Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone, Silence the pianos and with muffled drum Bring out the coffin, let the mourners come."
Heath Ledger died today. Heard it from a few friends per text as I woke this afternoon. Yes. afternoon. Then I got a call from Access Hollywood, asking me if it was me that showed up today to massage him at 3 pm:
"It wasn't immediately clear if Ledger had committed suicide. He had an appointment for a massage at a residence in the tony neighbourhood of SoHo, NYPD spokesman Paul Browne said. A housekeeper who went to let him know the massage therapist had arrived found him dead at 3:26 p.m."
I told him, Pills kill. Massage heals. More massages, less pills. Had Heath booked with me, he'd still be alive, as my massages are worth hanging on for. Great massages make you look forward to the next appt. My clients know I am anti-pills. If you receive proper massages on a regular basis, you don't NEED sleeping pills. The guy was reaching out for peace and relaxation, even up to the last minutes he spent on earth.
I am however, calling all of my massage assistants in NYC to find out if it was indeed one of my team. All bookings are made through me, so if they did book with him, they did it on the sly, so they may not want to come forward OR Heath may have booked with an unknown therapist, as you can find them a dime a dozen on craigslist. Would he be nutty enough to book someone on his own? Anyone who is nutty enough to take too many pills is indeed unpredictable and nutty enough.
Fame kills. Artist are usually overly sensitive souls to begin with, then if they get famous, they usually snap. You have to have TOUGH skin or be stable as hell to withstand the constant brown-nosing, lying, scamming fucks around you when you are famous. There are LOADS of hanger-ons around each celebrities who constantly feed them pills and drugs to keep the star high, to make themselves indispensable to the star, to keep them so high, they won't notice they are being manipulated for financial or celebrity gain. It makes me fucking sick. I feel sorry for the celebs in that situation, which is pretty much the majority of them. They have NO idea about all the shit that goes on around them and behind their backs. All the power games and backstabbing; it's revolting.
I am sad about Heath's early death and fear that Britney, Amy Winehouse and Mischa Barton are sadly on the same path. Fame, pills, booze and drugs are a lethal combo.
sigh.
"I make my living off the evening news
Just give me something-something I can use People love it when you lose,
They love dirty laundry Well, I coulda been an actor, but I wound up here I just have to look good,
I dont have to be clear Come and whisper in my ear Give us dirty laundry Kick em when theyre up
Kick em when theyre down Kick em when theyre up Kick em when theyre down
Kick em when theyre up Kick em when theyre down Kick em when theyre up Kick em all around
We got the bubble-headed-bleach-blonde who Comes on at five
She can tell you bout the plane crash with a gleam In her eye
It's interesting when people die-
Give us dirty laundry Can we film the operation? Is the head dead yet? You know,
the boys in the newsroom got a Running bet Get the widow on the set!
We need dirty laundry You dont really need to find out whats going on
You dont really want to know just how far its gone Just leave well enough alone
Eat your dirty laundry Kick em when theyre up Kick em when theyre down
Kick em when theyre up Kick em when theyre down Kick em when theyre up
Kick em when theyre down Kick em when theyre stiff Kick em all around
Dirty little secrets Dirty little lies We got our dirty little fingers in everybodys pie
We love to cut you down to size We love dirty laundry
We can do the innuendo We can dance and sing When its said and done we havent told you a thing
We all know that crap is king Give us dirty laundry!" DON HENLEY
Omg, been so busy it's insane. Just got back from London, where I was since last Sunday massaging Simon Cowell, who is by FAR my all time favorite massage client. I will do a blog about London and the Rod Stewart show I worked at but I have to sleep a day or two lol..
Jasmine is in NYC and I am so nervous I can barely sleep, so that is adding to the sleeping disorder here.. Berlin is freezing, damp and dark (when I go to bed it's dark, when I get up it's dark). One good thing about that is you don't have to worry about sun damage to your skin
For the last year, Harry Connick, Jr.and his entourage has been using my massage team while on tour. I know the managers Ted and Tom very well and they love our team. Harry does too. I had never met Harry until this past wednesday, but that never stopped him from talking about our massage team WHILE on stage, during his show. He has done this a few times already. The managers and my massage assistants have reported back to me "Harry spoke about us on stage, he said "I want to thank Dr. Dot and her wonderful massage team for making us feel good" etc. This is the BEST form of PR one could ever hope for. How sweet is he to do such a thing?
