Madden Mischief

My late friend J. Reuben Silverbird’s ancestors looked much like those on the T shirt Keanu Charles Reeves is holding.  And so did Silverbird himself who was proud to be a native American, part Apache, part Cherokee. 

And like Reeves, Silverbird was blessed with talent.  He was an accomplished actor, musician, and much more, he was fun to hang out with. 

I first met Reuben one night while he was singing at a bar on the upper east side of Manhattan and from that night on, we were dear friends until his death.

For all the uplifting things he did in his 91 years on earth, I’m sure he’s in a deserving sweet spot above.  My daughter Adrienne and I will always miss him as he was not just inspiring, but fun.

Once I helped Silverbird nail the perfect name for the native American restaurant he opened on the upper west side of Manhattan.  I told him “Why not call it Silverbird?” And he did just that and the place became a hit serving snakes and reptiles among other Indian specialties that were the talk of the town.

Once we visited Silverbird when he was living in Vienna, Austria and had him take part in an event we staged outside of OPEC headquarters there. Our client attorney Larry Klayman served OPEC with a lawsuit at their headquarters accusing them of “economic terrorism” over their policies of collusion to keep oil prices high at that time. 

I had Silverbird hold a fuel pump nozzle from which we had smoke pouring out, which we presented to media as “the smoking gun,” which got some great publicity smoking around Europe.

Silverbird sadly left us in 2021 after a lifelong deep connection with Native American spirituality.  He was recognized internationally as a leading teacher in this field. His parents were a Nedni Apache Wise Man and a Cherokee Medicine Woman.

Peace Ambassador

In addition to his musical talents, Silverbird was a Peace Ambassador who offered healing through his profound connection with the Great Spirit. He also had a presence in the acting world, appearing in such productions as The Magical World of Disney . 

His book “My Life in Two Worlds” is a very personal story that gave readers a unique insight into the life of a Nedni Apache/Cherokee.  Silverbird’s fascinating, colorful memoirs are blended with words of wisdom.

He would cover topics like genocide, beliefs, myths and spiritualism of his people, instilling in them hope for a new era in American politics pointing to the obstacles, challenges and early accomplishments of Barrack Obama as President.

His writings about his mother and father touched many people, making them laugh, weep and become more conscious of the power of love and peace.

Silverbird appeared on Stage, Film and TV in the USA, Europe and Asia, with such stars as Diana Ross and Eartha Kit as well as solo one-man shows, singing his own original compositions. He played guitar, flute and other percussive instruments during his Native Spiritual Musical Concerts and traveled to the Four Corners of Mother Earth, with The Universal Peace Federation.

United Nations

He was attached to the United Nations as an NGO, (Non-Governmental Organization) and was one of the Ambassadors who spoke on behalf of Love and Peace throughout the world. 

It was no wonder to us that he was regularly invited to perform ceremonial blessings at the Nobel Prize Institute in Oslo, Norway.  As an accomplished orator, he spoke at such leading Universities as Columbia and Stanford as well as at universities in Vienna, Austria and Geneva, Switzerland. 

Tom Madden was an actor himself Off Broadway until preferring three meals a day he became a reporter at The Philadelphia Inquirer. Then he got literally punched into another line of work, when he was beaten up covering an out-of-control rally and decided to head back north to Manhattan.  There he went into public relations, rising to nose-bleed level executive positions at ABC and NBC before starting his own PR firm TransMedia Group, today headquartered in Boca Raton, FL.  Madden’s also an author of six books, his latest, Planetary Lifeguard, Blowing the Whistle on Climate Change, and writes a weekly blog at www.maddenmischief.com.