Hey everyone out there. Feel free to write me a letter or talk
amongst yourselves! I will check in and share what is going
on in my nuclear world. You can check in and share what is
going on in your nuclear world.
Charlie
Charlie Lustman
VISIT WEBSITE!
43 comments:
hi wheat-grassin' nuclear man!
how do you like this layout? let me know! then delete this comment!
BOOBIE!!!
Awesome job on the web site. Very Web 2.0, my friend. Melissa, right? Well, done, 'Lissa. Lots to do on here, many links, many possibilities. I sent the "Earl" to my dad. I know he'll enjoy it and will surely give my mom a tour as well.
All for now, Mr. Nuclear. Keep on lovin'!
Prof Mac (a.k.a. JF)
Hey Charlie,
This site looks fantastic! I'm looking forward to seeing your show. XOXOXO Love, Jen"nifer"
My favorite part of the mademenuclear.com is the bit with your kid Shaya, other than that I think it's just O.K. YEEEDIIIIITE! Yup Yup Yup, Dude, you rock my nuclear socks! Love ya man, Shmobs.
Thanks everyone! Hope you can make it out to see MMN at the Santa Monica Playhouse.
Best wishes,
Charlie
I am working on a project based on my own personal experience with cancer, and in which I would like to include you. The core idea of the project, which is titled “Beyond Cancer: Portraits of Hope,” and is based on my own personal experience with cancer, involves interviewing and photographing a diverse group of people, for whom a diagnosis of cancer has turned out to be a catalyst to better their lives. (Parenthetically, this has been true for me.) Many of these people have become an inspiration for others, yet their stories remain within a small circle of friends and family. The idea of this project is to broadly advertise how survival can lead to a changed and even better life. I have interviewed and photographed approximately 50 survivors for this project thus far, age 7 through 99, and their stories are truly inspiring. The book will contain 100 such profiles, and I would love to include you, alongside a Los Angeles Laker, actors, academics and just plain folk.
Please contact me at bill@billaron.com, or through my website, www.billaron.com. I could not find an email address for you, so am trying to contact you this way.
Charlie:
just saw your show tonight at the SM Playhouse. Bravo!
Hope you'll take this to cancer center patients around the country, and world. Live long, and live your music!
Mimi, 81 years young, classical pianist
Liposarcoma;
treating at CS Samuel Oschin Center
Great show......
My little kids (and their pals) love the CD... their personal faves being "chemo brain", "dr. o", "nuclear man" and "stickin' around". Who knew you could rock to songs about cancer treatment?
This is so cool! My daughter had OS in her lower jaw. Pretty rare. She had her lower jaw removed at age 11. She is 14 now, and still in treatment as her cancer spread to her lungs. I am going to share this site with her. Thank you for being an inspiration, and getting your story out there! Her name is Rachel and you can read about her story at carepages.com. Her page name is rachelcollett11. She is facing her second thorocotomy soon, but her spirit is amazing!
charlie, your love for life is contagious.
this show was amazing and SO inspiring.
continue your dreams.
charlie! duuuu!
on a scale of 1 to 10, your music is 10 x infinity....!
i love all the merch, much appreciate the 'extras'(cool beanie, 2 cd's & autographed photo), yet MOST OF ALL, i am FLOORED with this album duuu!
The bridge in The Call, where you end with "better.. better....", what soul, what sound, what feeling, what BEAUTY of song.... Seriously, I cant find words to describe how much this album affects me on so many levels.
Are You Afraid is incredibly COOL.... pls tell me this song is highlighted in your Santa Monica Theatre performance... This is soooo cool & i can totally see you on stage...(duuu! i saw this month's LA Times' Critics Choice Pick of your one man show! congrats also on your show's extension-- by popular demand no less-- through December 27th!! nice). Yet i ramble....
LOVE the album & all my cool charlie stuff... (noticed 'Made in Italy' on the back of my leather journal, waycool)... the beanie was put to use immediately as was/is the perpetual playing of MadeMeNuclear album....
thank you thank you thank you & your music is on par with Billy Joel, elton john, steely dan, etc etc......
WOW!
