Tag: Dr. Dot

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18th Annual Zappanale

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     ^ Napi warming for his performance

 Finally, a street named after Frank Zappa. I asked myself, “why, why Marzahn?” In case you didn’t know, Marzahn is on outskirts of Berlin and well, I would normally never go there. Sort of far from my house. I found out though, why Frank Zappa street was born in Marzahn. 

The Orwo Haus is the reason. The Orwo Haus is the biggest recording studio in Europe and (some are sure) the whole world. 150 bands at a time can (and do) rehearse there daily. From the out side, it doesn’t look like much, no one would imagine what is going on inside. Well, you can read more about it HERE  if you want. 

< Harry

Napoleon (Napi) steals the show wherever he is. You gotta love Napi.

Around 3,000 people came from all over the place, on July 28th ( I know, this blog is long over due) to celebrate the unveiling of Frank Zappa street. Many bands played and headlining was Germany’s best Frank Zappa tribute band “Sheik Yerbouti” . Napoleon Murphy Brock joined them as their special guest. Nappi gets around 🙂

 

You can see many more pics from that event if you click HERE 

 

 

I was asked to join them for their Encore, a hot version of “I am the slime”. I was freezing my tits off. When I left my flat, it was steaming hot, so I wore open toed shoes, a skirt and t-shirt and even after 18 years living in Berlin, you would think I would KNOW by now you have to literally drag a bag of clothes around with you as you never know how the weather will be/change. 

 

I was literally shaking from being so cold that by the time I was asked to come on stage and read a letter from From Frank Zappa’s brother, Bobby to the crowd, my lips were purple. But, like a trooper, nothing keeps  me from spreading the love and music  of Frank Zappa. Nothing.  

My good friend Tina (Debutante Daisy) and I. She knows the words to ALL Zappa songs

Tina Growhowski

^ Robyn & Dot

 Another HUGE Frank Zappa fan ^

She flew all the way from the USA along with a tour run by a man named Scott.

They all came together for the street naming and the Zappanale.  

 

 

Like I was saying, NOTHING prevents me from preaching Zappa music. In Germany I am often invited onto talk shows and written about, as they find my career fascinating (so do I ). And every single interview I have ever done, since 1997, I have mentioned Frank Zappa. He crowned me “Dr. Dot” long ago, so that is usually how his name is mentioned “How did you come up with that name?” they ask. Then I tell them about Frank, how my Dad is a massive Zappa fan and how much his music means to me. His music is the BEST (well, I am also insanely into the Beatles, so it’s a tie). 

 

This is my new Zappa shirt ^ My pal Mark drew it and made it for me.

 

That man ^  in the above picture with me, is Thomas, the President of the Arf Society. What is the Arf Society you ask?

“Founded on the 20 March 1993, the Arf-Society is a
Frank Zappa fan club based in Northern Germany
with an international membership.”

It’s best you just click HERE to read all about them.  

 

Wolfhard K. actually founded the Arf Society but Thomas is the pres. since a few years (Wolfhard is a busy man). Wolfhard and Thomas are extreme Zappa fans and have been putting on the annual Frank Zappa music fest which they call the Zappanale. This year was the 18th annual Zappanale and they invited me to help out a bit and to join Project Object on stage for some fun. So I accepted and I will try to find the words to explain how happy I am that I went. 

 

Project Object (my favorite Zappa tribute band) ^

What’s missing from this picture? Sadly it’s Ike WILLIS, that’s what. Where was Ike? His name was on the posters, the tickets, the press releases. A driver was sent to pick him up in Berlin, all the way from Bad Doberan, which is a 3 hour drive. He did not get off the plane as planned. In fact, he never even bothered to get in touch to tell them he missed his plane.

Why would Ike miss his plane? Because he is having an unfortunate struggle with cocaine addiction. I am not leaking any private information here. Everyone who is hip to the scene knows this. In fact, just about everyone who has met Ike in the last few years, has lent him $50. Ike owes EVERYONE $50. It’s rather ironic that Ike, who was Frank’s right hand man for YEARS and his best friend, ends up a crack addict. Frank was shrewdly against drugs (well, cigarettes are indeed a drug too, but anyways..).

In my opinion, drugs suck. I have never tried cocaine and can’t stand being around people who take it or even talk about it. BUT I can imagine why Ike does this drug. Not making excuses for him, but imagine your best friend dying, how horrible that must be and then on top of it, having to sing his songs almost daily to a crowd of his fans. Frank’s shoes are impossible to fill, and being on the front line,  almost daily (well, nightly) singing the lyrics your best mate wrote must do your head in. It must be hell. Hell in paradise.

Making a living doing something you love is paradise, but in such a circumstance, it can be difficult. If you are sensitive (most artist are overly sensitive) then falling into such a trap, is understandable. Not good by all means, but I can see why it happens.

Fame, drugs, money, (“or was it the music?” ). I just hope Ike gets help and fast. He could end up dying, like other artists have done, thanks to that pesky, overwhelming, addiction People should plan a huge intervention and toss him into Rehab. SO MANY famous artist are having trouble now a days. Amy Winehouse is throwing her fucking career in the toilet too, just like Ike is. It’s so sad. 

But anyways, with or without Ike, the Zappanale party went on. 

The first night ( Thursday) everyone meets and greets in preparation for the Zappanale party following the next day.

I LOVE that sweatshirt I have on. I got it in 1988 in Boston. It’s held up pretty well. It says “Broadway the Hard way” on the  sleeve.

So this was night 1. I was a tad tired, but knew I could handle the up coming 3 nights of partying. It was so fun to meet some of the Zappa-teers (huge Zappa fan organization) and see Nappi, Andre’ and the guys again.. 

Andre’, guitarist/vocalist and founder of Project Object with his sweet heart, Cheri. ^ (his OTHER sweetheart Robyn, pictured way up in this blog) put Andre in the hot seat. Juggling two ladies at the same time. Typical musician 🙂

Andre’ preaches Frank big time. He doesn’t earn jack shit touring with his band, he does it for the love of Frank’s music.  

This is the list of all the bands that played at the Zappanale ^

 

 

My hotel ^   it is really strange. There is no one at the desk all night, you could have a massive party in the living room they have off to the side of the lobby  and you could drag that party into your fucking hotel room and no one would care; completely the opposite of the uptight rules they have in Dublin where you can’t even have someone come up to your room to help you with your bags. You have to give it to the Germans, they are tolerant when it comes to fun.

   

The Park across from my hotel. I heard this is where the first ever Zappanale took place. But it got too big for it’s britches and moved to a huge field.. 

 

The town of Bad Doberan is clean, quaint, gorgeous and very tolerant of the annual Zappa festival.  

< Dressed for my “Mary” skit

I finally got to meet my pen pal. Andrew ^ and I have been corresponding online for years. He runs a UK Zappa news/fan web site called “Idiot Bastard Son”. He has intervied many of Zappa’s alumni and I did one for him too a while ago. He was as funny in person as he is online. But then again, most Zappa fans are intelligent, special  and funny, just like Frank’s music. 

  < Bass extraordinaire

 

Project Object were one guitarist and vocalist short ( Ike) but you would have never known it! They were fantastic! 

Don Preston , the man in the purple velvet jacket on key boards, was one of the high lights of the whole Zappanale. He plays with Project Object on tour most of the time, but is busy with many solo projects. I am sure he is over 70 as he is one of the original members of the Mothers of Invention.  

Project Object doing their thing ^ 

One of the few females at the festival was serving beer. I brought that plastic urinal with me, thinking they may not have anything to throw water on me when I play Mary. I got this urinal in a bar in Berlin called  Cafe’ Klo (Klo is a nick name for Toilet in German). Everyone drinks out of these urinals in that bar and you can buy them as well.  I don’t drink beer, but they do hold a lot of beer, so I made good use of it and kept my pals well watered with all of those unwanted beer tickets I was given..

