NON-FICTION – FEATURE STORY PROFILE: Rebounder: Mackenzie Phillips on Wellness, Loss, and Love

Rebounder: Mackenzie Phillips on Wellness, Loss, and Love

(This article was first published in Long Island Woman magazine, Aug. 2017)

by David Lefkowitz

It’s hard to find a more cautionary tale about the evils of drugs and alcohol than the life of Mackenzie Phillips—a movie actress at 13, a TV star by 15, and a death-spiraling junkie for years after that. Add to that an alcoholic mother and a genius dad who squandered his wealth and talent, and you’ve got a recipe for a tragic waste of life.

Except that’s not the end of the story, of course. After her troubled years on One Day at a Time and seemingly innocuous stretch as a singer backing up her father, John Phillips, in the re-formed Mamas and the Papas, Mackenzie finally got clean and sober. Sporadic TV work followed, including three seasons of the Disney show, So Weird, and guest spots on Norman Lear’s current reboot of One Day. More importantly, the woman who spent so many years staring down drugs, alcohol, incest, and overdoses, now has a shocking day job: she’s a primary counselor at Breathe Life Healing Centers, a treatment facility for addicts seeking rehabilitation and recovery. Oh, and just to make us boomers feel ancient, she’s a 57-year-old mom of a 30-year-old musician.

In our phone chat following the publication of her second memoir, Hopeful Healing: Essays on Managing Recovery and Surviving Addiction, Phillips is direct, even blunt, but also prone to punctuate funny or ironic thoughts with a throaty laugh. Troubled TV teen Julie Cooper may seem like Mary Poppins compared to the actress who played her, but Mackenzie the survivor has earned the right to leaven grim reality with pragmatism and hope.

I guess the best possible question to start with is: how are you?

I have never been better. My life is very full and very beautiful. It’s full of purpose and service to others. Things are just amazingly good for me.

Which means that you’ve been sober for how long?

I find it so interesting that people equate length of sobriety with wellness. What I’ve found is that time doesn’t necessarily treat or heal this thing. I’ve been sober a long time. But I know people who’ve been sober a long time who aren’t well; they’re just sober.

Meaning?

They’re just not drinking. But there’s a journey, and it’s from sobriety to recovery. Being physically abstinent—there’s nothing wrong with that. I think it’s beautiful, and I applaud it. But there’s a deeper experience to be had. It’s what you do on the day you’ve been given and not how long you’ve been doing it that I focus on. Especially working with my clients here where I’m sitting in my office. (laughs)

Do you remember the moment in your life when you went from sober to well?

I don’t think you can point out a certain day. It’s a gradual process. And then one day you just go, “Wow, I feel pretty good!” It’s not an epiphany moment. It’s more of a slow awareness that things are shifting and changing.

It’s one thing to heal yourself; it’s another to get a counseling certification and attain professional status. When did you feel truly qualified to do what you’re doing now?

There’s feeling you’re qualified, and then there’s, “Wait, you have to go to school!” I’ve always felt I’ve had some sort of ability to reach people, but there’s a confidence that comes from having the education to back it up. So when you walk into your office, close the door, and sit with your client, you know what you’re doing. Or I hope you know what you’re doing! (laughs)

So the training specifically helps with…?

Well, what pops into mind is that as a counselor, I get to sit and identify with people and help them through their recovery. That’s about 30 percent of it. There’s a great deal of documentation and paperwork and electronic medical-records charting that’s involved. You don’t really consider that when you’re romanticizing the idea of being a counselor. It was challenging at first but not anymore. I love it.

Although your first book, High on Arrival, dealt with the autobiographical details of your addiction years, Hopeful Healing is both about your recovery process and coping with the slow deterioration of your mom, who died during the writing. Was her dementia caused by, or at least exacerbated by, her alcoholism?

My mother was sober 18 years when she passed away. I’m not a doctor; I really don’t know.

The day she passed…what went through your mind?

It was difficult. I was sad, but there was also a sense of “it’s time.” Things happen in God’s time and not mine. Her world had gotten very, very small. She still knew who I was; it’s not like she was in a deep, deep state of dementia. Just a couple of weeks before she passed away, she turned 80. My son Shane and I took her to brunch. She had her favorite: eggs benedict. It was really beautiful, and I gave her a little diamond peace sign which I’m wearing around my neck right now. I thought a lot about what a great mom she was, and how she was Bob McNamara’s personal secretary at the Pentagon, and she was a single mother when it wasn’t cool being a single mother, and how much I loved her and how grateful I was for her, how we had so many years being sober sisters together. I just felt full of love and sadness and appreciation and devastation. All at the same time.

