I'm a school teacher but started out playing keyboards, drums and a little guitar in several bands and then went on to become a session musician using the Mellotron, Chamberlin, and Optigan . Those keyboards got the most attention (in that order respectively).
I wound up being given / buying (in very shitty condition) doubles or triples of those 3 keyboards as 'parts sources'. This was before the mid 90's resurgence. Later on, when Mellotron parts became available again, I abandoned the idea of using wrecked machines for parts and spent years either selling or restoring them instead (much the way Frank does now).
One of these turned out to be Rick Wakeman's Double Mellotron (which was where the idea to do the production run for the MKV came from). One of the Chamberlins belonged to Bob Seger's keyboardist Robyn Robbins. The restorations were funded with jobs at a medical lab (nice and safe) and also some work as a Private Investigator (not safe!)
I was married for a few years until I walked in and caught my wife in the 'act'. I'm glad we had no kids.
I realized these jobs / relationships were not for me, and that's when I became a schoolteacher.
I teach all ages (from Kindergarten to Adults) overseas in different countries, mostly English and Science.
I use weird 'props' to educate/entertain the kids. Some of these include holograms, wooly mammoth tusks/hair, meteorites from the Moon and Mars, money/wine from North Korea, and gold, platinum, and silver in their original unprocessed states. No kidding!
I've always loved sci-fi and work on sci-fi miniature model landscapes as a hobby. I was occasionally building these in the past, but took it a bit more seriously after meeting Roger Dean at a weekend course he gave on Futuristic Design and Architecture. For an income supplement, I occasionally rent out Space Age furniture props to friends who are film-makers. One of these was a Djiin chair from Expo 67 - (the same chairs appear in the space lounge in 2001 A Space Odyssey).
This friend also asked me to do the soundtrack for his film "Primordial Ties" using the Moog, Orchestron and Optigan.
I've also been involved in attempts to resurrect the Birotron in some form, but the project is an ongoing, extremely costly and time consuming rescue mission. It's like trying to reassemble a shredded encyclopedia in a foreign language with no lights on in the room.
When I'm not teaching, I'll work on the aforementioned projects, composing music, fixing instruments, writing a short story, or working on miniature models.
I have to say that I'm grateful for those of you on this list, members past and present, as without some of you, and your witty comments, links, music etc. I would not have succeeded at some things, and would be less inspired to work hard at the things I find myself now doing.
Cheers to all of you.
Sincerely
Chris Dale
On Tue, Jul 30, 2013 at 6:14 AM, tron400
<tron400@yahoo.com> wrote:
I'm sure there's more to our lives than just Mellotrons. So, what else do you do?
I'm an IT guy with The Hartford, but I'm retiring at the end of this year. I'm primarily a bass guitarist, but I fool around on guitar, keys and modular synth. Other hobbies/skills are model and high power rocketry, martial arts (American-style Kenpo Karate, Chinese Wushu, Japanese Ninjutsu), traveling, walking in the park with Wifey and watching my stepdaughter struggle through college.
OK, your turn.
Bernie
