Dr. Lisa Gives A Sh*t

David Kramer and I have been friends for a long time - and he's been on the show more times than anyone - so we had a super fun time deconstructing the inspiration for David along with the levels of irony his hook rugs, currently in his solo exhibition at Freight + Volume Gallery titled Mar-A-Lago Sunsets. It's a great study of how an artist prevails under any/all circumstances. We also discuss his recent collaboration with Celine. Check out David's work on Instagram! @dkramer5000

I wandered into one of my favorite Brooklyn places, The Brick Theater and they were having a great art exhibition by some of their most hilarious, creative performers who also make art. The artists are - Fareeha Khan, Felipe Di Poi, Lorelei Ramirez, Marissa Goldman, Tawanda Gona, Tim Platt, Whitley Watson I knew Lorelei Ramirez a bit and always loved her work so I asked her and an animator, Felipe Di Poi, who's work I loved as well, to talk about how visual art has been a good outlet for them during these trying times. I'd like to share a "before times" session I did with the Bricks artistic director, Theresa Buckheister as well. As I always maintain, artists are like cockroaches, they will remain through everything—so here's some proof of that.

GOODW.Y.N’s human force is palpable, even when you’re not in the same room as her. She is a warrior in every sense of the word. Equality is her mission and you can’t ignore her. She was born in 1980 in Bedford Stuyvesant to a mother on welfare. Always a writer, she was a good kid that eventually enlisted in the army to get out of her house and move on with her life. Her depth of experience, her access and ability to harness it is remarkably powerful—I haven’t seen anything like it to be honest. I encourage you to read her articles in the New York Times’ parentblog Motherlode: “Talking with My Daughter…” and “Why is this Happening in Your Life…” BIO: is the author of Warcries, as well as the 2018-2019 Franklin Furnace Fund Recipient, the 2018 Ragdale Alice Judson Hayes Fellowship Recipient, 2017 EMERGENYC Hemispheric Institute Fellow as well as the 2013- 2014 Queer Art Mentorship Queer Art Literary Fellow. Additionally, her work '"Desert Flowers" was shortlisted and selected for performance by the Women's Pla

Steele is an extremely talented, charming and handsome musician. He is a founder as well as the drummer for The Britneys, but during lockdown he is upstate focusing on his solo project which he thankfully started pre-lockdown. Steele shares some of his fantastic new singles in the beginning and end of this show. In my position as a comfortably old enough to be his mother self-proclaimed psychotherapist, I was able to dig into the reasons behind Steele’s completely single status until this past year—he is now in his mid-twenties. Let’s say it may have something to do with his relationship with his mother—a very good one at that! Also Steele surprises me with a conclusion at the end of the episode. Listen to songs from Steele's Top Secret Songs HERE. More of Steele's music HERE. Instagram: @steelerkratt  Twitter: @brooklynsteel_e

I knew who Anthony Haden Guest was a long time before I actually got to meet him. He has written seminal books on Studio 54, The Last Party the art world, True Colors, and has written so much more in more books and major publications. Over the past few years, I have had the pleasure of getting to know him and even having the opportunity to "psychoanalyze" him for a project I did for BAM. I was thrilled when he recently agreed to let me interview him about his Studio 54 experiences and his perspective on nightlife, etc. — how it's changed today and the circumstances happening around that. We also discuss the great exhibition, Studio 54: The Last Party which is open at The Brooklyn Museum until Nov. 8, 2020. More about Anthony's book with cartoons and verses HERE.

Sherry Amatenstein, LCSW is a NYC-based therapist and author of The Q&A Dating Book, Love Lessons From Bad Breakups and The Complete Marriage Counselor (www.marriedfaq.com). She edited the anthology, How Does That Make You Feel: True Confessions From Both Sides of the Therapy Couch. Before becoming a therapist she spent two years volunteering at a suicide hotline. She was also an interviewer for Steven Spielberg’s USC Shoah, a foundation dedicated to taking audio-visual testimony from Holocaust survivors. Sherry has a lot of training and experiences. She talks about her own life, the effects of quarantine for all of us and the influence of her parents having been holocaust survivors. More about Sherry HERE.

