|
Re:For Thomas, with a little help from my friends 16 Years, 2 Months ago
|
|
Today I got a letter from Thomas´ sister and she
asked me to translate it and release it to the pool.
Here it is:
translated version from german into english.
Dear Fan-Community,
Me, Sabine, sister of Thomas Eckhardt reveived a phone call from Markus Siebler on the
19th of July 2008. He expressed condolences and informed me about a donation-fund
which has been invested cause the tragical death of my brother.
First, I couldn´t believe it, but Markus didn´t kiddin´ me and confirmed the first donations
which came in. He wrote me a letter and described what my brother was to all of you,
he told me that he was THE FAN.
When I read it a was deeply moved and wheeped bitter tears.
I´m a little bit jealous on you cause it seemed that you all knew my brother better than I did.
Nevertheless I can say that he conntacted me daily. Sometimes we had to laugh about my
brother and the ways he communicated. Somehow it worked out every time.
Not to forget, we had a lot of dissensions and than I just had to say something nice about Bob
and finally everything was alright again.
In my brothers life there was no space for anything else except Dylan. But I experienced that
he mentioned me a lot.
I miss him so much. He was so important in my life.
Every day he called me and now there is nothing just silence.
About the death and the way he died I will never come over.
He was the only relative I got. Our parents died already and a little brother of us
passed away also.
The money donated I will use like following (if it is okay with you):
Part of I´ll pay my lawyer from it (there was no possibility without a layer in that case),
part of I´ll pay from it the dissolving of Thomas´ apartment and part of I´ll finance
from it a passage to Italy.
You have to know that I had a heart attack this year (i´m 38 years old) and than I had
to accomplish a heart surgery. I wasn´t able to identify Thomas´ in that horrible condition,
neither I was able to do the paperworks which came up with this case.
I don´t speak italian and my english isn´t very better.
The hometown of Thomas, Halle (Westfalen), is 400 kilometres far away from me.
With the help of my lawyer it was possible to manage the dissolving of Thomas´ apartment
a lot easier. He helped on any kinds. Not to forget, I got a lot of bills which came in
and I had to solve this wisely. I have family, you know.
My brother wasn´t insureanced neither he had a membership to the ADAC (Automobile Club)
who sure would have payed for to bring Thomas´ body back to Germany.
I can´t accept Thomas´ heritage cause I can´t overdebt my family but this means also
that I will be forced probably to bury him in Italy. It seems that I got no other possibility.
I want to make you know how glad I am about the donated money in this situation.
It is a bright spot in a tunnel which is dark and in which the end is not in sight.
I´m deeply thankful about every donated cent. I can´t express how great your community
works together. I´m jealous on Thomas for all you friends he had. I thought
this just would happen in a movie.
Why this had all to happen? Why this had all to happen on this way? I´ll never know
the answer but you helped me to get hope. You helped me to get this trough.
I got a lot of letters and phonecalls, I got a lot of new friends and all that gives me
the power which I need so deeply.
From my deepest heart, I wanna thank you. I´ll never forget it.
Maybe some of yours want to send me E-Mails, I would be proud to be a part
of your community.
At the moment I can´t listen to Dylan. It hurts too much.
Kind regards,
Sabine
If you wanna conntact Sabine, Thomas´ sister ask me for
her e-mail address via pm. Please use the address carefully.
Thanks,
Mark
|
|
|
|
|
The administrator has disabled public write access.
|
Marcel (User)
Gold Boarder
Posts: 221
|
Re:For Thomas, with a little help from my friends 16 Years, 2 Months ago
|
|
thanks Mark, that is a bittersweet letter. i'm sure the actions of this group will be cherished even more as time passes and the pain subsides...this effort will always bring a smile to Sabine
|
|
|
|
|
The administrator has disabled public write access.
|
|
Re:For Thomas, with a little help from my friends 16 Years, 2 Months ago
|
|
Seigneur! I can't remember the last time where i was moved like that.
|
|
|
|
|
The administrator has disabled public write access.
|
|
Re:For Thomas, with a little help from my friends 16 Years, 2 Months ago
|
|
Bless her heart.
Surely we can set a new target for more donations? It makes me sad to learn she may have to bury him in Italy.
A special thanks to all the people who did the footwork getting the fund all set up.
|
|
|
|
|
The administrator has disabled public write access.
|
Mick (User)
Gold Boarder
Posts: 310
|
Re:For Thomas, with a little help from my friends 16 Years, 2 Months ago
|
|
yes it is very sad that she will have to bury thomas in italy. i wonder has she access to thomas's funds as well....
|
|
|
|
|
The administrator has disabled public write access.
|
|
Re:For Thomas, with a little help from my friends 16 Years, 2 Months ago
|
|
At this moment, we have 1 327 EUR
I guess we will send her the money as soon as possible.
|
|
|
|
|
The administrator has disabled public write access.
|
|
Re:For Thomas, with a little help from my friends 16 Years, 2 Months ago
|
|
I just called Special Rider Music offices in New York and asked them to get a message to Jeff Rosen, explaining the tragic circumstances of Thomas' death and what we are trying to do here.