This is Andrew’s pal Ian ^                    Andrew wore this ^ shirt, thinking Ike would be there.  

 Andre’ is a master on guitar ^  

 

This is not the first time I have played “Mary” on stage with Project Object. I like participating anyway I can. I asked them to learn “Valley Girl” so I can sing that with them next time our paths cross.

Here are the lyrics to the song “Fembot in a Wet T-shirt” in case you are one of those people who don’t know the album Joe’s Garage by Frank Zappa..

  Act I

SCENE FIVE
THE WET T-SHIRT CONTEST

After a few weeks on the bus, being porked by
Toad-O’s road crew, and being too exhausted to do
their laundry on a regular basis, MARY is dumped in Miami.
With no money (and no other famous rock groups due into
the area for at least three weeks), she tries to pick up a few bucks
by entering the Wet T-Shirt contest at The Brasserie…

IKE:
Looks to me like something funny
Is going on around here
People laughin’ ‘n’ dancin’ ‘n’ payin’
Entirely too much for their beer
And they all think they are
Clean outa-site
And they’re ready to party
“Cause the sign outside says it’s WET T-SHIRT NITE
‘N’ they all crave some Hot delight
Well the girls are excited
Because in a minute
They’re gonna get wet
‘N’ the boys are delighted
Because all the titties
Will get ’em upset
‘N’ they all think they are Reety-awright
‘N’ they’re ready to boogie
‘Cause the sign outside says it’s WET T-SHIRT NITE
‘N’ they all crave some Pink delight
When the water gets on’em
Their ninnies get rigid
‘N’ look pretty bold
It’s a common reaction
That makes an attraction
Whenever it’s cold
‘N’all of the fellas
They wish they could bite
On the cute little nuggets
The local girls are showin’ off tonite
You know I think it serves ’em right
You know I think it serves ’em right
You know I think it serves ’em right
You know I think it serves ’em right
And it’s WET T-SHIRT TIME AGAIN
I know you want someone to show you some tit!
BIG ONES! WET ONES! BIG WET ONES!

At this point, FATHER RILEY (who had been recently de-frocked
for not meeting his quota, and has grown his hair out and
bought a groovy sport coot and moved to Miami and changed
his name to BUDDY JONES) steps onto the crowded bandstand
in his exciting new role as a WET T-SHIRT CONTEST EMCEE…

BUDDY JONES:
Ah, thanks, IKE…
Yes, it’s WET T-SHIRT TIME AGAIN
Here at The Brasserie… Home of THE TITS… huh huh…
And it’s the charming Mary from Canoga Park
Up next in her bid for the semi-finals…
Hi,Mary…howya doin?

Having been fucked senseless by the boys in the crew, MARY does
not recognize the former religious personage from her nights in the
rectory basement during which she acquired her basic manual skills…
confounded by his sport coat, she replies…

MARY: Hi!

Realizing that she no longer recognizes him… or even appreciates
the patient religious training he had given her in the past, BUDDY JONES,
like a true WET T-SHIRT EMCEE type person, proceeds to say various
stupid things to waste time, making the contest itself take longer, thereby
giving the mongoloids squatting on the dance floor an opportunity to buy
more exciting beverages. . . liquid products that will expand their
consciousnesses to the point whereby they might more fully enjoy the ambiance
of Miami By Night…

BUDDY JONES:
Where ya from?

MARY:
Ah, the bus…

BUDDY JONES:
Which one?

MARY:
You know…the last tour…
You know…
Leather

BUDDY JONES:
Oh.. .you were the girl that was stuck to seat 38 on Phydeaux III…
why don’t you get in position now and take a deep breath, because
this water is very, very cold, but it’s goin’ to be so stimulating. And
Mary’s the kind of Red-Blooded American Girl who’ll do anything…

MARY:
Anything…

BUDDY JONES:
I said anything… for fifty bucks
That’s right!

MARY:
I really need the fifty bucks you know I gotta get home!

BUDDY JONES:
Yeh, I know, your father is waiting for you in the tool shed… that’s right,you
heard right… our big prize tonite is fifty American Dollars to the girl with
the most exciting mammalian protruberances…

MARY: Here I am!

BUDDY JONES: …
as viewed through a thoroughly soaked, stupid looking white sort of male
person’s conservative kind of middle-of-the-road COTTON UNDER-GARMENT!
Whoopee! And here comes THE WATER!

MARY:
EEEK!

BUDDY JONES:
No, you’d squeak more if the water got on you …sounds like you just got an
ice pick in the forehead… AND HERE COMES THE ICE PICK IN THE FOREHEAD…
a million laughs, Mary! Anyway; good golly, what a mess…she’s totally soaked..
totally committed to the fifty bucks.. .That’s it just step into the spotlight.. let the guys
get a good look at ya honey!

MARY:
Here I am!

BUDDY JONES:
Whaddya say, fellas?
Nice setta jugs?
Now Mary, how’s about shakin’ it around a little…

BUDDY JONES:
Oh my goodness, look at her go!

MARY:
Oooh! I’m dancing!
I’m dancing!

BUDDY JONES:
Ain’t this what living is really all about!
Here’s your fifty bucks, Mary…

MARY:
Oh great! Now I can go home!

BUDDY JONES:
Home is where the heart is.

MARY: “On the bus!”

 

That water was fucking freezing, so the look of shock/horror is authentic. heh heh.  

  “ Oh great! Now I can go home!”

“with leather?”

The headliners of the whole Zappanale ^.

I haven’t seen Chad since 1988!! He is so shy, so soft spoken. SO SWEET!!! His whole band is sweet in fact. I loved hanging out with these guys. They played an all instrumental set. No Zappa tunes at all, although at certain points you could hear a tad of a Zappa riff, like they were teasing us. They were brilliant. I suppose everyone was expecting them to whip out at least one Zappa tune, but they didn’t. 

Perhaps Chat wants to stay on Dweezil and Gail’s good side. At least now they can’t bitch at them for playing any Zappa music! 

 

Oooh they sounded like butter. Lovely! x 

 

^ you can see from his smile how sweet and genuine he is

 

Eric Slick ^ plays drums with Project Object. He is a genius (started playing drums at age 2 🙂

His Mom, Robin Slick, is a famous writer. Check out her blog HERE  

 

The English band, Monty and the Butchers ^ were soooooo fun to hang out with. A million laughs indeed.  

 

Jorg, the film director, who happens to be holding the mic, films each Zappanale. They make a dvd of each Zappanale. They interviewed me for the dvd. I was lively as usual.  

I was lacking sleep, which I really really need right now, as I am literally running on fumes. My tonsils are beyond infected and I was told a year ago they have to be removed but I never find the time, so I have been living on antibiotics and feeling like shit for about two years. I know, it’s stupid. A vicious cycle, but I just never find the time. So if I get less than like 7 hours of sleep, I feel dizzy, sore throat, all that wimpy shit. I was devastated when I was told I had to be up and ready for an interview on stage Saturday at noon. I know this sounds like a diva talking but it’s not. I am just a night person and seldom fall asleep before 7am. Hard habit to break at such short notice 🙂

Jim Cohen, who has been the host for a few years at the Zappanale, was to interview me Saturday at noon. He does a representation each year on the Saturday of the Zappanale  (the Zappanale always takes place in the first week of every August fyi) . He interviews guests and talks in great detail about Frank Zappa. He is a walking encyclopedia of Frank Zappa trivia/facts/info. 

