the most unforgettable man i ever met.
let me call him a walking contradiction.
he certainly was at least that.. he was short, had crooked teeth, walked like a crab, and you could barely understand anything he was saying.
my john delorean story.
in the summer of '74, i moved my family to southern california.
i was trying to escape fromjehovah's witnesses and low-paying jobs.
Your friend was just making more excuses to justify his getting rid of the vehicle.
___________________________________________
He was a little guy. I stood next to him looking down. (I'm six-four).
He'd probably need high heels to drive a Volkswagon :)
Guys like Billy Hork are a breed apart when it comes to telling a story.
I watched him speaking with Art customers and he was a spell-binder.
Being a short man meant he could get away with approaching people without
being threatening.
He insisted all sales associates learn what he called "The Rap" on every piece of artwork hanging in the gallery. Not just facts and dimensions, etc. It was a fairytale-style bedtime story!
"Anton Chichakov painted this canvas you're admiring and - did you know? He escaped from a Gulag in Russia! A Siberian prison camp! He was a political dissident who was critical of Stalin. He made his way on foot hundreds of miles before finding his way to a fishing village where he hid out and finally made his way to safety and freedom.
He learned to paint from taking odd jobs such as janitor work in a French atelier
(art-studio) where he mopped and swept and emptied trash but listened and watched the artists as they labored over their paintings.
He asked questions and learned techniques as time went by.
This painting of his is almost 3-dimensional because of the heavy use of palette knife and scumbling techniques ....blah blah blah...blah blah..."
There was no such man as Anton Chichakov, by the way. That painting was designed by a couple of American guys and painted by a crew in a warehouse! A friend of his wrote the Biography.
Such is the unseemly side of the Art world I soon discovered to my dismay.
Ahh, memories!
I could write a book about all the Art crooks I encountered!
my john delorean story.
in the summer of '74, i moved my family to southern california.
i was trying to escape fromjehovah's witnesses and low-paying jobs.
My JOHN DELOREAN STORY
_______
In the summer of '74, I moved my family to Southern California. I was trying to escape from
Jehovah's Witnesses and low-paying jobs. I was an artist and decided to move where art
and artists were in demand.
I performed various art-related jobs which led to meeting fascinating people along the way.
In the course of time, I found myself working in a Beverly Hills art gallery. The owner was named Billy Hork. He was about 32 years old, energetic, and quirky. Hork was the essential entrepreneur and he made quite an impression.
Billy Hork hired a Captain Hook look-alike handing out ‘picture hooks’ with business cards attached featuring his gallery!
Hork didn't want customers to just stand there staring at a piece of art in his gallery--no, no, no! He demanded his salesman walk right up and begin unwinding a reel of fascinating details for the viewer: how it was made, about the artist, the framing, etc.
I caught on quickly. Look at all the training I’d had as a Jehovah’s Witness! Knocking on doors and narrating the meaning of the Universe :) I became adept as an Art Associate and earned commissions for art sold.
Hork arrived in California visiting and inspecting his West Coast gallery while keeping an eye on his shady partner, Tom Francini. We chatted for a couple of hours. I came away with a nifty John DeLorean story from him.
_____________________
Why don’t I share this story with you now?
_______________________
JOHN DELOREAN 
In 1974, young Billy Hork met John DeLorean in New York.
Delorean designed Hork's favorite automobile the Pontiac GTO muscle car. Delorean also designed Hork’s second, third, and fourth favorite cars: Firebird, Grand Prix, and Chevrolet Vega.
DeLorean was the kind of young, handsome entrepreneur who appealed to Billy Hork's sense of outrageous "style."
They hit it off.
Delorean was pretty savvy about both money and the people who had it to invest. Billy Hork was “on tap” for Delorean’s charismatic world-building ideas.
The dashing designer confided in Hork, "I'm going to start my own automobile company and design and build the most outrageously exciting car in the history of the world!."
(Yes, he was modest, too.)
Hork's tongue was practically hanging out.
He quickly grabbed DeLorean's arm and pleaded.
"I want the first one to roll off your assembly line!"
DeLorean smiled a big, wide, Cheshire cat grin.
