With
that coy invitation from Jack, Leonardo DiCaprio's character in the
blockbuster hit "Titanic", movie audiences worldwide were
introduced to Gaelic Storm, the steerage band that entertained the passengers
of the Titanic with typical Irish flair.
Released
by Virgin EMI Records, Gaelic Storm's self-titled first album went to
number five on Billboard's World Music chart, and the band's second
album, Herding Cats, has also received very enthusiastic reviews from
both alternative and mainstream music magazines.
At the end
of 2000, Stephen Wehmeyer, manager, bodhran drummer and vocalist for
Gaelic Storm, reserved time from the band's busy world tour schedule
to meet with the Entertainment Department of The Supreme Master Ching
Hai International Association to express his thoughts on the 1998 concert
"One 
World
... of peace through music," and to send his best regards to Supreme
Master Ching Hai. Below is a transcript of the interview with Mr. Wehmeyer.
Interviewer:
How did Gaelic Storm come about?
S.
Wehmeyer: Wow! Well, several of us from all parts of the world,
one member from Ireland, one from London, England, one from Coventry,
England, myself from New York, and another woman from Zambia, Africa,
discovered that we had a mutual love of Irish music and started playing
down on the beach in Santa Monica. And not long after that, we were
noticed by a casting director, who booked us as the steerage band in
the movie "Titanic."
I:
That was like your first big break?
SW:
That was our big break, yeah. We got together in March of 1996 and
we were hired to do "Titanic" in June of '96, so it happened
like lightning.
I:
What was it like working with Oscar-winning director James Cameron?
SW:
He was wonderful to us; he was very charming, and took really good
care of us. He was very relaxed on set, a really wonderful man. It was
really inspiring during the time we were down there being in the presence
of somebody with his kind of artistic integrity, who believed so strongly
in the piece of art that he was creating, and was willing to get behind
it 110% and give it every effort that a human being can possibly give.
It was a really magical experience.
I:
So you were part of the magical event "One World ...of peace
through music"?
SW:
That was one of our proudest moments, I think. Again, remember, we'd
only really been together for a short time, and we'd only been touring
for about a year when that came about, actually less than a year, and
there we were, being asked to perform at the Shrine Auditorium, which
for anyone living in Los Angeles or anyone who has seen the Grammys
or the Oscars on TV is the place, and there we were finding ourselves
on December 18th plunked right down on stage at the Shrine Auditorium,
and not only was it in this wonderful environment in which to play but
it was an incredible event in its own right. I think it was all that
more exciting to be involved with a charity event of that magnitude,
and it was really about doing something really, really good, and I think
it was wonderful to be involved, again, to share the stage with musicians
and
composers of that caliber: The Beach Boys, Bill Conti. It was magical,
and then, of course, to meet Supreme Master Ching Hai was just the icing
on the cake; that was just wonderful.
I:
How did you feel about Supreme Master's music and poetry put to music
by her great friends?
SW:
It was remarkable. Our involvement with the event was initially focused
on our little contribution to this evening "One World...of peace
through music". We had a vague idea of everything else that was
going to be happening but really hadn't been involved with that until
the actual night. So there we were backstage listening to this incredible
music unfold, getting a chance to hear Supreme Master's poetry. It was
just remarkable; it was, again, really striking to us to be involved
with someone who has that same kind of artistic integrity that I mentioned,
where I mentioned James Cameron, but it also had this deep, very powerful
message, which was able to get behind it artistically as well. So, it
was a beautiful presentation of a really beautiful sentiment and really
beautiful ideas, and it was great to be involved with something like
that.
SW:
Participating in an event like "One World...of peace through
music" kind of opens our eyes to the possibility that music has
a universal language. I think it's something that we all believe in
personally, because certainly it's something that brought us together
from the four corners of the globe and gave us a common language that
we could work with just as a band; but being able to be involved in
an event like that, where you really start to think about music as this
force for change and a force for peace, something that could bring people
together and unite them as a common force for good. So, whether it's
bringing finances together to help contribute to children's charity,
whether it's communicating a message of peace to an audience or to the
world through a CD or a video or whatever medium, I think it's something
we'd really like to believe in. It's a shame we live in a world where
that's not all already a given reality, where this is something we have
to work towards. But I think it's something we're all willing to work
towards, and certainly, as I said, we've discovered that our music makes
us all laugh; it brings us together in our own way to celebrate together,
to have a good time together, to forget about some of the cares and
stresses of the world. If that's something we can help other people
experience, I think we've done our job as musicians.