I was there, on time, and went through with the interview. I did most of it in German as it takes place in Germany, but said somethings in English too for the English speaking audience. What I am getting at, is this weekend is a marathon. You won’t be resting, you will be ON the whole time, partying, talking, laughing, dancing and by the end of the weekend, you won’t have a voice anymore. I swear I am still hoarse from the festival and it was a few weeks ago. Found that out the hard way last night at karaoke.  

 

 

Eric Svalgård  ^

The other Eric of Project Object and I signing the symbol for the Arf Society.  

 

Monty and the Butchers hamin’ it up during the grand finale’  ^

 

The crowd (above) and the sound men ( are nice guys, but have to work while everyone else is raising hell, hence the glum faces) 

 

 Chad and Andre’ ^

Don and I discussing his amazing threads his wife sews for him. What a sweet heart! ^ 

 

 

Christian ^ was my driver for the whole festival. His Father Wolfhard is the founder of the whole Zappanale.  The Arf Society was obviously trying extra hard to please me 🙂

 

 Musician soup ^ …………. backstage at the Zappanale was heaven on earth

Hasi ^  a Zappateers member, from Austria and I in the Zappateer tent. This tent is out in the camping area at the Zappanale festival. Everyone in the camping area pretty much parties straight through, with no sleep, from Thursday to Monday morning. It is a non-stop Zappa themed party. The Zappateers tent is the center of it all. I was welcomed with open arms and even knew a few of the people hanging out in the tent.. It was super fun, but I had to hang backstage most of the time, as they had tiny tasks for me to do. 

 

What are the Zappateers? ” The Zappateers are dedicated collectors of Zappa live shows.”

It’s best to click HERE to read more about the Zappateers.. 

 

These two lovely gals ^  know every word to every Zappa song and I love them. They were a fixture in the Zappateers tent and later on stage for the Grand finale too. They are seriously dedicated Zappa fans.

 

Sunday when I woke up, I thought:  I am too tired to go to the Zappanale grounds again. I thought I would just sleep all day and hide until my ride took me back to Berlin. WRONG ANSWER. Thomas, the president of the Arf Society called and said “where are you hiding!?? We need you on stage at 9pm!”  Eh? I thought my work was done. Guess not. So I dragged my ass out of bed, well, off the floor as I always sleep on the floor in hotels, as I am a walking sleeping disorder. 

Painted my face a bit and tried to get motivated for yet another night of partying. I am only used to going out like once a week, sometimes once a month. Contrary to popular belief, I don’t go out much at all. I am a hermit. It looks like I go out a lot because I blog about it every time I go out. I can only handle two drinks and hate smoking so I am a light weight and need a day to recover when I party (I have always been that way, so don’t laugh to yourself as you say  “it’s called getting old” under your breath). I have always been a light weight. sigh. ANYHOW, where the hell was I?

Oh yes, my lovely driver came and basically had to pry me out of my room as I was really dragging my ass by Sunday. But like magic, once I set foot on the Zappanale grounds, I woke up like a freshly watered flower.  

 

So, I was wondering, what was my chore of the day? Why was I needed on stage at 9pm? Another Wet T-shirt thingy? A massage for Chad? Was I entered into the Zappa trivia game without my knowledge?  

 

  Napi  and Um, I know he works for the Zappanale, I think he is the director of transportation but don’t quote me on that, but at any rate, that is Napi posing with a man I think may be Hendrik.  Surprised  (Lets play “name that German!”)

 

Chad & Andre’  ^

 

 Kurz, Italian Frank Zappa fan and musician (he let me draw that stache on his face 🙂
   

 

 

I was attacked by a sharpie pen ^ 

 

Naturally after 3 nights of camping, the Zappanale guests, artist, campers and workers started to smell a bit. I mean, it is hot, humid, dusty.. everyone is sweating and drinking.. you get the picture. I had a close wiff of Matthews (bassist/vocalist/founder of Monty and the Butchers)  underarm. Me likey. I LOVE the smell of a man’s sweat. Fuck deo and perfume and show gels. I want to smell the MAN, not the fucking brand. Nothing I hate more than a man wearing perfume, cologne, aftershave, deo etc. I want to smell the truth baby!

Well, it’s only fair…    ^ 

Sunday night, we were ALL TOAST. I couldn’t believe that Monty and the Butchers hadn’t seen the Zappa statue of Bad Doberan yet!

The drivers brought us there and we had a little photo shoot. The one with the glasses (passed out) is Joe. he plays horns some times for Project Object. What a laugh that night was! 

 

 

Me posing with the Zappa statue. There was a LOT of controversy surrounding the statue. Gail Zappa didn’t approve it and is still not happy about it. The Arf Society had to fight tooth and nail to convince the town of bad Doberan to even allow the statue to be erected there. All the drama!! It’s so sad how everyone  behaves after an icon dies (James Brown, Zappa, Elvis, John Lennon, etc).I hope to fuck the dead idols are looking down, watching the behavior, keeping tabs….

I want to close this now and mention once more, how AMAZING the Zappanale was. I will be there for sure next year. This festival has been going on 18 years, and I hope it keeps going on for many more years. It has a special vibe to it, so much love for Frank, so many cool people, so much fun!!!!!!!!!!! The area is amazing too, it’s magical, in fact I couldn’t think of a better place to have such a wonderful meeting of minds. Thank you Arf Society for the lovely time, I will never forget it.

x 

ps. If you haven’t seen them yet, I made 3 videos (well, one long one, broken up into 3 bits) of my Zappanale experience.

Click the links to see the videos:

 

Video 1

Video 2

Video 3 

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Frank Zappa street in Berlin (the unveiling ceremony)

Just a preview of one of the upcoming massive blogs. I was at the unveiling of the one and only Frank Zappa street tonight (well, last night in Berlin). Sheil Yerbouti, a Zappa tribute band headlined and the very famous and talented Zappa alumni, Napi (above ^)  joined the band. He plays with many Zappa tribute bands and he always steals the show 😉

I read an open  letter from Bobby Zappa  to the fans which gave  his blessings for the Zappa street ceremony. I also joined Sheik Yerbouti and sang “I am the slime” with them. Much fun. I will finish this blog in a few days, I still have to do my Dublin blog. I have loads of pics to crop and upload and all that writing too.. and I have to get ready and pack for the upcoming, 18th annual Frank Zappa fest called Zappanale. Battling a lung infection again, wondering if Steve Vai passed that flu onto me accidentally in Dublin, if so, I would have to say I have the Steve Vai-rus. heh heh.

x 

 

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“Only in it for the Money” ?

   
 
“Hi friends,

 

read this, you won’t believe it. As I know Ed Mann got a letter too, I’m waiting for it.

 

Indeed, she hates the fans, she hates Frank, paranoia took control like with Wild Man Fischer.

 

I got Eugene’s permission to make it open, I can’t post at zappa.com.

 

See you soon!

 

Thomas”

 

Hello Arfers

I am with Jimmy Carl Black at his home, we play this weekend at Schipoorst (Faust) festival near Hamburg.

Jimmy had told me about this stupid situation with Gail Zappa. We just had our own trouble, she insisted two Zappa pieces be removed from the new Jack and Jim CD coming on the Boxholder label in USA: fine versions of Mom and Dad and Willie the Pimp which I no doubt FZ himself would have appreciated because of the spirit of adventure and excellent quality banjo and guitar playing.

In doing this, she violates my understanding of the American copyright law, specifically the compulsory mechanical liscense that cover artists must apply for and also MUST be granted by the publisher once the composer has released a recording of the song.

Although I know no exception to this law, Gail Zappa will not allow her lawyer to communicate with me, all I want is an explanation of why she is allowed to violate this law.

You may be amused, although I am not sure (??) that in our correspondence she told me the Mothers of Invention as we know them do not even play on We’re Only In It For the Money, only four mysterious musicians who Frank told her about but she will not reveal who they are.