"Okay, tell you what I'll do. Write me a check for $20 thousand bucks and you'll get the first one I produce!"
They shook on it. In a trembling hand, delirious with excitement, Billy Hork wrote big, handsome John, sexy John, a whopping check. (My hand would be trembling too, wouldn't yours?)
"Don't fill in the date yet," said DeLorean, "I don't know when that first car will be ready. Just leave it blank and I'll fill it in."
Hork agreed and then---a small thought passed before his mind. The seed of curiosity sparked a query.
"Um--uh, John--do you have any idea___approximately__when I might take possession of my fantastic new Delorean vehicle?"
John Delorean pocketed the check and clamped a firm, reassuring hand on Billy's shoulder. "Don't you worry--it won't take one day longer than necessary. I'll keep in touch with you."
And that was that.
It was 1973.
____________
Billy Hork told me this story many years later, of course, around 1982 or so.
He had a merry twinkle in his eye as he recounted the following details. . .
_____________
"That was in '73, and I didn't hear a squeak out of John for three years--three LONG years. One day, my phone rings and it's John. John is calling me!"
Hork's face flushed red with enthusiasm as he tells me this. His body became very animated. He pantomimed picking up an imaginary telephone and begins pacing back and forth like he's actually on the phone at that same moment.
"Hello John, it's great to hear from you. I'll bet I know why you're calling me! it's about the car you've designed. Is it ready? IS IT READY, JOHN?"
Then, Hork’s face turns to astonishment. He pantomimes grave disappointment. The smile sags into a droopy curve of forlorn sadness.
"Production problems? Oh. Yeah. Sure. Sure. I understand. . ."
So John DeLorean tells him there is a delay because cost overruns have cut into his available cash. A prototype is ready to demonstrate the concept of the gullwing vehicle--But the car is NOT YET very good. Then, big John drops it on him. . .
"I don't think you want the prototype, Billy. You can have it - just say the word - but, know this - I'm re-engineering it. I'm bringing in a guy from Lotus and rejiggering the engine into a fuel-injected V6. Moving things around inside. YOUR car will be the best my company can possibly put on the market. If you want to wait for it - THAT ONE is yours. Is that okay with you?"
So, Billy is waggling his head from side to side now like a man weighing life and death in an internal battle. The car looks fantastic--but--John DeLorean says it's not any good. What are another few months compared to getting the BEST of all possible great designs?
"Yes, John. That's okay. I'll wait."
And now. . . here it comes. . . ready for it?
John DeLorean tells Billy Hork, "I'll need another check from you. This time another $10 thousand dollars. Trust me, Billy--it's well worth the money!"
_______
The name of the redesigned car was to be called Z TAVIO. John DeLorean was combining his middle name and his son, Zachary's first initial.
Billy pauses and shakes his head in an exaggerated side-to-side motion.
"I later found out, Johnny Carson and Sammy Davis Jr. both had invested a similar amount too. In fact, DeLorean had already burned through $175 million dollars from investors!!"
Most quality issues were solved by 1982 and the cars were sold from dealers with a one-year, 12,000-mile (19,000 km) warranty and an available five-year, 50,000-mile (80,000 km) service contract.)
In case you didn't notice, 1982 is almost a decade after Hork and DeLorean had first shaken hands!
The name of the vehicle had changed by then to DMC-12.
About 9,200 DMC-12s were produced between January 1981 and December 1982.
But then?
All that ended in bankruptcy and DeLorean was arrested on drug trafficking charges!
______________________
Okay, take a breath. Let it sink in.
So now I'm standing there staring at Billy Hork who has grown very quiet and still as he's lost somewhere inside his own thoughts and memories.
I break the silence. . .
"When did you finally get your car?"
Hork snaps out of his reverie and looks startled, but soon flashes his trademark smile again.
"I never got the one John promised--that first one. He had promised everybody things like that to get the money upfront. I'm not angry about it. That was just the greedy collector inside of me, ya know?"
I nodded but didn't really believe him.
He continued.
"The car was, at first, retail priced at $12 thousand. That's what the 12 meant in DMC-12 (Delorean Motor Company-12 thousand bucks.) But that never happened. The price kept going up and up and up. Eager car enthusiasts offered $10 thousand ABOVE whatever asking price there was. So, I wasn't the only idiot in the village."