John/Portland
Hey Man... night after night, week after week, moment by moment, you DELIVER
on your promise . You are changing the world and the balance on hope, love, survival
and growth in such a deep way. You touch the hearts, minds, imaginations, fears, and mystery deep inside
the soul of every man woman and child that walk in the room... and sometimes they dont even know it.
When i have the opportunity to embrace a woman, a stranger , so deeply moved and emotional that she can't even
get out of her seat, and i get to comfort her and tell her it's ok , and tell her that by her being here and feeling
what she is feeling, she is doing her very important part of our campaign. It helps me . It inspires me
to fuel the delivery vehicle in any way i can... Thanks Charlie for giving me the most important project
of my life... seat belt fastened ? xxxooo BG
Bob Gray
Made Me Nuclear
361 Main Street Suite 3
El Segundo, California 90245
p. 310.414.9923
f. 310.414.9924
c. 310.779.4959
bob@mademenuclear.com
Hey Charlie & Friends,
All I could think of is you Charlie as watched all 8.5 hours of this 2-part video by Nassim Haramein:
http://10-14-08.blogspot.com
All of my learned friends and brothers and sisters of Peace & Love will appreciate this link. Let me know what you think and "PLEASE" spread the love!
BTW Charlie, if your MMN album doesn't go platinum, then you need a new publicist brother!
Blessings, Peace, Joy and Happiness, ALL WAYS!
John
PS..Hey, I'm planning on covering "Let's Make The Best Of It Now" at a local open mic here in Hillsboro, OR ( I may have posted this twice by accident???)
Love, healing, cancer survival,
hope, strength, inspirational music!
MADE ME NUCLEAR has it all!
Charlie --
First of all, I have to say a gigantic "THANK YOU" for being who you are and for writing and performing 'MMN'!
As an actor and a long-time theatre lover, I've seen a LOT of shows in my time. But it's been a good while since I was as deeply moved and profoundly uplifted by a show as I was by yours!
I want to bring everyone I love & care about to your show, because 'MMN' is truly a gift that -- to quote a hackneyed phrase -- "keeps on giving"!
Cancer has touched my own family a number of times -- I lost my step-dad to esophageal cancer in 2001, and more recently, my step-sister became a breast cancer survivor, following a double mastectomy.
And as I write these words, I'm awaiting word on the diagnosis re. the breast cancer lumpectomy that was just done on another of my sisters.
So your show means a lot to me on a number of levels. But even if my own life were not touched by this disease I know I would STILL be blown away by the healing and very universal impact of the magical theatre experience that is 'MMN'.
Also, meeting you afterward -- and being able to share my feelings with you -- was an experience as powerful, for me, as the show itself. It's one I won't forget.
Finally, all I can really say is boy was I surprised by what I encountered tonight at the Santa Monica Playhouse! To be very honest, the idea of a one-man musical about cancer did not exactly bode too well in my mind. I felt it would have all the traps (in abundance) which might be expected from such a venture -- i.e. pretentiousness, self-pity, cloying sentiment -- and, as if that weren't enough, it's all set to MUSIC!
But, surprise of surprises, your amazing show had absolutely NONE of those pitfalls, and I found my self experiencing true joy, laughter, and a transformative, regenerative celebration of life. NOT what I had expected, needless to say. And at the end of the show I found myself unable to speak or move for several minutes.
Charlie -- you're a beautiful human being and an extraordinary artist and your unique stage-creation is a theatrical blessing which I hope will have a very long and globe-hopping life ahead of it!
I'll be lookin' for ya on (or off) Broadway, my friend!
With Love and Light,
Paul Day Clemens
P.S. And a huge thanks to my friend Kalahani who brought me tonight!
Oh, and did I mention that your music KICKS MAJOR ASS?!
I saw the play tonight and I just loved it. The music was great and the message inspired me. I have been going through some tough times and seeing Charlie and hearing his story gave me hope and appreciation of what I have, and for living each and every day. What a gift this play is. Right on Charlie!