My heart was melting each time I head that. What a man I thought. EVERYONE on my massage team that has massaged Harry and his entourage was taken by his charm and their warm hearts. I have been anticipating meeting him myself for a long time now.
I spent Tuesday massaging Arturo in the Ramones museum (video to come) and then Tuesday night massaging Tom, one of Harry's managers (artist usually have a few with them: tour, production, assistant, etc). Then Wednesday I went to the Schiller Theater to massage them all. I had been there a few times before, namely to massage Hans Klock , the Dutch Magician, who has since carved a huge name for himself engaging Pamela Anderson in his new Las Vegas based act.
< Happy + proud to say, this is a standard view of the backstage area of most
Harry Connick, Jr. shows
The Schiller Theater must be an OLD building as many folks on the entourage were agreeing that it looks like Adolf used to hang out in there. It has a big Nazi feel to it, really. It's scary!!
I hung out while Harry napped and massaged his lovely assistant Megan. Young girl from NYC, suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuper sweet. She went to wake Harry and told him "you know that massage team "www.drdot.com" we always use? Well, the REAL Dr. Dot is here today to massage you". He came out of his dressing room all sleepy eyed (read: cute) and saw me sitting there and said "You're the real Dr. Dot!??" and before I could even answer, he said "You're GREAT Dr. Dot!!" . I was laughing so hard. He is SO sweet!! His Southern accent and genuine way of speaking and looking you in the eye is so refreshing. I told him "how do you know? I haven't massaged you yet" and he went on to say he loves my team and can't wait to get a massage from me later.
The sound check started. I counted at least 14 people in his band. Big band set up, which has a swing/jazz vibe to it .He stood facing the band, conducting them and singing without a microphone along to the music. I heard that he is VERY spontaneous, never has a set list and this keeps EVERYONE on their toes, especially the sound techs. He has a cult following and has sold over 40 million records. I had never seen him live before so I was excited to see what he was all about. The sound check took hours because it was their first day back after a tiny break. He is a perfectionist, I could tell, like Mr. Zappa. The band was tight so all the hard work pays off. There aren't that many artist today, that write all their own music, lyrics, sing the songs themselves and play at the same time. There are a few, but not enough in my opinion. He is extremely talented and the show sounded PERFECT.
The Schiller Theater is one of those venues that do not allow you to simply go in and out of the main hall without assistants. As in, they don't want people making any noise, disturbing the crowd or audience, so if you leave to piss, the guard will have to escort you back in ONCE the song is over. The Germans really take the spectator thingy to a whole different level. Which is good, as they REALLY pay attention when someone is on stage. They are not talking about their love life, children or what they ate earlier to their friends during the show. I wanted to view some of the show, but not all as it was hot as hell in there and maybe someone else wanted a massage during the show (management, truck drivers ,etc).
So I like to pop in and out, which is tricky in such a venue. I sat at the sound board for a few songs and I can tell you, the sound was absolutely PERFECT. It sounded like you were in his recording studio with him. His piano playing, voice, band, were all flawless. No wonder he has such a big following. It doesn't hurt that he is extremely attractive either. The ladies were melting. No wonder it was so fucking hot and moist in there.
Speaking of truck drivers, I got along really well with an English driver named Al. He made me laugh and blush till my face hurt. Told me how everyone on tour now a days has to multi-task. It's not enough to just be a driver anymore, you have to also run the spot lights. Same with tour managers, they usually end up being the body guard or running a monitor or two during the show. I feel bad for the people who tour for a living, it's hard work, they get lonely and massage is the least I can contribute to the people who make live music a reality. Bless their hearts.
I was wondering why every one had NOLA written on their hats, shirts, etc. Nola is short for New Orleans, that is where Harry is from and that is the name of his current album too. The stage was set up to look like you were in New Orleans. Street lamps and all. There was no opening act and I am almost certain the show was about 3 hours long.
After the show, we all went out back to leave for the hotel and Harry was surrounded by fans and he took his time making sure everyone got their autograph. He is really nice to his fans. They weren't just female fans, it was 50% male, 50% female.
