.71\00:34:36.39
that was
derogatory of our musicianship
00:34:36.42\00:34:38.65
and so we decided that we
gonna go compete with them
00:34:38.68\00:34:41.45
and demonstrate
who could play better.
00:34:41.48\00:34:45.17
Bang Bang, our
drummer was the one
00:34:45.20\00:34:47.63
who had done the drums
solo for the song Caravan.
00:34:47.66\00:34:52.17
I don't know if any
of you remember that song
00:34:52.20\00:34:54.07
with that drum
solo, that was Bang Bang.
00:34:54.10\00:34:56.25
Rudy Pompilli was
the saxophone player.
00:34:56.28\00:34:58.20
He was the one who
had done the Yakety Sax
00:34:58.23\00:35:01.52
one of those old
songs if you remember that.
00:35:01.55\00:35:04.20
And so we had some
excellent musicians with us.
00:35:04.23\00:35:07.60
And so we're
looking forward to that.
00:35:07.63\00:35:09.20
However we took a
vacation and when I got home
00:35:09.23\00:35:12.19
I want to get
comfortable only to discover
00:35:12.22\00:35:15.76
that I could not
open the door completely.
00:35:15.79\00:35:17.52
And so I tried to push myself
00:35:17.55\00:35:19.34
and see what was behind the door
00:35:19.37\00:35:21.15
I discovered
that my brother Willie
00:35:21.18\00:35:24.38
was on his knees, praying.
00:35:24.41\00:35:26.59
And that spooked me
00:35:26.62\00:35:28.55
because I had never
seen my brother praying.
00:35:28.58\00:35:32.46
We grew up as
tough boys in the yard.
00:35:32.49\00:35:34.82
My brother was
the Vice President,
00:35:34.85\00:35:37.49
pardon me, the President
00:35:37.52\00:35:38.60
of the largest gang
in the New York City,
00:35:38.63\00:35:41.06
The Dragons, the
Puerto Rican gang.
00:35:41.09\00:35:43.74
My other brother
was into terrorism.
00:35:43.77\00:35:45.82
What I'm telling you is that
00:35:45.85\00:35:47.71
we were into
all sorts of things.
00:35:47.74\00:35:51.11
And we respected
mother, she had her real ways,
00:35:51.14\00:35:55.09
she would always
go and I remember her
00:35:55.12\00:35:57.81
when I was a young lad
00:35:57.84\00:35:59.80
one of us always had
to go with her to shop
00:35:59.83\00:36:02.03
because she had
arthritis and she had asthma.
00:36:02.06\00:36:04.58
And so to carry
her stuff for her
00:36:04.61\00:36:06.82
but when the sirens would sing--
00:36:06.85\00:36:09.17
with sound at noon
day in the New York
00:36:09.20\00:36:11.70
because of the fear of
an atomic bomb falling,
00:36:11.73\00:36:16.24
she would stop as soon
as the siren would ring
00:36:16.27\00:36:18.43
its was mid-- noon day.
00:36:18.46\00:36:20.10
You know what she would do?
00:36:20.13\00:36:21.27
She would lift up her
hands up to the sky like this,
00:36:21.30\00:36:24.87
right there in the streets
and she begin to pray for us.
00:36:24.90\00:36:30.21
( speaking foreign language )
00:36:30.24\00:36:31.63
I will never forget her voice.
00:36:31.66\00:36:33.94
My God, take care of my boys
00:36:33.97\00:36:35.79
and she'd mentioned
each one of us by name.
00:36:35.82\00:36:38.46
( speaking foreign language )
00:36:38.49\00:36:40.58
She would go down and we would
act like we didn't know her,
00:36:40.61\00:36:43.53
look in the store it's so fun.
00:36:43.56\00:36:45.05
You understand what I'm saying.
00:36:45.08\00:36:47.24
Now I regreted I did
that but you understand
00:36:47.27\00:36:49.74
when you're
ignorant, you're ignorant,
00:36:49.77\00:36:50.89
isn't that true?
00:36:50.92\00:36:52.08
You don't know any better,
you don't know any better.
00:36:52.11\00:36:53.71
Well, my brother is praying.
00:36:53.74\00:36:56.29
So I go to my mother and said,
00:36:56.32\00:36:57.56
"What in the
worlds happened to him?"