People who have to care for others in that state often do it out of love, but duty and guilt invariably get mixed into those feelings. Was your experience like that?

The book has a whole chapter that talks about the difference between guilt and obligation. How hard it is when you have a parent who’s failing and slipping into their own little world. It becomes, “Oh my God, I have to go. I don’t wanna go, but I have to go. I want my mommy. But I’m now my mommy’s mommy.” So a lot of people feel shame and guilt around that stuff, but it’s just normal.

My mom was just the most adorable little old lady you could possibly imagine, but there were moments when she was very mean. That is also something that happens with dementia: the turn. One moment, she’s loving, and the next she’s furious because the TV remote isn’t working.

Heck I’m like that. But seriously, in the difficult moments, do you draw on the happier ones?

I draw on my love for my mother.

Having seen your mom through this illness, did that spur you on to prepare your son for a just-in-case scenario down the road? Have you laid out your proverbial “Five Wishes?”

I don’t have any of those things in place, although I probably should. My mom went into assisted living ten years ago. She had very-difficult-to-control diabetes, COPD, and early dementia. She just couldn’t take care of herself. And I said to Shane, “Dude, you’re just gonna have to put me in a home.” And he said, “I will never put you in a home.” I said, “But I’m not your responsibility.” He’s just so loving and kind, so bright and level-headed. And he’s like, “Nope. You’re staying home with me forever.” I said, “That might change, son. God knows with the twists and turns of fate what can happen.”

But with mom, more than anything, I didn’t think about myself. After my mom passed away, I thought about all of the things, the actual material things that you can hold in your hand. The things my brother Jeffrey and I had to sort through. It made me realize that when I die, I don’t want Shane to have to be like, “Oh God, this drawer is full of stuff.” You know, the boxes. That was the hardest thing. She had 18 pairs of broken reading glasses and one pair that worked, you know? (laughs) It made me think, “What am I leaving for Shane to clean up?”

Do you think you’ll get empty-nest syndrome when he’s ready to leave home?

He’s already left once, and then he came back. The world is different now than it was when I was younger. A lot of 25-30-somethings are living at home. When he decides to individuate and do his thing, I’d probably sell the house—`cause I don’t need the big, giant house for just me. But I had empty nest once, and I managed to survive it, so I imagine I could survive it again.

One other thing you had to survive was a surprising backlash over the revelations in your first book. Foremost was the recollection of passing out, waking up in a hotel-room bed, and finding your father on top of you, raping you. An on/off sexual relationship ensued for a decade, during which he paid for you to abort what he assumed was his baby. Rather than sympathy, members of your family who read this actually gave you grief.

I didn’t expect the backlash, and I was very naïve about that. But I also didn’t expect the support—the army of women and men who are survivors of sexual abuse who have come forward. I don’t regret it at all. I mean, maybe in a personal way I do, but in a more altruistic way, for the greater good, I opened up a national dialogue about something not generally spoken about. So for that, I’m very grateful.

As for my family, that was a very tough six or seven years there for me. And, I’m sure, for them. But we are reunited, and it feels so good! I’m in a very loving family situation with my siblings, and it’s really nice.

In retrospect, how do you feel about your father?

Gosh. There’s no one word. I could not give you one word.

Rancor? Disgust?

It’s a heavy thing, but if I was still carrying that anger and fury and devastation around with me today, how could I possibly be well and happy and grounded? I see what happened. It helps me understand the power of drugs and alcohol and the power of untreated mental illness. It makes me understand that he was troubled, a tortured man, and I have compassion for that. That doesn’t mean I give him a full pass for what he did. Absolutely not. But I’m at peace with my forgiving him before he died. I’m at peace with revealing everything so openly. I’m at peace with the fact that my sisters and some people in my life couldn’t be in a relationship with me for a long time. And I’m at peace with the fact that that’s not happening anymore and that we’re all together again.

Speaking of parents, you had surrogate ones, of a sort, for a few years when you were on One Day at a Time. Alas, both Bonnie Franklin and Pat Harrington have now passed. Any thoughts or recollections?

Bonnie was one of the funniest, raunchiest women. She had a great sense of humor and a potty mouth, which I completely identify with. She was so loving to me even when I didn’t understand, like back in the early days on the show. She was setting boundaries with me—and I didn’t know what that felt like. Which I can, in retrospect, really appreciate. And I was able to thank her and love her. For many, many years after One Day at a Time was over, we remained close. So the day that I got the email saying she’d been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, I just could not believe what I was reading. She mothered me in a very specific kind of way, and she was like a second mom to me. I loved her tremendously.

