This is the story of current NBA star, Chris Andersen. Standing at 6'10'', he averages 6 rebounds and 6 points a game. Not impressive, but his ability to soar and dunk has deemed him the nickname "Birdman". Fans all flap their wings when he enters into the game, all excited to see him in action. His childhood was not one would consider normal; his parents were very neglectful, so he grew up in an orphanage. As he went into his teenage years he was heavily involved in drugs, and many times found himself lost. But he slowly rose out of the ashes as a star NBA player, currently playing for the Denver Nuggets. This did not mean, however, that all of his problems were left aside. In 2007, he was charged with drug usage and was suspended from the NBA. On top of that, his home in New Orleans was destroyed by Katrina. His drug problem lasted throughout the first part of his career. He eventually went into rehab and since then has been clean. "I'm back in charge of my life, brother" he says.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elliott_Smith
This is a short biography of one of my favorite musicians, Elliott Smith. Smith, like many musicians, grew up in a tough home. He was sexually abused by his step-mother and neglected by both his real and step-parents. This led to an early history of drug use, starting at age 14. It was throughout his childhood that he was introduced to music, the one thing that made sense to him. He started off his musical career in a band called Heatmiser, and eventually left to pursue solo endeavors. His drug problem did not affect him until his later life. He released CDs such as Self-Titled, Roman Candle, and Either/Or which all received national attention. He was nominated for an Academy award for his song Miss Misery, and many times hit the top of the UK album charts. His angst-filled acoustic lullabies were a big hit. However, towards the end of his life, he started experiencing paranoia and more heavy drug and alcohol use. His life was a series of ups and downs, with hits songs acquiring him much attention in his middle ages, but then eventually died in the middle of one of his paranoic and angry spells. To this day no one knows if he was killed or committed suicide. This is and example of a life turned around, but not so much a happy ending...
-a
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