00:36:57.59\00:37:00.24
"Oh, leave him
alone, he's religions."
00:37:00.27\00:37:02.32
So he comes and he
comes to talk to me about God.
00:37:02.35\00:37:06.93
You know like Jesus and
I got so upset with him.
00:37:06.96\00:37:10.23
I said "Look, you
have to keep it yourself.
00:37:10.26\00:37:12.36
Don't talk to me about it."
00:37:12.39\00:37:13.42
Well, you don't understand.
00:37:13.45\00:37:14.48
I understand, if you keep on
talking we gonna have to fight.
00:37:14.51\00:37:17.06
So he left me alone.
00:37:17.09\00:37:19.62
Well, few days later,
my oldest brother shows up.
00:37:19.65\00:37:23.31
And he says to me
I'm gonna get baptized.
00:37:23.34\00:37:28.04
And I want you to come
to the baptismal service.
00:37:28.07\00:37:31.08
I don't know what
he was talking about.
00:37:31.11\00:37:32.96
"You gonna get baptized."
He's talking about God.
00:37:32.99\00:37:35.97
And because he was the oldest
brother and had left school
00:37:36.00\00:37:41.05
and went to work to support us
00:37:41.08\00:37:42.88
we always respected
him as the eldest brother.
00:37:42.91\00:37:45.39
Do you understand?
And so I respect then.
00:37:45.42\00:37:47.80
I went, when I
arrived at the church
00:37:47.83\00:37:50.18
I'll never forget, I
had the Tommy John shirt.
00:37:50.21\00:37:53.75
I don't know how
many of you remember,
00:37:53.78\00:37:55.00
Tommy John shirt was
kind of open up in the front,
00:37:55.03\00:37:56.83
tear down to
almost the belly button
00:37:56.86\00:37:58.66
you know, to show
how much are you wearing.
00:37:58.69\00:38:00.31
Do you know
understand what I'm saying?
00:38:00.34\00:38:01.44
And then it had kind
of like a bloomer sleeve
00:38:01.47\00:38:03.27
and I'd bell bottom hip hugger
rainbow color palsy, okay.
00:38:03.30\00:38:09.38
And I'd hair
down to my shoulders
00:38:09.41\00:38:11.42
and I had ring on every finger
00:38:11.45\00:38:13.12
and so I came
with my showbiz best.
00:38:13.15\00:38:17.88
And when I
entered into the church,
00:38:17.91\00:38:20.06
I'm glad the
Lord had mercy on me.
00:38:26.17\00:38:31.23
Think about it, friends,
00:38:31.26\00:38:32.29
if I felt so uncomfortable
there in that audience,
00:38:32.32\00:38:34.98
what would had happened
00:38:35.01\00:38:36.24
if the Lord had taken
me directly to heaven?
00:38:36.27\00:38:39.22
So I kind of shrunk into
the seat pew and watched.
00:38:40.90\00:38:46.79
Well, the ministry
took my sister-in-law
00:38:46.82\00:38:49.67
and she was gonna get baptized
00:38:49.70\00:38:51.15
and put her in
the water and came up,
00:38:51.18\00:38:53.03
out of the water
again and she was crying.
00:38:53.06\00:38:55.58
I remember thinking to myself,
00:38:55.61\00:38:57.13
"Silly woman, they
always cry about nothing."
00:38:57.16\00:39:00.53
And then my brother stood
there and he said some words
00:39:00.56\00:39:03.20
and put my brother under
water and bring him up again
00:39:03.23\00:39:04.89
and my brother is
crying and that troubled me.
00:39:04.92\00:39:07.25
I'd never seen my
brother cry, never.
00:39:07.28\00:39:10.57
One time two guys caught him,
00:39:10.60\00:39:11.74
three guys actually
from the opposite gang.
00:39:11.77\00:39:13.86
And while two guys
held their, his arms,
00:39:13.89\00:39:16.16
the other guy just
punched away on his face.
00:39:16.19\00:39:18.25
And even though
he'd a bloody lip
00:39:18.28\00:39:20.57
and a bloody nose, no tear.
00:39:20.60\00:39:22.86
Somehow he got
loose from this guy
00:39:22.89\00:39:24.25
and with one blow he
knocked out that other fellow
00:39:24.28\00:39:26.36
and the two guys ran off.