A driver was packing my massage table into a van and I was about to step into it as Harry approached his limo and he said "Dr. Dot! I want you to ride with me! I want to get to know you, get in!". He said this rather loud and everyone heard. I said ok, and hopped into his car with him. Makes perfect sense, as if we don't chat in the car, we would waste precious massage minutes chatting. Not good.
So, in the back of the car, there was Harry and I and in the front, the driver and his assistant, Megan. Harry was full of questions about my massage team. How did I start out? When did I start out? He was also full of compliments, saying how brilliant an idea it was and how great each one on my team is. We both laughed about the nut case I had to fire in Vancouver. I won't mention her name, but she did give a good massage but otherwise she was a fucking NUT! First of all, my team lost the Buck Cherry account because of her. The guitarist Jimmy gave me his cell number ages ago, and said to have my team check in with him to see if he or the rest of the lads want massage at each stop on their tour. Dumb ass up in Vancouver CALLED him at 8am, demanding to know how much she would be making, how long they would want her there and if she would be fed. Naturally he told her to fuck off and hung up on here because NO ONE in the biz should be disturbed before NOON! Artist should never be disturbed before like 4pm, managers noon. What a dumb bitch. She claimed she didn't know (yeah right, rock stars get up at 8am every day, wtf?) so I gave her another chance.
Big mistake. At the Harry Connick, Jr. show in Vancouver, she was in the massage room with Harry and instead of going out of the room and letting him get undressed and get on the table, she stood there watching. Trying to be polite, he said "oh, you can come back in a minute" and she just said "no, that's fine, I'm ok" and just stood there and watched him undress like a horny dude watches strippers undress. THEN during the face massage, she looked deep into his eyes and went off about how she can "see into his soul" and how she "knew what he was thinking" and how they were "as one" blah fucking BLAH, what a freak!! You should not talk during a massage let alone talk BULLSHIT during a massage. I hate that voo-doo bullshit some therapist pull out their asses during a massage. Less voo-doo please, and more fucking massage work!!
She freaked him out so bad, he had to stop the massage and leap off the table, grabbing his clothes and beat feeting it out the door. Then management tried to politely ask her to leave, but she hid! No one could find her. She ended up in the press pit or some shit like that and then once she was brought backstage demanded to be fed. OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!! Nightmare from hell.
Harry and I had a laugh about her. He said that he never would let one rotten egg spoil a dozen good eggs, and all was forgiven. In fact, it was me who brought her up, he had already "forgotten about her". Whew!
Harry asked me many questions, he was wide eyed and all ears, listening to my story of how I became Dr. Dot and formed my team of "Dot bots" as many people on tour cunningly name my assistants. Then, he started dialing on his iPone as I was still talking and he interrupted me by starting a conversation with his wife back in NYC "Honey, you know what? I am riding next to the legendary Dr. Dot!". I swear to God I am not making this up. I was smiling ear to ear, as was Megan in the front seat, it was SO CUTE! He then went on to tell her how he always uses my team but this time he was about to get a massage from the "REAL Dr. Dot!". OMG, I was in heaven. I love it when people are so into massages. He definitely LOVES massage.
And as I found out during the massage, he loves DEEP TISSUE massage. I mean, seriously deep tissue. I was trying my hardest to make him whine from pain, and sadly, I could not. I mean, am I getting old? Losing my painful touch? Or is Harry Connick, Jr. made of some secret steel found only in New Orleans? No music or talking, the room was silent for over two hours. I was sweating my ass off trying to go as deep as possible. Finally found a spot where I could make him at least acknowledge my "hands of steel", the arch of his feet. I can go mad deep on the feet. yay! He did say several times during the massage that it felt great, but I had the feeling I wasn't strong enough. He is a solid man, solid as a rock… super fit!!
Normally I ask artist/stars to pose for a picture before the massage as I know I will make them an oiling, puffy mess from the massage. Harry opted to pose after the massage. Takes a brave person to do that lol, I know I would avoid posing after I get a massage at all cost as I am puffy and greasy, hair looks like Nick Nolte's did after his arrest (mug shot), but hey, Harry still looks amazing. Those blue eyes, oh LAWD!
