Dr. Lisa Gives A Sh*t

I've watch Colin's career quickly advance as I knew it would from the first time I saw his work, right after he landed in New York. Colin is queer, brilliant, funny and ADORABLE. He's very well liked as anyone could see at his recent opening and birthday party. Colin's porcelain sculptures are birthed from the world of modern dating with apps. Colin seems to have a healthy perspective on all of it. He's not invulnerable, but he is sensible. So this session is a great perspective on Colin's work and the very real relationship between one's life and one's art. He has had to learn to manage a chronic illness which I think has enabled him a deeper understanding of being a human in general. Colin has a very bright future - we talk about that too. MOST IMPORTANTLY DO NOT MISS HIS SOLO SHOW, THIRST TRAP at The Java Project!!! Up now until the end of March. The Java Project is located in Greenpoint at 252 JAVA STREET, Brooklyn, New York. Follow Colin on Instagram @colinmemaybe More about Colin HERE: https://www.coli

Personally, I’m a HUGE FAN of the Brooklyn Comedy Collective in Williamsburg, so when, Philip Markel, the Founder and Artistic Director agreed to come in for a Dr. Lisa session, I was thrilled.  Philip is the chilliest version of a Type A personality that I have met. He’s warm, welcoming, exuding a contagious sort of joy. The most obvious question in my mind was “How does he do it all?”, but our session went far past that simple question. Philip is a multitalented, (improv, singing, dancing, writing, teaching) creative person who is running a collective with 3 linked locations and a staff of 20 people, since 2018, all while doing his own work! My take is Philip is that he is an unusual combo of talent, drive and business smarts. You don’t often meet people like him with this much talent and drive, establishing collectives for creative people, I think because most people that have that combo of skills go for the money. Comedy is not a get rich quick pursuit. I read this autobiographical story that Philip had w

I met comedian/writer/actress/super mom/wife Lana Siebel about 2 years ago when I started going to comedy open mics regularly. I honestly don't think I would have stuck with it without her. Lana is hugely talented but also a leader and a great example/inspiration for a creative in any field. We touch on Lana's journey as a Ukrainian refugee to America at age 7—for a deep dive into her experience of coming to the US—listen to an earlier episode with Lana HERE: Lana Siebels's life story is hard to imagine. When I first met Lana, not long ago, she was just on the verge of transitioning from the pandemic into doing comedy full-time. In this episode we talk about how Lana is living her goal of performing comedy—on stage almost everyday!—as her job. It means driving/traveling to perform, going out every night to do her work and all that comes with it, while maintaining a close relationship with her growing son and her husband. I think the fact that her kid enjoys being funny and making videos with her helps. At thi

July unruly is a lawyer, fronts her own band and is a mother of 17 year old twins. July is not normal and I mean that in the best way. She is brash opinionated, kind smart and funny. July has a lot to say and holds nothing back in this wide ranging discussion about society, motherhood and how she believes that helping others makes your life better. Check out Julie's band, HIGH & TIGHT HERE

Amira R. Martin is one of those people you look at and think wow I could never be able to be like that. And yet Amira is also the person that will pull you up with her. She is the founder and director of MA Therapy, LLC, which is committed to the healing of Black and Brown communities. They have three current, active divisions- Therapists For Black Girls/Women, Therapists For Black Males, and The Black Speakers Institute. They also have a sister company called Therapy Essentials.  Mission Statement: "Our Mission is to significantly contribute to the healing of our community by providing culturally relevant, non racist, non sexist, bias free psychotherapy while simultaneously creating a strong collective of Black and Brown healers and aiding in their professional growth. We work to create a long standing impact and contribution to positive mental health outcomes in our community."  Amira shares what her childhood was like growing up as one of seven children with a single mom, a mentally ill dad as well as the

Copy: David Cote is a theater critic, playwright, and opera librettist who has written for numerous publications such as 4 Columns, Observer, The A.V. Club and Time Out New York. He’s written popular companion books about the Broadway hits Moulin Rouge! The Musical, Wicked, Jersey Boys, and Spring Awakening. His operas have been produced in New York, London, Nashville, Chicago, and Cincinnati. In his past life as an actor, he worked with Richard Foreman, Richard Maxwell and Iranian exile auteur Assurbanipal Babilla. He is also one of three artists taking part in the inaugural Ecker Fellows Program at the Boston Psychoanalytic Society & Institute, which aims to explore connections between psychoanalysis and art — therefore he is a perfect guest/patient and our session does not disappoint. David is from a tiny town in New Hampshire—Gilmanton Iron Works, which has a population of 3,945 (it was about 2,200 when he grew up). Grace Metalious’ scandalous bestselling novel and TV show Peyton Place was inspired by the

