Photos from MaddyFest
2000
Photos from MaddyFest
2000
NAME: Stephen Michael Caraco
NATIONALITY: Half Italian (dad's side), half Canadian (Scotch & English) (mom's side)
SIBLINGS: I have one older sister (a year and a half older) - she's married (baby born Sept. 24th 1999, one dog, one cat)
OCCUPATION: Full-time Macintosh Specialist at the Apple Store in Burlington, Massachusetts
PETS: None (but I really love dogs)
BIRTHPLACE: Somerville, Massachusetts (Friday, April 3, 1970) - I'm an Airies
WHERE I LIVE: North Billerica, Massachusetts (about 30 minutes north of Boston)
DESCRIPTION: 5' 8", 185 lbs., brown hair, blue eyes, goatee
MY HOBBIES: Computers (Mac only, PC's suck!!), Music (I own almost 3,000 CDs, from just about every single musical genre imaginable, see below for a list of my favorite artists), rollerblading (both indoor and outdoor), mountain biking, food (I'm Italian, so I love to EAT!!), movies, meeting new people, going to Disney World (at least once a year!), driving (I love my 2007 ACURA MDX), video games (I have a Sega Dreamcast, a Nintendo 64, a Sony Playstation, and a Nintendo Game Cube); making up fake & phony Madonna stuff for my web page with one of my very best friends, Mike Trueblood
For even more info about me, see my own personal web site HERE
SOME OF MY FAVORITE THINGS. . .this says a lot about me, so read on, and see how much we have in common! These lists were last updated on June 23, 2005
My favorite musical artists (in no particular order): I enjoy listening to just about anything by Annie Lennox, Stevie Nicks, Kate Bush, SEAL, George Michael, ABBA, Pet Shop Boys, Celine Dion, Ephraim Lewis, Janet Jackson, The Carpenters, Donna DeLory, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, The Sundays, Simply Red, and of course MADONNA!
The artists I HATE the most are (but are not limited to): Creed, Puff Daddy, Lauryn Hill, EMINEM, Vanilla Ice, and all bands that (try to) sound like CREED. I can NOT TOLERATE any hardcore rap, country, or "death rock."
My favorite actors & actresses (in no particular order): Ethan Hawke, Paul Rudd, Dylan Bruno (Carrie 2, Where The Heart Is), Seann William Scott (American Pie, Final Destination, Road Trip); Ben Browder (Farscape), Chris Klein (from the films "Election" and "American Pie"); Harrison Ford, Morgan Freeman, Jeff Goldblum, Ben Affleck, Robin Williams, Samuel L. Jackson, Dustin Hoffman, Christian Slater, Jamie Lee Curtis, Helen Hunt, Jodie Foster
My favorite funny people are: Ellen Degeneres, Margaret Cho, my VERY BEST FRIENDS Kim Weldon and Mike Trueblood; Jeff Goldblum, Robin Williams, Beavis & Butt-Head, Rosie O'Donnell, The Jerky Boys, and Adam Sandler.
My favorite TV shows are: Beavis & Butt-Head, Three's Company, The Ellen Degeneres Show, Roseanne, Airline, Will And Grace, I Love Lucy, Classic Scooby Doo, The Brady Bunch, The Simpsons, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
My favorite foods: My mom's baked macaroni, my mom's beef stew, my mom's apple crisp, Crab Rangoons at the China Buffet (Yeah!!!), POPCORN, Lobster Pie, and just about anything that's bad for you!
My favorite places that I've been to: Disney World in Florida; Spooky World in Foxboro, Massachusetts; New York City; Martha's Vineyard (island in Massachusetts).
ONE
OF MY FAVORITE CHILDHOOD BOOKS - Richard Scarry's "Busiest
People Ever." Yes, it's true - this cute children's book
from 1976 is still one of my all-time favorites. The book's description
states: "Highly detailed panoramic views of Busytown explore
the jobs that people have and what they do to keep things running
smoothly." My mom sold it for like fifty cents at a yard
sale about 15 years ago, and it took me forever to find another
one, since it's been out-of-print for several years now. But thanks
to the magic of the internet, I was able to find a near-mint condition
copy for only ten bucks!! Anyhow, this book brings back eerie
childhood memories of third grade. Need I say more? CLICK
HERE (or on the small photo above) to see a larger photo of
the cover.
Some of my other favorite LINKS can be seen near the bottom of my LINKS page.
MADONNA-RELATED STUFF
I've been a Madonna fan since the "Like A Virgin" album came out in 1984. I still remember ordering Madonna's "debut album" and "Like A Virgin" albums (on cassette, of course) from the Columbia House Record Club! The rest is history......
I decided to collect Madonna after collecting Kate Bush got boring. With Madonna, there's always something new, great music, she's an interesting artist to follow, beautiful woman, great role model!
