Variety Magazine
Celeb guitars pull in coin for cancer
Fundraiser raises cash, awareness
By BILL HIGGINS
HOLLYWOOD — The Expedition Inspiration Fund for Breast Cancer Research took over the Hard Rock Cafe at the Beverly Center Tuesday for a fund-raiser/auction of Gibson guitars decorated by musicians and stars.
The event’s origins, said chair Tea LeoniTea Leoni, lie in the org’s having “gotten creative” a few years back in auctioning decorated bras, “and guitars were a natural segue. I want to cure breast cancer before I have to go to Volkswagen and ask for Bugs.”
Guitars done up in everything from a Hawaiian motif (by Bette Midler) to glued-on coins (by U2’s Edge) raised over $100,000.
The Hard Rock bid on a number of items for its own set, though CEO Hamish Dodds said guessing the ultimate worth of the guitars is “a crapshoot. We’ll only know in 20 years’ time.”
Description of Bette’s Guitar:
A 2004 Gibson SG Special ‘Faded’ electric guitar, Serial Number 02914671, natural finish, double cutaway solid Mahogany body, black pickguard, Gibson Deluxe tuners with mint green key tuning pegs, Mahogany neck, 22 fret fingerboard pearloid inlays, Gibson logo at head stock, one 490R Alnico magnet humbucker pick up, one 490T Alnico magnet humbucker pickup, four rotary controls (two volume, two tone), one three way selector switch, Tune-o-matic/Stop bar tailpiece, chrome hardware, together with soft-shell case. Made in the U.S.A.
This guitar features custom artwork and an inscription by four time Grammy winner Bette Midler. The native Hawaiian chose a festive luau theme by dressing the body of the guitar in a straw skirt, mounting colorful synthetic Hawaiian flowers to the body and headstock, and mounting a pair of finished coconut shells which flank the pickups.
Additionally, she signed and inscribed the shells in silver ink. In full reading: “A great big Aloha to you! from Bette Midler.”
The Honolulu born singer /actress majored in dramatic studies at the University of Hawaii in Honolulu in during the 1960s. Also included in the lot is a black and white portrait of Midler inscribed, “With Much Aloha! from Better Midler xx.”
The proceeds from this auction will benefit Expedition Inspiration. Expedition Inspiration is a national nonprofit organization that raises awareness and funds to benefit breast cancer research through research project funding, public education and patient support.
Since its inception in 1993, Expedition Inspiration has been instrumental in calling attention to the breast cancer epidemic and the urgent need to find a cure. For more information, please visit www.expeditioninspiration.org.
