Craig Bersche, Hudson, Ohio 1975-1977

Everyone dreams of being a rock star. From as early as I can remember I would fall asleep at night with and AM Radio under my pillow listening to distant stations and Rock and Roll static and all. There was magic in it. When I was about 17 years old I decided to make my dream a reality. I wanted so bad to see the inside offices of a major recording label.. so I set about sitting at the piano writing some songs with the idea of a hit in mind and all the Glory and chicks this would bring once it started playing on the radio. Not to mention the money.

I found a music arranger in Cleveland, Ohio named Lee Bush who was a jingle writer at the time and his outfit had written the theme for the local channel 5 TV station as well as commercials. We went into the studio with some studio musicians, some of them from the Cleveland Orchestra and mastered a 24-track tape. I then proceeded to contact such record labels as Arista, Atlantic, Capitol, Warner Bros etc. Through some clever promotion dreamed up by a starry eyed 18-year old I landed some interviews by A&R Directors in New York and Los Angeles. One of them was the A&R Director for Atlantic Records in New York named John Kalodner. He liked my stuff but didn't "hear" a hit.

I also made a music video. That was 32-years ago. I had no reference for doing a video. I just figured it would be a good way to get attention just like my idea that I tried to pitch to local Cleveland Radio Stations: to fly in to their station playing the piano dangling from a helicopter. I had it all arranged until they backed out for some insurance reason and the potential danger to myself........I was purely a PT Barnum promoter.

There were no home video cameras, recorders or players at all. So I rented a big clunky tv camera and a huge reel to reel video recording machine with a tape that was 2 inches wide and built a set in the garage, which included a larger-then-life plastic bubble that I stood in while singing the song. The result was the Bersch Bubble Video. It has been circulating for the past 30 years and has brought laughter to hundreds. I am digitizing it shortly so you can enjoy. Armed with this video I tried to get on the Donny and Marie Show and the Gong Show. For some reason though I never quite broke through and was a has been by 19. Thus relegated to the vast historical planet of Those Who Tried To Rock.

Video to come but for now, enjoy the sweet sounds of I Can't Live Without You and wonder why this act never made it...