Thursday, Boston, Massachusetts

Hey Dr. Will,

As you are aware, I always know before anyone else when a celebrity passes over to the other side. It’s a feeling that comes upon me without warning, often at inconvenient times and in strange places. And so it was yesterday afternoon as I sat getting a manicure at Cuticle Corner when suddenly, Lu, my nail technician went into a shuddering trance. I asked what was wrong and she suddenly stepped away into the middle of the salon. She grabbed a hairbrush and broke into the song Proud Mary. As we all stared in amazement, she then began to make violent beating motions in the air.

And then she froze and her whole face changed. Turning to me she spoke in a deep voice that I instantly recognized. She was channeling none other than Ike Turner! I realized right away - even before the media announcement - that Ike had gone over into the Kingdom. Using Lu’s little body as a vehicle, here is what Ike said:

“Madame Petite, you are looking fine, girl! You’re a little mouthy but, hey that’s how you roll and it’s all cool! Yeah, baby, I’m on the other side and it is a fine time. But I gotta admit I had a rough orientation. I had to atone for my ways on earth. The first person I see is none other than Marvin - you know, as in Marvin Gaye! He comes right up to me smiling and then wham! He slaps me silly. Then he says, ‘welcome, Ike. You have got some explaining to do.” Then he disappeared.

Next thing you know, I am on a huge stage in front of thousands. Wow! Just like I dreamed…except…wait a minute! I realized that I was not playing guitar behind Tina. No, I’m out front singing lead. And behind me are these three fine ladies playing in the band. And one of them looks exactly like Tina herself! She’s glaring at me and I could yell in an instant that she was gonna deliver me a beat down after the show. It was terrifying!

Suddenly everything froze and I heard the voice of the almighty boom out: ‘Ike my son, Time to sing a new song!’ I broke down and cried like a baby. In fact I wrote my first song over here. I call it “Ike’s Almighty New Song.” I’ll sing it to you in your dreams tonight, sugar.”

And with that, the episode was finished and Lu came back to herself. Everyone in the salon applauded and Lu is talking about quitting her job and becoming a full time channeler. Yeah, good luck with that, girlfriend! I didn’t have the heart to tell her that she was just used as a tool to benefit my work. Ike used her to speak to me. But hey, she’ll learn soon enough.

That’s it for now. I’m off on a long bus trip to Erie, Pennsylvania (you can’t beat the bus for meeting interesting people). I will be attending the fifth annual marketing conference for paranormal professionals (the closing night awards dinner is always a great time!)

Ciao for Now,

M.P.

Wednesday, Boston, Massachusetts

A large portion of the Midwest lives caked under a few inches of ice. For those of you who have never experienced an ice storm, it’s beyond horrible. Worse than snow, ice is the consumate show stopper. Driving is impossible and even lethal. Walking is an invitation for fractures, contusions and broken teeth. Ice is bbbbaaaddd!

When the ice comes, there is nothing to be done. Ice means sitting and waiting for nature to warm the earth; you just wait for it to ooze away. Waiting! That’s perhaps the most irritating part of ice. There’s little to be done but wait. How Un-American! We hate waiting; we have limited capacity to wait. Waiting is for people in other places, not us! So what do we do while we wait?

Here’s an idea. While sitting around thinking about the ice, let’s reflect on the short, intense career of Robert Matthew Van Winkle. Huh? Who? Van Winkle became a pop culture music sensation as the white rap star Vanilla Ice. Now forty years old, he had one memorable hit, "Ice Ice Baby." It was nominated for a Grammy and won an American Music Award in 1990. His mercurial ride to success lasted about one year. His ride up was like a Fourth of July fireworks rocket, he blew up in a bright splash and then rained down in dark ashes. Like his fictional namesake, Van Winkle essentially went to sleep and has yet to wake up.

What Does It Mean?