Robert Galinsky’s had a very rough couple of years with his father growing up. His father had undiagnosed depression which as we discussed, he worked through and resolved.   His childhood experiences motivated him to heal and help others has given him a more than full life as an artist: an actor, a writer, director, teacher, coach. Galinsky's suburban life drew him to find out directly how struggling people lived. Galinsky has been running youth writing workshops in Riker's Island for the past 7 years, so he helps us imagine what life is like in Riker's; the teens who are held there what they dream of, how they got there, what they hope to accomplish upon release. After this session, I felt that if there were more Galinsky's and if there was a pipeline for people to become Galinskys, the world would be a better place. When asked about this, Robert says, we're a consumer society and we don't have the will to deal with these issues. I agree, but I will think about incarcerated teens differently because of our t

The Fuzztones were born in the summer of 1980, in the bowels of New York City's Lower East Side. "Alphabet City" to be exact. Rudi Protrudi and Deb O'Nair had moved there from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, five years earlier, with their band Tina Peel . Das Fürlines from New York City, USA were an influential, all-female "punk-polka" band in the mid-1980s, renowned for their rousing performances. Contents 1History 2Members 3Albums 4References 5Further reading 6External links History[edit] Das Fürlines appeared on the US TV shows Entertainment Tonight and Andy Warhol's 15 Minutes in 1985, and released their debut album Das Fürlines Go Hog Wild on their own label, Palooka Records. Their next album, Lost in the Translation (1986), was a lot more contextual than Go Hog Wild. In 1988, they released a concept album, The Angry Years, which was inspired by the self-help book Women Who Love Too Much. They split up acrimoniously in 1988 after a spate of betrayal and infighting during a tour. They release

Artist Scooter LaForge is a delight. To be honest, I somehow felt like connecting with him on this show was healing for me-now who’s the shrink!? Scooter’s work is amazing and so instinctual- he cannot not do it. Even though he’s worked with big names like he is as humble as can be. So much to learn from his perspective—growing up as a gay man in a tiny town in Arizona. I have to say I was envious hearing of all the free-range outdoor time he had, but alas the town, it’s sounds really small and devoid of gays which means a pretty homogenous group of people (boring!) Scooter is the best of what an artist is—someone fueled by their work and satisfied because of it. He complimented me a lot, so I’m going to give him an A as a guest rating. Follow and learn more about Scooter HERE: https://www.scooter-laforge.com/ Instagram @scooterlaforge @scooter_laforge_a_life_of_art/ BIO: Scooter Laforge began his love affair with art at a very young age while growing up in the small town of Las Cruces, New Mexico. His burnin

I had dropped into Brklyn Comedy Club on my way home recently and caught this comedian, Edward Farrell, performing and I loved his act—it was highly original as was his character on stage. When I got home I looked him up and found out he owned 2 bars and the club that I saw him perform in! I got in touch with him and voila‑he was on the show! I dug in heartily and got to know Edward a bit through this session. He’s an introvert with an extrovert’s career. He’s from a long line of self-starters. He’s had mentors like Steve Lewishttps://stevelewisdesign.com/clubs We delve into how he’s gotten to where he is and took a look at where he’s heading. His club is great. If you like comedy-check it out.

Tom Gallo of Look at My Records describes Sean and his new album better and more accurately than I can: "SEAN SPADA is the real deal, a hard-working, consummate-pro piano everyman who would never dream of insultingly patronizing the sad sacks at the bar because clearly he identifies with and counts himself among the sad sacks at the bar new album The Wild Ride… but either way it's a ride that never flies off the rails thanks to the ever-present guard rails of Sean’s sensitive, skillful piano playing to the point where I’m moved to proclaim The Wild Ride the world’s first psychedelic piano lounge yacht-rock-run-aground rock operetta, a character study of a piano man who may be “Set Up To Self Destruct” but who’s nonetheless “Getting on the Highway” with predictable results perhaps but all the more stirring for seeing it coming..." I've know Sean for a while and his music/music career has evolved in a pretty exciting way. He's got mad skills! The visualization of his music in his videos have added a serious cre

Christian made a repeat visit to RFB so we could talk about his family history, which is pretty complex. You can see how it does make sense that he's a comedian though—a sharp sense of humor is a testament to his survival skills! His younger brother was born when Christian was 8 and his older brother was 10. His younger brother was born with a serious heart ailment which by necessity became the focus of his parents. His mother had Borderline Personality Disorder and was super dramatic. Let's just say this was hard on his dad too. His parents split up. Christian father enrolled Christian into a boarding school for performing arts when he reached high school age which set him free—well somewhat. This is an inspiring story of a resilient young man who became a successful comedian with a fantastic marriage in spite of a dramatically difficult beginning. Subscribe to Christian Finnegan's new Substack: https://newmusicforolds.substack.com/ and keep you up to date with his expertly curated new music. I listen to ne

