1 00:00:02,200 --> 00:00:06,640 Speaker 1: Hello, Odd LODs listeners, It's Joe Wisenthal. Psychiatrists see us 2 00:00:06,680 --> 00:00:09,639 Speaker 1: in our most vulnerable moments, all of our problems and 3 00:00:09,720 --> 00:00:12,680 Speaker 1: dysfunctions laid bare to a stranger. We hope that they 4 00:00:12,760 --> 00:00:15,319 Speaker 1: keep our secrets and help us solve our problems. We 5 00:00:15,440 --> 00:00:17,680 Speaker 1: place our inherent trust in them, But what if they 6 00:00:17,760 --> 00:00:20,560 Speaker 1: use that knowledge against us for their own benefits. In 7 00:00:20,600 --> 00:00:24,360 Speaker 1: a brand new podcast from Wanderian Bloomberg, The Shrink next Door, 8 00:00:24,520 --> 00:00:26,760 Speaker 1: host Joe No Sarah takes you deep into what it 9 00:00:26,760 --> 00:00:30,440 Speaker 1: looks like when a psychiatrist becomes something much more. You'll 10 00:00:30,480 --> 00:00:33,879 Speaker 1: hear of extravagant parties attended by movie stars, a lavish 11 00:00:33,880 --> 00:00:36,160 Speaker 1: home in the Hamptons, and the man at the center 12 00:00:36,159 --> 00:00:38,640 Speaker 1: of it all. You're about to hear a preview of 13 00:00:38,640 --> 00:00:40,840 Speaker 1: The Shrink next Door in which you'll meet host Joe 14 00:00:40,840 --> 00:00:43,400 Speaker 1: No Sarah and hear about a relationship that would go 15 00:00:43,400 --> 00:00:46,320 Speaker 1: on to affect two people's lives for twenty nine years. 16 00:00:47,120 --> 00:00:49,720 Speaker 1: While you're listening, go subscribe to The Shrink next Door 17 00:00:49,720 --> 00:00:53,200 Speaker 1: on Apple Podcasts or wherever you're listening now. There's also 18 00:00:53,240 --> 00:00:55,520 Speaker 1: a link in the episode notes that will take you there. 19 00:00:57,280 --> 00:01:04,840 Speaker 1: Wondering by any measure. Marty Markowitz was a success. He 20 00:01:04,920 --> 00:01:09,240 Speaker 1: had an IVY lead diploma, a law degree, his own business, 21 00:01:09,280 --> 00:01:13,000 Speaker 1: and plenty of money. But when he hit thirty eight, 22 00:01:13,319 --> 00:01:18,600 Speaker 1: he found himself feeling seriously overwhelmed. His Rabbi recommended a 23 00:01:18,680 --> 00:01:23,080 Speaker 1: therapist he knew who had an office on Manhattan's eas Side. Well, 24 00:01:23,080 --> 00:01:25,679 Speaker 1: I go into his office, which was, you know, a 25 00:01:25,800 --> 00:01:29,880 Speaker 1: modestly furnished office with a desk and a chair and 26 00:01:29,920 --> 00:01:34,440 Speaker 1: a couch. The therapist name was Dr Isaac Hirshkoff, but 27 00:01:34,520 --> 00:01:37,640 Speaker 1: he told Marty to call him Ike. He was a young, 28 00:01:37,880 --> 00:01:41,440 Speaker 1: handsome man with a round face, a close crop beard, 29 00:01:41,760 --> 00:01:45,560 Speaker 1: and curly black hair. He was dressed casually in an 30 00:01:45,560 --> 00:01:49,720 Speaker 1: open collar shirt and shorts. I sat down right across 31 00:01:49,760 --> 00:01:53,320 Speaker 1: from him, and we looked at each other, and he said, okay, 32 00:01:53,320 --> 00:01:56,000 Speaker 1: why are you here. Marty had seen a therapist before, 33 00:01:56,440 --> 00:01:58,320 Speaker 1: the kind you would listen while you lay down on 34 00:01:58,360 --> 00:02:02,880 Speaker 1: the couch and talk about your dreams. This therapist was different. 