The first time I saw Charlie's performane in November I had tears running down my face realizing that my cancer survival story was so similar to his. I was diagnosed with a Sarcoma tumor on my skull in 1998 and had two surgeries to remove it. My daughter (second child- my son was two at the time)was born upstairs from where I had my first surgery the day after I was released from the hospital. I had a subsequent, more radical surgery to ensure clear margins three weeks later and fortunately did not need to undergo any chemothrerapy. Ten years later, I brought my children, including daughter Lauren to see Made Me Nuclear in January. It was an increadible experience and it felt really great to introduce Charlie to Lauren seeing what the hope of 10 years has to offer. My kids really enjoyed the show and I had a talk with them afterward about the importance of making something good from a bad situation. I think it was a great life lesson for them. After listening to the CD on and off for a couple of months between seeing the show, the songs became more meaningful during this second performance I experienced. I was happy to see the large audience so much into the show- enough offer up a great standing ovation. Well done Charlie! You're doing a great thing here.
Mike
El Segundo.
I was completely unprepared. My good friend Ralph Blum told me he wanted to take me to see "something". He did not tell me much about it, quite deliberately, as he didn't want to exert any influence that might predispose me to having some sort of expectation about what I was about to see.
I was privileged to witness a one man show by Charlie Lustman, a composer, singer, guitarist and keyboard player that was simply extraordinary. A moving documentary told through his music, about his recent brush with a nasty form of sarcoma cancer, Lustman transcends his dark subject matter. He gently draws you into his surprising new world of confusion, pain, the "why me" stage, dark humor, acceptance, determination to fight and win and ultimately triumph over the bastard cancer. A tour de force performance that allows you to come along on this strange, moving and beautiful journey, few artists could render their thoughts so cohesively through such an evocative and powerful musical montage, that is all the more so because it is written, sung and performed by the man who lived through it. It feels like someone who has captured part of the human experience, as seen from the absolute edge, a dark edge most of us would prefer to stay well enough away from and brought it back for the rest of us to experience through the exceptionally clear and focused lens of his rare artistry and humanity.
And I loved the songs! Take an hour out of your life and see "Made Me Nuclear". Bring a friend, bring your family. It is an inspiring celebration of life and will make you appreciate being alive just a little bit more.
Doane Perry
March 2009
I've just noticed that Made Me Nuclear has been extended through May, AWESOME. I'll be at the Ren Faire starting in April, but I'll be back for the last 2 weeks. I'm going to announce this extension to the Wellness Community South Bay and sarcoma lists.
Dave Murphy
Thank you to all of our " frequent viewers" , and you know who you are.... reminder, you can cash in your Karma Points any time, any place, for anything...
Bob Gray : Made Me Nuclear Campaign manager
The thoughts and fears I have are not mine alone. I knew that, but MMN made it real for me. There were times Charlie took the words right out of my mind. There were times I just knew what he was going to say.
I have a hard time expressing my thoughts and feelings to others. When I broke the news of my cancer to my family and friends, I wore a mask, yet it wasn't an act. I knew I would be okay, and I knew that my experiences would help me positively grow. The last thing I wanted was for people to worry about me. Staying positive helped me through my cancer, yet I haven't given myself an opportunity to express my emotions and thought to others. I thought expressing myself to myself alone in my room would be enough. But it isn't.
Made Me Nuclear is the perfect catalyst to rev up my motors for really dealing with the fears, anger, and sadness I've been running away from for the past one and a half years. I admit I was hesitant to step into the theatre. I knew I'd be an emotional basket case through out it all, and sure enough, I was. But by the end, I felt an amazing relief.
In darkness, even the smallest trace of light is enough to light a path. Charlie is a beacon of light. His words and music spoke to me and warmed me. I am compelled to do better for myself and for others. MMN is a reminder to me of the positive things I learned on my journey with cancer. Life is GREAT! People are amazing. The world is beautiful. And I am here for a reason. THANK YOU CHARLIE!
Hey Charlie!
Thank you for your moving performance last night. When Si-Fu Oram told us of your show and how moved he was and how much we could gain from it on our training, I had to see it. Needless to say, I was blown away and learned a lot about the power of the human spirit.