I've been a huge David B. Frye fan since I first laid eyes on his work at Christopher Stout Projects. From a press release by curator Mary Gagler, "Frye presents the unbridled exploitation of colonial power and the unchecked passions of founding fathers and contrasts these with ideals of free love and individual agency.While other bodies of work more directly approach his own family’s history as slaves, Frye critiques America’s internal diplomacy towards white slave owners and their attempt to whitewash the end of slavery into a tale of white heroes and grateful, compliant slaves." David is a charming, humble and extremely bright man. It's fascinating to speak with him about slavery, his art and the emotional impact and perspective his childhood has brought him.  David has been a star of the previous 2 SPRING/BREAK Art Shows-more about his work here: • SPRINGBREAK-2019-FACT-AND-FICTION-David-B-Frye-The-Lincoln-Paintings • David's work in the New York Times • More David Frye Paintings

Howard Halle is one of the least pretentious people I personally have interacted with in the name of art. He is honest, charming and has a specific insider view of the rise and future of the art world. He gave pulitzer prize winning art critic, Jerry Saltz his first staff job as a critic. One of Howards skills is identifying talent and managing a great department of art writers. As this is his last month with TONY, I thought he would be more nostalgic than he was. My personal take is he is looking forward to getting back to making some art of his own! BIO: Howard Halle is the Editor-at-large for Time Out New York as well as Chief Art Critic and Editor of the Art section. He joined TONY on August 1, 1995 as part of the staff at the launch of the magazine and has worked here since. He taught 20th-century art history at the Corcoran Gallery School of Art in Washington D.C. before moving to NYC in 1981 to serve as the Curator for the The Gallery and Performance Art program at The Kitchen, one of the city's oldest

Fariaz's Facebook post hit a nerve with many and drew me in to request a therapy session with actor and comedian Fariaz Rabbani. This session with him helped me understand the emotional trauma of being an undocumented immigrant. It also made me realize how there are people around me that i know that can be in this situation and I might not even realize it. FARIAZ RABBANI writes: Being undocumented - especially while growing up here, is not something I'd wish on my enemy. It's psychological torture. I can't express it in words. It's been a never-ending self quarantine from society. COVID is the closest example I can give. You look out and see all the things you could do, all the ways you're wasting your time on this earth, but you're stuck in a space. But before DACA it was worse - can't travel, constant paranoia about where you are and what could go wrong, because bad luck doesn't mean just going to jail - but possibly having to leave the country and go to a place that you hardly know. All the while life is p

PLEASE NOTE: This is PART ONE of a very intense two part session with Calvin Williams. This session with Calvin Williams, host of RFB's Lush Vibes Radio is timely inspiration for all of us, because as a society, we are all dealing with health issues right now. About 5 years ago, Calvin had to deal with losing 3 close relatives in succession and how soon after that he was diagnosed with Type 1, Juvenile Diabetes which is rare for someone in their thirties. Calvin takes us through how he went through the hard years and how, just recently, he's starting to recognize himself again.

PLEASE NOTE: This is PART TWO of a very intense two part session with Calvin Williams. This session with Calvin Williams, host of RFB's Lush Vibes Radio is timely inspiration for all of us, because as a society, we are all dealing with health issues right now. About 5 years ago, Calvin had to deal with losing 3 close relatives in succession and how soon after that he was diagnosed with Type 1, Juvenile Diabetes which is rare for someone in their thirties. Calvin takes us through how he went through the hard years and how, just recently, he's starting to recognize himself again.

Kay Hosts a great show, What would Kay Say? on Radio Free Brooklyn, every Sunday, 8am. She takes the word of God and uses it as way to guide you through everyday life. Kay does a weekly show just through her own thoughtful speaking, combined with a bit of music. Her combined talent of public speaking and original way of imparting the word of God transcends tradition religious messaging and makes it broadly relatable, philosophical and thought-provoking. Kay spent years studying traditional pastors and subsequently finding her own practice, devoid of those rules that kept her from being able to communicate the way she felt. Through trial and error, she found pastors that were open and helped her find her voice as a speaker. Kay takes us through her journey in finding her way to the gratifying place she is today. For myself, as someone who is not religious, this session had me thinking about the concept of God in a completely new way.

This session with Mike Joseph, host of Radio Free Brooklyn's, The GCC was pre-recorded because of the pandemic. It took place on Wednesday, June 3, at the height of the George Floyd protests. Mike is a queer black man so we had (for me) an eye-opening discussion about how even Mike, the sweetest, unscary guy ever!, is careful of the police. I am grateful to Mike for this part of the discussion. Most of our session was about Mike’s upbringing, being queer from childhood and born to a mother who enlisted into the Air Force when Mike was very young. Mike was left with his grandparents—he never met his dad. When Mike’s mother left the service, she moved to Michigan with Mike’s new stepdad—a macho air force guy, and they sent for Mike. Mike Lived in Michigan with them and half-siblings from age 8-11, when his aunt came to visit and immediately got him out of his unhealthy environment. Cut to Mike’s adulthood where his struggles with the inevitable confusion he had with masculinity and identity led him to suicidal