The phenomenon of Vanilla Ice was, in some ways, a precursor of what was to come with reality programs, especially American Idol. American kids who fantasized about being launched into stardom, with its great lifestyle perks, saw in him the possibility that “this could also happen for me!”  Let’s face it, here was a guy with some ability who found a way to gain fame and money. If young Bobby Van Winkle got there, I deserve my shot as well.

For the rest of us watching television in fascination, we wonder how America got to the point where millions of teenagers dream of becoming an idol. When you are impatient to be recognized and rewarded, without the inconvenience of doing the tedious, time consuming work, well, no wonder we hate waiting; no wonder we hate the ice!

Tuesday, New York City

Larry King’s guest last night was Victoria “Posh” Beckham. She is the English pop star who came to notoriety as a member of the girl group Spice Girls. She broke out of the anonymity by famously marrying Soccer superstar David Beckham a decade ago. While the couple has been the focus of intensive tabloid press interest in Britain, similar fame has eluded them here.

There are two good reasons why Americans don’t appear to care about the Beckhams:

First: Americans do not care about European soccer.

Second: The Spice Girls never became that popular in American music, even at the peak of their European fame in the 1990’s.

Nonetheless, it seems that the Beckhams, despite having accumulated fantastic personal wealth, were unhappy about being ignored here in the United States. So this past summer they moved to - where else - Hollywood!

David signed to play out his fading career with an American Soccer League. The couple then proceeded to mobilize a publicity juggernaut, using their millions to buy a tsunami of media attention upon their arrival. Pathetically, however, America yawned. No amount of public relations effort is really making a dent in their notoriety beyond a passing curiosity. Even last night’s Larry King interview was promoted with the tag line, “find out why Posh sleeps in the nude!” Huh?

I advise the Beckhams to abandon their futile American fame mission. I certainly might be wrong, but I seriously doubt that it’s going to happen for them here. As far as Mr. Beckham, is concerned, we already have a better version of your here. His name is Tom Brady.

And as for Posh… well… here again we already have hot women celebrities by the dozens who ooze style, beauty and talent. The Beckham publicity machine pushing for attention and adoration is too little and way too late. Beyond the brief attentions of TMZ and other paparazzi, Posh is just not that hot.

American culture consumers can smell a project that feels like a manipulation for fame, especially when it is disconnected, or only marginally related to significant accomplishments that truly deserve attention.

Don’t we have enough of our own hollow celebrities here without importing empty suits?

Monday, New York City

Andy & Barney: Two Decisive Strategies for Rage

The classic television program “The Andy Griffith Show,” was a textbook illustration of the dynamics of human anger. It offers two distinct models, Andy Taylor and Barney Fife, for responding to the inner impulses of human anger. As you read these descriptions, assess your own response.

Are you more like Sheriff Taylor or Deputy Fife?

The answer not only tells you a great deal about yourself, it also becomes the starting place for your own healing.

First, however, let’s consider the setting of the show. The town of Mayberry is in North Carolina, and the name is a significant clue. Seen as a two word phrase, it sounds like and becomes “may bury,” as in “something may bury you.” What is the meaning of this illusion? Clearly it refers to the different approaches to life pursued by the two lead characters. So let’s look at them now.

Andy Taylor: Pacifist Hero

The hero in the show is clearly Sheriff Andy Taylor, a widowed father who served as the sheriff of this little home town. His style is easy going, even tempered, and peace loving. Even as a lawman, Andy always seeks a non-violent solution to all problems. Regardless of how belligerent a criminal might be, his style is to use reason and good will to resolve the crisis. He does not carry a gun in what is a radical statement about his priorities. In essence, Andy represents the model of calm and healthy repression of inner rage impulses.

