Hi. Those who know me are aware of my total fascination with Karen Carpenter. 1970 really brought me into music because of her. I met her a few times and each time she was kind and gracious, even making her band go ahead of her at the Sheraton in Valley Forge so that she could write down my name, address and birthdate. Karen Carpenter was a success by most measures but a few things toward the end of her young life took their toll on her both mentally and physically.
She was talked out of releasing her solo album on the eve of it's release and took a crushing blow 'cause she loved the album. In her own words, "That's a f*cking great album." I agree. She also spent almost half a million of her own dollars to create the new music. Then she met and married a bloke in record time, (pun intended) who reportedly took her for her cash. They went to Bora Bora for their honeymoon; Karen referred to it as 'boring, boring' and cut the honeymoon short.
The marriage lasted 14 months.When she and her brother went back into the studio they made a bland 'comeback' album keeping up appearances with their ridiculous image, something that Karen's solo album was designed to repair. Had the world known that the clean cut brother and sister popped Quaaludes and lived normal lives, perhaps the barbs would not have cut so deeply. Their final single was released while Karen was in a New York hospital being fed intravenously.
She died the morning that she was scheduled to sign the final divorce papers. On this day in 1983 Karen Carpenter died and I still miss her greatly.
I saw a lady at my gym yesterday who is most definitely suffering from Anorexia. I went over to her and told her that if she ever wanted to talk to call me. She glared at me and marched off. I should have hugged her at the risk of being hauled off for harassment. More people should have hugged Karen Carpenter. Have a good day, keep your eyes and ears open for signs and when you see people that 'have it all,' don't let it fool you. Pass the cheese and enjoy Karen Carpenter playing her beloved drums.
"Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none." William Shakespeare