I smiled at his self-deprecation.
"Funny thing is this. John DeLorean is six feet four inches and his design was for a man of that height to fit comfortably behind the wheel. I'm a lot shorter - you may have noticed - and I have to stretch my legs to reach the pedals!"
We both laughed.
"I came out ahead. I made money off of John because he was true to his bargain--sort of--in his own way."
(Note: adjusted for inflation, the DeLorean DMC-12 purchased by Billy Hork was going for about $65,000 dollars in today's money. Billy had only paid $30,000.)
"Well, that's quite a story. Are you driving it around now? I'd love to see it."
I'll never forget the expression on Billy Hork's face as he turned and looked up at me to answer my question. It was a wistful expression with a tinge of regret.
"Nah. I drove it a few times and sold it. Those gull-wing doors never worked right. I got stuck inside a few times and became the laughing stock- the butt of everybody's jibes when I had to be rescued from my fancy-schmancy exclusive vehicle."
He snorted and shook his head.
"I sold it and doubled my money. I felt sorry to see it go. I'd have been a fool to keep it when I knew I could turn such a profit. I admire John DeLorean a lot for selling it to me and seeing to it I took delivery. He went through hard times and had other things on his mind."
His voice trailed off.
Customers wandered inside the gallery where we stood. He walked briskly over to them and chatted them up. I stood watching him.
Billy Hork died in 2008. He was only 62.
What a guy. What a story!
I really enjoyed listening to him and watching him act it all out.
I also enjoyed writing this to share that experience with you.
___________
Terry Walstrom
the most unforgettable man i ever met.
let me call him a walking contradiction.
he certainly was at least that.. he was short, had crooked teeth, walked like a crab, and you could barely understand anything he was saying.
THE MOST UNFORGETTABLE
MAN I EVER MET
Let me call him a walking contradiction. He certainly was at least that.
He was short, had crooked teeth, walked like a crab, and you could barely understand anything he was saying. I’ve been thinking about Philip Moh since 1980. Yes - for 41 years. This man told me something 41 years ago I have been unable to forget. I’ll tell you what it was after I tell you about the man.
Philip Moh won awards as Best Salesman of the Year.
Year after year selling life insurance. Tough sell even for a handsome man who speaks perfect English.
Philip Moh outsold every salesman by a wide margin and he worked for the largest Insurance company in the state of California.
His yearly bonuses included a fancy car, Patek Philippe watch, around the world vacation, stock and cash.
I worked for Philip Moh in a unique relationship.
I needed a second job, part-time to earn extra money. My 4th child was about to be born. I answered an Advert in the L.A. Times for a telephone solicitor “with highly persuasive phone skills.”
I may not have known what exactly that was - but I surely knew what it wasn’t.
First off, you can’t be pushy, sneaky, or fast-talking. That’s tough for a solicitor to grasp for some strange reason. Reading from a script too long and badly written shuts down almost everybody in the first ten seconds. I knew that much and that’s all I needed to know.
I dialed the number and he answered.
I could-barely-understand-him!
All he said was this. “If you want the job - just try and sell me a pencil.”
(Try to keep in mind - this was in the pre-computer era. There was no internet either.)
I asked for further clarification but he just sort of yelled:
“You have two minutes to sell me a pencil. GO!”
I shrugged my shoulders and dived in.
“Do you know what cost tens of thousands of dollars? A ballpoint pen so astronauts could write in zero gravity in space. Do you know what costs about a dime and writes upside down and underwater? A pencil.
We all make mistakes because we’re human but if we make our mistake using a pen - we’re screwed! If we use a pencil - we turn it around and use the eraser and instantly have a fresh start - no extra charge!
This simple fact is so obvious we don’t stop and think about it. We all need a pencil handy and I’m here to help you and your family make sure you’ve got one on hand. How many packs can I put you down for?”
I stopped talking.
Philip Moh spoke: “That was 45 seconds. You have a minute 15 seconds left.”
I answered: “Don’t need it. More is less. Short and sweet gets the job done.”
Silence for a second or two.
Philip Moh: “I love it! You’re hired.”
