Diary of a Tonsillectomy
Wednesday, June 16th, 2010
Concerned fans have been asking me recently why my performing schedule has slowed significantly over the last 12 months. One of the main reasons for that is I have been having problems with my voice. After years of struggling with inflamed tonsils, strep throat, and issues with chronic laryngitis I am finally taking the proper steps next Wednesday. I’m letting a man stick his hand down my throat and rip our my poor swollen tonsils.
December 2009 meetings with renowned physician Mark Kerner ENT in Northridge California showed slight damage to the right vocal cord from years of performing and living hard. Plain and simple, I wasn’t taking great care of myself. Additionally, he spotted tonsil inflammation and recommended a course of treatment involving medication and a change in diet. A second opinion in June 2010 with Jerry Josen, ENT in Scottsdale Arizona revealed that the tonsils have become larger and more inflamed in recent months and that the vocal chords are still red and irritated. Surgery seems to be the best course of action at this point, so we scheduled to have them removed on Wednesday, June 23rd 2010.
What will this mean for the music? Plans to release the new album (Working Title: The Ivory Coast) are still on point for early fall. It will be a 12-song full length album featuring and exploring love in all of its splendor. Fans can expect the music to still be based on real and inspired stories. We’ve taken up a new producer on the album in wunderkid Chris Doucet and the tracks are still being recorded in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Voice-wise, it’s hard to know how I might be affected. When I sing the final tracks in August it will be interesting to note if not-having-a-stone-in-the-back-of-my-throat affects my range, timbre, or sound – regardless, I am confident that whatever changes may occur, I have the inner make-up to roll with them and make them work for me and the fans of my music.
Wish me luck and thanks so much for your concern and continued support!
This Wednesday I had the pleasure to entertain and inspire several hundred Arizona youth and their families in both a day show and an evening show – the proceeds of which went to the Dempsey Burdick Memorial Foundation (
Day Show. Following the mid-day show for the youth, I went out to sign autographs. I was nearly eaten alive by young students who viewed me as some kind of Justin Timberlake with sideburns. Many of the kids informed me that they loved my rendition of Lady Gaga’s “Paparazzi” while other’s begged me to sign their foreheads. Hoping the parents would forgive me (I didn’t sign any foreheads), I went ahead and signed hands, shirts, shoes, books, papers, tickets, arms, and shorts at the show. It felt good to be appreciated and the show organizers commented that during the show ”this was the best they’d ever seen those kids behave.” Glad I could have been a catalyst for that.
Night Show. The night show for local families was slightly more serious, with me getting into some of the extremely sad stories of the families we’d helped at the foundation. I did break up the tears, however, with my super-medley rendition of Tiny Dancer, Cheers, Facts of Life, Charles in Charge, Greatest American Hero, and Laverne and Shirley. After the night show I mingled in the foyer with many old friends and new fans, signed autographs, and took photos. Many thanks to all of those that came out, supported, and donated to the foundation – as well as those who bought t-shirts, CDs, and posters – the support was hugely appreciated.
Today would be Dempsey’s 7th Birthday if she were still here with me physically. Those who know me, know that she is very much still here with me spiritually; From the memorial tattoos that dot my arms and shoulders to the foundation that continues to help grieving families in her name.
Those who know me know that I love women, in fact, some might joke that I love women “a little too much.” So when it comes to the gay community, I can’t say that I understand what it means to have a same-sex attraction or the societal challenges gays and lesbians face, but I definitely know what it meant to be persecuted because I was different (see High School). Needless to say, when my sweet lesbian friend Jessica called me to perform at her Utah Wedding last week, there was no way that I could tell her ”no.” Conveniently, I was already in Salt Lake City recording my new album, so on Saturday I drove to a church near the University of Utah having no idea what to expect.
During the wedding ceremony I played some pretty background piano music that I improvised entirely – mostly variations of church hymns - as Amanda and Jessica and their wedding procession walked to the front of the standing-room only chapel. Jessica’s only instruction to me was “you can play anything but the wedding march.” So I took some liberties, even adding some simple light Jazz to the mix. Later that night, during the evening reception at the Museum of Art, I played a brand new love song off of my new album called “God Made You Just For Me” as well as my rendition of “It’s a Wonderful World.” The brides danced with each other and then danced with their fathers as I sang.
