When I was in the school chorus in the 4th & 5th grades I never wanted to do a solo performance. Although stepping out into Times Square in a bikini definitely took some getting used to, singing in front of a crowd of people was definitely the hardest part for me to overcome. Being a cheerleader all through high school, I often strained my voice and sounded like someone with laryngitis so I didn't even like singing "Happy Birthday" to people.
Friday, June 3rd
Here I was in Georgie's Bar, the "Gay Cheers" of Asbury Park, NJ watching as the place filled up. They all love Lori Michaels and the Girls and came to see them perform, but I realized there were also people there who came to see me like my youngest sister Leanna who drove down from Maine with her boyfriend Jason, my friends Adrienne (from the hospital) and Joe (from the gym) brought friends and of course my significant other Robert brought me there.
I was so excited to be performing my first song, "Ride It Like A Cowgirl", but also a nervous wreck. I was hoping that the dance I'd worked on, changed, and worked on some more would not only look good and fun to do, but that I would relax enough to really get into it the way I know I can. What I was concerned about even more than my singing was how my body would look on stage, under those lights, in front of all those people, especially with my #1 critic there...Naked Cowboy.
Lori first introduced my fabulous back-up dancers, Tiffeny, and Courtney who choreographed their dance, and then introduced me. The music started and after about 10 seconds my inner "Diva" came out and I was completely comfortable and totally into the whole thing. It was so much fun and can't wait to do it again! Everyone enjoyed it and told me it looked great, and even Robert (Naked Cowboy) was impressed with the whole thing...mission accomplished:)
Saturday, June 4th
Some German TV Network was coming into Times Square to do a story about Naked Cowboy's Franchise and a guy in Berlin that wants to be a Naked Cowboy in Germany. Todd Rubenstein, Naked Cowboy's manager asked me if I can be part of the filming, as well as Rob Coffman , owner of Hudson Hair in Secaucus,who has also signed a franchise agreement and occasionally makes an appearance in Times Square as a Naked Cowboy. The film crew spent a lot of time filming and interviewing the real Naked Cowboy and then brought in the other one and myself to interview and film us interacting with the people of Times Square.
Sunday, June 5th
Asbury Park was celebrating "Gay Pride" weekend with a big outdoor festival that had many great performers such as "Lisa Lisa" (Lisa Lisa and the Cult Jam) and of course "Dyke Diva" Lori Michaels and the Girls. I was asked to be there to make an appearance as Naked Cowgirl and mingle with the crowd and take photos. Everyone was so excited to be there and very receptive of me. I had the opportunity to take photos with a lot of people as well as hand out my postcards advertising my new song "Ride It Like A Cowgirl", available on iTunes. What a great Weekend!!!
Wednesday, June 8th
My work day at the hospital ended at 3pm so I hopped a bus into Times Square and played out there from 5-7pm. It was a pretty busy day due to most of the theatres having two performances on Wednesdays. I had woke up that morning with a sore throat and wasn't sure how long I could last, but I stayed until I couldn't get the words out any longer. I started the Z-Pack the next day to make sure my voice was better by the weekend.
Saturday, June 11th
What a great day! I took my kids to see the Spiderman Play at the Foxwood Theatre on 42nd Street. They loved it and I was like a kid again watching Spiderman flying through the air doing acrobatics. When I was about 4 years old I swore I'd be a trapeze artist when I grew up!
After I brought them home, I drove back into Times Square with Rob Coffman, the other Naked Cowboy, since the real one was hired to do an event in Ohio. It felt pretty chilly to me and rained a little later on. I stayed out there about an hour and 45 mins. and then met up with my friend Minoo for a bit. Rob toughed it out another hour or so even once it started raining.
Sunday, June 13th
This is my only other day off from my other jobs so I had a lot of things to do around the house...like CLEAN it! The day started off in the doctor's office with my daughter whose eyes swelled up from an allergic reaction to something. I missed my workout for two days in a row and was feeling quite irritable and I knew if I didn't go to Times Square soon, it was going to happen. Luckily there was no traffic driving into the Lincoln Tunnel and I was in Times Square in less than 30 minutes. the Puerto Rican Day Parade had just ended so the place was filled with a lot of people wearing their colors proudly. I popped my "G" string, on the guitar that is! Unfortunately, 20 minutes after I replaced it, it popped again. It must've been a bad pack of strings. I was still able to stand out there and take photos for about another 1/2 hour and then I took off. I decided it was a good day to order Chinese Food for the kids so I could get the house clean and still have time to sit with my daughter and watch "Eat, Love, Pray".