Barney Fife: Edgy Cop

In vivid contrast to his supervisor is the style of Deputy Barney Fife. He is nervous, perpetually agitated, and easily provoked. He not only carries a weapon, he is quick to brandish it. There is little doubt that Barney would be willing to pull the trigger long before Andy. His anger is percolating and palpable. Left unchecked, it is very likely that Barney would become engaged in physical altercations on a routine basis as part of his work. There is little doubt, for instance, that Barney would very likely beat Otis, the alcoholic, on a consistent basis with his fists or some professional law enforcement implement. Barney represents the model of unbridled, expressive anger with minimal repression of his inner rage impulses.

The preference for Andy’s method of responding to his inner anger is made clear in both the emotional style and physical appearance of the two men. On the one hand, Andy is warm, kind, and evidently at peace with himself. He is also a robust and physically healthy individual. By comparison, Barney is fidgety, panicky, and ill at ease with all but the most benign strangers. And his physical appearance suggests an eating disorder or, more likely, irritable bowel syndrome as a result of his excitable, neurotic inner conflict.

In treating these two, Andy might have to work on unresolved issues of grief over the loss of his wife, Barney would very likely be medicated. Imagine the renewed Barney on Prozak? He has gained forty pounds, he is visibly calmer and more pleasant to be around. As a result, even the troublesome members of the community would approach him with greater respect. He would have gained the resources to containing his eruptive anger, and calmed his digestive system at the same time.

There is no doubt that “The Andy Griffith Show” is a convincing allegory for balanced repression of human anger in contrast to the evident futility of allowing it to rise up too easily. All the other characters in the show serve as foils for this fundamental lesson. All are either uncomplicated innocents or impotent simpletons. The benevolence of the rural surroundings accentuates that this is not a place where you can expect to have your anger provoked by any antagonistic behavior.

Mayberry is a place where Goober Pyle and Floyd Lawson safely walk the streets. This only serves to accentuate the purity of the anger issue. It is never provoked in Mayberry. And here now we answer the question about that name. The answer is that Barney’s style of unrepressed anger may bury him before his time.

Teletherapy asks you the same questions:

Are you in denial about your anger?
Do you know which television shows caused this condition?
Are your current viewing choices threatening to bury you too?

Friday, Dallas, Texas

The murder of professional football star Sean Taylor this week shines a light on an insidious plague in America’s cities. For more than several decades the majority of Americans have looked away as thousands of teenagers and young adults men have been engaged in a lifestyle involving aggression, guns and murder.

One of his friends stated that Sean lived in fear that something would happen to him. Supposedly the group that used to associate with him felt rejected when Taylor made clear that his life and priorities had changed and he moved away from them. His friend said that Sean lived in fear for three years!

When does this shameful reality move up the media food chain and get its proper due from journalists, politicians and, especially social leaders who make their living monitoring the well being of the poor and people of color?

When will the laser rays of press attention aim at the men who sire children and leave the women to raise their kids alone?

When do we disarm teenagers who get their hands on guns?

When do we step in and hold parents accountable for the criminal acts of their children?

When does television, the video game industry and music stop glamorizing violence as the appealing way out of personal desperation?

The individuals who broke into Sean Taylor’s home and shot him to death were living the gang life where status is connected to being antisocial.

What kind of sickness are we glamorizing?

Wednesday, Lafayette, Indiana

Jake Inkman has been a freelance journalist for 30 years. He was treated by Dr. Will for 8 years for depression which before long spun out of control into an anxiety disorder. He lives in a Motor Home and reports to major news organizations. Although he has not yet been formally published he claims to be the source of inside information that, in his words, “other, so called journalists steal from me and put their own name on it!” Here is his recent report to me:

ITEM 3: Finally, DB reports that every Saturday morning the President meets with a professor from Georgetown behind closed doors and practices his pronunciation. Last week he heard through the door the President trying to say “nuclear.”
The professor prompts him, "no, sir, watch my lips: ‘noo - cleee - er.’ Now you try it again"
And as it continues to come out as “nuculer,” after which Mr Bush usually swears, “dammit!”

Well that’s it from here. I will be traveling to Iowa this week and, God willing, can get some new scoops on the white hot primary races. I believe I have an inside soucre with the CLinton campaign, a private investigator hired by Chelsea to watch her father.