Thanks again! And I will help spread the word :)
Jackie Martin
Pasadena, CA
To Whom It May Concern,
I do hope that this correspondence makes it to the desk of the program director or CEO or founder of your organization as I would like to personally thank your organization for supporting Charlie Lustman and his project, Made Me Nuclear. As a recent liposarcoma survivor, I am moved beyond words of what Charlie and his team are doing on behalf of sarcoma survivors across our nation. Charlie's story is important to be told and more importantly to be heard by other survivors, family members, healthcare providers and the general population.
I myself was diagnosed this past December with a pleomorphic liposarcoma in my thigh. It has been a most challenging 6 months for me and my family but as I have had the opportunity to meet other sarcoma survivors, the journey is becoming all that more manageable. Everything about this diagnosis can be daunting at times, and meeting other individuals who have walked the walked is extremely important in my healing as I am sure to others.
I was fortunate to be connected through your peer program with another sarcoma survivor very recently. While we did not have the same type of sarcoma, her story is amazing and her attitude is infectious. She and Charlie give me hope. I am very grateful for your program and for your progressive choice to support Charlie on his journey to spread the word of hope and healing.
With kindest regards,
Michelle Posen
Charlie,
Last night your show was true magic.
I hope your respite is short and that you succeed beyond your fondest dreams in the "Made Me Nuclear" US touring phase.
Because ---- how can something "this good" take a "vacation"?
We need you out there. We need you raising your poignant voice. We need you telling our (cancer survivors) story.
Annie and I will never forget that we were there when a true "showman" delivered his finest performance.
No "Hamlet" ever inspired more than you did last night.
Thank you.
Picture attached...
Blair and Annie Franks
Charlie – let me add my voice to Blair’s for last night. Thank you for keeping all the heart and soul in the performance… after 81 nights. I know the kind of dedication it takes to portray a very difficult story and maintain the emotional intensity – even with the experience close at hand. I’m so glad we could share in your celebration and meet all the people who helped make your show such a success. More than that… I’m glad you’re healthy and able to convey your story in such a dynamic way. I commented last night to Harry DeLigter from Lightworks Audio (he was talking about the possibility of a DVD of your show), how unusual it is to find a musician / composer / arranger / performer all wrapped in one. You are truly unique, Charlie. Jill, my new bride, was moved and connected with your story in a very real way. Thank you again for a wonderful experience.
I’ll look forward to getting together to “brainstorm” about the future. We’re all willing to help push this forward.
Most Sincerely,
Del Shilling
"Charlie,
It was great to see you last night. Your campaign/play was absolutely amazing. I commend you on sharing your story and turning a horrible situation into an such a hopeful inspiring one. I know you will touch many lives and give so many survivors a way to relate and live their own stories.
UNTIL THE CURE...Good luck with everything!!!
Take good care-Mimi"
Patricia says, "Hi Charlie,
It was great seeing you last night at the SMPH. I feel fortunate to have been able to be there. I am so proud of your strength and the message you are putting out there. I wish you and your family forever good health.
xoxo,
Patty.".
I don't think that my words here can convey how much of a positive impact MMN has had on me. So, to give you a little sense...Saturday's performance of MMN moved me in a way that it had not done so prior. I'm not sure if it was due to the fact it was my 6th performance, I was sitting in the front row next to my dear friend and MMN supporter Jay Fox, the bonus song with harmonica accompaniment, the gratitude expressed at the end for all the people who helped make MMN possible, or all of the above!
I attended that performance thinking that MMN needed me there and needed my support and of course I wanted to be there for those reasons. However, what I realized at the end of the show was that I needed to be there for me as I was impacted in such a positive way. There was no other place for me to be that night. To make sure I didn't miss this realization, during the final applause, I felt a powerful jolt of heat running through my body after fighting off a chill during the performance with an extra layer.
MMN has not only given me a new perspective and understanding for what my grandmother and aunt went through with their cancer experiences, but also a new and valuable perspective on my own life.
Charlie and Bob - I am so thankful for your passion, commitment, love and courage. I look forward to sharing MMN with my family and friends across the country during your fall tour.