My gay uncle Jack is thrilled I finally massaged Harry, as he was a regular on Will & Grace for ages, so he has a big gay following too.. I heard he has been in a few movies too, but I haven't seen them..
Anyways, I am mad impressed by Harry and his talent. He is on tour, so if you read that he is heading towards your area, go see him, it's worth every cent, every minute of your time. Pure pleasure.
Nov 5 Madrid, Spain Teatro Circo Price Nov 6 Malaga, Spain Teatro Cervantes Nov 7 Zaragoza, Spain Sala Multiusos Nov 10 Barcelona, Spain Palau de la Música
11/13/07 Dublin, Ire RDS Main Hall
11/14/07 Belfast, UK Waterfront Hall
11/16/07 Glasgow, UK Clyde Auditorium
11/17/07 Birmingham, UK Symphony Hall
11/18/07 Birmingham, UK Symphony Hall
And last but not least, I showed some of the Harry Connick, Jr. crew around Berlin^
It is sunny in Berlin, but really cold. Not just the weather either I have to say it is getting harder to adjust each time I go back and forth from NYC to Berlin. Takes longer each time. The differences are amazing. It's cleaner here in Berlin and more organized but the people just do not smile on the street and if you make eye contact with them and grin, they look at you like you must be drunk and/or crazy. Note to self: stop smiling.
Jasmine is back from Italy and can speak really good Italian (she would stop me and correct me "It's NOT GOOD, it's WELL!!" but hey, I think if James Brown sang "I feel well" it just wouldn't have had the same impact. I feel GOOD dammit. Well, not really, my throat is still keeping me down, making me sleep 10 hours a day. Going to a new Ear, Nose Throat Doctor today, see what SHE says. If it's true the American Doctor "Forgot loads of tissue!".
Anyways, it is sooooooo great to see and squeeze Jasmine again. My true love. My sweetie pie. She's a big girl now and wants to go live in NYC for 5 months or so. NOT Hoboken, she wants to live directly in Manhattan and will do so soon. OMG, more sleepless nights to come. I often ponder having another kid but would I just worry even more? Does the love outweigh the worry? I am sure it does. I am so stuck in my ways now though, I love sleeping in; sleeping until I feel like it. Traveling where and when I feel like it. If I have another child all that shit will come to a screaming halt. But I now have the funds and capability to have a nanny, to do the boring work: laundry, shopping, cooking, cleaning.. which would leave me more time and energy to give more fun love to the child and sneak in a jog or two as well as regular concerts and karaoke nights.. oh the decisions. I am a Libra and can never decide anything.
My Birthday is this Friday. I hate birthdays. I think anyone over 30 hates Birthdays. BUT it is a fact, we all grow old (unless we get shot, run over or die of cancer before old age sets it). I guess one has to embrace it, but I will remain immature and youthful as long as possible. I am very immature. I admit it. I find myself gravitating to older women (STILL) to get my Mommy fix. Never got that motherly love so I crave it, still. Any women who read this and have a child or are thinking of having a child, be sure to love your child the best you can, as often as you can or they will grow up clinging to older women, like I do, it's pathetic.
Joe Jackson just called, he will come over again for another massage. He came last week and pointed out something to me that has never, in 18 years of flying back and forth from Berlin to NYC, occurred to me. Joe was trying to get a massage at like 8 pm last week and I said "Oh, no, I fall asleep at 7pm for a couple weeks after landing, thanks to Jet Lag". Joe says something that made me feel dumbstruck. He goes "Wot? You go to bed at 7pm and get up at 6am, that means you have Backwards jetlag Dot". LOL!! We talked about it and he is right. It makes NO fucking sense that I get up early after flying from NYC to Berlin. If I go to bed at 7pm here (Berlin) it is 1pm in NYC. Then I get up at 6am here but it's only midnight in NYC. But that's how I've been doing it for the last 18 years. So I have Backwards Jet Lag, as diagnosed by Mr. Joe Jackson. heh heh.
Anyhow, the two pictures below were taken on my balcony in the USA (notice Danny in the background)..Someone from myspace sent me (well, my assistant in Baltimore) this t-shirt to me as a present. I LOVE IT.
My family (Dad's side) down in Georgia just called and they said they won #1 place in the corn bread competition and 10th place (out of 300 hundred applicants) in the annualStone Mountain Chili Cook off!!!!!!!