Have a good day and stay tuned!

Jake

Wednesday, Lafayette, Indiana

Most of the world was appalled by the plight of British teacher Gillian Gibbons who was thrown in jail in Sudan because she allowed her little students to name a teddy bear Mohammed. Believing the gesture was one of respect she was stunned when she was arrested for creating an offense against Islam. Huh!?

Where is the line between open acceptance of diverse customs and values and repugnance for those who are cruel and inhumane? At some point there has to be a line in the sand where sadism in the name of a twisted theology must be confronted.

No one deserves to lose their life because they have unintentionally offended the sacred of another. The purpose of religious faith is to invite those from the outside into the healing salvation of their way. When the approach to apostasy is imprisonment and murder the religion has taken a turn into human perversion. Whether Muslim, Christian, Judaism or anything else, killing in response to a message from God is depravity

As the global community draws closer through technology and commerce, practices that include murder for theological offenses cannot survive. Respect for the beliefs of someone else must be met with their compassion. When an offense is made in occurrence or ignorance the civilized and Godly response is education, not execution. Unless the religions of the world learn to express their values in ways that engage and invite others to their ways, war is the inevitable consequence. This is the ongoing lesson of September 11th.

No matter what religion…murder in the name of God must not stand

It needs to be confronted.

Indicators that a religion is on the fringe:

- The service involves the ritual use of Sprite and finger foods

- Uniforms are required for all members

- The choir is required to sing in a low guttural base

Wednesday, Lafayette, Indiana

This week in 1986 actor and Hollywood legend Cary Grant died. Even at 82, Grant radiated elegance and sophisticated style. A classic leading man for three decades, he exuded in real life the confident charm that rivaled his fictionalized onscreen characters. Always dressed to the nines and a smooth talker with a tempered British accent, Cary Grant was an iconic chick magnate.

His roots belied what he would become. Born into a poor family in England his real name was Archibald Leach. He was on his own by the time he was 13-years-old and traveled with a vaudeville cast. He learned to sing, dance and even juggle. When he came to New York he worked as a lifeguard at Coney Island amusement park in Brooklyn. He broke into films in his late twenties and rose steadily to stardom. Interestingly Grant retired from his film career early while still in his early 60’s.

What Does It Mean?

There is little doubt that American culture has become increasingly casual and informal. Anyone attending a wedding these days can see the differences in generations by their dress and decorum. The contrast with previous generations is startling. And on this count, Cary Grant embodied style and class; he stands apart from much modern sensibility.

It’s hard to make a judgement about which of these social norms is to be preferred. It can be argued that the decorum in dress, comportment and behavior of the previous generations emphasizes civility that is sorely missing today. On the other hand the casual openness of today’s society might reinforce a relaxed acceptance of diversity.

What is clear is that, as in many past eras, clashes in styles and norms emphasize the schism between generations that plays out in community and at work. I have heard from numerous senior managers that the impatience and expectations of the younger professional workers coming into their organizations is making it hard to cope. The impatience with older workers is matched by the resistance to mentoring with the young. From Cary Grant to today’s celebrity is the distance we have come as a society. I’m not sure if this has been progress or regress.

Monday, Lafayette, Indiana

The Hulk is the other identity alive within Dr. David Banner. Hulk is the embodiment of David’s inner rage. It is so palpable that it has taken on an actual form. The deeper message in this show is that even if you grow up to become a successful, peaceful, functioning member of society, beware! Lurking inside you, just beneath the surface of your controlled exterior, there lies something awful, something overwhelming - an ugly green beast who tears off his own clothes!

That’s right, each of has a ‘Lou Ferrigno Within.’

To any sane person, this is a terrifying prospect. And for each of us, it is a life long task to control this powerful inner monster, to channel these passions. Television exposes the reality of this hideous green inner-beast, deaf to others, unable to speak.

What About You?