Also, I've enjoyed reading the comments posted here and it truly enhances the MMN experience. What an extraordinary community and I'm honored to be a part of it!
Hi Charlie, Last night I had the honor of seeing you perform at the Cancer Survivors Dinner at the Doubletree Hotel in Torrance. You, also, so kindly gave me your CD and I want to say \"Thank You\". You made me feel so uplifted in the way you sang and told your story. Your upbeat music on such a serious matter was amazing. Stay well and keep spreading your message. Sincerly, Alice Steinman (4 year Breast Cancer Survivor).
Hi Charlie,
Just had to tell you how my group and I loved your show last night at the Partners in Survivorship Dinner. You were fantastic! You brought tears to our eyes, and so much inspiration. Thank you for creating this great show for us, we really need it. I just had my first chemo this morning, and it went a lot easier because you brought so much happiness to me. I\'m praying for you and wishing you the best. You really have a gift of expressing yourself, keep it up. Take care.
Aloha,
Maile
Well... the show closed 2 weekends ago and I'm still hearing all the tunes in my head, rockin' like they never go out'a style... I wanted to wait until the show closed locally (and after seeing it like 6x) to leave a comment b/c the show, the songs, the story, the message... have been living in me since I first ran into Charlie that day in Venice...
Charlie and I grew up together and he's always been a big inspiration to me as a songwriter. Where I had been a one-time composer and songwriter, Charlie devoted his life to the craft. Where my musical skills like so many who never practiced just seemed to stagnate, every time I would see Charlie he was a better musician than I remembered him being the last time I saw him.
So after many (many) years and twists and turns in life, Charlie and I had lost touch, never far from the thoughts but our lives went in different directions, and one day several months back I heard someone calling my name outside, and throwing pebbles at my window...
I went outside on the balcony and there was this dude on the street, saying "Ev how's it going?" and I looked at him, kinda cocked my head to the side a little and said, "where do I know you from?" and he said... "wow... Ev... has it really been that long?"
In a moment it all flooded back to me... "Charlie!" I realized almost instantly and at the same time had "that thought" -- what happened to Charlie? I mean, he looked ok but I didn't recognize him at first... he was bald.. had no hair at all... and was pretty thin...
So we spent the afternoon together and I got caught up on the scary adventure Charlie had been on, and he sat down at my piano and started playing songs for me... one after another and I was so happy... having Charlie at my piano, it was like the ol'days... but his new songs... WOW.
OK 6 shows later and I can say with certainty: Made Me Nuclear is one of the most astonishing, deeply moving pieces of art I've ever encountered.
I lost my mom to cancer as a child and hearing songs like "The Call" just brought me through so many things I never knew were still floating inside me... how must my mom have felt when she got "the call" -- and how must my father have felt, watching, helpless...
But then a song like "Dr. O" comes around and knocks you out of your introspection with horn blasts and Charlie all nuked-out in that awesome outfit... and I'm rockin' and groovin' and completely impressed with the arrangements... and then it's like, "wait, is this about cancer?"
The show is incredible. I'm so glad I got to sit in every corner of the Santa Monica Playhouse and experience it from all angles.
The one thing I find hard to get across to people is how this show is SO NOT A DOWNER. How anybody who has gone thru anything life-threatening, or lost someone, or is losing someone, or is ill themselves... Charlie's show is a soul-soothing ticket to healing.
In yoga teaching the aim is to get the class to a state where hearts are open and there is peace in the mind. When I leave Charlie's show or listen to the "Made Me Nuclear" CD, after it's done I feel as if I've been in a yoga class... been on a journey, and left with my feet softly touching back down to earth... my heart open, my mind in peace.
Thank you Charlie.
Break A Leg on the tour and see you at the Hollywood Bowl in 2010!
"LOVED THE SHOW! Hi Charlie you are my inspiration...great seeing you last night and meeting your family. Thanks for sharing your story. Live to love and love to live. Keep on doing what you do cause no one does it quite like you;)"
Hi Charlie,
As you know, I watched your performance at the Santa Monica Playhouse eight to 10 times. Each time I was as involved and interested as the very first time and I got more out of your philosophy and songs everytime.