And Pat Harrington?

Oh my God, I loved that guy. He was so funny. I learned so much from him about timing, what’s funny and what isn’t funny. A wonderful man. A great dad—he had all these beautiful children. Just a good guy.

I interviewed Valerie Bertinelli a couple of months ago for Long Island Woman. She admitted that she experimented with drugs during the Van Halen years but was too much of a control freak to do more than dabble. Considering the turmoil you caused on the set back then, I assume you and she must have had friction. Ancient history?

It’s a good relationship, and we get along great. It wasn’t always that way. I didn’t blame her for anything, and I don’t know if she blamed me or not. I just loved her from afar until she was ready to be in a relationship with me again. When she was, we have been close ever since. There’s an open and loving line of communication between us. She has her cooking show, which I’ve guested on almost every season that it’s been on the air. Her husband Tom and I are friends, too.

Val and I are only six months apart in age, so there’s a time of the year when we’re both the same age. When April 23^rd comes around every year, I know she’s caught up with me at least for the next six months. I always text her, and we laugh about it.

Last question: For so many years, you lived as an addicted person. Does that stay with you, and you just channel your addictions into healthier pursuits?

I don’t have to be addicted to anything. I’m not addicted to anything. (laughs) Here’s the deal. What I want people to understand is that addiction is a brain disorder; it’s not a moral failing. I think people get that really mixed up. Am I addicted to anything? No. I’m very low-key. I’m very easygoing, though I might get a little anxious here and there. But I love my job, I love my work, I love to write. It’s all very balanced, I guess.

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MACK SNACKS

What books have you been reading?

The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware — a mystery-whodunnit kind of thing, which I really enjoyed. Then a novel by Kevin Kwan called Crazy Rich Asians. It’s hilarious.

Songs on your playlist?

I really like a song called I am Light by India Arie. And the good old Rolling Stones. Exile on Main Street is one of my favorite albums of all time, so I listen to that a lot.

Did you really have sex with Mick Jagger while your father was fixing you both tuna fish sandwiches?

That’s completely true. It is a dubious distinction having slept with Mick Jagger because I was one of many. Still, it gave me a great story.

Tuna aside, your favorite meal?

I like Mexican food. Veggie tacos. Also, my son and I like to make a vegetarian shepherd’s pie. Morningstar Farms makes a meat substitute that crumbles like ground beef.

Do you have a favorite vacation spot?

I love a place in Desert Hot Springs California called Two Bunch Palms, where I’ve been going since I was fourteen. It’s rich with California history and has underground mineral hot springs that come up. Just a beautiful, beautiful place.

How do you unwind from work?

I love my dogs. I have four rescues: two pugs and two Chihuahuas. I love to read. I love to swim. That’s the kind of stuff that I do.

Have you been dating?

No. I’m in a fantastic relationship with myself. I think I found “the one!” (hearty laugh)

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BYLINE:

David Lefkowitz is an adjunct professor of English at the University of Northern Colorado. He also co-publishes Performing Arts Insider (TotalTheater.com) and hosts Dave’s Gone By (davesgoneby.com) on UNC Radio. His comedy, Blind Date, was recently staged in Chennai, India.

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NON-FICTION – FEATURE STORY PROFILE: Valerie Bertinelli: Taking Life One Dish at a Time

Valerie Bertinelli: Taking Life One Dish at a Time

by David Lefkowitz

(Note: This article was first published in Long Island Woman, March 2017)

 

Rocco DiSpirito. Giada De Laurentiis. Rachael Ray. Valerie Bertinelli. One of these names may seem out of place in the annals of Italian cooking, but if you’ve been watching the Food Network the last year or so, you know that last name is as prominent as the first three.  Bertinelli, the spunky teen-turned-poster girl-turned-rock star’s wife-turned-veteran comedy actress is now well into her fifth season hosting Valerie’s Home Cooking, a celebration of comfort food with a Neapolitan bent.

The show’s theme and workable schedule make a fine fit for the Hot in Cleveland star, 57, who lives in the Hollywood Hills with her second husband, financial planner Tom Vitale.  Though a far cry from her tumultuous years with Eddie Van Halen, Bertinelli’s on good terms with her ex.  In fact, she has to be: their son, Wolfgang, has been touring with the Van Halen band since 2006 and is set to release his first solo record this year. Still, the ever-youthful actress, who attained instant stardom at age 15 when Norman Lear chose her to play Ann Romano’s good-girl daughter Barbara on One Day at a Time, is most content at home, enjoying her life, husband, creative pursuits, and, of course, cuisine.