And that’s how we started.
To be a successful salesman, what do you think you would need to have as a very basic starting skill-set? Pleasant appearance? Great speaking skills? The ability to put people at ease?
Philip Moh was none of the above.
I’ve already described his appearance and difficult speech style. What I didn’t tell you is what follows.
Philip Moh told me what had happened to him when he was 5 years old in China.
He fell off a balcony. He landed on the flat of his back.
He was crippled by his injuries and unable to move for a year. But his mother was a special person. She believed it was better to do “something” rather than nothing to help her son. Her efforts were heroic and made all the difference.
Through exercise, discipline, determination little Philip learned to move on his own and finally walk. It was a strange walk but effective.
Philip’s family had no money but a strong work ethic. They moved to America for opportunities. Philip worked his way through school, learned English, won honors, and applied for a job as a life insurance salesman.
“Why Philip? Selling? Why?” I couldn’t see how that would be his first choice.
He explained.
The insurance company wouldn’t have to take a chance on him failing.
Salesmen are on straight commission. If he wasn’t any good at it, he’d starve.
He’d fire himself, so to speak. He thought they might have reasoned that there was a large Chinese community in California and he had a shot at selling his own people.
Philip Moh was given a chance. That’s all he required.
He read the sales manuals, attended sales meetings, and then bought himself a good suit. In five years’ time, he was winning sales contests and winning awards.
When I first walked into Philip Moh’s office, I was taken aback by his appearance.
I felt uncomfortable. That’s on me. I had to adjust to his speaking style: garbled.
I didn’t know where to look. I pretended to look at his face--in fact--I looked through his head at an object behind him.
Yes. I know--I sound like a monster. I’m just being straight with you.
But then, a strange thing began to happen.
Do you know what CHARISMA really, truly means?
Whatever you think it means--there is a kind of supernatural magic “some” people possess which makes them spellbinding.
Philip Moh had a bucket of CHARISMA.
He practically “had me” at “Hello.”
We hit it off. He hired me.
I left his office with my head spinning. I was dazed.
“What just happened?” I asked myself.
I had no answer. I still don’t have one!
____
I was hired to obtain leads by making random phone calls. Leads are potential customers.
Philip Moh told me:
“Just get me both the husband and the wife willing to sit down with me for 15 minutes knowing in advance I am an insurance salesman and I will sell them--guaranteed--no exceptions.”
Moh couldn’t do this for himself because it required telephone skills.
He had none!
I gave it my best shot and it worked.
He told me I was the best lead man he’d ever hired.
“How many have you hired?” I had to ask.
“I go through about 200 fails a year. Sometimes more.”
I LOVED THAT!
We hit it off as I said.
_____
After a month of working for Philip, in his office, on his telephone--I asked him
The Elephant in the Room QUESTION.
Philip Moh’s answer to that question is what I’ve thought about for 41 years.
(See how I finally got back to the point?)
Remember what I said at the top?
I said:
“Let me tell you what Philip Moh told me. I’ve been thinking about it since 1980.
Yes, that’s 41 years.”
_____
Here is what I asked him and how he answered.
_____
“How do you do it, how do you manage to sell so much insurance to so many people?”
Moh looked at me in a strange way for a minute. Behind his eyes, a magnificent machine was churning, ticking, calculating a reply.
“Okay. I tell you,Terry.” (When he said my name, Terry, it sounded like “Tah-ee”.)
Moh got up from behind his desk and walked over to his door and shut it!
I felt like I was at the C.I.A. chief’s office about to learn who really shot J.F.K.)
The implication was that what I was about to hear was too precious a secret for anybody to know...but me.
I already felt honored!
“People want to believe good things about themselves. My job is to help them believe the best possible thing. A person who pays money month after month for life insurance gets nothing for all their payments. They must be dead for anything to happen! What kind of person buys something like that? I explain. Only a hero does that! A selfless person who truly LOVES others does that. It takes a great person with a great heart to reach out and help their loved ones even after they are dead. If you want to be remembered forever as that kind of hero by your wife and kids--I am there to help them. That is my job. Their job is to become that hero.”
Wow! I went light-headed.
