Biography:
Brando Quin is the author of the old west novel, "The Master Painter" the award winning Poetry book series, "My Poetry Books by a Frightened Man" the Lead Singer, Songwriter and Lyrics Composer of "Brando Quin My Life (Greivous) and "Brando Quin The Journey".
Brando Quin, 6’ 1” tall, with blond hair, blue eyes and a smile that warms the coldest day, was born in El Paso Texas in 1962, during the early days of the Vietnam War, and shortly before President John F. Kennedy was assassinated.
These two events seemed to affect his life greatly.
“The father of my nation was gone, and I spent years feeling unprotected.”
In 1966 after a brief move to Phoenix Arizona, Brando’s family settled in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Growing up in a town touted as, “The most dangerous place in the world” and “Sin City” sharpened his survivor skills.
He survived a near fatal fall from a roof, after cracking his skull on the concrete and laying unconscious for an overnight stay in the hospital.
He survived the racial strife of the period, and was part of the generation exposed to racial integration, “Bussing the white children to the black side of town, and black children to the white side of town.”
After Graduation from High School he entered the United States Air Force.
There Brando was introduced to new parts of the United States, which he found fascinating.
Mississippi, Texas, Alaska and Arizona were just a few of the places he was stationed.
He made it a point to visit all of the surrounding states, whenever he could “get away”.
“It was exciting to visit the parts of the United States I had only dreamed of visiting, her major cities, rural areas and small towns, with such diversity of life, are fascinating.”
“The Air Force first assigned me to Columbus Air Force Base in Mississippi, as an Aircraft Tow Operator.”
“One day I’m on my way to tow a T-38 Jet out to the aircraft wash bay, I look up at the Air Traffic Control tower for the okay to cross the runway.”
“They flashed the lights, which I saw as green, meaning proceed and I started driving across the runway.”
“At that very moment a T-38 Jet flew directly over my head by just a few feet, and had to abort its landing.”
“He too had been given the okay to cross the runway, and nearly collided with me.”
The Security Police squadron was all over me.
They were yelling, “What the hell’s the matter with you, didn’t you see the Air Traffic Controllers signaling red light, red light.”
I said, “Sirs, I saw a green light and proceeded as I’ve been instructed to do.”
They called in my Crew Chief; he hauled me to the vision specialists who administered a color vision test.
It turned out I was color blind, when it came to certain colors.
So, they transferred me to a safer position, Assistant to Staff Sergeant Lou South, the Manager of Athletics, with the Morale, Welfare and Recreation Department of the Air Force.
I spent the next four years, working with the Sport Departments, and Ticket and Tour operations of the United States Air Force.
I even managed their indoor swimming pool operations at Eielson Air Force Base, in Alaska.
During this time I started auditioning, performing and winning Air Force base Entertainment Singing Competitions. I completed my four year Air Force term, and was honorably discharged.
It was about then he also found himself the single parent of “the most endearing children” he’s ever known.
“I juggled jobs, babysitters, fathering, and everything else that goes with the single parent life, Chelsea and Brittany made it simple, they are delightful daughters.”
Chelsea is now completing her Business degree in Florida, and Brittany is now serving the United States Army, in Korea.
He worked various jobs, from Rental Sales Agent for the Second Largest Car Rental Company in America, to Lifeguard at Wet and Wild, the largest Water Park in Nevada.
He joined an “Off the Las Vegas Strip” community theater group and did six months leading roles to sell out houses.
He liked it, everything about acting and theater, “Performing for live audiences again was exhilarating!”
As fate would have it, he felt another call to duty and Brando left acting, to join up with another group, the United States Marines.
While serving in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm on the front lines for nearly a year as the bodyguard to his infantry battalions Catholic Priest, Chaplain Dubois, Brando honed his survival skills even more.
“At one moment during a particular battle, we were being fired upon by the enemy in front of us, and Task Force Ripper behind.
Trapped in between those two massive attacking forces, made me so aware, I could actually see the bullets as they flew by my head&” After taking a couple hundred Iraqi’s prisoner, Brando and a fire-team, went bunker busting for enemy clues, maps, orders, weapons etc...
“The fire team decided to split up, and I found myself alone at a bunker covered by a parachute; I pulled out my K-bar (knife) and proceeded to cut a slit down the middle to see what they were covering up...”
“I heard a huge crash and a large movement inside the bunker.”
“I looked around for the rest of my fire team, they were nowhere in site.”
“My heart was racing as I placed my rifle on burst, grabbed a grenade and waited.”
“Silence, dead silence, nothing not a sound.”
“I decided not to throw in the grenade or fire yet.”