The reason the Mothers are pictured on the album was pressure from the record company, a marketing ploy.

Gail, you see, wants me to believe that her husband was such a patsy that he would do whatever the record company says. Meanwhile, we wonder, who played on the record, then? A young Elton John? Neil Diamond?

The Monkees?

Meanwhile, I wish you the best of patience with this problematic human being.

cheers

Name withheld to avoid more shit from Gail.

 

please note:

 

ZAPPANALE#18
02.-05.08.2007
 
——————————————————————————————————————————————-

July 23, 2007
Ridgewood, New Jersey USA
This is an open letter to Thomas Dippel, President of the ARF Society and co.organizer of the annual
Zappanale festival and to all Frank Zappa fans on the occasion of the street naming event in Berlin
on July 28, 2007:
Dear Thomas and all Frank Zappa fans everywhere:
I am writing this letter on behalf of Frank’s original remaining family members, our brother
Carl and our sisters Candy and Ann to show our support and deepest gratitude for the special
honor that the ORWOhaus musician’s collective have arranged in Frank’s memory.
We are genuinely touched and extraordinarily pleased that the world famous city of Berlin has
agreed to permit the street renaming in our brother’s honor on July 28th. We are thrilled to
know that there will be a street in the Marzahn district of what was once East Berlin that will
be formally dedicated as “Frank-Zappa-strasse”. This is an honor we humbly share in his
memory and we extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone who made this event possible.
When I first heard about this event I remember reading the comments that Andreas Otto,
spokesperson for ORWOhaus, made about Frank to explain how his organization made the
decision to arrange for this honor. He said that:
“Frank Zappa was one of the best all-around musicians in the world; (he was) a guitarist,
composer, and band-leader. He was celebrated for his uncompromising pursuit of musical
exploration and excellence, and also for his courage using his music and lyrics to make
society see its faults and hypocrisies. He didn’t do it just for media attention; it was part
of his highly creative and unbending character. He stood up to his own government
against politically -motivated censorship – he testified with great intelligence in the US
Congress, and he refused to hold back his own outrageous sense of humor. We of
ORWOhaus had our own battles trying to save an unused building and turn it into an
active music center, and we decided that Zappa was a great example of how a musician
can have an influence so far beyond the notes on a page. We hope Frank would be proud
to have his name as an address for so many musicians.”
I know that I can speak for my brother and sisters when I say that Mr. Otto’s comments have
captured the essence of our Frank’s unique talent and motivation and that I am absolutely
certain that he would be very proud to have his name as an address for so many musicians.
And no, he didn’t do it just for media attention , or even for the money. He did it because he
had the integrity and strength of purpose that those who knew and loved his music looked up
to. Those character traits served us, myself included, as examples of how to deal with the
mean spirited, untalented and money-hungry people in this world who use threats and
intimidation to get their way. And I can think of no better way to keep Frank’s legacy alive
and out of the reach of anyone who would demean his memory for profit than to let the world
know of this special honor.
Our very best wishes and deepest gratitude to the ORWOhaus collective for their kindness and
generosity in connection with the street renaming of Frank-Zappa-strasse.
Sincerely,
Bobby Zappa

 

 

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Kanye West has a new fan

 Tonight was a busy night. I just wanted to chill but I helped Jasmine get ready for her prom -she wore a cute hippie looking wine colored dress that hung above the knees and she rejected the sueded flip flops I bought her, instead, she wanted to go barefoot. Her dread locks were tied up and some of her hair stayed down, you know, half up, half down, like Angelina Jolie always wears hers. I guess this hippie attitude comes from me seeing the Grateful Dead about 50 times while I was pregnant with her.

 

I am happy she is a rock chick; I'm not complaining, I just wish she would have worn shoes and maybe let me buy her a dress. The other kids and parents must think "That Dr. Dot must spend all her money on rock and roll t-shirts and globe trotting as Jasmine wears all these hippie rags and converse high tops that have more holes in them then the streets of Blackburn!" But that's not true. Jasmine is not a consumer. She loathes getting presents and being given money etc. Very practical and frugal. Like me. I do love me a new lap top and my iPod though 🙂

 

ANYWAYS, after that hectic whirlwind, I went home and massaged Joe Jackson (who lives in Berlin now, and is recording his new album) from 11pm until 1am when my phone rang. Kanye West was in Berlin (on a promo tour) and wanted a massage. I could have sent one of my assistants, but I was curious to meet this man that Perez Hilton and the press always talk about. They usually mention this "He stormed out of an award ceremony, angry, because his video didn't win the Video of the Year award!".

 

They scathe him and I wanted to see if he was really like they described. In fact, I have never even heard his music, the only reason I knew of him was because of this nasty rumor. That and I know he did a song with Jamie Foxx, who I LOVE since seeing (and buying) the film RAY. 

I was expecting a WHOLE lotta attitude. I got NONE.  I was lead to his room and was kept waiting for a few minutes, along with his assistant. He opened the door and I yapped "Avon Calling!". heh heh. His room smelt like he had been burning a stack of rubber tires! He was holding what was left of some plug adapter, which was now half black from the flames and melted. LMFAO!!!!!!!!

Apparently the hotel gave him a plug adapter and what he needed was an electricity converter, like a mini transformer or so. It was their fault, not his. Thank God it didn't fry his lap top! Anyways, we got that sorted, I told the front desk in German to sort it out. I massaged him for about 2 hours and the music he chose to play from his lap top was mostly Maroon 5, then later, Modest Mouse. He said he is friends with Adam, the singer of Maroon 5 (I told him he was a client of mine too) and that they did a song together. I never head much Maroon 5 up until tonight. I only knew the two popular tunes "She will be loved" and "This love has taken it's toll", you know those catchy tunes..

 

Anyways, then we heard Modest Mouse, who he said is one of his favorites. I told him how I met Modest Mouse one night at one of my karaoke hang outs in NYC: Cassidys Pub, W 55th street. They have karaoke every Friday night (no they didn't pay me to write this). Modest Mouse was in there, acting like wankers. Showing off, hogging the mic, being really obnoxious and the singer was snotty to me and my friends. Once we said "aren't you Modest Mouse?" then suddenly they were all sweet and polite and they bounced right after that. As in, "oh shit, we can't act like cunts anymore, they know who we are". Whatever. The band is tight, but have a listen, the singer sucks ass. He must purposely sing out of tune and all over the place. Have a listen, then you will know what I mean. He's a pretentious twat. 

Oh LORD I am totally off the subject now, which is HOW WONDERFUL Mr. West is! I asked him about this rumor, about him storming out of the award show in a sour grapes mood. He said "It's true" but then told me the whole story, the part the press so conveniently over looks when taking the piss out of him, you know, slagging him off. Ok, for you yanks, when they are being really mean and writing bad about him. (see why British/Irish slang is so useful? It gets to the point faster).


The missing part of the story is that his management and record company told him his video had won Video of the Year, and insisted that he attend this ceremony. 

Here is what you find when you google this crap:

Kanye West, you may remember, stormed the stage at the MTV Europe Music Awards in Denmark last week, interrupting the winners' speech, claiming his video deserved the "Best Video" Award for "Touch the Sky," which lost to Justice vs. Simian's project "We Are Your Friends."

 No fucking WONDER he was pissed off! He was lied to. He was told his video had won. So he was lead there under false pretenses. I just think it's unfair how the press leaves shit out. So you can't say they are lying, because they just leave shit out. Guys all over can relate with that method, as they use it all the time when explaining to their better half where they fuck they have been, etc.