I:
And you actually got a chance to meet Supreme Master at the VIP reception?
SW:
I did, I did, and that was really wonderful. My wife and I were just
honored to be invited first of all, so we walked around, and we looked
at Supreme Master's other artistic endeavors-Her paintings, Her jewelry,
and clothing designs. We had no idea that we were going to be introduced,
but it was very touching to be able to meet Her in person, and She was
wonderful. She was very, very open and very friendly and very gracious
and you know, we had seen Her being escorted into the theater and had
no idea that we'd actually be able to meet somebody like this face to
face, but it was a wonderful moment.
I:
And, I think you were invited to a dinner. What was that like?
SW:
We were, and that was really special. We got a chance to meet Her one
on one, Kerry and I did, and that was just magical because I think,
again, we initially thought of Her as someone who we might meet in passing
or have a chance to say thank you to onstage, but to be able to sit
down and eat with Her and listen to Her stories, I mean, a woman who
has the courage of Her convictions and has had so much life experience
and can really talk about Her experiences in such a dramatic and such
a touching way, it's great to be able to spend time with someone like
that. Here, we were able to sit back and actually listen to someone
who could tell stories that were well beyond our experience at the time
and really shared them in a way that really touched us, as an audience.
It was wonderful.
I:
So did She share Her secret for Vietnamese coffee?
SW:
Yes, She did tell me how to make Vietnamese coffee, which has become
a passion of mine ever since, and I'm grateful to Supreme Master Ching
Hai for a great many things, but especially for the coffee.
I:
And I see that you're wearing the very beautiful ring; let me see.
SW:
This was one of Her designs, which She graciously and sweetly gave to
me, which was really wonderful, and it's a touching reminder of the
time we had a chance to share with Her.
I:
You were telling me you love world religions; tell me more about
that.
SW:
Well, in addition to being a musician, I'm also a grad student at UCLA
in the folklore mythology program, and my area of interest is religious
beliefs and the way human beings in varying cultures deal with the religious
impulse, and the impulse to try to touch something greater than human
experience. It's universal and it's as basic as breath, so that was
another reason that our opportunity to meet and talk with Supreme Master
Ching Hai was so exciting, because here, I had the opportunity to speak
to a world religious leader. What was amazing for me at any rate was
the depth of Her humanity, the fact that this was not someone who was
trying to be removed from human experience. This was not someone trying
to be distant and separate. We sat down, we talked about coffee, and
were able to share a meal together, and it was wonderful approaching
Her on that level, and you know, getting a chance to speak
to a fellow artist, someone who can talk about song writing and talk
about composing and talk about coffee and basic human experiences and
emotions.
SW:
Yeah, it was such an honor to be included in something like that,
but to take what we did intimately just as a circle of friends and bring
that to the stage, a live performance; if I had to pick one aspect of
this that I liked the best, I would say the live performance.
I think
the thing that really struck us was how diverse the art that was being
expressed on stage was, from Supreme Master's poetry to the movie scores
that we heard, to The Beach Boys presentation. That was a real dream
for me, The first concert I'd ever been to as a kid was a Beach Boys
concert. I grew up in a very small town near Buffalo, New York, and
big bands never came to this little town near Buffalo that I lived in,
and the Beach Boys came to our little park and did a show there one
summer and that was the first concert I ever attended. I was blown away!
So here I was, years later, on the same stage with some of the members
of the original Beach Boys; that was magical. Everyone came together,
and we were able to focus our artistic presentation on a common goal
and help make the world a little brighter for some children who were
suffering, and I think that's something; it was wonderful to get behind
that. It was an honor to be included in that project, and I think it
reminds us of just how much good you can do with music and with this
kind of performing art , and at the same time, I think it would be wrong
not to focus on the evening as an evening of entertainment as well.
I mean, I think that as much as anything else, yes, it was a fundraising
event, but it was also a time for everybody, performers and audience,
to just enjoy this experience, to sit back and listen to the music.
I:
So, do you have any message you want to share with Supreme Master?
SW:
Well! I just want to say, Supreme Master Ching Hai, you are fondly
remembered certainly by myself and my wife and also by the rest of the
band, and thank you for the work that you're doing. I think it's a wonderful
thing.