“Instead, I placed the muzzle of my M16A2 into the slit and slowly peered into the darkened bunker, when suddenly a large head and two big black eyes swung right toward me.”
“I stood face to face with a dairy cow who mooed at me?”
Brando again left the service with his skills, and decided to head for Hollywood.
“I thought some of my experiences could translate to the Silver Screen”.
Indeed they did, as a Secret Agent opposite Robert Vaughn and Eric Estrada in the sci-fi thriller Visions.
As a background artist, in films such as Forest Gump, Star Trek Generations, Strange Days, Cagney and Lacy: The Return, The Puppet Masters, the Enemy Within, and Mars Attacks.
“I kept getting calls for Military roles; I guess that’s what I was fit for at the time.”
He landed roles in commercials for a major Airline Company and an Australian Beer Company.
Brando also did walk on roles in award winning television sitcoms like, Coach, and Murphy Brown.
He landed a starring role in a segment of the hit television series, “Love Connection”, where Brando was the only guest in the history of the show to be paid to go on two dates, instead of the standard one.
After a few years in Hollywood Brando began suffering from an unknown ailment.
He had been volunteering at the West Los Angeles Veterans Hospital during his off time.
“When I couldn’t find an acting gig, I’d volunteer at the Veterans hospital, they had me transporting patients throughout the complex on a little golf cart, or working at a computer in the Cardio Pulmonary Rehabilitation Unit.
“It was cool meeting other veterans and being able to help, plus they’d feed me for free.”
Marilyn Gladle, RN for the Cardio Pulmonary Rehabilitation unit, and a volunteer for the Post Traumatic Stress program, recognized symptoms of post combat trauma and, she enrolled Brando in the VA treatment program.
Soon the Veterans Administration stepped in; He was diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress, and attended the PTSD program at the Center for PTSD, Menlo Park CA.
There he met many of the men he is proud to call his friends today, from the Vietnam Era.
“These guys are the greatest bunch of guys one could hope to meet in one’s lifetime, and they deserve all the credit in the world, for fighting a conflict, of such brutality, one can only hope history never repeats.”
Brando’s firstborn son John Lamar Quin born nine months after he returned from the Gulf War, died of heart complications in Brando’s arms four days after his birth.
“A possible Gulf War baby defect.”
Testing is still being done on Brando and other Gulf War Veterans with regard to possible chemical warfare exposure complications.
I still felt sick, hopeless, and totally in despair despite the Veteran Administrations monumental efforts to find the best treatment for me.
I no longer felt necessary, or able to live an appropriate existence.
“So, one day I went to a small storage unit I had been renting, got my gun, and shot myself in the gut.”
Brando died, as far as he could tell.
He had no idea for how long.
“I was resuscitated by L. A. County Paramedics.”
Then, UCLA Hospital Surgeons worked tirelessly that day, and although the bullet had pierced my lung and liver, they managed to save my life.
He recovered from his wounds and left the hospital.
Brando then entered another confusing world, drugs, “I met people I never knew existed on the streets, and felt fears I had never felt anywhere else.”
After a year of this confusion, Brando decided he had to “get away”.
He did, “One day I passed a Travel Agency, and went in and ordered a One Way Ticket, to Paris France.”
I traveled to Paris with nothing but a small backpack, one change of clothes, and a sleeping bag.”
The Veterans Administration had awarded me a pension of about five hundred dollars a month, “It didn’t go very far in Europe” and, “I spent my first cold night in Paris in my sleeping bag, underneath some steps near the Eiffel Tower.”
After a few days I found a Hostel, the owner liked Americans and asked if I’d pass out flyers at the train stations, in exchange for staying at his place.
This allowed Brando to stay in Europe for almost a year, and to visit ten of the “most beautiful countries” he had ever seen, including England and Ireland, his own ancestry Islands.
“The trip changed my life.”
After returning to the United States, Brando began writing music, poetry, short stories, and continued to sketch.
He has attended, Eastern Arizona College, Clark County Community College, The Community College of the Air Force, and Chapman University.
Brando’s two other children are very healthy, beautiful and talented too.
Tessarah lives in Las Vegas with her mother she is a cheerleader, dancer, and gymnast and has performed in major competitions in the west. Justin lives in New Hampshire with his mother he is an outstanding baseball player with his local team, and a very good student.
Brando currently lives in Central Arizona, with his two cats Bagheera and Tabitha, his “herd of aquarium fish and visiting birds.”
He says, “The view of Mount Graham, from my back porch is awe inspiring.”
|
Glaxicon Music Announces the Release of the 12-Song American-Life Rock/R&B/PoP CD, 'Brando Quin The Journey' Music and Production by RavenPheat and Friends