Lisa is down there with them raising hell and they are so ecstatic they took a giant trophy for their corn bread! They call themselves the Killer Bee's Chili team and they compete every year at this Chili Cook off down there. I think I will join them next year, sounds fun. They told me there were several cover bands playing at the all weekend festival, a Hendrix cover band called VooDoo was the best (my Dad said).
From left to right ^ My Dad's sister, Aunt Caron, her son JC, Aunt Nancy (Dad's other sister + favorite Auntie ), Allyson my Dad's wife of over 25 years, My DAD :), Melissa (Aunt Caron's daughter + my niece) + the girl Kneeling is Chantel a friend of Melissa's who helps them every year at the cook off.
So congrats to the whole Fam Damily for their cooking talents
Last night, the 28th, was 10 days after my tonsillectomy and even though I probably should have just stayed home and rested, I couldn't resist the call of the wild and went to the Steve Vai show at the Starland Ballroom, in Sayerville, NJ, my favorite venue in the world. I used to work at like 2 concerts a week there and know the whole staff. This place is SO FUN to go to, I love eveyone there, the cook, the bar backs, the roadies, managers, they just all rock.
Everyone always hangs out in the kitchen and cracks jokes. I warned everyone that I would be coming but couldn't speak loud or much thanks to a hurt throat but that plan went out the window, I simply had to speak and catch up with my old friends. One friend in particular was in dire need of some tender loving care. Two weeks ago, Pauls wife of one year gave birth to their first child, a baby boy. The wife died 4 days later due to complications from her c-section. So he is beyond gutted. I couldn't massage last night because my Doctor said you can't workout or work for at least a month after a tonsillectomy but I brought one of my best massage assistants with me, Koree, to be there to massage anyone who needed it at the Steve Vai show and so I treated Paul to 30 minutes of massage from Koree, who has hands of steel, like butter, I love her. Paul LOVED his massage and felt a little better, the poor guy
Paul is a massive Dead head and always has the Dead or solo Garcia playing in the kitchen, even during shows. He just cranks his stereo up louder to drown out whatever act is on stage lol
Nick is a fucking NUT ^ I love him madly. He makes everyone who enters the Starland Ballroom howl with laughter.
< I know a few people with that tattoo
It was great to see the "mad fiddler" again,Ann Marie ^ I am just kidding, she is a violinist..
When Steve introduced the band on stage, he mentioned how he "stole her from Jethro Tull" with a sharp laugh. It is true, I asked her. She was touring with Jethro Tull and then auditioned for Steve Vai and instead of doing the next leg of the Jethro Tull tour, she joined Steve on the road and the rest is history. This woman is so talented and gorgeous, it's hard to take your eyes off her when she is on stage. She challenges Steve during the show, her violin, his guitar, it is amazing to see and hear, absolutely mad!
The Bass master, Bryan brought his parents and introduced them to me. He looks just like his Mom. The NJ native was beaming all night but you could tell backstage that he was missing his cutie Kira Small, who is on tour with her band at the moment.
Zack is young fresh guitar blood. Read about him by clicking HERE
Steve is giving this 20 year old guitar genius a chance to shine by letting him open for him at every show and even invites him on stage every night for a number or two. Frank Zappa did the same for Steve when he was 20, plucked him fresh out of the Berkley School of Music. So I guess Steve is keeping the faith and sharing his spot light with Zack as Frank did for him. What a man Steve is. Zack showed me all the movies he has made on his lap top and I am pretty sure he will end up a movie director one day, as he is amazing at it.
Speaking of Lap tops, everyone on Steve's tour except for Bryan Beller uses an Apple. I feel so old fashioned using a PC still. I have to get a Mac I guess to keep up with the times. Steve said PC's are crap compared to Apples and he said Blackberry's are junk compared to the iPhone. Why oh WHY did I just order a new version of the Blackberry (the Curve). I wish I hadn't now that I have seen how fucking cool the iPhone is. Oh well, maybe I will just give my Curve to Jasmine and get a freakin' iPhone next.