I don’t know what kind of answer I had expected. Not that.
He was very honest with me. He went on to explain.
“I know I make people uncomfortable because of my arthritis, my bad English, my appearance. Yes--I do know that. I also know something more important. Good people want to give a man like me every chance possible. That is my only advantage. Good people sit and listen to me. I am there to help them and allow heroic and unselfish hearts to shine.”
Now, do you understand why he is the most unforgettable man?
I kept thinking, “People want to believe good things about themselves.”
I still think about it. Salesmanship is empowering others to think well of themselves. Wow. Still blows my mind.
Is that why I became one of Jehovah's Witnesses?
Did I want to see myself as heroic and willing to go to prison to demonstrate what an unselfish person I was in serving God?
Are JW's empowered to believe the best about themselves through all those holidays they don't celebrate, through the thankless door-to-door preaching?
Is THAT what was going on? Were we paying the hero’s price for self-esteem?
I still think about that, and now - possibly you will be too.
______________________________
Being honorable or heroic may well be a talent some are born with while others have to work hard at it.
covington / muhammed ali / disfellowship (what do they have in common?
)“hayden c. covington, one of the most influential figures in the history of first amendment law.
beyond the numerous first amendment cases he argued or co-argued in the supreme court, he also prevailed on behalf of the witnesses in over “100 decisions handed down by various state supreme courts, and .
Good read Terry Just one question though, what was he DFed for ?
Rafe, I can't say positively he was DF'd for alcoholism but that's all
anybody complains about concerning Covington.
Rutherford drank 'at least' as much as HCC.
I'll use a Theocratic word here: "Apparently" he was DF'd for drunkenness.
I suspect he was either unrepentant or insubordinate vis a vis Knorr.
i will post a **spoiler** in a few minutes.a 7 part horror movie on netflix titled midnight mass blew me away and i thought i mightrecommend this limited series (only seven parts.first of all, there is a word never ever mentioned by anybody in this horror drama.that is for a good reason.
a very good reason.
i won't mention it either or i'd ruin part of the build-up inside the plot.suffice to say, this horror story is a very fresh take on a well-trodden path we've all been down many times (if we are fans.
Yes, slow opening and then.................BOOM!
covington / muhammed ali / disfellowship (what do they have in common?
)“hayden c. covington, one of the most influential figures in the history of first amendment law.
beyond the numerous first amendment cases he argued or co-argued in the supreme court, he also prevailed on behalf of the witnesses in over “100 decisions handed down by various state supreme courts, and .
I think about how underpaid and unrewarded such a potent attorney was
because of his association with Jehovah's Witnesses.
Today the Watchtower cult pays millions of $$ to lawyers.
The money spent is for nefarious purposes.
What Covington achieved has considerable impact for the good ...mostly.
Some people are simply born at the wrong TIME in history.
i will post a **spoiler** in a few minutes.a 7 part horror movie on netflix titled midnight mass blew me away and i thought i mightrecommend this limited series (only seven parts.first of all, there is a word never ever mentioned by anybody in this horror drama.that is for a good reason.
a very good reason.
i won't mention it either or i'd ruin part of the build-up inside the plot.suffice to say, this horror story is a very fresh take on a well-trodden path we've all been down many times (if we are fans.
I will post a **Spoiler** in a few minutes.
A 7 part horror movie on Netflix titled MIDNIGHT MASS blew me away and I thought I might
recommend this limited series (only seven parts.
First of all, there is a word never ever mentioned by anybody in this horror drama.
That is for a good reason. A very good reason.
I won't mention it either or I'd ruin part of the build-up inside the plot.
Suffice to say, this horror story is a very fresh take on a well-trodden path
we've all been down many times (if we are fans.)
Let me tell you why I think Ex-JW's would or might especially enjoy this.
We went down a similar path to the characters in this story.
We were offered Eternal Life based on trials and travails quite horrifying (Armageddon and persecution). We were introduced to rituals very different from mainstream religion.
We believed in angels and New Light.
We were willing to shun and view as diseased any who turned against our Truth.
In other words - this Midnight Mass story takes ordinary people who live on an island with lots of problems and a central religious figure offers them a kind of Salvation based on miracles and most of them are willing to endure the crossover test to achieve eternal life.