00:39:26.39\00:39:27.94
Then the next
day, my brother got win
00:39:27.97\00:39:30.44
that fellow who
was punching at him
00:39:30.47\00:39:32.53
that was so embarrassed
as my brother knocked him out
00:39:32.56\00:39:35.05
was looking to kill my brother.
00:39:35.08\00:39:36.59
So my brother
had a little knife,
00:39:36.62\00:39:38.07
a little Japanese knife
and went looking for the guy,
00:39:38.10\00:39:41.68
caught him up in the rooftop.
00:39:41.71\00:39:43.08
The fellow had a gun
and my brother had a knife.
00:39:43.11\00:39:45.07
My brother said, "Okay,
00:39:45.10\00:39:46.13
we'll see who
comes out of this one."
00:39:46.16\00:39:49.07
The guy threw his gun
away and begged for his life.
00:39:49.10\00:39:52.69
That was the brother who
was in the baptistery, crying.
00:39:52.72\00:39:57.60
And I could not understand that
00:39:57.63\00:40:00.20
because we grew up as
young men who don't cry.
00:40:00.23\00:40:04.45
Men, don't what? Don't cry.
00:40:04.48\00:40:08.03
And I began to think,
could they have found God?
00:40:08.06\00:40:13.98
There was something
different about that.
00:40:16.17\00:40:18.68
They were reading the
Bible, they were praying,
00:40:18.71\00:40:22.44
they weren't cursing anymore,
00:40:22.47\00:40:24.27
one after woman, not anymore.
00:40:24.30\00:40:26.55
No longer in wild activities,
00:40:26.58\00:40:29.65
they were happy going to church.
00:40:29.68\00:40:31.24
And I just
couldn't thought that.
00:40:31.27\00:40:33.62
How can they be
happy going to church?
00:40:33.65\00:40:35.92
How could they be happy?
00:40:35.95\00:40:37.20
You have to
drink, you have smoke,
00:40:39.35\00:40:42.64
you have to do
something to be happy.
00:40:42.67\00:40:45.06
How can you sit down and read
that book and find happiness?
00:40:45.09\00:40:48.43
Well, beyond my comprehension.
00:40:48.46\00:40:50.92
But there was something that
troubled me about this thing.
00:40:50.95\00:40:55.91
Could they have found God?
00:40:55.94\00:40:57.18
You see, when I
was with the Vampires,
00:40:57.21\00:40:59.48
we had a drug party
and in that drug party
00:40:59.51\00:41:05.40
while everybody was intoxicated.
00:41:05.43\00:41:06.87
We had four apartments
upstairs on top of building
00:41:06.90\00:41:09.98
that we have rented
and we'd 50 motorcyclists
00:41:10.01\00:41:12.56
that came like the Hells
Angels to follow us around.
00:41:12.59\00:41:17.20
And when
everybody was intoxicated,
00:41:17.23\00:41:20.23
somebody raise the
question, who was God?
00:41:20.26\00:41:23.26
And we spent the whole
night talking about God.
00:41:23.29\00:41:25.86
And I remember feeling so
weird so strange about this.
00:41:25.89\00:41:29.79
Here we are all drugged up
and we're talking about who?
00:41:29.82\00:41:32.88
God, we're trying
to find out who God is.
00:41:32.91\00:41:35.66
And I remember the discussion
as they were well today.
00:41:35.69\00:41:39.10
And when I left
that place, I was afraid
00:41:39.13\00:41:43.12
because I thought if
there's a God, I'm in trouble.
00:41:43.15\00:41:47.51
And I don't want to
keep that thought in my mind.
00:41:47.54\00:41:50.09
So, here I'm
confronted with it again.
00:41:50.12\00:41:53.50
My brother is
baptized, he's crying,
00:41:53.53\00:41:55.72
as he comes out of the pool,
in front of all those people,
00:41:55.75\00:41:57.84
200 people, he's crying.
00:41:57.87\00:41:59.81
I can't
understand it. I'm home now.
00:41:59.84\00:42:02.21
And I'm thinking
about this whole thing
00:42:02.24\00:42:03.76
and I began to feel
like I was been pursued.
00:42:03.79\00:42:06.43
Do you
understand what I'm saying?
00:42:06.46\00:42:07.64
And I wanted to escape, I
wanted to get out of here.
