Spirit Magazine - January 2014 - (Page 80)

of the Brokenhearted" fills the air, Raven sings along. "This was a hit when I was in high school," he says. Almost everyone here looks like someone who has crossed his path, and he points out the resemblance. By the time the coffee shop closes, we haven't covered much ground. "Would you be more comfortable if we talk at your apartment?" I ask. "I think so, White Lightning," he says. "But I have to warn you, it's a little messy." The following night, relaxing on the torn cushion of his black leather sofa, Raven is articulate and methodical. Next to him, stacked higher than his head, red and blue plastic crates overflow with LPs, cassettes, and old newspapers. Shoeboxes stuffed with letters teeter above them. A cut-out photograph of Johnny Cash, wearing his trademark black button-down shirt, is taped to the wall above Raven's first record player. Below that, he has pinned a Nixon bumper sticker saved from the 1968 campaign. "I like to collect things," he says, putting it mildly. "Some say hoarder. Miracle says saver. I say collector. I think it came from my childhood. We didn't have much money, so everything I got, I cherished." RAVEN ISN'T FAZED WHEN PEOPLE CALL HIM CRAZY. "I JUST SAY, 'THIS IS WHAT I DO. IT'S WHAT WORKS FOR ME.'" FAITH HEALING "Nobody sees what I see," says Raven's girlfriend, Priscilla "Miracle." "The pain he's in is awful." 80 SPIRIT JANUARY 2014 Looking around at the fortress of clutter that wreathes his private life, it's hard to connect this Raven with the spirited raconteur who, every day, assembles a diverse bunch of individuals in the name of community and exercise. His followers would be surprised to discover that, as a boy, their talkative leader was painfully shy. "If I had to describe my childhood in one word, it would be lonely," he says. An only child of divorced parents growing up in Miami's South Beach neighborhood, Raven- né Robert Kraft-had little interaction with kids his own age. Now a gleaming mecca for the rich and famous, South Beach, circa the 1950s, was wall-to-wall with retirement homes. "We used to call it God's Waiting Room," Raven says. "Old people would just be out on the porch, waiting to die." When he was made to repeat first grade, his teacher wrote on his report card: Robert has trouble socializing. When he's spoken to, he just nods. A single mom, Mary Cooper Kraft worked the graveyard shift at a 24-hour drugstore store while her son spent nights alone. In the morning, he would lie awake, frozen in bed, until he heard his mother's high heels scale the wooden steps of their apartment. "I'd breathe and think, Phew, I can live another day. She's here. I'm going to get fed. I was terrified of being an orphan." Robert was excited when his mom started dating an older man with a car, but the happiness wore off quickly when "the Eagle" (as he'd nicknamed him) returned to his drinking, gambling, and womanizing ways. After learning the goodfor-nothing was going to become his stepfather, Robert, age 14, put on a black shirt. "I looked in the mirror and said, 'That's me. Other people can wear colors, but I'm only wearing black.'" His dark wardrobe drew attention from classmates, who taunted him with lyrics to the popular Rolling Stones song "Paint It Black." Irked by their teasing, and apathetic to his studies, Robert dropped out of high school at age 16, with dreams of becoming a Dylanesque songwriter. He bought a Greyhound bus ticket to Nashville, Tennessee, where The Johnny Cash Show was filming its first season. Robert waited around back at the Ryman Auditorium to shake Cash's hand and slip him a lyrics sheet. "Security back then wasn't as tight," he recalls. "You could actually talk to people." For songwriting inspiration, Robert visited the post office to study Most Wanted posters. "Fugitive on the Run" was one of the songs he penned

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Spirit Magazine - January 2014

Spirit Magazine - January 2014
Contents
Gary’s Greeting
Gary’s Greeting en Español
Star of the Month
Freedom Story
From the Editor
Your Words
Your Pictures
Do Detective Work
Media Center
Eat Drink Sleep
Blend Bourbon and Bitters
Munch on Mozzarella
Rendezvous in Rosemary Beach
Wise Guide
Communicate With Confidence
Put a Stop to Stalling
The Numbers
Make or Break a Beauty Habit
Keep a Secret
Business
Plan a Day in Providence
Secure a Career Coach
Get in the Games
The Long Run
Your Adventure in Wichita
Promotional Series: New Year, New You
Calendar
Fun!
Spotlight
Community Outreach
Products & Services
Flight Service
Terminal Maps
Information
Rapid Rewards and A+ Rewards Partners
Route Map
The “If” List

Spirit Magazine - January 2014