I got to spend a lot of one on one time with Steve before and after the show, yay. He showed me his iPhone for about 20 minutes and it made me loathe my Blackberry with a vengeance. He showed me how you can type in any address and zoom in on it with the satellite and we found my house and saw it on his phone! He is indeed Mr. Gadget. Love the pic he gave me ^ I think I will have it framed in silver and wear it as a necklace charm.
We talked a lot about Frank Zappa and his music and his son Julian, who is currently in Massage school, inspiring to be a member of my massage team. That would soooooo rock, having a Vai on our team. I have yet to meet Mrs. Vai, maybe next time. I hear from everyone that she is as sweet as Steve is.
Steve has a great sense of humor. Somehow we got to talking about my sex column and I told him about the time a woman wrote in asking for advice about how to hide her farts on long weekends at home with her man. Steve said "Farts are like God's joke on us". He fucking cracks me up. I ordered a fart machine and had it shipped to my pal Christin's house, who will see him up in Boston in a few days… she will give it to him for me. I can't wait to hear how he reacts.
Steve trying the Bite Method on me ^ ?
His famous guitars ^
During the show, as I said before, Steve introduced the band and directly after, he said "Special thanks to my friend Dr. Dot for coming out tonight to make us feel good, give a hand to Dr. Dot everybody" and he pointed at me on the side of the stage (I was next to the sound/monitor man Roger). Oh my God, I was NOT expecting that and blushed ten shades of red.
Steve is by far my favorite client, there is no other artist that sweet. He is the absolute fucking bomb and that show last night was brilliant. It was PERFECT.
After the show I was soooooooooooo hungry, it has been 10 days since I've had a real meal and I couldn't take it anymore and nibbled on a tiny piece of pizza; chewed it REALLY good and got it down. That tasted so good I ate the whole thing. It took me about 30 minutes to chew it all, but I got it down and man it felt good. SO it looks like I am pretty much healed now. I still have a sore throat but I am on the road to recovery
Steve Vai leftovers ^
We were talking about my Tonsillectomy and he told me about his when he was 6 years old. He said the first thing he asked for when he woke up was Potato Chips. He said his Mom called the Doctor and said "Doc, he wants Potato chips!!" and the Doc replied "Aaaah, then give him Potato chips" LMFAO!!!!!!!! So he got Potato chips. This is one tough cookie.
Steve noticed I was finally eating and offered me his left over pasta which Paul, the cook whipped up especially for him. Whole wheat Ziti Pasta with bits of Tofu and red & green peppers and zucchini coated in a Balsamic Vinegar sauce. I am in fact eating Steve Vai's left overs as I type this and man are they yummy. Heh heh. He ate most of the Tofu though..dam him! heh heh
Me- sleep deprived forgot to cut the music clip from “Philly Part 1” so the music goes on 3 minutes longer than the freakin’ video footage. Oh well, at least it’s a great song.
I told my uncle Jack that for some strange reason, I felt ‘at home in Philly. He said “probably because when your Mother was young, Philly was her stomping grounds, her play ground for raising extreme amounts of hell”. My Mom was born in Camden, NJ and even though I hear it’s a shit hole now, it was apparently great back then.
I was asked to go to Philly to massage Mr. Simon Cowell, who is on the American Idol audition tour. I left NYC around 2am and Pooh and I got there at 3:55 am. Last time I was in that area, well, Camden, to massage Sting, it took me SIX HOURS because of traffic, so I learned one should never attempt that route in the day time, if in a hurry.
Had a wonderful sleep on the floor of my Four Seasons Hotel room floor. The bed was as soft as Hugh Hefner’s balls. They need to invest in some new mattresses. I prefer the floor anyways.
I find the Philly accent so amusing. Especially the way the say “Coffee”. I pretend I didn’t hear them and make them repeat it over and over again. It’s hilarious. It’s like “Cawfee”
Danny, my ‘Boken buddy, reminded me that FET my top friend from myspace lives in Philly, so we finally got to meet and make some cheeky pics & videos.
Don’t let him fool you, there is Beer in that there jug ^
Fet and I had a BLAST from the moment we met. He is a good laugh and has a good heart.
I didn’t know which way to point my camera, there was so much action, so many sights and things to gawk at..
People are STARVING and yet us American’s still invent and drive these obscene gas guzzlers that destroy the Ozone at an alarming rate, just to show off and be “cool”.