 

I think he's cool. He was calm, friendly, intelligent, generous, very funny and had NO ego or attitude at all. I am not an ass kisser/brown noser, I am honest. The guy is wonderful. I know it's tabu to say, but he has an amazing ass. I told him too, so there.

x

ps. The only bad thing about me working until 4am and now still up online until 7:30 am, is I will be too tired to go and try to massage Lou Reed later today. Oh well, I think he is over rated anyways. Sweet Jane and take a walk on the wild side are not enough to cut into my 8 hours of sleep (Sour Grapes). Dragging my cranky ass into bed now. 

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Sleepy London town (get’s a wake up call :)

It took me a while to make the video ^ so I hope you enjoy it.. It was filmed in May, during my stay in London. I went their mainly to meet up with my two gal pals, Christin and Nicole, who Steve Vai has sweetly nick-named the “Crazy Red Heads”.Next time I hope we have more time together and it would ROCK if we could meet up again in Dublin for example. We got along great…we have that special New England charm, that razor sharp smart ass sense of humor that not everyone understands. Wickedfuckinpissa  for example. 

Roy brought me out with his brother Erez  and his Fiance’, Nikki (my friend too) to Tramps, alllegedly  the BEST  nightclub in London.  The food  was  great but  as the night grew later,  the service grew worse.  It’s obviously  London’s version  of Studio  54.  Well, living off of  the old fumes of such a scene.  VIP wanna-be’s,  wearing as little as possible,  snorting this, snorting that.  Posing at the bar,  hoping to be  seen/recognized .. all  to  the crappy  tunes they  dare call  “music” .   ew! Give me  ROCK AND ROLL!

My pal Roy lives 5 minutes from Abbey Road, so we had fun stopping the traffic (just as all Beatles fans do) to take pictures, walking the same path the Beatles walked years ago.. It’s the busiest fucking street ever, even on a Sunday! It’s worth the hassle though 🙂

 We joked constantly about the ridiculous prices in and around our hotel. $15 for a bowl of strawberries for example. Bite me!

Like I said in the video, we wanted to walk to this restaurant my pal Amir suggested, call the Red Pepper. Obviously we took a wrong turn on the yellow brick road and we weren’t in Kansas anymore, we were in the Projects (the Brits call them “Counsel Estates or Counsel Flats” as in, the Government is supporting this particular neighborhood. ANYWAYS, we were getting nervous as we could sense we were not in a safe area and were desperately trying to flag down a cab. Everytime one stopped, they seemed to be waiting for someone to get out, go make a dope deal and get back in. There were no available taxis. Boo fucking hoo.

I saw a cop car heading our way and ran out in the street to flag them down. I am sure it was our American accents that charmed them into not only telling us how to get to the restaurant, but they brought us there, gladly. One of the cops was actually pretty hot. The Red Pepper became our daily bread. We loved it so much, we ate there every fucking night. Best spinach I have ever had.  I know there are loads of choices as far as places to eat go in London, but I am a creature of habit and when I love something, I want it all the time. Pun intended. 

;;;

Sitting on the ground, chilling in front of the Palace. When the flag is flying, it means the Queen is “home”.

My my you have a big…weapon

I slipped my flyer into his boot. They aren’t allowed to move/flinch, etc. I told him to call me if he needed a massage. He did eventually text me, but I had already left. What a cutie 🙂

 

 “Wild Horses couldn’t drag me away“

Mad men of London ^

 My standard convenience store pose. I convinced that Moby look-a-like above to try it too.

The over worked door men of the Dorchester Hotel let me try on their hat

 

The lovely lane that lead to the Hyde Park Stables ^

My temporary Horse. She was a sweet heart..

Carrots get you everywhere 🙂

St.James park is breath taking ^

 

Another crazy Red Head ^ 

President Roosevelt and Winston Churchill didn’t mind me sitting on them for a while ^

Not to sound like a moaner, but London isn’t exciting as you may imagine. Everything is closed by 1am (most pubs close at 11pm!!). The shops close at 6pm, or the latest, 8pm. There is NO karaoke scene at ALL. I found one place, called Murphis and all of their songs have that accordion sound. As in, they aren’t allowed to have the real version, so they have a play school tone to them. Imagine Highway to Hell played on an Accordion. You couldn’t bring your own discs, like you can most places either. Their web site makes you think it’s gonna be a HUGE, two floored, happening place. Trust me, it’s not. HATED IT. In short, London, like the Stones say, is a “sleepy town”. Cute, expensive but a tad boring compared to Berlin and NYC.

“Evrywhere I hear the sound of marching, charging feet, boy
cause summers here and the time is right for fighting in the street, boy
But what can a poor boy do
Except to sing for a rock n roll band
cause in sleepy london town
Theres just no place for a street fighting man
No”   The Rolling Stones

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First time in Monte Carlo by Dr. Dot

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Maroon 5/ NYC

Today on MTV total request live (TRL) around 3:30 pm, see Adam Levine do his thing. Great guy!

I massaged him again last night here in NYC, then went out for some karaoke. Karaoke in NYC rules. I am having so much fun here, I hate to leave. I will return to Berlin in a few days to see my cutie pie, Jasmine. I have a massive blog, well, two massive blogs to write. I still haven't done my Monte Carlo and London blog. OMG, I will never get these done 🙁

I am pretty sure that I will be living back in NYC again by the Fall. I will still keep my flat in Berlin, but being back in the US with friends, family and loved ones is so nice. Just walking down the street is fun, everyone smiles, they are enjoying life, having fun, being friendly; it's so refreshing, I miss that! I will still have to visit Europe often, as I love it too. Wish I could split myself in two and live both places at the same time. I will be back again in NYC for just about the whole month of August, as I have to get my tonsils removed. Not looking forward to that. Hope it doesn't change my singing voice. I don't want to be a soprano or so. I need my AC/DC voice! 😀

x

Dr. Dot

 

 "We can never know about the days to come
But we think about them anyway, yay
And I wonder if I'm really with you now
Or just chasin' after some finer day

Anticipation, anticipation
Is makin' me late
Is keepin' me waitin'

And I tell you how easy it feels to be with you
And how right your arms feel around me
But I, I rehearsed those lines just late last night
When I was thinkin' about how right tonight might be

Anticipation, anticipation
Is makin' me late
Is keepin' me waitin'

And tomorrow we might not be together
I'm no prophet and I don't know nature's ways
So I'll try and see into your eyes right now
And stay right here 'cause these are the good old days

(These are the good old days)
And stay right here 'cause these are the good old day"

 by Carly Simon 

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What’s new?

So, nothing has happened since I "caught" the guy who attacked me, as in, no further steps. My lawyer said "give me a few days" and the cops will apparently send me a letter when they feel like it. Not holding my breath, as I know dam well nothing will happen to the guy, except MAYBE a fine. Thing is, I am almost certain I will run into the violent prick at my grocery store, as it's the only one near by and even the evil have to stuff their pie hole. 

That giant kiss above is what will be on the back of my upcoming Dr. Dot t-shirts. No, I am not going all Wall Mart on you, I get A LOT of emails/messages from folks asking me if they can buy a Dr. Dot t-shirt. This has been going on for a few years now, so I finally decided to do something about it. I found a Frank Zappa fan online,  named Mark who owns his own t-shirt business and he is an amazing artist and graphic designer. I want to have my hand prints on the front, as if I was grabbing your breast, and above it, it will say "Dr. Dot was here". On the back, are my lips. I put on a heavy coat of red lipstick and kissed a piece of paper and scanned it in high res. and sent it to him and that's the color he sent back. Not sure how the red got turned to pink but he says pink looks better, but I think we will have both available. So, in a couple weeks there will be a banner on my myspace page and web site, and if you want a shirt, you just click on it and presto. Mark will send you one (sorry, I don't have any more time to go to the post office, I barely find time to sleep or wank).