00:42:07.67\00:42:09.84
But also I felt,
if there is a God
00:42:09.87\00:42:11.94
and I'm running,
He'll know I'm running
00:42:11.97\00:42:13.67
so how could I get out of this
00:42:13.70\00:42:15.74
without Him
thinking I'm running?
00:42:15.77\00:42:18.85
Well, finally it was time to go
00:42:18.88\00:42:21.99
and I said, okay,
well, I have to go,
00:42:22.02\00:42:23.83
the time is up and he can't
get upset with me, you see.
00:42:23.86\00:42:27.39
Well, I got a telephone
call, it's been postponed.
00:42:27.42\00:42:31.42
I felt I was trapped.
00:42:31.45\00:42:33.49
Then I realized I was
gonna have to face it.
00:42:33.52\00:42:35.96
So I decided, all
right, I am gonna test this.
00:42:35.99\00:42:41.98
Because I began to think,
I wish I could be like him,
00:42:42.01\00:42:44.98
secretly, I never told him that
00:42:45.01\00:42:46.66
but I wish I could be like him.
00:42:46.69\00:42:48.66
I wish I could get
rid of all this stuff
00:42:48.69\00:42:50.70
that think I have to
do in order to be happy.
00:42:50.73\00:42:53.95
I wish I could find the
happiness that they have.
00:42:53.98\00:42:56.58
But you know human
pride doesn't allow you
00:42:56.61\00:42:58.98
to be honest with
yourself, isn't that true?
00:42:59.01\00:43:01.58
You may feel a deep need.
00:43:01.61\00:43:04.78
And so I
decided to go to a dance
00:43:04.81\00:43:07.72
and when I got to the dance
it was at the Saint George Hotel
00:43:07.75\00:43:10.65
there in Brooklyn, New York.
00:43:10.68\00:43:11.97
There were nine bands
playing right after the other,
00:43:12.00\00:43:14.67
nonstop music
and I began to dance.
00:43:14.70\00:43:17.28
I was a professional dancer
00:43:17.31\00:43:18.76
and here I was on the
dance floor doing the--
00:43:18.79\00:43:22.27
in those days, the
monkey, the chicken,
00:43:22.30\00:43:23.77
the dog, the waddle
and those were the names.
00:43:23.80\00:43:26.29
And all those names mean
that person who is doing it
00:43:26.32\00:43:29.84
would act like
monkey or act like a chicken
00:43:29.87\00:43:31.84
or waddle like a duck,
you like a duck waddles
00:43:31.87\00:43:35.34
or acting like a
dog in heat, okay.
00:43:35.37\00:43:38.61
And this was the most
immoral dance there was.
00:43:38.64\00:43:42.28
But anyway here
all these people--
00:43:42.31\00:43:45.05
by the way in those days
00:43:45.08\00:43:46.15
their hair-do was
of course the beehive.
00:43:46.18\00:43:48.04
Any of you remember the beehive?
00:43:48.07\00:43:49.82
Came up like
that like a beehive.
00:43:49.85\00:43:52.36
And so here are all
these young people dancing
00:43:52.39\00:43:54.82
and jumping up and down and all.
00:43:54.85\00:43:55.98
finally I got tired,
I got up to the balcony
00:43:56.01\00:43:58.27
and decided to look over to see
00:43:58.30\00:44:00.16
another girl I
could find to dance with.
00:44:00.19\00:44:01.99
And as I'm looking
over the dance floor
00:44:02.02\00:44:03.84
all of sudden I'm
seeing in these people
00:44:03.87\00:44:05.93
you know, jumping up and down,
00:44:05.96\00:44:07.60
some like a monkey's
and some like chickens
00:44:07.63\00:44:09.32
and some like ducks and--
00:44:09.35\00:44:11.54
and all of a sudden it
struck me, that's living?
00:44:11.57\00:44:17.98
It's as if though
my eyes were open.
00:44:23.01\00:44:27.34
I was disgusted.
00:44:27.37\00:44:29.17
And even more so to think
that I was down there with them
00:44:32.62\00:44:37.29
playing the role,
acting like I was happy
00:44:39.02\00:44:44.82
when in reality I knew
there was something missing.
00:44:44.85\00:44:49.56
And then I thought to myself
I saw evolution in reverse.