Thank you for allowing me to use your story and several songs in my book, "Waiting for God".
You encouraged everyone to "Do What You Love" and wrote a "Simple Song" to invite us to "Come Inside" and you asked "Are You Afraid" after receiving "The Call". It's "Surreal to Me" but it's "the Only Way" with no "Dr. O" to help us get through our "Chemo Brain"that we should be "Stickin' Around" as "Somebody New". Anyone you inspire will say thank you for being here "Just When I needed You" because they "Made me Nuclear"
Everyone comes into someone's life for a reaqson. Thanks for coming into ours.
Dale June
Oh man, Oh man,thank you Charlie,your songs are great. I know other have said it better than I can express. I recieve this Cd from Dave Murphy. He said that you gave him several copies to give to people. I was one of them, you are still out there giving of your self. I live in Texas I wish you could make it out here I would love to see the whole show. I have been watching the clips and they are awesome. Once a gain THANK YOU!
Debbie Fowler
I was moved by you and your music when we met in San Francisco this week. Still, I thought I might listen once to your CD because I just thought it would be too emotional to hear it more than once. I now find myself listening to the lyrics, the tunes, your silky voice and the overall message that you were meant to share and even humming along. I feel your story and know that you are truely a gift for people with and without the cancer experience. Thank you for sharing so much of yourself as you fullfill your destiny.
By figuring out what you were meant to do with this experience, you have transformed the whole thing. I am proud to have met you and will tell people about you to share your music.
In appreciation and gratitude,
Jodi
Charlie, I don't have cancer myself, but who doesn't know somebody or have a family member that isn't affected by this? However, your show so inspired me that I am diligently working my small business to make it a success with a passion I've never felt. The funny thing is it's because I want to help. I feel so energized by your story, by your show, by your music, but most of all by you. I am a better man for having met you and your heard your story.
Much Respect...
Matt Wiggins
Thank ME? No way.....Thank YOU!
What an awesome story and an amazing journey. I'm so glad I went to see the operetta. It was great to see you Bob! And, I'm really, really impressed and touched by the way you and Charlie are making it a life mission to spread a good message to the world. Especially one that EVERYONE, on some level, can relate to.
I'm still digesting it all.....very, very powerful.
Last night, I heard my dad say to me the things he could not articulate in the two months between his cancer diagnosis and his death. I can't even tell you how much that performance stirred up some major emotions for me. And, also gave me a better understanding of what my dad felt during that time. I was 22 when he died and I was so focused on how I felt, that I didn't spend enough time to reflect on how he felt.
12 years later, one hour show, and I have a whole new level of understanding. Yeah, thanking me is a joke........Thank you for taking this amazing story to the world. It needs it.....desperately. Thanks for bringing my dad back to me for an hour. That's a precious gift beyond any material gift I have ever received.
I'm cheerin' you guys on!
Much Love,
Jami
Wow...what an amazing experience. Charlie touched so many of us here...in so many ways. My biggest fear is that I used him up. He was a bit tired when I put him on the airplane. I have had many people tell me that they were intimately touched by his message...and his ability to put everything else aside and concentrate on a person in need. OMG Thank you so much for sending him to us.
Our concert, despite all the other things that were happening that same night, had great attendance....over 60 people in a candlelit venue...very intimate and warm. He performed/connected for over two hours. The next morning he did three performances that reached about 150 elementary kids. He was so great with them. Then he sang some sincere songs with our most fragile...Long Term Care residents.
I am indebted. We are indebted.
Annabelle
Petersburg, Alaska
Hey Charlie,
I finally got around to listening to your CD and absolutely enjoyed it. I'm sorry I missed your concert here and now realize just how MUCH I must have missed. All my best to you in your continuing tour.
Keith Giles
Alaska Music One
Juneau Alaska
I am very taken with your story and your whole campaign. Wow! What a gift! What a great example you are! Great unique message and website! After coming out of your own fight with cancer you are using your talents in the perfect way to support and inspire others who are scared going through the same thing... This has brought me to tears... Thank You! ~Love and Light~
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