Day 25 - Art Alexakis

Arthur Paul Alexakis is an American musician best known as the singer-songwriter and guitarist of the rock band Everclear. He has been a member of several notable bands, in addition to his own work as a songwriter for other artists. Alexakis founded several record labels throughout his career, and worked as an A&R representative for major record labels between and during his own musical projects. Later he became a political activist, and lobbied for special concerns which included drug awareness policies, and support of the families of the military.

Alexakis was born in Los Angeles, California, the youngest of five children. Soon after his father left the family (when Art was five years old), financial difficulties forced his mother to relocate the family to the Mar Vista Gardens housing project in California, located on the west side of Los Angeles in Del Rey. Alexakis was physically and sexually abused by older children in his neighborhood. His brother George died of a heroin overdose when Alexakis was 12. That same year, Alexakis's 15-year-old girlfriend committed suicide.[4] Not long after her death, Alexakis attempted suicide by filling his pockets with sand and lead weights and jumping off the Santa Monica Pier. Later, he said that the vision and voice of his brother George compelled him to survive. Alexakis started shooting up when he was 13, mostly taking crystal methamphetamine. He became addicted to heroin and cocaine, and he survived a cocaine overdose when he was 22. He quit drugs cold turkey in June, 1989.