00:44:49.59\00:44:53.48
Here intelligent,
nice looking young peoples
00:44:53.51\00:44:57.28
thinking that in
order to be happy
00:44:57.31\00:45:00.76
you have to lower
yourself to be an animal.
00:45:00.79\00:45:04.36
And then I
looked up to the ceiling
00:45:07.90\00:45:10.09
and I said,
"God, if you're there
00:45:10.12\00:45:14.19
do for me what
you've done for my brothers.
00:45:14.22\00:45:18.79
I don't want to
continue this way anymore."
00:45:18.82\00:45:21.92
But I didn't know what
really what I was doing.
00:45:21.95\00:45:25.32
It is one thing
to make that decision
00:45:25.35\00:45:27.37
it's another thing to
know what you'll do next.
00:45:27.40\00:45:29.70
I went home and when I got home,
00:45:29.73\00:45:34.38
my miserable
life came before me.
00:45:34.41\00:45:37.18
Friends, it's an awful
thing to stand as if though
00:45:37.21\00:45:41.56
you're before that
judge of all the all universe.
00:45:41.59\00:45:45.68
Someone you can't hide from,
00:45:45.71\00:45:48.15
someone who knows all
that you have ever done.
00:45:48.18\00:45:51.47
And I had never felt
00:45:51.50\00:45:53.35
or experienced
something like that before.
00:45:53.38\00:45:56.25
But as I began to
think it seemed like
00:45:56.28\00:45:58.94
my whole life is
coming before me.
00:45:58.97\00:46:00.50
All the measurable
things, all the wicked things,
00:46:00.53\00:46:03.29
how hard I have become
00:46:03.32\00:46:04.94
and how deep I've
got into drugs etcetera.
00:46:04.97\00:46:08.80
And I began to
pray, it's all I can say.
00:46:08.83\00:46:13.19
I don't know I was
praying at that time
00:46:13.22\00:46:15.10
but I began to talk to God
00:46:15.13\00:46:17.97
and I asked Him,
"God, change me, help me."
00:46:18.00\00:46:22.93
And as I was
praying all of a sudden
00:46:22.96\00:46:25.24
I felt something
wet coming down my face
00:46:25.27\00:46:27.18
something warm and
wet and I'd never--
00:46:27.21\00:46:30.05
I mean, it'd been
years since I've ever cried.
00:46:30.08\00:46:33.78
Do you understand?
00:46:33.81\00:46:35.21
And as I feel something wet
00:46:35.24\00:46:37.01
I touched my face to
find out what's going on.
00:46:37.04\00:46:39.61
And I looked its
tears, I'm crying.
00:46:39.64\00:46:43.84
Then I realized it was
00:46:43.87\00:46:46.76
as if though I'd
been dead all this time.
00:46:46.79\00:46:49.70
And for the first
time I was feeling
00:46:49.73\00:46:54.62
and as I began to feel
00:46:54.65\00:46:57.70
there seemed to be
peace that came over me,
00:46:57.73\00:47:00.48
such a sweet peace.
00:47:00.51\00:47:03.44
And then I realized
that I'd all these habits
00:47:03.47\00:47:08.03
and I said, "Oh
God, take them from me."
00:47:08.06\00:47:12.83
And when I stood up there
was this sense that came over me
00:47:16.88\00:47:24.17
that it was all gone.
00:47:24.20\00:47:26.59
And as I looked
back from that second
00:47:29.27\00:47:33.38
and I felt like
it was like gone.
00:47:33.41\00:47:35.61
To this day I've
never felt the desire
00:47:35.64\00:47:39.95
for marijuana, for drugs,
00:47:39.98\00:47:43.10
for alcohol or
any of those things.
00:47:43.13\00:47:47.78
I was free instantly.
00:47:47.81\00:47:53.08
My friends, I
needed that evidence
00:47:53.11\00:47:58.86
that there was a God
in heaven that could hear
00:47:58.89\00:48:02.74
and not just hears
but answer prayers.
00:48:02.77\00:48:06.41
What do you say? I needed that.
00:48:06.44\00:48:10.83
And then I went to look
at myself in the mirror.
00:48:10.86\00:48:14.30
And as I looked at the
mirror and saw myself there,
00:48:14.33\00:48:16.70
I couldn't believe
it how far I'd fallen
00:48:16.73\00:48:20.91
from what I used to be as a boy.
