Hi, I'm Michael Dean, I've been friends with Helios since 1985. Shari Wenzel has been friends with Helios since 1988.

FUNDRAISER GOALS: A cherished 71-year old musician in our community needs our help. After a lifetime of sharing his talent, creativity, and love of music with the world, he now faces challenges that make daily life difficult.

Your support will go directly toward essential items like personal care supplies and other sundries, as well as a few pieces of music gear to bring joy and creativity into his room.

Funds will also help cover transportation costs so he can get to his medical appointments and maintain his independence. Every contribution, even only a few dollars, makes a real difference in improving his quality of life and showing him that he is valued and appreciated.

Let’s come together to honor Helios Creed's music and spirit by helping him live with comfort, dignity, and connection. And let's do it while he's here to appreciate it.

We've gotten Helios a phone, a CD player, CDs, and a litany of sundries so far out of the fundraiser. I've been calling him frequently.

He had a friend where he lives, but the friend died.

(The photo below is him using my laptop at my apartment, checking his MySpace. Note the red Netflix DVD envelopes on my desk. Was 2005.)

He's also got a lot of health issues, and can't afford anything. He has no money. He's in a wheelchair and living in an assisted living facility, sharing a room with a stranger.

Helios Creed has been hugely influential in underground / space rock / industrial music since his was in Chrome in the late 70s. He influenced the Butthole Surfers and played on an album of theirs. Helios was the guitarist for Nik Turner on albums and live shows. (Nik was a member of Hawkwind)

Helios solo and with Chrome influenced Nine Inch Nails, Jesus Lizard, Prong, KMFDM, Ministry, Skinny Puppy, Killing Joke, Pavement, and MGMT. They've all named Helios and/or Chrome as an influence.

I run the closest thing to a Helios Creed fan club, the Facebook page "HELIOS CREED, CHROME, and Other Music for Uplifting Gormandizers."

I was in the San Francisco band Bomb (1986-1993), we played with Helios a bunch and have kept in touch over the years. Helios says I named the song he wrote called "Martian Sperm And Bagpipes", but I don't remember doing that. But that was the 80s in San Francisco. Now BipTunia is my music project.

Helios will be 72 in November. He's in poor health. He's living in a home for adults with physical health issues. He's beat cancer twice.

He was in the hospital right before we started this fundraiser. He had fallen down because he tried to stand up out of his wheelchair too fast and his heart doesn't pump enough blood. He has Congestive heart failure, he also broke a hip last year. Hopefully he'll be back home in a day or two. He had a stroke in 2022.

He's also beyond broke, can't tour anymore, gets very little in royalties anymore, and has lot of bills.

We talked for about 30 minutes today, and had a good time catching up. I've put a few phone recordings (with permission) in the updates I've posted here.

He has trouble using the simple non-smart phone we got him. Sometimes we call on the main phone at his facility. He does not always get messages on the main phone. Krystal (from Helios sister band Galaxy Chamber) and I have been trying to keep in touch with him. We generally have to call several times to get ahold of him once.

He knows we're doing this fundraiser, happy about it, and fine with putting in this much detail.

I've set up this fundraiser as "Automated goal setting" which means if it goes over the goal, the goal will go up. I'm trying to get this great guy as much as possible.

A NOTE ABOUT THE "TIP" asked for when donating:

That Tip is not for Helios, it's not for me, it's for GoFundMe who already take 2.9% of the donation amount + $0.30 per donation.

The "TIP" IS ENTIRELY OPTIONAL, you don't need to do it. You can if you want. Just adding this info since several people have asked me about it. Thanks!