Last night SUCKED. I wanted to massage Damien Rice but they had just had two days off and (1) didn't need/want any and (2) there wasn't enough time even if they did. I was REALLY wanting to massage him, LOVE his voice, but if that isn't bad enough, the BITCHY German promoters LOVE to flex their power muscle as often as possible (in between sniffing lines) and were absolute PRICKS to me. They HATE Americans and let me know about it every time our paths cross. That president of mine has made it hard for us Yanks to go anywhere outside of the states without being loathed. Yeah, yeah, Americans suck, we know, now FUCK OFF and stop watching the Simpson's dubbed in your language and stop wearing Levis, eating at Mc Donald's and Pizza Hut if you REALLY hate all things YANK.  Get over it. I've lived off and on in Europe for almost 18 years, so obviously I am an open minded Yank and if anyone has a problem with Mr. Bush, write him a fucking letter, "we" as in, us yanks, are not your whipping post. K?

Even though yesterday was shit, today more than made up for it, ten fold. I got a call to go and massage Maroon 5's singer, Adam Levine. Tough job, but someone has to slave over his hot body, so I agreed 🙂 His manager is great, he uses my massage team all over the world and finally, he got a massage from the boss. He was only supposed to get an hour, as the record label big wigs were going to take him out to din din at 7pm, but the massage ended up being a 2 hour massage as he kept saying "don't ever stop", which is music to my ears. I really LOVE my job and massaging him is an absolute pleasure. Amen. 

Naturally when we went to the lobby, the German record label folks were not amused with me, as they all knew he was late because Dr. Dot was massaging him. Oh well, he is worth the wait. He told me to stick around as he wanted another massage after dinner. His manager said "I am sure he didn't mean it." and Adam heard that and turned around and said "I will be on that table again later!". I was loving this of course. I met a few other members of the band, then they all left for the restaurant.

Shai and I were having some drinks with the manager in the hotel bar and she and I left for some grub, but by the time the starters came, I was texted and asked to return as Adam wanted another 30 minutes. It hadn't even been an hour, so he was obviously not in the mood to hang out all night and hob nob with the Executives. The 30 minute massage turned into another 2 hour massage and no, I never get tired. Would YOU get tired massaging amazing artists? Especially such a handsome one. I only know two songs of Maroon 5 and I think they are pretty good. The singer is what makes the band so popular; he has a lot of charisma and a kick ass voice. Hear me swoon. I didn't feel it was the right time to ask him to pose for a picture, but I did get him to sign a picture I printed out. They are coming again soon to Berlin so I will see them again here or back in the states. Shai is a big fan, she loved meeting them too. yay! 

Tomorrow is St. Paddy's day and us gals will ROLL!

maroon 5 autograph for Dr. Dot

^  "You're the Best!

Adam Levine"

*sigh* 

 **********************************************************************

Happy St. Patrick's Day x 

 

 

 

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The last few weeks (JEFF BECK / BITCHFEST/ BB KING) 2006

It’s embarrassing how much time has passed since I met and massaged Jeff Beck and I am just now blogging about it. I think it was 8 weeks ago? This show was July 15, 2006.

Nevertheless, he is fresh in my mind. Jeff is SO FUCKING FUNNY, he could just hang up the guitar and do comedy, but his main passion, I found out, is restoring old

cars, working on them, making them gorgeous… I think he LOVES music, but just does it still to support his car hobby  🙂

 

The man hasn’t an arrogant bone in his body, so polite and humble, so real, so fucking cool! I was in heaven that day, sun was shining, Jeff Beck on guitar, Vinnie Colaiuta on drums, the band was amazing. Buddy guy opened and I could HEAR him play through the open window in the dressing room (it was an outside gig at little castle) but I couldn’t see him as I was busy massaging Jeff and Vinnie. I know Vinnie from his days with Zappa and then later, Sting. Vinnie is hysterical as well, so my face hurt from laughing the next day.

Jeff told me a lot of funny things that happened to him in his life and about his relationship with Roger Waters, who I had just massaged recently as well. Roger is a HUGE Jeff BECK fan and he “felt honored” to have Jeff play on his ‘Amused to Death’ album. A LOT of people want to hire Jeff, but he is simply too busy and sometimes can’t be bothered. He does what he wants and when he wants it, but is never arrogant about.  I have heard first hand that he was chosen to be the next Rolling Stone after Brian Jones died; but Jeff just never hung around for the audition. He just didn’t give a shit.  It’s an amazing balance he has, being that confident but not at all arrogant, one that I have seldom come across in show biz. I doubt he has any enemies, they all love him and want him to play with their band, but Jeff is hard to get, just naturally, not a calculated hard to get, if you know what I mean.

;;

;;

The show was predominately male (ladies, keep that in mind, if you want to meet COOL men with great taste in music, go see ANY Zappa tribute band, Steve Vai and/or

Jeff Beck in concert, you can have your pick!). Jeff’s show was only instrumental. He said sometimes he has some woman on tour with him singing (Beth Hart)

and she sounds ike Janis. Of course when I heard that I sang him a few bars of Bobby McGee and told him I am for hire (heh heh).

I stood in front of the stage watching him in awe and my friend was chatting a bit to me (not loudly) about something that had just happened in the crowd and a

Jeff Beck fan screamed “How the FUCK can you talk during a Jeff Beck guitar solo!????”. Nuff said.

“

Vinnie warming up backstage   

                                                                                                        Vinnie is So adorable, so fucking fun! Last time I saw him was when he was on tour with Sting, and I think that was 9 years ago. He and Terri Bozzio are the best drummers around (yes, I LOVE John Bonham, I am talking living drummers). Vinnie doesn’t even know how many fans he has. He just plays, He is so straight now, no booze, no smoking, just music and that’s it. Sooner or later the rockers realize they have to get and stay healthy if they want to remain in the strenuous rock and roll circus and that includes getting a massage whenever possible. They know when I am around, they are in for extreme deep tissue and they know I will make they cry like babies. They love it. My massage team is known for it’s brutal capabilities and we have been labeled the ‘Pit Bulls of Massage’. Music to my ears *sigh*.

If you want to hear Vinnie on a great Frank Zappa cd, just get “Joe’s Garage” and you will see why he is so sought after….

 < when he toured with Sting

After the show, Jeff and I were standing in the production office and he was pouring very expensive champagne into my glass

and my friends glass too (Jeff is SUPER generous!). We were just shooting the breeze and telling jokes when a German security guard came up to

us and since she knows me (I am rather known here in Berlin) she looked and us both and said “well, there are many fans out side and they want to know

how long you will be back here” and before anyone had a chance to say anything I belted out “tell them I am busy and they will have to wait”.

Jeff and I both burst out laughing. That’s the kind of humor Jeff has, not stiff at all, he loves a good laugh. Love him!

 

^  Jeff’s reaction when he found out where the ‘Cosmopolitain’ drink was made famous

After the show my friend (male friend by the way) and I were invited by Jeff to join them all on the bus (don’t make a fuss, just get on the bus) for

some “special” drink that Jeff likes to make everyone. Of course we came along happily, it’s not every day, nor every year Jeff invites you for some bevy’s.

We were all cracking up and exchanging stories,  and Jeff played bar tender. He was so excited to mix this drink for me, one he thought I had never heard of before.

He handed it to me and said “this, my dear, is called a “Cosmopolitan“. Now, any girl who was hooked on “Sex and the City” like I was has heard of that drink years ago.

I was like “uh, Jeff, that drink was made famous on Sex and the City”. He was like “eh?” . He had never seen it. I explained that it’s a show that had 4 women on it and they always talked about men and went out and drank that drink. He went “WOT!??? I’ve been making and drinking a GIRLS DRINK!???” The whole bus roared with laughter.

