Saturday, March 31, 2012

Another Friend Remembers Markie


Hi, this is Jenny again. I just figured out how to open up this blog and get into to it to make a new edit. The world of computers, even though I love them, are all too confusing for me, which is why I have now written down the important stuff and will be able to come back a bit more frequently.

In February of this year, (2012) another of Mark's friends reached out and contacted me. He did so because he checks up on all of his good buddies through imdb.com, a place where people in the movie industry have important information listed about them and it was the way this friend found out Mark had passed away; the site updated Mark's death. Luck of the Universe his friend was re-directed to me, keeper of the Mark Voland "friend, love and legacy" group. It is my personal pleasure by the way, I enjoy being the central hub for Mark's wayward friends because I loved him so and he is still remains in a special part of my heart - a place no one can take away, nor would they. It isn't anything morbid, just difficult when I realize he is no longer as close as a phone call and yes I still do miss him, I believe this will never change. Losing a person like Mark leaves us all a bit sadder and a bit less complete. People like Mark managed to fill a room like none other and this is what Mark did for his friend Dan Rosen. So now I am going to post what Dan wrote me about his remembrance, about his friendship with Mark. He also sent a new photo which I will add too as Dan is in the photo along with other friends I remember. Bless and keep you Mark, you were really loved in this world and still are loved to this day. We all miss you.

Here is Dan's post:
Jenny:
I am so sorry to learn of Mark's passing, and so sorry that I didn't learn of it sooner. I am also sorry that I don't remember meeting you at Grant High. One of the great things about Mark was that he knew so many wonderful people that I otherwise wouldn't have known.
As documented so well by Hyam, I was one of the people lucky enough to have been a friend of Mark's. I was in his first band, Thursday Island, a name he picked at random from a dictionary. The attached photo was taken at my brother's Bar Mitzvah in 1967, which I think was our first (and only) paid gig. That's Scott Root on guitar and vocals, Mark on bass and vocals, Hyam on drums and me on guitar. Mark helped us build an impressive playlist for a junior high school band, from the Yardbird's rocking "For Your Love" to the Beatle's beautiful "And I Love Her".
By the way, I was sitting on the amp because the week before, during rehearsal, my guitar strap broke, dropping my guitar on the floor, which shattered the wood around the plug. Luckily, the electrics still worked, so I didn't realize the extent of the damage. But Mark could see it, and he pointed at the guitar as he made one of his famous wide-eyed, open-mouthed expressions of horror. I thought he was joking, as so often he was, until I turned the guitar over. The guitar held together for our gig, and the Gibson factory fixed it almost as good as new, but I will never forget Mark's expression of sheer horror. Brilliant.
What can I add about Mark? He was bigger than life and made every occasion better. What can I say about a guy who was over 6 feet tall and weighed over 200 pounds, and drove a Honda 600 mini-car? We hung out at his house and drank Coors, not from wimpy 12 oz cans, but from quart bottles. We went to great rock concerts including many at the Rose Palace, such as Led Zeppelin in 1969.
Over the years, I moved away and lost touch. Every once in a while I'd think of Mark, especially after seeing Herb in an old movie on TV, usually "Airplane." Occasionally I'd look up Mark on IMDb to see if he was still able to get some roles. I was shocked and saddened to see that his entry now says "Died January 13, 2010." A bit of searching brought me to your remembrance. I am so grateful that you created it, because it comforts me to know that with all that Mark went through, he went through it with someone who cared for him so much.
Thank you for taking care of Mark, and for remembering him.
-Dan Rosen
Alexandria, VA