Are you really five years in on Valerie’s Home Cooking already?  It seems like it just started.

Each season is 10-13 episodes, so they go quickly.  We’ve done four seasons in a little over a year.  Even in Hot in Cleveland, we did six seasons in four-and-a-half years.  TV is so different from when I first started!  In the summer, they’d show repeats, and then you’d come back on in September.  It doesn’t work that way anymore, and I’m still trying to get used to it! (laughs)

So how is your show different from other cooking shows?

They’re all a little different because they’re personality-driven.  For me, I’m bringing that Italian background: different things I’ve grown up with and the women who taught me how to cook.  Also, my relationship with my husband and us cooking together, and how we make a date night.  Plus the recipes that I’ve loved all through the years and recipes I come up with even today.  Things I think people would love because I love them.  It’s basically sharing my world with people who have known me for way too long to mention.

Did you become more Italian when you married again?

(laughs)  It certainly feels that way!  His love of cooking really inspired me, too.  He does an amazing chicken paillard — a pounded chicken with breadcrumbs.  And I’ll do the salad on top of it.  He’s really got grilling, cooking, and pounding chicken down to a science.  I still haven’t gotten that down, and I’ve been cooking longer than him!

So what’s your specialty?

My casseroles, my lasagna, my gumbo, my turkey chili, my meatloaf.  Comfort foods, basically.

Those all sound like dishes with 15 ingredients you can throw together because, no matter what, they’ll all balance out.

 (laughs)  Kinda.

I mean, even I can make a decent meatloaf.

You don’t make it as good as mine, I’m sure.

Whoa!  So what’s your secret ingredient then?

I actually add pancetta [cured pork] to my turkey meatloaf.  You get all the fun and the fat and the flavor from the pancetta.  But I like the taste of turkey more than beef.

I sometimes use ground lamb.

Oooh!  Some people don’t like the taste of lamb; I happen to disagree with them.  My lambchops are not to be beaten.  Sorry, I sound like I’m being braggadocious!

Well, you have a cooking show.  You should be making decent food . . .

I better, right?  I mean, growing up, I had my mom and my grandmother.  Then I came to find out that my great grandmother, Maria Mancha, was actually a cook in a summer home in Sanremo.  She had a gelato cart so that she could save her money and come to America.  Unfortunately, we never got to meet, but my grandmother, Maria’s daughter, taught me a lot of stuff.  And then my mother, who is English-Irish, cooked Italian like nobody’s business.  You’d think she was Italian.

Did you feel you had a normal childhood up till your middle teens?

I feel like I had a normal one after that, too.  I had a weird job that a lot of people saw me do.  But other than that, I had a really normal home life.  My parents didn’t treat my job any differently than they treated the boys’ football games and practices, or piano lessons and accordion lessons.  Everybody was equal in our home.

But during the day, were you being tutored rather than attending school with your peers?

The shooting season went only from August through February.  So we had a tutor on the set half the time, and I would go to school the other half.  I can’t remember completely; it was a very long time ago!

But you didn’t feel like a stranger disappearing and reappearing for months at a time?

It was definitely challenging.  But I did have the same girlfriends who went to the same school, and they lived in the neighborhood, so we’d hang out.  I had that consistency.  They were good buffers for people who might have thought, “Oh, she must think she’s all that because she’s on TV.”  Which was quite the opposite; I was an incredibly insecure young lady.  Still, it all felt normal to me.

Any regrets about not going to college?

My son Wolfie’s kind of doing the same thing I did.  He’s getting into the business right away and recording an album right now.  So you know what?  I believe in college.  Higher education is always beneficial.  And I still feel a little lacking even at this age because I didn’t have it.  But the great thing about education is that it never stops.  I read voraciously and love books.  I’m always learning how to pronounce words because I feel like I’m never pronouncing them correctly.  I’m always looking things up.  That’s the great thing about this day and age; you really can look up anything on a computer and learn how you like to learn.

But as a teen, did you still feel normal when you were thrown into the guitar-god vortex?

That’s always a hard question for me because I always felt like me, and I don’t know what life would have been like any differently from the life that I led.  Insecurity latches onto anybody.  It’s all about mind over matter and not buying into the negative voices in your head.  I’m still working on that at 57!  I don’t think that’s ever over.  But believing in yourself is really strong because no one else can believe in you until you do.  That’s what I keep trying to remember.

