Ride Needed This Friday or Saturday Home from the Hospital

Hey all!

I'm finally getting my hernia repair surgery this Friday morning in Martinez!

I have a couple of rides for getting there, but I need a ride home, back to Richmond.
The problem is, they won't know whether they are releasing me Friday or Saturday until after they have completed the surgery.
if there are complications, then they will have to keep me til Sat.

I'd be glad to just hop my aching ass on a bus and BART, so as not to burden anyone, but this time they say I have to have someone there to at least take me home afterwards.

So, if you are available for such, this Friday/Saturday, please let me know asap. I'd be happy to pay for gas.

Love,
Dan

Why?

I sent an invitation recently to someone I thought was pretty cool in one of my TV tribes and she replied she likes to keep her circle small and maybe after knowing me better, she might sign me up. How is she going to get to know me better? Ouch. Didn't see that one coming and it hurt.

I spent this evening with the closest thing I have to a group of friends. People were friendly and people were kind, but I didn't feel like I belonged for the life of me. Jessica and I were talking about it. She was feeling like a pariah too and we wondered if the same thing would happen, if we found a completely different group of friends.

Somehow, I seem to end up alienating people just by being my natural self.
I know I've been showered with blessings lately, but tonight I'm sad.
Will I ever feel like I belong?
What's wrong with me?

Out From Under The Blade

Yesterday I went to the Martinez Regional Center and 2 very nice surgeons cut the cancer out of my head.
Least they think they got it all and they won't know 'til the 18th whether it even is cancer or not, but
................open wound that doesn't heal for a year....they're pretty sure.

Ever had someone cut your head open to the muscle, remove part of your skin, cauterize the bleeding (Do I smell burning me?) and sew ya back up, all while you are perfectly conscious?
This one's going on my resume!

They wrapped a gauze headband around my head afterwards (which gave me even more of a cockatoo hairdo than usual) and then on the way, on BART, I pushed my sunglasses back, not realizing I was pushing my gauzeband back as well, revealing my freshly bloody 2 and a half inch scar.

People were clearing out of my way, mothers were grabbing their children out my path. Yes, I had finally achieved my childhood dream and become a monster!!

I got home just in time to have a wonderful rehearsal with Jessica and Rose. They kept making me laugh though, which involves my forehead muscles, which made it hurt....you get the idea.

Today, Tiffany is gracious enough to take me back to the hospital's emergency room, where I will point out my tooth, which broke in half last weekend at Tahoe. The tooth broke in half after eating a banana (I know) and left a very sharp filling and tooth shard exposed, which has been sticking into my tongue ever since, causing me severe pain to talk, eat or sing (wah). I was denied care from the Richmond County Clinic this morning, so it's off to Martinez to see if they can help before I have to perform, opening for the Platerzatz this Sat night at the Brainwash Cafe.

Wish me luck!

Happy Birthday, Rob!

Love,
Dan

Out Of The Frying Pan....Into The Fire

The Frying Pan:

After months of red tape, I finally went into the Contra Costa County Clinic yesterday to see their resident surgeon and found out I don't just have a huge hernia. I have 2 huge hernias...one to the left of my tummy and one above. He reiterated they were huge tears and basically it sounds like the only thing that did hold were the stitches they sewed by belly button up with (crooked, I may add).
No wonder I've felt so fucked up.

The good news is the surgeon said he could fix it and has scheduled me for an appointment next month. They will cut me open again (by now I could join the Cutter's Club, but really, all I do is just lay there unconscious), put my guts back where they belong and because there is so little left to sew back together, they are putting a mesh in me to sew it all to, like one of those paint by number quilts. There's a 5% chance of rejection/infection, but it's really all they can do.

The Fire:

The bad news is, when I went in last week to get that referral to the surgeon. they looked at an open sore I've had on my left temple for about a year. It started as just a little indent and now looks like a little sore. The doctor had a dermatologist and team come in to look at it and the dermatologist said it's skin cancer and apparently it was so obvious, the dermatologist just told the doctor to cut it out. He didn't even want him to do a biopsy. The doctor would have cut it out then, but this is the county clinic and his back-up was nowhere to be seen, so he called the Martinez Minor Procedures Unit. They were closed, so he left a message. I was to wait until Wednesday of this week and then call back if I haven't heard anything. This is Tuesday, so I am going to start calling today.

