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Last night I turned on a cable news program. I was busy in the kitchen and couldn’t see the screen but I heard a voice that I remembered always sent chills down my spine. I walked into the living room and sure enough, staring me in the face, swastika on forehead, was Charles Manson and a news reporter. It was a bit spooky.

At first I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. I shouldn’t have been so surprised that the media had given him yet another Andy Warhol 15 minutes; I worked in the media for nearly two decades before saying “enough is enough” as I saw it going in a direction in which valuable camera-time was being handed over to the infamous, rather than the famous; and often the famous had worked hard and been productive all their lives to get where they were. In other words, sensationalism was winning out over positive broadcasting. I am not saying stories of such notorious characters should not be mentioned or remembered. It is important to remember the Holocaust. It is important to remember Hilter; and for obvious reasons. It serves the educational process. Media can have a powerful effect on preventing history from repeating itself, that is, if the right people will listen and act accordingly.

Since I knew there was not much I could do about it (but maybe write the network to complain, I thought to myself, “Maybe it’s a good thing to show kids who maybe had never seen or heard of Manson to show his face remind us what we don’t want to be. The problem I had with the program was he was given an entire hour of nothing but his predictable rambling. He was having a fun time with all the attention. He has become a clown of clowns, learning to “play the media” by magnify his insanity with loud ramblings and erratic moves. The media was showing the world, “Look, doing something crazy like brainwash people into killing other people, and you two, a half century later, can still be a big celebrity.” And that is exactly what was happening. I kept thinking to myself, why couldn’t this cable news program dedicate a full hour to a captain of industry such as Bill Gates or Michael Dell or the founders of Google who do so much good in the world. I could have even tolerated another Donald/Rosie fight over Charlie’s mug; or pretended like I cared about “Barbara Walter’s torrid sex life” now being broadcast from here to eternity due to her new kiss and tell book, one that I don’t care to read, though I always did look at her as an excellent journalist. Why do they think they have to end it with a “Gotcha Moment Kiss And Tell” Book. Why can’t they back away like a gentleman, Hugh Downs for example, when the time is right?

Manson was allegedly driven by fame. Did you know he (and Steven Stills) both tried out for the 60’s band “The Monkees” when they were forming?

I don’t think that is what Andy Warhol had in mind with his “15 minutes of fame” theory.

Do you want your 15 minutes? Do you want fame? Freud said something drives everyone. What drives you? Maybe it is not fame. Maybe it is money. Maybe it is doing good in the world. Maybe it is having money and doing good in the world with it. Whatever it is, chances are, you are willing to work for it.

I work in business and the arts. I have had way more than my Warhol promised fiftenn minutes, and I am grateful for it. I have been able to help other people, animals, and environmental causes, and do things I had never dreamed I would be able to accomplish.

What were the steps?

What is your dream? If you are not sure, write down several and choose one that seems to fit you best.

Make a plan. Work that plan. Take lots of notes. Things will change. So will you. Find people who have achieved similar dreams. Do not be afraid to ask questions.

Use the Internet to accelerate that dream. Andy Warhol and his friends Marilyn Monroe and so many others did not have the luxury of the Internet. Norma Jean never had a blog and Andy did no social networking. You can. You can learn article marketing. Do it. Don’t stop with just a few articles. Find the top Ezines and stay at it.

Learn this work habit and repeat it daily. Don’t slack up when you see a little success come your way. Work that much harder. Suddenly you are a name brand. You should pat yourself on the back. Hard work but well worth it, eh?

Tags: Humor