“It’s a blur since they told me about it/How the darkness had taken its toll/And they cut into my skin and they cut into my body/But they will never get a piece of my soul” –Melissa Etheridge, “I Run for Life”
In the spirit of full disclosure, I want to tell you prior to jumping into this posting that I’m currently doing some part-time work for Hard Rock Café (well, Hard Rock Live, to be more specific). I come to this writing after a debate. I wanted to tell you about Hard Rock’s Pinktober, but I thought it might be considered a conflict of interest. After much pondering and an impromptu family meeting with Morton (dog) and Brendan (love of my life), I decided we can’t really afford to worry about things like conflicts of interest when it comes to saving the world. So here we go…
Pinktober is Hard Rock’s campaign for Breast Cancer Awareness Month and they are turning the amp up to 11 this year. The effort includes special merchandise, concerts, and parties, all helping to raises funds for local, national, and international breast cancer charities. Lesbian rocker and breast cancer survivor Melissa Etheridge is serving as the Artist Ambassador for the campaign and she kicked things off with an appearance at the New York City Hard Rock.
Not to be outdone by the Big Apple, the Hard Rock in my hometown Orlando — incidentally the largest Hard Rock in the world — had a celebration called “Light Up the Rock” during which the entire building was lit in pink and will remain so throughout October. The event raised $4300 for the local affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure through tickets sales, bar sales, and Hard Rock employees donating their tips. See a video of the Light Up the Rock. The pink beacon is situated in Universal CityWalk between two major theme parks — one of which gets heavy traffic this time of year for Halloween Horror Nights — so thousands of people are going to see it, ask questions about it, and remember that the fight is ongoing.
If you’re in the Central Florida area, you won’t want to miss Pinktober Phish Phest at Hard Rock Live on October 16. Put together by the enterprising lesbians behind Phish Phest Entertainment, the concert showcases local bands Halcyon, Someday Souvenir, Shut Up & Dance, and Vintage with the brassy Sue-Bee Laginess emceeing. You can purchase tickets by calling 407.351.LIVE or logging onto HardRockLive.com, or you can get tickets from members of the band. For every ticket turned in, Hard Rock is donating $1 to Libby’s Legacy Breast Cancer Foundation. Proceeds from a silent auction also benefit the cause. As an aspiring “lesbro,” as the Phish girls have dubbed their male fans, I’m looking forward to this event.
No matter where you live, you can support the cause by buying some of the cool Pinktober merchandise. There are pink sheet sets, a vest, a key chain, a night shirt, and a t-shirt. You can’t snap a bra strap without hitting a Hard Rock these days, so hopefully there is one near you. If not, you can do your shopping at the virtual Rock Shop. You’ll notice Hard Rock is admirably upfront about what percentage will be donated to the charity. I bought the ’09 Pinktober Breast Cancer Awareness pin, and I know that 75% of the $12 is going to the cause.
Hard Rock is founded on the mottos “Save the Planet” and “Love All Serve All” and it’s nice to see they are working to make these more than just snappy sayings. And I say that with only part-time biasness.