00:48:20.94\00:48:23.52
I had saw my long
hair, it was ashamed.
00:48:25.77\00:48:30.29
I remember my
mother use to be ashamed
00:48:30.32\00:48:33.33
that I would dress like
that, but I didn't care.
00:48:33.36\00:48:38.41
I remember I
used to promise mother
00:48:38.44\00:48:39.71
that I would buy her
a house and all that.
00:48:39.74\00:48:41.80
I forgot all about her.
00:48:41.83\00:48:43.98
I became so
self-centered, so lost
00:48:44.01\00:48:47.11
in my quest to feel complete.
00:48:47.14\00:48:51.93
And finally, as I
opened my heart to the Lord
00:48:51.96\00:48:57.44
it was the first time in
my life that I felt complete.
00:48:57.47\00:49:03.00
I called the Comets and quit.
00:49:06.00\00:49:07.42
They didn't understand, why.
00:49:07.45\00:49:09.26
I didn't know how
to explain it to them.
00:49:09.29\00:49:11.36
How do you tell somebody that,
that God has changed your life
00:49:11.39\00:49:14.25
when they don't even
know, what that means?
00:49:14.28\00:49:17.37
And so if you on the
website Bill Haley & The Comets,
00:49:17.40\00:49:21.50
this is what they say about me.
00:49:21.53\00:49:24.71
"Lou Torres, Puerto Rico-born,
musician who replaced Al Rappa
00:49:24.74\00:49:28.20
on bass guitar for a
tour in late 1967 and 1968.
00:49:28.23\00:49:32.84
Prior to working with Haley,
00:49:32.87\00:49:34.84
Torres was member of a
group called The Vampires.
00:49:34.87\00:49:38.70
Around his time with The Comets,
00:49:38.73\00:49:40.76
Torres found what? Religion.
00:49:40.79\00:49:45.01
Around his time with The Comets,
00:49:45.04\00:49:47.01
Torres found what? Religion."
00:49:47.04\00:49:50.61
They don't
understand. They did not know.
00:49:50.64\00:49:53.72
All they heard was that
I became what, religious.
00:49:53.75\00:49:57.45
Friends, I
didn't become religious,
00:49:57.48\00:49:59.36
I became converted.
00:49:59.39\00:50:02.54
There is a
difference, what do you say?
00:50:02.57\00:50:04.58
Amen.
00:50:04.61\00:50:05.91
There's a great difference.
00:50:05.94\00:50:07.97
"Well, assisted
today in his 50's,
00:50:08.00\00:50:11.50
he is an Adventist minister,
teaching theology in Austria.
00:50:11.53\00:50:16.28
At the time I was teaching
00:50:16.31\00:50:17.38
when they wrote
this, in Austria.
00:50:17.41\00:50:20.41
He has also
written several books,
00:50:20.44\00:50:22.92
lectures on the
satellite TV network 3ABN.
00:50:22.95\00:50:26.47
After leaving The
Comets, Torres and his wife
00:50:26.50\00:50:28.31
began performing
religious classical music
00:50:28.34\00:50:31.74
and in 1974 were
regular performers
00:50:31.77\00:50:33.89
on New York City TV programs."
00:50:33.92\00:50:38.60
That's what they
have to say about me.
00:50:38.63\00:50:42.43
I was so glad that I
could find a way to escape.
00:50:46.96\00:50:51.59
And I decided to get baptized.
00:50:51.62\00:50:53.14
Let me tell you
something there's some people
00:50:53.17\00:50:54.58
who wait years and years
and years to get baptized.
00:50:54.61\00:50:57.61
When you know you have cancer,
00:50:57.64\00:51:01.61
What did I say?
00:51:01.64\00:51:03.72
When you know you have
cancer you don't want to what?
00:51:03.75\00:51:06.13
you don't want to wait.
00:51:06.16\00:51:08.33
I went to the pastor and I said
"Look, I want to get baptized."
00:51:08.36\00:51:10.88
He said, "You
haven't taken Bible studies."
00:51:10.91\00:51:12.65
I said, "I don't
need Bible studies.
00:51:12.68\00:51:15.30
I'm convinced, I
believe God has changed my life
00:51:15.33\00:51:21.44
and I know whom I believe."
00:51:21.47\00:51:22.68
He said "Well, you got
to take Bible studies."
