The Shocks Doc Is In...Sane!

Greetings boys and ghouls,

Allow me the cliche opportunity to introduce myself. I've been known in some circles as a sometimes scary, sometimes sexy, always psycho burlesque performer, Roxy Shocks:The San FranPsycho Treat. I began my burly career in 2003 in Seattle as a "Gun Street Girl", then in 2004 some of us disbanded and formed "Glitzkrieg" (a few of us were Jewish and planned to counter any un-PC name protest with our heritage...turned out no one really gave a rat's ass). Then I began solo acts in San Francisco in venues such as The Fillmore, 12 Galaxies, Bill Graham Civic Auditorium and The Make-Out Room, to name just a few. My home has always been SF, and after three long ass years being on the brink of soul death in Los Angeles, I'm pleased to claim my new home as being back in NorCal. Hella pleased.

The other half of me is dedicated to psychology; I earned my MS in Counseling a few years back, and I'm working on my PsyD as we speak (in a great program with a kickass cohort). If all goes as planned, I'll be a doctor of psychology next year. I'm obsessed with the human mind, behavior and pathology, and base my burlesque alter ego on Jungian "shadow" work I've done. Shadow work is my passion, and involves looking at all the dark, freaky shit that we'd rather throw in our "do not disturb" pile on the backburners of our minds. Or in some cases, it's the stuff that nightmares are made of. If we don't embrace our Shadows, they'll embrace us...if you get my drift. It's no coincidence that the things about other people that drive us the most insane are the very same parts of our personality that we don't wanna look at. Like, the politician who so adamantly opposes gay marriage and gets on his high horse about "saving family values" is the very same politician who hires gay prostitutes on the side for BJs and meth. Yep, no happenstance there.

And so, on this journey to Doctor Shockshood, I've decided to include you all with me. All three of you. Hi, mom. Hi, hubby. Hi, myself as I'm reading this again later looking for spelling mistakes like the obsessive-compulsive paranoid ritualist I am.

I'll be posting upcoming show dates, upcoming projects I'm working on (a book and podcast in the works right now), ramblings about current goings on in this madcap world we live in, random stuff about me, but mostly lots of psychology talk -- personality disorders, colon detoxification therapy, positive psychology, alcoholism, panic attacks, music therapy, codependence, sex addiction, attachment theory-- if it's therapy related, I'm on it. All that and more...with my impassioned, twisted, dare I say unique SHOCKS THERAPY take on all of it. Like I said, I've spit fake blood and killed myself onstage for six years and counting. Oh, and last year I pretended to masturbate with a crucifix onstage for my "Exorcist" act with my husband as the priest...and didn't know I was pregnant at the time. Yeah, I have a six month old daughter, too. I'm not your average therapist.

And if what I say or do concerns, disgusts or perplexes you, remember: embrace that Shadow, baby. We all have Light and Dark aspects within us. We can't be sunshine and smiles all the time. Being perpetually pleasing is painful, painstaking, and dishonest, and we know it. Many of us would like to believe (and portray) that we're perfect angels with no secrets or "bad" thoughts. But, we're human; We're primal underneath all that learned civility. We can and should be polite, kind and responsibile. But where is all that other junk and unpleasantness we carry to go? I say be creative with it. Hurt no one, but embrace it and shed some light and awareness on it...then it's no longer so scary. Shadow work can be pretty awesome, actually.

So thanks for joining me! Hope to be spitting stage blood on you someday soon. That, or helping you process the trauma from being spit blood on by some freaky woman at this weird burlesque show you made the mistake of attending.

TODAY'S ROXY SHOCKS RX:
Go check out this awesome San Francisco troupe I perform with! Voted "Best of the Bay" Burlesque HUBBA HUBBA REVUE!

My next show: MARCH 2010; Hubba Hubba Revue, DNA Lounge, SF!