They are completely and utterly deluded, of course, and we (Ex Dubs) will understand this in a way an ordinary horror audience will not because it is on a deeper level of experience shared.
WARNING!
The story (in seven parts) is a "slow burn" not interested in flash and bang but in characters' lives and backstories so you get to know and deeply care about their humanity before the descent into terrifying inevitability appears.
When the horror begins (and it does begin soon enough) you are pulled in deeply and glued to your seat.
This was so intense I had to take a space of one day between each chapter. I could NOT simply do the binge-watch orgy I ordinarily do when something grabs my interest.
***SPOILER ALERT***
Please don't ruin this for yourself by watching a preview trailer or reading a review.
The less you know - the more impact each successive revelation will bestow.
****SUPER SPOILER ALERT***
The word that is never ever used by any character at any time is the first word you would use if you had been asked what genre of horror MIDNIGHT MASS is.
The reason the word isn't used is that this story really ISN"T a _____movie at all.
The spoiler is this: this is the REAL meaning of the Bible in a twist so blood-curdling a religiously educated person (like an Ex-JW) will feel the gut-punch with double force.
When you realized you weren't dealing with THE TRUTH and the LIE was what you worshipped you were devastated. So too in this horror story. But the true horror (for a Catholic) must feel so blasphemous as to be traumatic.
**END of SPOILER**
Try MIDNIGHT MASS and even if it seems slow at first ...hang in there for the end of that first episode. You'll know if you want to watch the rest by the time it is finished and Episode 2 rolls around.
At the end of Episode 4 I was actually traumatized!! And I am a veteran Horror movie buff.
So, there you have it!
Enjoy!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-XIRcjf3l4
____
The actor who plays the Priest is so wonderfully empathetic I loved the guy. He is utterly sincere and big-hearted. His motives are not sinister at all. He is pure as a True Believer.
The religious dialogue in movies is, IMHO, laughable - but in this instance it was wonderful!
There wasn't a phony moment of trumped-up dialogue when it came to God-talk.
This is aimed at true believers.
Ex-True Believers will find it outstanding, I'm sure.
the monkey’s maw.
a tale of horror.
“three wishes?
Readers "of a certain age" will call to mind a writer named O.Henry (not the candy bar)
who was famous for writing stories with Twist Endings.
O.Henry wrote a story called THE MONKEY'S PAW which was quite popular.
In the story, three wishes are granted to the owner of The Monkey's Paw, but the wishes come with an enormous price for interfering with fate.
My story is an obvious interpolation.
In fact, it is meant to explore the "logic of choices" when based on an unreliable foundation.
For instance, if you are a Jehovah's Witness it is possible you were converted from a different religion because you compared one thing to another thing based on THE BIBLE.
In point of fact, the Bible has (since the Protestant Reformation) only led away from Catholicism into 40 thousand separate denominations ALL CLAIMING TO BE CHRISTIAN.
Same Bible (except for the NWT) but so many interpretations!
My story suggests the problem might be that the Bible is itself the UNRELIABLE NARRATOR.
Your mileage may vary, of course :)
lottery+stripper+bible study = a jehovah’s witness sister!don’t most financially-strapped blue-collar people buy lottery tickets - what’s so special about that?vivian, mother of 4, a factory worker - it was her husband who played the pools and won £5.5 million pounds!viv and her husband lived in yorkshire and in the u.k. they call it playing the “ football pools.”they were the biggest winners in history (at the time) and the year was 1961.the first question winners are asked is: “what will you do with all that cash?”viv’s honest reply later became the title of her book (and later - a musical!
) “spend spend spend!”who doesn’t imagined winning such a sudden fortune would be the end of life’s problems?not so fast!four years after hitting the jackpot, her husband died at the wheel of his new jaguar, leaving an estate of only £42,000.
i mean that is all that was remaining after a mad spending spree.
Incidentally, the “Pools” are not really a lottery, it is betting on the outcome of football matches.
______
Quite right, thanks!
There is a random aspect to the lottery which is absent from making a choice of winner in football.
Here in the U S of A, if you say pools it causes a giant question mark to appear in a balloon above the head.