 Kate Stremoukhova is a talented artist and commercial photographer/videographer in business with her husband, living in Kyiv, Ukraine until 6 months ago. This session with Kate is so remarkable because I found her so relatable and she was very generous in sharing her experience living through bombings, leaving her home there and finally getting to NYC. She hasn’t seen her husband since she left as he is still in Ukraine. When she left her home, she only expected to be gone a few days and she has yet to be back. She is currently waiting for the paperwork so she can go back and see her husband. This session is very moving; Kate made real the surrealistic nature of not being able to imagine a war and then one day you are in it. Kate has gotten some work here and is helping teach art to Ukraine high school students who have moved here and are in a school that is half American and half Ukrainian. She does not have a concrete plan yet, which is unsettling yet freeing at the same time. Dr. Lisa was grateful for thi

Michael is an amazing LA comic here for a week of shows in NYC. His presence is a delight on stage but its his writing that supreme -extremely smart and original. We learn that Regilio has had a problem seeing out of one eye since birth and had to wear an eyepatch until around the age of 7. He grew up in a strict Catholic household where he was the king of outsiders in school. You'll have to listen, but there's so many crazy hijinks that happened because his school decided he was gay (he's not-though he is a sincere, hearty ally) and told his parents. He got beat up and bullied a lot. All this to say he is now an accomplished comedian and musician who is very happily married. https://www.michaelregiliocomedy.com/

Dr. Lisa wants to know why Nick isn't more active in promoting his work. This therapy session uncovers Nicks complex relationship with his work and how it's tied into his relationship with his parents who are both artists. Together Nick and Dr. Lisa figure out why these relationships may be getting in his way of where his art career could be going. Nick's work is INCREDIBLE. Check it out! Here's more.

ABBY EHMANN Bar Proprietrix, Sign Maker, Editrix, Costumer, Scribbler, Tiara & Crown Creator, Burner, Cheap Beer Swiller recently opened HEKATE, a new "sober bar" at 167 Avenue B between 10th and 11th Streets in the East Village, right across the street from her other bar - Lucky. Hekate is an intimate sober bar and specialty tea shop fueled by feminine energy, designed for those who seek the alchemy of herbal elixirs. It is a convivial community place for anyone who might appreciate an alternative to bars. Time Out New York loves Hekate! In this session, Dr. Lisa takes a deep dive into what Abby learned about herself while in pandemic shutdowns: alcohol, humanity, fantastic new developments in alcohol-free drinks. She is putting her new ideas into action—this lady is an inspiration!

I was totally jolted out of my art world cynicism by spending an hour with these two masters, one accomplished and one on his way. Don Porcella is a well-known artist with amazing, original work and a loooong resume of shows, fairs and collectors. Christian Williams, a young talent, seemingly plucked out of Buffalo, NY—comes to NYC and has the great good fortune of being paired with Don through Wild Geese Gallery. They share a sense of humor and other aesthetics in their work, but what comes through is the magic of a shared passion for creativity which produces a bond that transcends all of the other stuff. Though Don and Christian live hundreds of miles apart, I think these guys will be in touch for many, many years to come. Don Pocella Bio: Born and raised in Modesto, California, Don Porcella’s artwork has been exhibited at galleries and museums around the world including the United States, China, Greece, Germany, France, Denmark, Colombia and Mexico. Porcella’s art has been published in the New York Times,

Jen Dalton did a great show this summer at Mother-In-Laws, a wonderful, experimental art space in Germantown, run by  Jessica Hargreaves, Kathleen Vance and Daniel Aycock Here's a quote from the press release of Jen's exhibition that will highlight the genesis in topics we covered in this emotionally transparent session: There is so much to apologize for. And almost everyone does a terrible job of it, when they try at all. No amount of money seems to smooth the process from mistakes and bad behavior to self-awareness and reckoning. Famous people are terrible role models in this regard, as so in so many others; their vague, slow-to-emerge statements are designed to imply the bare minimum of contrition and help their careers survive another day. Each text is a shrewdly-honed gem that its crafters hope will dissipate a controversy or deflect attention; taken all together they expose the values of those in power and our culture at large. We’re living through a boom-time for disingenuousness, gaslighting and DARVO

Had a great chat with Liam-he was a well known standup and hosted an underground, well-respected comedy show in NYC for many years - Tell Your Friends, which he made into a movie directed by Victor Varnado. Thanks to Liam, I saw so many fabulous comics perform in an intimate setting such John Oliver, Kumail Nanjiani, Aziz Ansari, Janeane Garafalo, and so many more. In 2015, Liam decided to move to LA. Now at age 46, after receiving several awards for screenwriting he’s been accepted into which is a very prestigious film program at University of Southern California where he begins the end of this month! There’s a lot to Liam behind these details here and getting sober along the way is one part of it. BIOGRAPHY Liam McEneaney is a 2019 Academy Nicholl quarterfinalist. Two of his screenplays placed in the 2020 Final Draft Big Break Contest, and are both semifinalists in the 2021 Atlanta Film Festival. Most recently, he was a contributing writer for GARY BUSEY: PET JUDGE. Touted as one of the "100 Best Comedians