This all happened really fast, but the dermatologist thought it was the kind of cancer that stays in one place and it can just be removed and all will be well. But they won't know what kind it is until they remove it. If it's one of the other 2 cancers that spread rapidly, then I'm fucked, as it's been sitting there for a year now. Thanks to Jessica for making me have them look at it.

I'm trying to keep a good attitude about all this, but my mask slips too and I find myself allowing despair for a few minutes at a time.

But I've also been shown a lot of miracles lately, as to manifesting the good things in life and I'm holding onto the faith that I will have a happy life and get to stay here and play with you all.

Happy Birthday, Katherine!

Love,
Dan

Happy Birthday Eric!!!

Happy Birthday, Brother Of Choice!
I'm hating it that I can't be with you today, but we'll get together soon!

All my love,
Dan

Plinkety Pleasures II This Saturday Night!

Would you please come see my show?

It's Plinkety Pleasures II
A Ukelele Review

this Saturday May 12th at 8PM
$5-10 at the door!

At the Mike DaSilva Ukelele Co.
2547 8th St., Suite 28
Berkeley, CA 94710

Featuring:

Dogs In Doublets
Stella!
Tippy Canoe and Mike Lee Prasad
5 Cent Coffee
Liquor Cake
and many more

See ya there!

Daniel I. Briggs…This is Your Life!

Since I asked for help last month in staying afloat, my poor little brain has been having a really hard time dealing with the fact I can’t say “Nobody likes me” anymore.
I have been scientifically proven wrong.

Help came, both financially and nutritionally, conversation, friendship, super powers, a crate of chocolate from the UK (Hi Pip!) and dragging me further into our amazing entertainment community.

Things have been getting better and better and then….

Last Sunday night, my friends threw me a benefit.

The only person I had ever heard of that had a benefit thrown for them was Mr. Kite, so
I was a little worried about how to behave.

It was wonderful.
Old friends and new gathered at the Edinburgh Castle in the City to hang, drink, perform and listen, …mostly so I wouldn’t have to sit next to the freeway exit with a KFC cup in my hand.

When I almost died last year, one of the main thoughts that went through my head was I would miss everybody, whether we had spent a little or a lot of time together.
So, it was so wonderful to just party and be with my friends, and to have a little time to get to know everyone a little better.

And the show was fucking incredible.
I had a front row center seat with either Julie, Tygre or Jessica on my arm. Le sigh!

First came Salty Walt (and please excuse me if I have any details mixed up) These sacred choirboys of the sea take me out to a secret little inn in the woods of Marin every year and let me share song and play with them. All 3 have been Dogs In Doublets and are excellent friends and fellow artists,

Then there was the Hobohemians. I loved these guys as Crumpled Napkin and after getting to work with them in the Tom Wait’s show, their new incarnation has become one of my favorite groups. Thank you for the honey, golden love. I could drink a case of you.

Femme Frazetta time was next. It was so much fun to play the piece Ric and I had written for the girls with Bryn on speed-O mando! Like the goddesses they are, Jessica and Julie danced their dance of the Devi Divas. And this is the second time we played it with this line up. I love you guys very much.

Single Entendre. I was looking forward to this portion of the show, as I had never seen Single Entendre and always wanted to. I loved the surgery theme (way too real) and I even got toasted ala Ben. I felt so William Shatner! Rey! Holly! Chad! Ben! You guys were hilarious. Thank you soo much.

5 Cent Coffee. Aaron, Ric and Heidi were amazing. So in that zone of being unable to do anything wrong. I love it. You look so fucking good too. And your Orleans version of Nelson’s Blood was one of the most moving tributes I’ve ever heard. And thank you so much for letting Dogs share in your recent success with the Tom Wait’s tribute.

Stella!! Kelly and Amy are two of my newest, super-talented friends and they totally blew me away. I was blown away working with them in the Tom Wait’s tribute, but my consciousness was expanded last Sunday night. Let’s just say I will never think of Chim Chim Cheree the same ever again. And Amy’s cover of Are You Really Going Out With Him was so much fun to sing along with. Love you both.