The lady I spoke to was helpful and promised to do her best.
It may be a long shot, but it would be nice if they could help out.
|
|
|
|
|
The administrator has disabled public write access.
|
|
Re:For Thomas, with a little help from my friends 16 Years, 2 Months ago
|
|
Sure, that would be nice, but i think there's no need to dream.
Messages has already been sent to a few band members, and nobody answered. Not that we had much hope, but..
|
|
|
|
|
The administrator has disabled public write access.
|
|
Re:For Thomas, with a little help from my friends 16 Years, 2 Months ago
|
|
Dear Sabine, dear poolers,
I first met Thomas in 1993 and at many, many Dylan shows over the course of the following years. Since about 1998 we had been in regular Mail and E-Mail contact, always exchanging information about Bob and trading CDs, Videos and DVDs. He was always very generous in what he sent out and often also gave you little things he had picked up on the road, like flyers, posters and suchlike. If I remember it correctly, I met you, Sabine, before the 1998 Leipzig concert when you accompanied your brother. I still have a note he wrote for me before that show with the adress of two record stores in Berlin.
This year Thomas told me very early on that he intended to travel to the Scandinavian shows and then follow the tour "all the way to Toulouse". My plan was to see the show in Vienna on June 10th and we were looking forward to meeting up there. Sure enough, when I arrived at the venue in Vienna, I met Thomas near the box office. After the show we met again in front of the stage. We both had enjoyed the show and specifically talked about the songs "Sugar Baby" and "Ain't Talkin'". Outside we talked some more. Thomas told me about his travels to the other shows on this year's European tour. He had been to Scandinavia, the Baltic countries, Poland (where he had also visited the grounds of the former concentration camp in Auschwitz) and the Czech Republic. From Vienna Thomas wanted to drive through the night straight to Salzburg for the next day's show. Some of you met Thomas in Salzburg at the last Dylan show he was able to attend. It is nice to see him smile in the photo that was taken of him after the show. That is the Thomas we all should remember.
It would be really sad if he would have to be buried in foreign ground, in Italy. I think we should all do whatever is possible to help Sabine bring his body back to bury him in his home town. Maybe the best thing (especially given the state his body was found in) would be to have him cremated in Italy and to transport his ashes back to Germany for burial there. But that is up to Sabine to decide. We do not know what Thomas would have wanted, but to me he always seemed to favour straight and pragmatic solutions.
Sincerely
Andreas and family
P.S.: As to the attempt to get Dylan's people involved, I applaud the initiative to contact the Special Rider Office in order to inform Jeff Rosen (Dylan's manager). They must get many people contacting them about all sorts of things, but you never know. By the way, Thomas once wrote a letter to Jeff Rosen inquiring about the rare Japanese issue of "The Bootleg Series Vol. 1–3" and Jeff Rosen replied telling Thomas that he was looking for that CD-set himself! This was in 1997/98, I think. So, if Mr. Rosen is reading this, maybe he will remember ...
|
|
|
|
|
The administrator has disabled public write access.
|
|
Re:For Thomas, with a little help from my friends 16 Years, 2 Months ago
|
|
bob himself has been informed
tony has been informed in merida too
can someone write down the words bob sang in rainy day opening ,i think, one of last tour dates?
|
|
|
|
|
The administrator has disabled public write access.
|
|
Re:For Thomas, with a little help from my friends 16 Years, 2 Months ago
|
|
And tonight, we have 1400 EUR.
|
|
|
|
|
The administrator has disabled public write access.
|
|
Re:For Thomas, with a little help from my friends 16 Years, 2 Months ago
|
|
MarkHibbing wrote:
QUOTE: Today I got a letter from Thomas´ sister and she
asked me to translate it and release it to the pool.
That is a really moving letter. How much can a family stand? It's so sad...
I admire the honesty and frankness Sabine shows in her writing. I wish her all the best and I'm assured that the gathered money goes to the right place.
|
|
|
|
|
The administrator has disabled public write access.
|
|
Re:For Thomas, with a little help from my friends 16 Years, 2 Months ago
|
|
just to bump it.
We have now 1427 EUR
|
|
|
|
|
The administrator has disabled public write access.
|
|
Re:For Thomas, with a little help from my friends 16 Years, 2 Months ago
|
|
the good news of the day: quite 1660 EUR!
|
|
|
|
|
The administrator has disabled public write access.
|
|
Re:For Thomas, with a little help from my friends 16 Years, 2 Months ago
|
|
robertlove2000 wrote:
QUOTE: bob himself has been informed
tony has been informed in merida too
can someone write down the words bob sang in rainy day opening ,i think, one of last tour dates?
It was the very last gig indeed, on July 8 in Jérez, Spain. Seems Bob was singing the third verse as the second where he changed the third line and put it as the fourth. Something that indicates it wasn't just a mere improvistaion made right on the spot.
"They'll stone ya when you're at the breakfast table.
They'll stone ya when you are young and able.
They'll stone ya and then they'll say you, "good luck."
They'll stone ya when you're HIT BY A TRUCK.
I would not feel so all alone,
Everybody must get stoned."
|
|
|
|
|
The administrator has disabled public write access.
|
|