I am at a loss for words….
Doesn’t that look like a beautiful day to you? LOVED it.
This is where the naughty behavior started; the statues were oh so inviting.
“Ride ’em in RAWHIDE!”
< A gift from Danny
Danny insisted I give Simon these silly collectors card, which pokes fun at him. I wasn’t sure how he would act, but I love to push people’s buttons, so I handed it to him and he just laughed. Simon and I chatted for a half hour before I started the massage, I guess so he could get some insight as to what I was like as a person. After a while he realized that I was extremely cheeky, very sarcastic indeed and he said “wow, and I thought I was mean. Dr. Dot you should be on my show; you would even make ME look nice”
Ahh, music to my ears. Heh heh. Yes, I am MEAN. Love it! The Grinch all year long in fact.
Anyways, Simon even posed with the silly card, as you can see below. He is so fucking cool. Some celebs are stuck up or stuck on themselves and refuse to pose and some even snicker at giving an autograph, but Simon was fine with me taking his pic and signing an autograph for me. What a sweet heart.
Danny is over the moon about this ^ fyi
You can tell he is a nice guy by his smiling eyes..
I STILL can’t figure out the f*cking self timer on my camer, so I took this one with my left hand ^
I don’t have a scanner here, so I had to photograph it ^ Doh!
He is for sure one of my favorite clients now. SUPER polite and generous; an English gentleman.
Typical situation here ^ All bed clothes on the floor, where I sleep, and Pooh close to my heart (I have had him over 20 years & can not sleep without him)
work, work, work, it never ends ^ and since I LOVE what I do, it doesn’t feel like work.
OMG!! LMFAO!!
On my way back up to NYC, one has to pass through Cherry Hill, NJ and I was speeding along, on the phone when this guy above, caught my eye. I nearly caused a major car crash by zipping over a couple lanes of traffic at full speed as not to miss the street closest to this amusing Diner. I even went up a one way street, the wrong way and pulled an illegal u-turn to get into the parking lot.
This is one of those old fashioned diners, where the people still eat in their cars. ^ I couldn’t BELIEVE it. That old couple couldn’t believe that I have never seen one before.
The Elvis impersonator was out there, alone, with a TINY boom box and an Elvis cd, singing away, to NO ONE. He was so sweet to perform for me and pose. I gave him a massive tip and a hug. It was around 90 degrees out that day, so he must have been sweating his great balls of fire off in that red polyester jumpsuit. Poor fella. The stuff I come across is so bizarre, I am So happy I have my camera on me at ALL times now a days. Wish I did that when I followed the Grateful Dead. That was a nonstop freak show. I was too care free to carry a camera or a cell phone or even a beeper. If it didn’t fit in my back pack, it didn’t come with me (and yes, Pooh was there with me too).
It was so fun to meet the photo-shop King in person (Fet). Look at the funny things he makes me ^
ps. The Elvis impersonator can be contacted at: mcmichaelshark@yahoo.com and/or 1-856- 665- 2249
Super excited about the fact that Simon Cowell of American Idol has been using my team for massages. Yay! The word on the team is he is super nice, polite and generous. Our team rules.
I have found it's hard to find serious massage therapists in Florida. Seems the heat makes people want to play rather than work. I got lucky when I found Gertrud. She proved to me she is strong, professional and a great addition to our massage team. If you are in or heading to West Palm Beach and want an amazing massage, give me a shout. Read more about her and see her picture below. x Dr. Dot
My name is Gertrud and I was born in Europe; Estonia. Since 1993, I have lived in the U.S and currently reside in West Palm Beach, Florida as a Licensed Massage Therapist. Swedish, Therapeutic, Deep Tissue, Neuromuscular, and CranioSacral Therapy are within my forte. I believe massage is a vastly beneficial and spiritual symphony of muscles, touch, and energy that is a form of artistry and of ultimate benevolence. The human touch is remarkable; therefore, my genuinely effortless intention to heal, creates a vortex of power within my small yet oh so mighty hands. I will pulverize you Furthermore, I am in the process of acquiring my Doctorate in Divinity and my Ph.D in Metaphysics. I am quite honored and thrilled to be apart of Dr. Dot's superb team! I adore heavy metal music and the way it makes one emotionally surpass reality. Rock n' Massage, what more can one ask for!? With Truth, Love, and Light, Be Blessed, Gertrud
June 27th ( I know, it's been a while already) Sonic Youth played Berlin. I had never seen them live before, but I already knew the drummer, Steve from Hoboken. He is co-owner of Maxwells, a club compared to CBGB's. Steve comes to me for massage as well, so I was excited to finally see him in action. I also didn't know that Kim and Thurston are together and have a lovely daughter. So love can exist in a band (well, Pat Bennetar proved it too).