00:51:22.71\00:51:25.09
I said, "Give me some."
00:51:25.12\00:51:26.47
I looked at them and
when I looked that stack
00:51:26.50\00:51:28.91
I thought it will take me to
millennium to finish them off.
00:51:28.94\00:51:31.78
I thought I'll
never get baptized.
00:51:31.81\00:51:34.48
And I said, "Look,
please, I want to baptized.
00:51:34.51\00:51:37.54
I want to have all
my sins washed away.
00:51:37.57\00:51:40.17
I want to start
the new life with God."
00:51:40.20\00:51:44.07
He said, "Will
you give me a word
00:51:44.10\00:51:45.94
that you'll stick with it?"
00:51:45.97\00:51:48.04
I said, "You got
more than my word,
00:51:48.07\00:51:50.54
I have quit the band, I
left everything behind."
00:51:50.57\00:51:53.58
You know what I
did with my equipment?
00:51:53.61\00:51:55.71
I sold it for $20, all of it.
00:51:55.74\00:52:00.79
You know what I
did with my tuxedos?
00:52:00.82\00:52:03.71
I gave them to the poor.
00:52:03.74\00:52:06.33
You know what I
did with all my rings?
00:52:06.36\00:52:08.66
I threw them in the garbage.
00:52:08.69\00:52:10.93
Now you may think that's crazy.
00:52:10.96\00:52:13.09
But friends, I was so thankful
00:52:13.12\00:52:17.19
that I could be delivered
from all of the encumbrances
00:52:17.22\00:52:21.38
that the world brings upon me
00:52:21.41\00:52:24.03
that I was willing
to give up everything.
00:52:24.06\00:52:27.51
But my fear came if I become
a Christian I'll never any fun.
00:52:27.54\00:52:32.86
And what will I do?
00:52:32.89\00:52:34.47
I thought I'll end up working
00:52:34.50\00:52:35.75
in a dungy factory
for the rest of my life.
00:52:35.78\00:52:38.65
Something that I
thought it was very humiliating.
00:52:38.68\00:52:43.08
But finding completeness
was more important to me
00:52:43.11\00:52:49.12
than the
humiliation that would come
00:52:49.15\00:52:50.84
from working in the factory.
00:52:50.87\00:52:52.02
So you know what I did?
00:52:52.05\00:52:53.87
I went and
worked in the factory.
00:52:53.90\00:52:55.82
Didn't think it
was so bad after all.
00:52:58.69\00:53:00.37
And from that I
was then became honest.
00:53:00.40\00:53:06.27
I had four girls all
that I have been lying too.
00:53:06.30\00:53:10.06
I was smart enough to
have them in different state
00:53:10.09\00:53:12.50
do you understand?
00:53:12.53\00:53:15.16
I went to all of them told them
00:53:15.19\00:53:17.87
that I'd been a
rotten liar all this time.
00:53:17.90\00:53:22.08
But now I'd become a Christian
00:53:22.11\00:53:23.96
and I wanted to follow the Lord.
00:53:23.99\00:53:25.94
They didn't understand,
00:53:25.97\00:53:27.74
they had no idea what
was going on, but I did.
00:53:27.77\00:53:32.22
I wanted to
follow our Lord so much
00:53:32.25\00:53:34.42
that it didn't matter to me
00:53:34.45\00:53:35.51
what I had to
sacrifice as hard it would be.
00:53:35.54\00:53:39.45
And so left
everything, left all my friends
00:53:39.48\00:53:42.94
worked in a factory
became honest and I got drafted.
00:53:42.97\00:53:47.29
And the Lord did for me
00:53:47.32\00:53:49.79
something that
I'd never dreamed of.
00:53:49.82\00:53:51.70
I thought I would end
up the rest of my life
00:53:51.73\00:53:53.22
in dungy factory until the
Lord would come the second time.
00:53:53.25\00:53:56.04
That was okay
with me. I didn't mind.
00:53:56.07\00:53:58.63
It didn't matter to me.
00:53:58.66\00:53:59.98
It was hard dropping from
all the money I was making
00:54:00.01\00:54:02.24
to a $150 a week
but it was all right
00:54:02.27\00:54:07.29
I was now complete.
00:54:07.32\00:54:08.99
And that's what
mattered, you understand.