Vinnie wanted a foot massage on the bus, so I gave him one. He made faces and noises like I’ve never seen before. I said “you sound like me the first time I had anal sex”

Again, the bus was hysterical. I am telling you this lot knows how to laugh, even the bus driver was hilarious.  If you see Jeff Beck heading to a town near you,

it will be worth every penny to go see him, he is the BOMB!!!!

 

Moving right along. I got a new camera, as you can see and I am trying out the video options as often as possible.

This is a view from my favorite town in the USA, Hoboken. Hoboken is better than NYC because it is only 5 minutes away from NYC

yet still clean, safe, cheaper, friendlier, etc. I just LOVE that place… I walk down the street and I seem to know everyone and vice versa.

I love that small town feeling, but I have to have the big city at hand, and as you can see from that video, it’s REALLY at hand..

ps. Flying back and forth is killing me. You can’t bring any lip stick, lotion, powder, tooth paste, you can’t bring FUCK ALL on the plane anymore, which makes my Pet Peeve, flying, even worse now. They do sell, however, expensive as FUCK lotion etc, on board, how convenient, those wankers! Yeah,  you Hetro men won’t have a clue what I’m on about but us ladies/queers know, we need lotion and chap stick at least or we dry up like raisins. I put some lotion into a condom, tied it into a knot and crammed it up my, yeah, there. You have to be smarter than the average bear to make things happen. So I had my lotion! heh heh.

 

I didn’t have much time to play recently in NYC but I did manage to see some of my friends….

 

 

 

This was our official 2nd show as BITCHFEST. What pissed me off is the FUCKING FOG. Here it’s not too bad

but at some points I couldn’t (1) Breath (2) see the audience or my band. WTF!??????

For me the BEST part of the show was watching Jasmine climb up on stage and then crowd surf. Then, during

Back in Black, I did as well. This was my first time crowd surfing and it was fucking FUN! I will do this from now

on. How often does one see a daughter, then the Mom crowd surf at the same show? It was fucking hilarious.

I had to have a word with the German crowd though, as at first the crowd surfing didn’t work. Jasmine and her friends

were just let down, as in, dropped. I was like “hello, you’re supposed to catch and carry the bodies, not stand there and sip

your drinks and laugh”. They finally got the hang of it and it was marvelous. The sound man made a crappy video and sound

recording and when I figure out how to up load it, i will post it. You can see Jasmine surf and then me for a bit too).

 


 From left to right, Vitri (back up vocals, Chrisi (drummers girlfriend, me and Danielle, back up vocals ^

Dr. Cock likes to draw cartoons, this one is of He and I ^                      My friend Martin^  (Aussi)  and some unknown dude backstage

Um, after the show, we had fun with my camera… don’t ask.^

Communication Breakdown
Tush
Move over

Dot welcomes audience

Black Dog
You really Got me < Back up singers come on stage
Heart Breaker < Back up singers
Dirty Deeds  < Back up Singers (leave stage After Dirty Deeds)
American Woman

Dot introduces band

Highway to hell
Helter Skelter
*Back up singers come back on stage, Dot introduces them
Piece of my Heart < Back up singers
Back in Black  < Back up Singers

 

BAND LEAVES STAGE
ENOCRE:
SANSI (drummer) COMES BACK ALONE FIRST AND DOES:
Moby Dick

(whole band comes out now)

Whole Lotta Love
Twist and Shout < Back up singers come and sing and twist/dance

 Our set list ^

I have known “Fricky” since 1992. He is really strange, an artist. He let me draw the Zappa stache on him, yes! ^

Danielle, me and Sarah (she is from Sweden) partied ALL night after the BITCHFEST show…..

 THIMO   my guitarist will cheat on us this Wednesday 🙂   ^ 

Check him out, he ROCKS!!!!! 

  < The newspaper the next day, after the BITCHFEST show….itvch

< BB is the KING!

I saw BB KING live this past Thursday. It was one of the best show’s I have ever seen. He almost had me in tears

when he told the crowd he would never be passing through this town again, as he is “80, almost 81 years old” and his health

isn’t  the greatest. I had to literally swallow my tears. He was so charming and funny how he told the crowd so many tiny stories and

his voice, Jesus, even if he didn’t play a mean guitar, I would pay to just hear the man sing. BB, I LOVE YOU!!!!!

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Roger Waters = AMAZING!

Roger Waters = AMAZING!

Sometimes it’s hard for me to express in words the excitement of touching certain people. This doesn’t happen often. Last week, June 8th and 9th to be exact I was in heaven and it has taken me a few days to get my feet back on the ground. For some it may be hard to grasp being so excited about a musician, but I could tell you, it would be the same for a boxer to win a match, a soccer team to win the world cup, you get my drift.

I have met Roger Waters several times over the years and each time I am over the moon with glee. He has always been an object of my desire since the first time I heard his music. The fondness grew stronger when I first laid eyes on him in the film the Wall when I was in the 7th grade. Such a talented mastermind and so attractive and on top of that, he is the coolest. If you have any doubts, please watch the film “Pink Floyd: LIVE AT POMPEII” and after you watch it, think of me saying “I told you so”.

It may sound odd to some but for me, Roger is the UK version of Zappa, but probably just to me. His lyrics are so deep, so meaningful, they teach. Waters and Zappa wrote lyrics that I studied more than any subject in school. Ditto with the Beatles, but Waters (as well as Zappa) did many concept albums and they are not just entertaining, they really changed my way of looking at life. Animals, Dark Side of the Moon and The Pro’s and Cons of Hitchhiking are 3 albums I could not live without. I know, sounds obsessive, but we all have our cravings.

Roger wrote 98% of all Pink Floyd lyrics and music, (for example, Roger wrote the Wall and The Pro’s and Cons ALONE, and then presented them to the rest of the band and said “I will do one of these as a solo project, which one would you all like to do as a group. They chose the Wall. The Pro’s and Con’s is just as good, if not better, than the Wall. “Reg” is beyond AWESOME. He IS Pink Floyd in my opinion. I can not go see “Pink Floyd” if Roger isn’t there. I have videos of Floyd when Gilmour wasn’t even in the band. I do love Gilmour and the rest of the band, but I am a Roger fan and stand by that 100 %. Once in 1987, Roger was on tour and so were Pink Floyd. In Providence, RI, “Pink Floyd” (without Roger!) played and the very next day, Roger played ( I went to the show). There were so many fools walking around wearing shirts that said “Fuck Roger” I wanted to hurl! They bought them at the Pink Floyd show and they were black with the same writing as there is on the Wall album. How tacky.  Enough ass kissing you say? Bollocks, don’t get me started, I could go on and on about “Reg” (Roger’s nickname). My 4 musical favorites are Beatles, Zappa, Floyd and the Stones;  sometimes it changes, as in, some months it’s Floyd, Beatles, Stones and Zappa, and other times it’s Zappa, Stones, Floyd, Beatles; know what I mean? Those are my top three, and just like you shouldn’t choose your favorite child, don’t press me to choose just one favorite. Although over the years I have sort of loved the Beatles way more than the Stones. Long story..

I remember driving around NH, in between Grateful Dead tours, with my younger brother and sister, CRANKING the cassette: Ummagumma. I made them listen to it repeatedly. Then it was onto Meddle, Pipers at the Gates of Dawn, Saucerful of Secrets, Obscured by Clouds, Relics, a Nice Pair, even Barretts INSECTS album. I raised my daughter on great music although I never played Zappa for her until she was 18. His lyrics are rated PG. heh heh.

Jasmine can play ‘Wish you were here’ and some Beatles tunes on her guitar, which is so satisfying to me. 

