Madden Mischief

This picture was taken just before the turn of the century, one snowy cold day out on Long Island.  There I had a second home to where I’d retreat on weekends from hectic workloads ensnarled in that ever-jumping thumping Manhattan.  These days I think of my late great pal J. Reuben Silverbird whenever I receive SWRA’s request for a food distribution gift for Native Americans, of which Silverbird was for much of his colorful life a consummate and faithful leader.

SWRA refers to Southwest Reservation Aid, a program in Partnership With Native Americans (PWNA) providing food, water, and emergency relief to Native American communities across Arizona, New Mexico, Utah and California, whom I hope you’ll support as well as it’s truly serving a great cause of aiding those Americans whose ancestors didn’t come to America as immigrants but were here from the start. 

Silverbird was a multi-talented, Native American friend of mine for many years before sadly he left us in late November 2021 due to unexpected complications from COVID-19 and I’m sure he’s now happily reunited with beloved tribes and Native American friends and ancestors in heaven. 

Of course, I give to SWRAdonation.org/hunger and hope you will too but allow me to share some memories of my departed friend who had inspired us for so any years sharing his God-given talent to sing and to act, to play the guitar and flute and always to make us happy and laugh.

Blessed with an arsenal of talent, he was an accomplished actor, musician, and so much fun. 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.

On a one-on-one basis, my Native American pal was a sheer delight to hang out with as he was forever performing and so proud to be part Apache, part Cherokee.

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.

Silverbird Restaurant

Once I helped Silverbird nail the perfect name for the Native American restaurant he opened on the upper west side of Manhattan.  I asked 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.

Speaking of food, unfortunately today too many Native American boys and girls experience hunger, an utter anomaly in a prosperous country like ours.  It’s the reason I urge you to support another nonprofit, St. Joseph’s Indian School in Chamberlain, SD, as I do, which I’m sure Silverbird appreciates.  Unfortunately, despite America’s reputation as a “nation of abundance,” hunger exists across South Dakota’s nine reservations, says Fr. Greg Shill, St. Joseph’s chaplain.  And when you’re in an uplifting mood, consider also supporting Native American Rights Fund (NARF) and its efforts to educate the public about Indian rights, laws and issues.

OPEC

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, representing for media “the smoking gun,” which got some great publicity smoking around Europe.

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 had a lifelong deep connection with Native American spirituality and was recognized internationally as a leading teacher in this field. His parents were a Nedni Apache Wise Man and a Cherokee Medicine Woman.

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.

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. 

For all the uplifting things he did in his life, I’m sure he’s in a deserving sweet spot above.  My daughter Adrienne Mazzone and I miss him as he was not just inspiring, but a true friend whom we loved and will fondly remember always.

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.  He writes a weekly blog at www.maddenmischief.com and countless articles published nationwide.