Kid records album with famous people before dying.

[MJ12]

A teenage ukulele prodigy refused to let his battle with cancer be his legacy. Instead, he spent his final months realizing a dream of cutting an album with world-class musicians and using the money to help other kids like himself.
Just weeks before his death in August, 16-year-old Killian Mansfield of upstate New York got to hold a copy of his professional CD. "Somewhere Else" features the teen playing alongside such musical talents as Dr. John, Kate Pierson, John Sebastian, Todd Rundgren and Levon Helm.

http://www.gnn.com/article/killian-...llian-mansfield-cuts-album-while-dying/729636

He was diagnosed at age 11 with a rare form of synovial sarcoma, a disease that invades muscle and bone tissue. Over the next five years he endured painful treatments and surgeries, including one that removed a large portion of his jaw.
Killian's album was first conceived last fall when he was told that he was out of medical options and only had months to live. The magazine detailed how the boy told his mother during that hospital stay that he wanted to record: "But I don't want to do it with friends." Smiling, but serious, he added, "I want to play with famous people."

"When I got there, I sort of thought I was on a kind of playdate, right? Then Killian starts playing his ukulele, and I was like, 'Oh, really?' He knew chord voicings that, for lack of a better way of putting it, I knew. Soon he was showing me things. No joke, the kid was totally schooling me."

Recording sessions were dependent on Killian's health. To manage his pain, he took strong medications like Dilaudid, steroids and methadone. The drugs caused drowsiness that made it hard for him to work. He could only work for a few hours at a time, the magazine said.

Even if the music really isn't my taste, mad props to the kid.

 

[Rizzo]

Never heard about those artists... Cool story though. I guess.

 

[Vegeta897]

Killian?

 

[MJ12]

Devian?

 

[CptStern]

Surely you can attest to the fact that the majority of teen lives around you are far more interesting and admirable in their perpetual lazy activities of playing video games for ten hours a day, sophisticatedly drinking Star Bucks Coffee, and updating a tweet every two hours?.

I know this is a generalization but reality isnt too far from what you said. if I see one more quasi intellectual 20 year old talking philosophy (which he picked up from his first year psche class) in line at starbucks I'm going to give him the business end of my fist

watched about 5 minutes worth of the Hills last night. **** I wanted to punch every single character in that show. their calculated smug self absorbed posing for the camera makes me want to kill them ..or at the very least brow beat them till they develop an eating disorder :E


btw the kid in the OP is awesome but his story is incredibly sad. there is no ****ing god and if there is, he's obviously a huge dickhead

 

[Acepilotf14]

I would have asked for Billy Joel.

 

[simonjedi]

A teenage ukulele prodigy?

 

[Rizzo]

I wasn't being sarcastic, but thanks. I guess.

(See, now I was. Douchbag.)

 

[CyberPitz]

Pfft, shoulda played with Fleetwood Mac.

 

[Gunner]

Surely you can attest to the fact that the majority of teen lives around you are far more interesting and admirable in their perpetual lazy activities of playing video games for ten hours a day, sophisticatedly drinking Star Bucks Coffee, and updating a tweet every two hours?
Yes I'm generalizing. The majority of young people, or even people in general do not develop any sort of goal or utilize their potential talents and instead drone on with their daily lives, taking their comfort and existence for granted.
It's not surprising that in the face of death people want to make a mark on the world before leaving, to define their "legacy".

So yes, I do find it to be "cool", that although this kid was dying a painful death, he made a valiant effort to actually pursue a goal while using his talents. -Something the majority of people do not do, even when they are provided with all the time in the world.

So suck on that ya dull piss.

Kids these days are either playing with their dicks or their cellphones™

 

[Farrowlesparrow]

Children in the olden days had a lot less to distract them from their genitals. Golden times.

 

[Steve]

Children in the olden days had a lot less to distract them from their genitals. Golden times.

Exactly! In my day, I'd race all 7 miles home on foot in the snow carrying my 50 lbs of books on my head because we didn't have backpacks back then, and if mom was passed out drunk and dad wasn't home from the coal mine yet, it was a frantic race to rub one out to Beaver's mom before mom woke up and started shouting to "turn that damned TV down" and "turn off all these god damn lights" and before dad got home and started shouting "shut the hell up woman" and hitting her until she passed back out again.

Those were the good old days.

 

[theotherguy]

Man, if I was dying of a terminal illness, and the make-a-wish foundation came to me or something, this is exactly the sort of thing I'd ask for. (well, except for the ukelele bit).

 

[Eejit]

I guess there aren't enough celebrities to do the rounds for the 3 million children dying every year of malnutrition so this will have to do.

 

[jet_porkins]

:-/

Very sad. Great that he got to realize a dream before he passed. Don't know about those other folk, but Dr. John's a pretty killer N'Orleans pianist.

 

[morgs]

Surely you can attest to the fact that the majority of teen lives around you are far more interesting and admirable in their perpetual lazy activities of playing video games for ten hours a day, sophisticatedly drinking Star Bucks Coffee, and updating a tweet every two hours?
Yes I'm generalizing. The majority of young people, or even people in general do not develop any sort of goal or utilize their potential talents and instead drone on with their daily lives, taking their comfort and existence for granted.
It's not surprising that in the face of death people want to make a mark on the world before leaving, to define their "legacy".

So yes, I do find it to be "cool", that although this kid was dying a painful death, he made a valiant effort to actually pursue a goal while using his talents. -Something the majority of people do not do, even when they are provided with all the time in the world.

So suck on that ya dull piss.

Nobody knows the true value of life until they have faced death. But let's face it, it probably wouldn't have happened if he wasn't sick.

 

[MJ12]

Nobody knows the true value of life until they have faced death. But let's face it, it probably wouldn't have happened if he wasn't sick.

Of course, but that kid, unlike many people, utilized his talents daily.

 

[Eejit]

Yes, because that'd be a hit.

"These children are starving to death, what should we do?"

"Hmmm....... RECORD AN ALBUM"

GIVE US YER ****IN MONEY!

 

[Sledgehammer]

Of course, but that kid, unlike many people, utilized his talents daily.

Talent does not exist. Practice and determination does.

 

[Vegeta897]

Talent does not exist.

Bullshit.