I have seen over 3,000 shows now, all for free. The only time I have bought tickets was before I turned 15 and for a Roger Waters benefit show in 1990 here in Berlin, his WALL show and then again for the Zappa plays Zappa show and more recently the June 8th Roger Waters show here in Berlin. Those shows were so important to me, that I didn’t want to risk it, what if no one wanted a massage? I had to be sure we were getting in. I ended up getting backstage for Zappa plays Zappa and gave my tix away to Jasmine’s pal and luckily, the same happened at the Roger Waters show. 

It was looking like Jasmine and I would just be in the audience to see the show, but in the last minute, I decided to just try- I called Simon, a tour manager turned friend, whom I have known for a few years now. He worked with Dave Gahan and I saw him backstage at Live 8 with Roger Waters. He called me and he said “Dot, where are you? Can’t believe we are in Berlin and you’re not backstage”.

Um, say no more, Jasmine and I grabbed a cab and were bouncing off the taxi walls with insane excitement. The taxi driver was about 70 years old and took the longest, slowest possible route which made me want to explode, but nevertheless, we got there as the show started as we ran towards the stage singing the first song “In the Flesh” out loud (all of the Germans were looking at us like WTF??!!), but we didn’t give a flying fuck.

I was wearing an English Football (er, soccer for you yanks) shirt  and this made me the object of hateful glares all night from the German football fans. They kept saying to me in amusing  English “You are VEARING zeeee  VRONG SHIRT!”. heh heh, we’ll see mates, we’ll see.

Jasmine wanted to watch the show from the side, but I dragged her backstage as I wanted to thank Simon profusely for the backstage passes. He was super happy to see us and insisted we watch the show ON the stage in the VIP section.  Jasmine was basically hyperventilating at this point from too much joy at once. She and I have watched Live at Pompeii an unhealthy amount of times and she has never seen Roger live before. *sigh*.

Simon bring us drinks on stage, hello, could he be any fucking nicer? Simon is the bomb!!!!  ^

Please don’t read me the riot act here, yes, Jasmine had a beer. She will be 17 on Monday (June 19th) . Hello! They all start really young here in Europe, enjoying their beverages. If you try to prevent/forbid it, they just do it even more. I just go with the flow and trust her judgment. 

The sound was amazing, I haven’t head such amazing sound quality since last years Live 8 when Pink Floyd reformed.

Roger is a perfectionist and I am grateful for that. My ears were smiling all night long. Jasmine started to weep during Wish you Were Here. You know how certain songs remind you of a certain person/time, well, that song had a lot of folks bleary eyed. I love how Roger goes to the edge of the stage and sings, even when he isn’t in front of a mic. I told him that I like that and he said he likes to encourage people to sing along and it works. The whole place seemed to know every word to every song, even though English isn’t their mother tongue.

^  Has been playing guitar for Roger for ages. Mr. Andy Fairweather Lowe, the Great!

I am wearing the RIGHT shirt!   ^ 

 < Jasmine and I in heaven!

  The set list ^ which Roger Signed the next day after his massage. So, I massaged Simon after the show and he said that Roger wanted a massage the next day at 6pm, You know I was there early, with bells on, so to speak. Simon brought me to Roger’s room to set up and get prepared for when Roger returned from Golfing. It was the first warm and sunny day in ages in Berlin, great for Golfing. Funny how so many rock stars go Golfing in Berlin (Alice Cooper is one of many).

The TV was on and the first game of the World Cup was on. Germany vs Costa Rica (Germany won that game  4 – 2 by the way).  Roger arrived and was in a great mood. He remembered me and was really sweet. I started his massage with my special invention (started doing this method when I was 5 years old on my mom) the “Bite Method massage”. He was keeping one eye on the game most of the time and he loved the massage. I was paid in advance for 90 minutes but I massaged him for 2 and a half hours ( I was making it last as long as possible 🙂

We had some small talk, I usually don’t speak during a massage, but we had tiny breaks to have a sip of water etc, and I asked him why he has never done “Across the Universe” live. He didnt recall ever doing that song and I  said “I have it on video, you and Andy Fairweather Lowe on guitar”. “ah yes”, then he remembered. He said that he never thought about doing it live, but hey, if he ever does, feel free to thank me. He does an AMAZING version of that song.  I asked him about the gorgeous turquoise/silver ring on his right hand. He said he has had it on since 1969. He banged it once and it bent and he can’t get it off. I found that to be really cute. By the way, no need to ask me “Did you ask him if Pink Floyd will ever get back together” because I would NEVER fucking ask him that stupid question. Don’t ask Sting about the Police; Eric about Cream and don’t ask Roger about Pink Floyd, it’s insulting and fucking annoying.

I love his work with Pink Floyd but  I also love all of his solo albums, so we talked about those instead. I asked him why there is no dvd for the Pro’s and Con’s tour, He said they didn’t video tape that tour or Radio Kaos tour either. I find that VERY unfortunate. I own the “In the Flesh” dvd, it’s from Roger’s 2002 solor tour, it has Doyle Bramhall on guitar and it fucking ROCKS!!!! If you don’t have it yet, I highly recommend it. I have two copies, one for my NYC place and one for my Berlin place. Can’t be without that. Doyle isn’t on this tour, he is cheating on Roger with Eric Clapton (so all is forgiven). Clapton played the night before here in Berlin, so Roger and Doyle were up most of the night chatting and having a drink or two. Roger waited as long as he could for Eric to return from a recording studio, but he had to hit the hay eventually and they missed each other by minutes. Clapton played guitar on Rogers ‘Pro’s and Cons of Hitchhiking’ album, oh GOD, it’s AMAZING!!!

Note: I asked Roger (as I do every musician I massage) what he thought of Zappa. He said ” I used to hang around Frank a lot in the 60’s and even stay at his house for a long while, and ended up breaking Suzy Cream-cheese’s heart, unforunately.” He almost forgot about jamming with Frank until I reminded him. He said “are you sure?” Yes, I am very very sure:

Pink Floyd jamming with Frank Zappa  ^

      < THE ring

Rubbing Roger’s feet ( me= happy)

Roger said, even though there was no live footage for the Pros and Cons tour, he had JUST received a dvd the day before of never before seen videos he made back in the day for the Pros and Cons Album, Radio Kaos and even Amused to Death (“What God wants, God gets” with Jeff Beck on Guitar).

He said “after the massage you can see them if you like”. Uh, ya think? YAY! He set up the videos on his lap top for me to watch and HE put the head phones on me and headed for the shower. I sat there for almost 30 minutes with my jaw open, one constant “WOW”. The videos he made simply MUST be released. I told him all of his fans would buy them. He seemed open for comments/feedback. Looking into his eyes is so exciting, I am still smiling. Bad news is, he is engaged and very much in love. I told him I find that to be a pain in the ass and extremely unfair. He is ALWAYS taken. I told him him it’s not fair and he should give other girls, like me for example a chance. He just grinned, never said a word when I was talking that shit. I did tell him his ass was in GREAT shape and he is still HOT. Again, just a grin 🙂

Face the facts,  I have the balls to say what you want to say, it’s as simple as that. heh heh. Jasmine didn’t make it to school that day (day after the show), we both slept until 2pm (already has those rock star habits). I wrote her yet another rock and roll excuse note “sorry, Roger Waters was in town”. The last one was “Zappa plays Zappa was in town”. Her home room teacher smiled and said “Jasmine, you are lucky I am your homeroom teacher. Tell your Mom I am jealous”.

She made an incredible portrait of Roger and I brought it for him to sign. He was really flattered and signed it “To Jasmine, love Roger”. She is gloating. 

 ^ This is now one of my favorite photographs. He is smiling at me. Not the camera. I can die peacefully now.