Artist Jenny Carpenter takes us with her on her journey from being a chic New York art director, originally from Nebraska, to a life with a wonderful husband and two amazing and inspriting twin boys living in Cold Springs with a big, quiet art studio all to herself. To begin with, living in a five-floor walkup in the West Viallage was now out of the question. Jenny talks honestly and openly the effect of having two matching boys had on her, physically, emotionally, and soon enough, her art work as well. BONUS: Jenny's boys Eeamon and Harry join us towards the end of the session! More about Jenny and her work HERE:

Well, I'm not a music expert, but I am a fan of Sean Spada. Sean currently plays keys in NO ICE and CHERCH, and is also performing and recording a new set of songs as a solo artist. Other projects of his have included Deathrow Tull, the Nuclears, The Bottom Dollars and Michael T & the Vanities. In this session, we examine Sean's thinking behind his music/writing, which is, I have to say, fairly philosophical After that heavy discussion, he paints an entertaining picture of what it's like to be in a band on a cruise ship—how easily Covid would spread and the dynamics of the different work forces on the ship. On the day of this post, Sean is premiering a fabulous NEW SONG AND VIDEO on LOOK AT MY RECORDS—Check it out HERE. More about Sean and his music, etc. HERE.

Tom is the architect and main man behind Radio Free Brooklyn-he pretty much knows all 100+ of us. He is loved, respected and occasionally feared. This session was a great opportunity to look back on the past 5 years to dig into how Radio Free Brooklyn has changed his life (and many people's lives, including his co-director and RFB Board President, Rob Pritchard). I know Tom pretty well, but there was a lot of learning here. We talked about his way of relating with us has changed and why. And I really enjoyed what he said about how being of service is a fundamental value/talent that runs in his family which include nurses and teachers. If you really want a deep dive into the head of Tom Tenney and what kind of person starts a non-profit radio station, listen to Episode #001 of Dr. Lisa Gives A Shit from May 13 2015. It was also the first Dr. Lisa Gives A Shit show ever! Tom hosts Frequency Theory on RFB every Thursday, 8-10pm. If you want to give Tom a birthday gift, you can do so HERE. BIO: Tom Tenney (Execu

I've been a fan of writer/journalist/cartoonist/artist, Anthony Haden-Guest, since I read his book True Colors , the definitive behind-the-scenes book about the art world, when it came out in 1998. I have psychoanalyzed Anthony on several other occasions, so it was have him talk and answer questions about this new book of cartoons and verse as well, published by the Orange Art Foundation. He even read some verse out loud! Anthony is an acute observer, charming with a great sense of humor. It was a true honor to speak with him about his new work. Get the new book, Fun Times, HERE. See more of Anthony's books, including The Last Party: Studio 54, writing, cartoons, artwork and more HERE. More about Anthony here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_Haden-Guest

NOTE: If you haven't heard my session with Claudi and his bandmate Bear from May 2017, I highly recommend it! It was only 2 years after he moved from Puerto Rico to NYC. I connected with him when he was playing in the Delancy Street Station. ENJOY! https://traffic.megaphone.fm/RADIO7173962960.mp3 I feel like I should have paid Claudi Love for this session. Her positive vibe transcends our Zoom and I just feel better having been in her presence. Claudi is an artist in every sense of the word—someone who can't stop creating. I love how her sensibility exudes from the decor of the space she's in. Claudi is the frontwomen from a highly successly NYC band, Pinc Louds. Enjoy and connect with them here and on instagram @pinclouds Listen to their music here: Here's a quote from Claudi where she expressed her intentions perfectly—from a interview on ADHOC—" I feel more alive when I perform. I don’t know what I’d do if I couldn’t. Recording is all fine and dandy, but there’s nothing like playing live and seeing how peo

We talked about what being a comedian is like right now during the pandemic vs the role of live audiences for a comedian in creative development for a comedian. Myq was polyamorous for a long time. He is now in a 4 years-long committed relationship. Myq describes the journey of where he began: married young, divorced, then polyamorous for years and how he transitioned to a monogamous relationship with his girlfriend-after they had been living together for a period of time. We discuss how being polyamorous has heightened his awareness of how to have a positive and productive relationship. Myq's brand new album A.K.A. is FABULOUS!!!! You can get it HERE. Myq Kaplan is a comedian named Mike Kaplan. He has performed on the Tonight Show, Conan, the Late Show with David Letterman, Late Night with Seth Meyers, the Late Late Show with James Corden, in his own half-hour Comedy Central Presents special, and in his own one-hour special on Netflix and now Amazon, “Small, Dork, and Handsome.” He has been a finalist on Las