So how has co-parenting been with Eddie Van Halen?
Well, Wolfie’s 25, so we don’t co-parent.  Sometimes we’ll all go to dinner together, and Janie and Ed send us a Christmas card.  Unfortunately, I don’t send out Christmas cards.  I probably should.  But yeah, I mean, we live only a couple of miles apart.  We don’t make an effort to see each other, but we don’t make an effort to not see each other.  You know what I mean?  We usually get together for Wolfie’s birthday.

I admit to being shocked when I read that at the height of those crazy years, you did cocaine along with your husband, Eddie Van Halen.  Honestly, I figured your seeing firsthand what was happening to [One Day at a Time co-star] Mackenzie Phillips would’ve scared you straight.

It’s just the nature of human beings that they want to experiment.  Luckily, it wasn’t something that I wanted to continue on in my life.  But experimentation is part of it, and I think that’s why we have to be careful with our children and make sure they don’t have the crutch of leaning on drugs or alcohol or anything else that takes them away from reality.  But that’s just a fact of human nature, experimentation.

Did you ever become addicted?

No, I never had to have treatment.  It’s just not part of my personality.  I have this control issue; if I don’t feel I have control of a situation, it makes me uncomfortable, and I don’t do that anymore.  Drugs always made me feel like I had no control over me or myself or the situation.  I can’t tell you when, why, or how I stopped; it just didn’t feel good any longer.  And if it doesn’t feel good to me, I don’t wanna do it.

Is food kind of an addiction?

Oh absolutely.  The thing about food is that, unlike alcohol or drugs, you have to have food to survive.  So now it’s just finding a place for food where it nourishes my body, and I enjoy it.  And food is love for me; it’s been all through my family.  It’s just finding an even keel through that ocean.

Although you’re no longer their spokesperson, are you still a Jenny Craig member?

That’s been over for quite a few years.  Their food was very good, and they did help me very much with portion control and how much fruits and veggies to eat.  If you don’t have a lot of time, Jenny Craig is super-super good and nutritious.  But I enjoy cooking so much that I’m trying to incorporate the ideas myself.  For example, I’ll make the Jenny Craig breakfast sandwich on my own with the ingredients that I know go in it.  It takes a little more effort, but it tastes just as good.

Now, sometimes I will have a ribeye for dinner.  Not very often.  And then I’ll have just a big kale salad.  It just depends on listening to your body and the vitamins your body knows it needs, because once you start denying yourself things, that’s what you start to crave.  It’s the old saying: don’t think about the elephant in the room because then that’s all you think about.  So I don’t want to ever deny myself anything, but also, nothing is ever as good as that first bite.  So I’ve tried to teach myself to stop chasing that first bite.

And for you, the cooking is as important as the eating?

I just really like making my own.  It’s therapy for me.  It’s art for me.  I come from a family of artists.  My mother’s a painter, my brother’s a web designer, my other brother’s a photographer, and my other brother’s a carpenter.  We have a very artistic bone in our family.  I love to sketch and paint and do needlepoint, but my art is through my food.

But then does exercise come into play to balance the lifestyle?

Living in California, I’m super lucky because I have a dog, Luna, who has to go out and walk.  We live in the Hills, so it’s literally 1.2 miles all around our block.  And we have this beautiful Runyon Canyon and Fryman Canyon, so I can go hiking in their trails.  Also, I have an elliptical at home that I really love.  So I’ll get on that if it’s raining.

I’m trying to really be good, so when I get off the elliptical or get back from a hike, I’ll do a 15-minute stretch — my legs, especially, because I’ve noticed that the older I get, the body doesn’t move as freely as it used to.  My Achilles tendons get tight, so I really have to stretch those.  I then meditate for a few minutes after, and I just calm myself back down again.  It really does help.  And every so often, I’ll take a soul cycle class because they’re fun.  I like working out with other people in a group.

So you don’t mind being recognized as a celebrity?

I’ve lived in this neighborhood for 14 years, so people here know me only as their neighbor.  Not a lot of my friends are celebrities.  And again, it goes back to this being the only life I’ve led.

As an actress, are you comfortable watching your work from years ago, or do you get self-conscious?

It can be hard, because we change and grow and become so many people during our lifetime.  So we try to appreciate it for what it was rather than going, “Oh, why did I do that?”  Instead it’s, “Oh, well.  It’s just part of me.”