The Naughty Minstrels. Marty and the gang opened their magic suitcase and created a little Ren Faire before us onstage. So nice to see these smiling faces and they totally grabbed the room by the balls. Part of the benefit included donating their new CD, which Marty announced, was my very first professional engineering job and I sang on a few tracks as well. Ego…. Pop!

Just Henry. Loved your Suffragette City!

….unfortunately, at that point, nature called loudly and painfully. So a short break ensued, in which I was pot-napped by the “Ultra Suave“ Mark Donnelly.

….Looking forward to playing Plinkety Pleasures with you!

Toasted right back up to the melting point, I took my seat again to an insane raffle by the ever glowing Jessicas (Toth and Froiland) There were lots of great prizes and everyone seemed really happy. And I think Julie, Ben and Lang have a date at the zoo.

Plasterkatz! Wow. This band has come a long in way in the last several years and their unplugged set was fucking brilliant. So clean and relaxed. And sitting front row center, I could’nt help but notice that Megan has incredibly beautiful teeth, as well as her killer vocals and stage presence. And the Boys…..amazing as always

Then it was time for the Stark Ravens who were introduced as the “progeny” of Dogs In Doublets. Not just the progeny, but at least half were Dogs In Doublets in it’s prime, and….they have never needed to lean on that.
I am so proud of the Ravens and I love them very much, whether they be Dogs as well or new to the nest. They are an amazing group of performers and friends and without them, I might have been lost long ago. OK. Getting chokey now.

Anyway….they fucking hit warp speed with an incredible set of old and new tunes.

Next up was Brass Farthing. The Holy Order of the Fallen Hard, I am proud to be a member. Closest thing to the Moose lodge as I’ll ever get. :]
It was great to see the place transformed into Mad Sal’s and all the smiling faces and everyone singing along with Bertha’s. Thanks to George and me mates for showing up and letting me sing in the group in the first place. It was stellar.

Then we got to do our Dogs In Doublets thing and Dogs took the stage….and half of the house. There was one point where I looked out and I thought it must be late, cuz there weren’t as many people as before. Then I realized the rest of them were onstage, behind me…and around me and under me.

Ric said I could do whatever I wanted, so I sang Hyacinth, a little song I wrote for Jessica. I did’nt fuck it up and everyone liked it. :]

Then we did MacBeth and the girls sang Life Of A Singer. So cool to hear something you’ve written being sung by much of the original cast. Beautiful, girls!

Then a big ol’ silly romp with Per Adventure and finishing off an already incredible evening with Patchivallo and our anthem, Dogs In Doublets, which everyone had little lyric sheets for.

Then there were cheers and a hug from everyone…and I mean everyone….all at once! And that’s the best way I can describe the whole evening.
Like a hug from all your friends at once, whether you believe you’re worth it or not.

That was something like 5 hours of some of the best entertainment I’ve ever seen in my life. We cleaned up and there was lot’s of love and luck and a slice of pizza on the way to the car. And thanks to Tiffany for getting me there and back, safe and sound.

I’ve been trying not to talk about money, ‘cuz it’s the “weird feeling” part of this whole thing, but I was given a paper bag at the end of the evening filled with, what is to me, a HUGE sum of money from the proceeds and I was told to use it to tide me over until I can get on my feet again. I was also slipped many secret handshakes with surprises inside throughout the evening. Thank you everyone. And thank you Holly, Ric, Walter and Jessica for throwing this magic together. No words I could say here would ever match how grateful I am for your belief in me.

Thank you, everyone, for your humanity.
And thank you for being there and listening and dancing and singing and playing.
And thank you so much for making me feel like I belong and for making me feel human again.
And thank you for telling me I deserve this.

And most of all, thank you for your love.
You have mine as well.

-Dan

Happy 420, Everyone!

Almost plumb furgot.

I could'nt find that picture of us smoking behind the church, so I give to you, Mark Donnelly, dressed as a giant bong, among the usual suspects. Not Mark Donnelly, the Managing Director of Sonoma County Repertory Theater. Oh no! This is another one. Yeah!