All and all, it was a beautiful snow-covered day and the two girls looked both elegant and ecstatically happy. The biggest thing I got out of the experience was a simple reminder that no matter if we are gay or straight, black or white, or tall or short, we are all God’s children and we all deserve to have love and be loved. Everyone deserves happiness. Thank you Jessica and Amanda for reminding me of that and for allowing me to take part in your important day. Congratulations!!
Fashion Revolution: Working with Shane, Ari, and Veronica of Fashion Revolution these last couple months has been an amazing look into the world of commercial and retail fashion. I was able to go with them to the fashion district in L.A. and was treated like rockstar royalty as we toured many of the lines of clothing that they carry. In fact, I was so excited with the whole experience, I hope to have my own line of clothing someday. I’m proud to have Fashion Revolution’s sponsorship logos on the tour bus and am pleased to wear their awesome clothes at night and on-stage. You can see some of the samples of pants and shirts I got from them from our photo shoot at Runyon Canyon at the bottom of the post. To find out more about Fashion Revolution or to order clothes off of their website (coming soon) go to: 
I have heard of L.A. referred to as “The City of Broken Dreams” as thousands of dreamers make their way to the harsh landscape of Hollywood each year. For every Brad Pitt, there are hundreds upon hundreds of Bradley’s you never heard of living somewhere in Southern California. It’s no surprise that Los Angeles is the homeless capital of America with nearly 300,000 homeless taking refuge on her streets. The dreamers come out here with nothing and often leave here with nothing. In reality, the City of Angels is not paved with gold, but with bones.
Later in the evening, as I emerged from a convenience store lobby with drinks in hand, I noticed a man shivering near the front door. “Would you have some change that I can borrow so that I can get me some smokes?” the man asked politely. His pants were dirty and his t-shirt was old and worn. “Sure,” I said taking $5 out of my pocket and handing it to the man. “It’s kind of cold out. Could you use a coat too?” “Yes sir,” he replied, “That would be nice.” Walking to the back of my car, I pulled out the Hurley jacket I had set aside just for this very purpose. “Here you go, man.” I quickly pointed out the finer details of the jacket to him, how the zipper could go up to the top of the hoodie for “total face warmness” and how he would probably be the hippest guy out here. He laughed. As he walked away I said, “Merry Christmas man – hope this year’s a warm one for ya.” He nodded and waved as he slipped away into the night to join the army of other homeless people on the streets of Los Angeles County.
So tonight, somewhere out there in the darkness, you may encounter a hip homeless man wearing a Hurley jacket. Hopefully, he’ll remind you that it’s never too late to do something nice for someone else this Christmas season. 
One of the biggest questions I get at shows and around town is, “What do your tattoos mean?” I am definitely proud of my tattoos that I’ve had designed by three different tattoo artists. My first bit of ink was a memorial for my daughter Dempsey (
And finally, Adam Moorhead of Los Angeles has been working on my colorful 3/4 sleeve that is ripe with symbolism. Attaching to the Piano in the Sky on my shoulder, it is a collection of images and ideas that represent my life and who I am. A giant winged lion stretches up the arm as a rememberence of who I’m becoming, while 3 women (symbolizing the women that I have truly loved) are bathing in a pool in a grotto nearby. The lion is ready to pounce on a gazelle to provide food and support for his subjects as his rusted iron crown with red jewels lays fallen on a rock near where he perches. A better 
understanding of the detailed symbolism includes the knowledge that I’m a Leo, my birthstone is ruby, and my Native-American totems include iron and salmon. I won’t get into the rest, including the death of the old me and rebirth of a new me, the roses and my family, and how this piece intersects with the hand of God and heaven. Instead, I’ll let you click on the photos and analyze for yourself the 22 hours I’ve spent in the chair on this 3/4 sleeve. And to think, I’ve still have another 10 hours of work still to go on my arm – it’s a good thing I have a high tolerance for pain.
Saturday’s Barry Sobel Show was one of the surreal nights I’ll remember for a long time. As Paul Schaffer has been to David Letterman for years, I was to Barry this weekend – providing music in-between acts such as Late Night’s Spike Feresten, Chris Fairbanks, and Jonas Garvin. It was a lot of fun and Barry was kind, appreciative, and wonderful to work with. If you’re not familiar with Barry Sobel then you probably haven’t seen Revenge of the Nerds II and weren’t familiar with the Emmy nominated writers for Saturday Night Live in the early 2000’s. If you’re not familiar with Spike Feresten then you aren’t watching Fox later than 11 PM, but his talk show is arguably the one with the best “skits.”