I can watch Hot in Cleveland and just hysterically crack up because I don’t even feel like I’m watching myself.  I’m just watching four funny women.  And when I watch my cooking show, it’s like, “Oh yeah, wow!  I guess I do know how to do that!” (laughs)

How did you meet Tom Vitale?

He was friends with my brother in Arizona.  We had gone to a wine dinner together, and we just got along famously.  It was `04, when the Red Sox were winning the World Series.  We kept leaving the table separately to go watch the game, and once we got up together, and he said, “Are you going to see the game, too?”  “Yeah!”  We kept getting up out of the ballroom to go to the bar next door and watch the game.

Had you ever thought you’d get married again after all you’d been through?

No.  Not at all!  I wasn’t even dating.  I figured I’d be alone and have 40 cats.  Now I have a dog and five cats and a husband!  The pets are all shelter animals that I was fostering and I couldn’t find homes for — well, I didn’t try very hard.  I found homes for about 15 cats, and four of them, I kept, on top of my 16-year-old, who has been around forever.

Speaking of aging, so many of your peers have gone the plastic surgery route.  Assuming your baby face ever changes, would you go there?

I’m never gonna say “no,” but look, I broke my foot.  And I was gonna have an operation for it, and it was so freakin’ scary to me.  So to have someone cut into my face. . .  More power to the people who can do it, but it makes me nervous.

Even small stuff like Botox?

Maybe I will.  I dunno.  I’m never gonna say never.

Since you’ve had two hit shows, viewers are naturally curious about your former co-stars.  Any thoughts or anecdotes about, say, Betty White?

Are you kidding me?  I love that woman!  I would move into her house in a heartbeat; I just adore her.  She’s a woman who lives her life in gratitude and patience and kindness.  That’s Betty.

Any fun stories about her?

Well, a lot of the stuff is so personal, but I’ve got one.  She helped me name my animals.  For example, we were having trouble naming our dog, and she said, “What are you thinking of?”  And we’re like, “We love the moon, and she’s so sweet.”  And she says, “How about `Luna?’  `Mia luna’?”  We’re Italian, so it was perfect.  She named our first cat “Nelson” because she always wanted to name an animal after Nelson Eddy.

Your thoughts about your TV mom, Bonnie Franklin?

It was really hard being at her funeral.  She taught me so much.  Like how to use your voice and stand up for what you believe in, but with kindness.

Norman Lear?

Again, using your voice.  Treating others the way we want to be treated.  Norman’s a powerhouse.

Pat Harrington?

Pat Harrington made me laugh.  He was the funniest man.  He taught me timing.  That’s the gift he gave me.

Last question: “Valerie’s Home Cooking” aside, what other projects are on the burners?

My cookbook is coming out in October 2017: “Valerie’s Home Cooking.”  Otherwise, some things on Food Network, but nothing acting-wise yet.  In fact, hmm . . . that’s getting a little like, “Hey, guys, I still act!”

 

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SMALL BITES

What’s the last concert you attended?

Other than seeing Wolfie whenever he plays, I don’t go to concerts much, but I did see Pink.

Favorite concert ever – not counting your son or your ex?

Elton John at Dodger Stadium.

What songs do you keep on your phone?

I listen to Pink, Adele, Lady Gaga.  Mainly female artists.  And as soon as I get Wolfie’s new album, that’s all I’m gonna play!

What do you enjoy on TV?

I was watching Stranger Things for awhile, but then it got so strange!  I like Samantha Bee’s show a lot, Full Frontal.  She just cracks me up and gets me fired up.

Favorite TV show of all time?

Friends.  I think I’ve seen every episode.  Phoebe was my favorite character because she said things that people don’t normally say.  Ask her, “Can you help us with this?”  And she’d say, “Oh yeah, I wish I could, but I don’t want to.”  She was hysterical.

Favorite One Day at a Time episode?

Golly, that’s a hard one.  When Barbara breaks her nose.

Favorite Hot in Cleveland episode?
All of them.  Okay, it might be the one where Joy shoots her son.  We all took on these English accents and could barely get through the scene for laughing.

Favorite vacation spot?

My home.  When I just cook in my own kitchen and relax with my animals, that’s a vacation for me.  Unless, of course, you want to send me to Italy.  I’m good there, too.

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BYLINE:

David Lefkowitz co-publishes Performing Arts Insider (TotalTheater.com) and hosts Dave’s Gone By (davesgoneby.com) on UNC Radio. His play, The Miracle of Long Johns, won the best non-fiction script award at the 2015 United Solo Festival.

 

 

 

 

 

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