Kim enjoyed a massage before the show. What a sweet heart. Lovely feet
The lady can sing, dance and play a mean guitar. A rock and roll mom if I ever met one. Well, I suppose Sonic Youth would be classified as Punk, but on their MYSPACE PAGE they have "Rock/Experimental/Indie" listed as their genre'.
Lee had his son backstage, and Kim and Thurston had their daughter there too. It's really a laid back, family atmosphere backstage with them. They have been around for ages and their fans are shrewdly loyal. The show was beyond sold out. PACKED to the brim.
These lovely young folks, not mentioning their names as they are shy, enjoyed meeting Steve and said the show was "fucking intense".
My mate Steve took very good care of me, what a man! ^
I think Thurston is about 6 feet 8 inches tall. I think he looks a tad like a young Phil Lesh and could have been a NBA star at that height.
The manger helped me fill in some of the songs there as you can see but to be honest, I don't know their music well (yet). I do know the concert was extremely energetic and unique. The crowd REFUSED to let them stop after one encore. The roadies already broke down the mic stands and mic's etc, and the house lights were on for over 20 minutes and the crowd would NOT stop cheering "Zugabe. ZUGABE!" which means "Encore". Maybe if they fucking screamed in English the Bands that play here in Berlin that are English native speakers would understand them and come out quicker. heh heh. No, I'm just playing, it is sweet they wouldn't let them stop, so the band finally gave in and came out and did one last HOT number. The crowd tried again, but finally had to leave. I hope the band knows how much they are loved.
I love how Thurston circled himself in the autograph. As if one would over look the gentle giant. I am pretty sure that shot was taken in Hoboken. I can see the city in the background and they do have a studio in Hoboken and Steve, the drummer, lives there.
Jul 13 2007 Pitchfork Music Festival Chicago, Illinois Jul 19 2007 Berkeley Community Theatre Berkeley, California Jul 20 2007 Greek Theatre w/ Redd Kross Los Angeles, California Jul 21 2007 KXLU Benefit at Urban Outfitters Santa Monica, California Jul 28 2007 McCarren Park Pool w/ the slits Brooklyn, New York Aug 15 2007 Paredes de Coura Festival Paredes de Coura Aug 17 2007 la route du rock festival Saint-Malo , Brittany Aug 18 2007 Pukkelpop Hasselt Aug 19 2007 Lowlands Festival Biddinghuizen Aug 21 2007 ABC1 – second date added Glasgow, Scotland Aug 22 2007 ABC1 Glasgow, Scotland Aug 25 2007 Archa Theatre Prague Aug 26 2007 Openair at Arena Vienna Aug 27 2007 INmusic Festival / Jarun summer stage Zagreb Aug 29 2007 La Vilette Jazz Festival Paris Aug 30 2007 Roundhouse – Sold Out London Aug 31 2007 Roundhouse – Sold Out London Sep 1 2007 Roundhouse – Sold Out London Sep 2 2007 Electric Picnic Port Laoise, Laois Oct 5 2007 Stubbs BBQ Austin, Texas Oct 6 2007 Thunderbird Hotel Marfa, Texas Oct 7 2007 House of Blues Dallas, Texas
Their tour dates ^
If you love wild shows, go see Sonic Youth. They are on fire.
< Happy + proud to say, this is a standard view of the backstage area of most
I have to say it is getting harder to adjust each time I go back and forth from NYC to Berlin. Takes longer each time. The differences are amazing. It's cleaner here in Berlin and more organized but the people just do not smile on the street and if you make eye contact with them and grin, they look at you like you must be drunk and/or crazy. Note to self: stop smiling. 
< I know a few people with that tattoo
OMG!! LMFAO!! 
