Somewhat related thoughts:
I lost two friends (that I can remember right now) to drugs (one during high school and one after). Deerfield has a lot of kids that need help and inspiration. It can be emotionally draining trying to fit in, so we break off and do things we aren't really supposed to do. But, there are other outlets that bring you to a better understanding of yourself, which ends up meaning that you can live YOUR life. It takes time, it takes practice, but always remember one thing: On your journey, be gentle to yourself.
We went to American Jewelry and Loan to interview Les Gold, the legendary pawn broker from the hit show, Hardcore pawn. Les is a cool dude, all about his business. Right when we walked in the pawn shop, the production crew was filming, people were standing around waiting for pictures with Les and he obliged. I must say, I've seen a lot of celebs deny people, but not Les. I thought that was really cool to see. Les reminded me of my dad because he had so much going on, but Les is WAY more organized than my dad.
We also got a chance to tape the 50,000 sq ft. super-mega-plex that is filled with TV's to power tools. It was gigantic and seemed like it never ended. They didn't have 500 fur jackets, it seemed like they had 5,000 jackets! It was crazy to see how much stuff they had. The coolest item I saw at his shop was a Dr. Jack Kevorkian's van. The same van he used to perform assisted suicide. Also, the shop he's in now used to be a bowling alley - for any factoids out there.
The interview was legit. We dug deep: Les told us that the arguing goes home with them. Meaning, Les, Seth and Ashley argue outside the workplace too. Shit, I can relate to that. I worked for my dad and we would be talking 24/7, yelling, hugging, yelling and then hugging. It was the best and worst experience of my life. I was so curious how his relationship really was with his dad, kids and what it was like to work with them. From what I heard and saw, it was really good. It's cool to see that "they make it work". Good people, good business, good family and all around we had an awesome time at his shop. Interview coming soon...
They surprised me not by their knowledge of the sneaker culture, the hip hop scene, but they got me with how much they give back to kids. They take time to speak at schools, community organizations and help up-and-coming artists thrive. I got to meet Rick's little kid and you can just see how much he cares about his son. Oh, also, you won't see these two without a cell phone in their hands. The best thing out of that situation was when Rick mentioned "I remember when no one would call".
Ro reminds me of a lot of my friends, really chill, but super insightful. Both Rick and Ro are very articulate, conscious of their beginnings and presence, both very entrepreneurial and they definitely inspired me to hustle harder and learn how to balance a life. Did I mention this interview we walked around downtown Royal Oak? Yea, it was sick! Interview coming soon.