00:54:09.02\00:54:11.92
Oh friends, listen,
00:54:11.95\00:54:13.96
perhaps some of you
have been in a quest
00:54:13.99\00:54:16.42
trying to find
completeness in this and that,
00:54:16.45\00:54:18.90
find completeness in a bottle.
00:54:18.93\00:54:21.59
But if they only knew
where they trying to find God.
00:54:21.62\00:54:24.41
There are people
who're trying to find
00:54:24.44\00:54:25.47
completeness in woman or man,
00:54:25.50\00:54:28.19
my friends, God
has reserved the spot
00:54:28.22\00:54:30.61
for Himself in your heart
00:54:30.64\00:54:32.53
that nothing can
satisfy, what did I say?
00:54:32.56\00:54:38.00
God has reserved
the spot in your heart
00:54:38.03\00:54:41.25
that nothing will ever satisfy.
00:54:41.28\00:54:44.15
So I went to the
Pastor, asked him to baptize me.
00:54:44.18\00:54:48.08
Thank the Lord he
baptized me, April 13th, 1968.
00:54:48.11\00:54:54.89
When I came up under the water,
00:54:54.92\00:54:57.62
it was like taking a dump load
off garbage of my shoulders.
00:54:57.65\00:55:03.76
It was so great to
at last find peace,
00:55:03.79\00:55:07.95
peace within and
have my sins washed away.
00:55:07.98\00:55:11.91
What do you say?
00:55:11.94\00:55:14.60
I committed myself to the Lord
00:55:14.63\00:55:17.33
and the Lord had
other plans for me.
00:55:17.36\00:55:20.14
Even in the military I
ended performing in choirs.
00:55:20.17\00:55:26.02
I married a
beautiful young lady, Carol
00:55:26.05\00:55:28.86
and she was a concert violinist
00:55:28.89\00:55:32.39
and we began to join
our instruments together,
00:55:32.42\00:55:36.57
guitar and violin
and began to perform
00:55:36.60\00:55:40.09
rather than singing
rocker on the clock,
00:55:40.12\00:55:42.04
we began to sing Rock of Ages.
00:55:42.07\00:55:44.31
We brought joy to people,
singing that which uplifts
00:55:47.25\00:55:51.37
and which
strengthens the lives of people.
00:55:51.40\00:55:55.37
Now friends, listen,
00:55:55.40\00:55:58.86
the old man, Solomon
00:55:58.89\00:56:03.26
thought he could find
completeness in things,
00:56:03.29\00:56:06.26
but finally he
says, "That all was" what?
00:56:06.29\00:56:10.45
All was what? "Vanity."
00:56:10.48\00:56:13.05
Now friends, listen,
00:56:13.08\00:56:14.50
you'll only find
completeness in the Lord.
00:56:14.53\00:56:17.00
What do you say? Amen.
00:56:17.03\00:56:19.69
Only in Christ, can
you find completeness.
00:56:19.72\00:56:22.31
I wonder is there
someone here today
00:56:22.34\00:56:25.68
who would like to open
up there hearts to the Lord
00:56:25.71\00:56:27.50
and say, "Oh Lord, I want
to find that completeness.
00:56:27.53\00:56:32.50
I want to find
that fullness in You."
00:56:32.53\00:56:34.32
Is there someone here
00:56:34.35\00:56:35.38
who would like to lift
their hand up to heaven?
00:56:35.41\00:56:37.92
Amen.
00:56:37.95\00:56:39.18
Listen, let's
pray together shall we?
00:56:39.21\00:56:41.45
Our Father in heaven,
how grateful we are that You
00:56:41.48\00:56:46.19
and Your mercy
though you watch us
00:56:46.22\00:56:48.90
and see what we do in our lives,
00:56:48.93\00:56:51.29
though it pains
You to see what we do,
00:56:51.32\00:56:54.91
yet in Your mercy You trace us
00:56:54.94\00:56:59.33
and You have never allowed
anything to fill that spot
00:56:59.36\00:57:03.61
that You've
reserved for yourself.
00:57:03.64\00:57:06.18
And we now know
that the only thing
00:57:06.21\00:57:09.06
that you can do is to
open our hearts to You.
00:57:09.09\00:57:11.65
Lord Jesus, make us complete,
we pray in Jesus name, amen.
00:57:11.68\00:57:16.70