MY FAVORITE MADONNA SONGS (in no particular order, I love all of them equally): American Pie, Time Stood Still, The Power Of Good-Bye, Inside Of Me, Runaway Lover, Erotica, Justify My Love, The Look Of Love, One More Chance, I Want You, Live To Tell, Something To Remember, Holiday, White Heat, Who's That Girl, Little Star, Like A Prayer, Dress You Up, Beautiful Stranger
MY LEAST FAVORITE MADONNA SONGS: Freedom, Human Nature, Let Down Your Guard, Material Girl, Hanky Panky
MY FAVORITE MADONNA MOVIES: EVITA, A League Of Their Own, Desperately Seeking Susan, The Next Best Thing, Body Of Evidence
MY LEAST FAVORITE MADONNA MOVIES: Shadows And Fog, A Certain Sacrifice, Dick Tracy (sorry, but I fell asleep in the theater during this one)
ABOUT MY WEB
PAGE:
I started printing and distributing printed "for sale" catalogs in late 1992 / early 1993. I purchased the domain name "madonnacatalog.com" in October of 1996, and started the web site in January of 1997. In five years, my web site has grown to become one of the most popular Madonna web sites on the entire internet. It now includes great collector's guides, news and information, and photos, as well as a huge variety of items for sale. Thanks to a large amount of fan and customer feedback and input, my web page is a one-stop shop for the latest info, hottest items, and collector's guides.
ABOUT MY COMPUTER:
All of my work is done on a MACINTOSH - I would never even DREAM of buying one of those "PC" things. I currently use a 2.16ghz 24" Intel iMac - I'm a firm believer that "IBM" stands for "I Buy Macintosh"!!! A complete list of hardware and software used to make this web site a reality can be found here
ABOUT MY COLLECTION:
I've been collecting Madonna stuff since 1987. My first "collectible" item I bought was the UK 12" single with poster, for "The Look Of Love" at a small record store in East Boston, Massachusetts. I met my very best friend Kim in June of 1991, and together we have built up a HUGE collection of Madonna items. Kim stopped collecting in the mid-1990's, and I pretty much stopped collecting too. but if it weren't for Kim's love, patience, and friendship, I would have never have many of the items I have today! the One of the "oldest" items in my collection is an original 4-track studio demo tape, that Madonna recorded with EMMY, on November 30, 1980. I also have an original studio DAT master tape of the GOTHAM recordings ("I Want You," "Love On The Run," "Get Up," and "High Society"). My collection includes records, cassettes, compact discs, magazines, photos, posters, memorabilia, and much more. The era for which I probably have the most stuff is for "Ray Of Light" - so much stuff, in fact, that I have assembled a complete collector's guide to "Ray Of Light," which can be seen by CLICKING HERE. My Madonna collection was at its "peak" in October of 1992, when I had over 2,000 items in my collection. You can see a photo of my collection taken in October of 1992 by CLICKING HERE. You can see photos of other people's collections from around the world, by CLICKING HERE.
MY "CLOSE ENCOUNTER WITH MADONNA" STORY.....
WHERE DO I GET ALL MY STUFF, YOU MIGHT ASK??
Well, this is not a very easy question to answer, simply because I have so many different sources. Some of my most important sources are my friends that work for record companies, radio stations, and record stores. I also do a lot of shopping via the internet and world-wide web (sorry, but I can't reveal some of my best sources!). The eBay auction web site is also one of the very best places to find Madonna stuff! I also tend to find many Madonna "gems" by attending record shows, flea markets, and conventions. Sometimes the best items are found in second-hand record stores, used book stores, and "junk shops." The more people you know, the more great stuff you can usually get! So my advice is, become good friends with people in the music industry, and you'll be hooked up nice! Another great way to find Madonna stuff is to check out my brand-new "TRAVELLER'S GUIDE to collecting Madonna" - it shows you some of the best stores and shops in the world to buy Madonna stuff! Just click here to view it.
WHERE IS ALL THIS LEADING TO???
I hope someday to become THE authority on Madonna collecting - I already have a huge database of over 1,000 people around the world who also love and/or collect Madonna, and I have become one of the most trusted names in Madonna Collecting today. Since 1991, I have been collecting hi-res photos of rare items, and a whole slew of information; as I plan to write an "end-all, be-all" collector's BOOK for Madonna, which will hopefully be published someday.
MY ADVICE TO COLLECTORS OUT THERE. . .
NEVER give up when looking for that certain piece for your collection, and always know the difference between a worthless "bootleg" item, and a true "genuine" rarity. Just because something has Madonna's name on it, and/or it seems "old," doesn't mean it's worth a lot of money! For some guidelines on the rarest and most valuable Madonna items around, CLICK HERE
If there's anything else you'd like to know about me, please send me an E-MAIL, and you just might see it appear on this page! Thank you so much for all of your support throughout the years, it means a lot to me!