35 00:02:03,480 --> 00:02:08,079 Speaker 1: His modus operandi was basically, I'm your pal, tell me 36 00:02:08,080 --> 00:02:11,040 Speaker 1: what's bothering it, and let's take it from there. Marty 37 00:02:11,120 --> 00:02:14,480 Speaker 1: spent the whole session laying out his problems. He told 38 00:02:14,520 --> 00:02:17,919 Speaker 1: Ike how his father and mother had recently died, how 39 00:02:17,960 --> 00:02:21,000 Speaker 1: he'd inherited the family business, how he was having a 40 00:02:21,040 --> 00:02:25,680 Speaker 1: hard time dealing with his new responsibilities. When he finished, 41 00:02:26,240 --> 00:02:30,120 Speaker 1: Marty says, Ike looked at him and said, I'm going 42 00:02:30,200 --> 00:02:34,359 Speaker 1: to take him on as a patient, and I said, okay. Nice. 43 00:02:35,280 --> 00:02:37,480 Speaker 1: Not only was I taking him on as a patient, 44 00:02:37,919 --> 00:02:41,000 Speaker 1: but he made Marty a promise. He said, don't worry, 45 00:02:41,120 --> 00:02:45,080 Speaker 1: I'll take care of everything. I was overwhelmed and to 46 00:02:45,160 --> 00:02:49,799 Speaker 1: have someone say to me, don't worry, calm down, this 47 00:02:50,000 --> 00:02:52,600 Speaker 1: is nothing to get upset about. We're gonna straighten everything out, 48 00:02:53,280 --> 00:02:56,760 Speaker 1: and we're gonna do it fast, very comforting to me. 49 00:02:57,040 --> 00:02:58,919 Speaker 1: Marty wrote him a check. I think it was for 50 00:02:59,040 --> 00:03:01,440 Speaker 1: a hundred and sixty dollar or something like that. Back 51 00:03:01,560 --> 00:03:06,000 Speaker 1: back in the day. It was June. Marty had come 52 00:03:06,000 --> 00:03:09,680 Speaker 1: to I because he needed help, But if he had 53 00:03:09,760 --> 00:03:13,200 Speaker 1: known what his new therapist had in store for him, 54 00:03:13,240 --> 00:03:16,360 Speaker 1: he probably would have walked out the door and never 55 00:03:16,600 --> 00:03:32,920 Speaker 1: come back. From Wonderie and Bloomberg, I'm Joan No Sarah, 56 00:03:33,080 --> 00:03:37,080 Speaker 1: a columnist with Bloomberg Opinion, and this is the Shrink 57 00:03:37,200 --> 00:03:51,920 Speaker 1: next Door. This is episode one. Welcome to the Neighborhood. 58 00:03:53,760 --> 00:03:57,280 Speaker 1: Every neighborhood has its share of mysteries. We can live 59 00:03:57,280 --> 00:04:00,360 Speaker 1: our entire lives and barely know the people just one 60 00:04:00,400 --> 00:04:04,680 Speaker 1: door down. I have a summer house in Southampton, a 61 00:04:04,720 --> 00:04:08,240 Speaker 1: couple of hours outside of New York. This part of 62 00:04:08,280 --> 00:04:12,760 Speaker 1: the Hamptons is called the Bay Side. It's quiet, peaceful, 63 00:04:13,440 --> 00:04:15,840 Speaker 1: a place to escape from the city in the hot 64 00:04:15,880 --> 00:04:20,320 Speaker 1: summer months. Sampson and Jackie Guillott have a house on 65 00:04:20,360 --> 00:04:23,320 Speaker 1: the same street as me. My name is Jacqueline Guillott 66 00:04:24,680 --> 00:04:30,640 Speaker 1: and we're married thirty five years. We're married fifty two years. 67 00:04:31,240 --> 00:04:34,479 Speaker 1: They've been coming here since the eighties. Most of the 68 00:04:34,520 --> 00:04:39,000 Speaker 1: houses on our street are single story with wooden clapperd fronts. 69 00:04:39,040 --> 00:04:42,279 Speaker 1: Sampson and Jackie's house is no different, so lovely home. 70 00:04:43,320 --> 00:04:46,040 Speaker 1: But there's one house on the street that stands out 71 00:04:46,440 --> 00:04:49,480 Speaker 1: for starters. It's just bigger than most of the other houses. 72 00:04:50,120 --> 00:04:52,920 Speaker 1: It's two stories instead of one, and it's the only 73 00:04:52,960 --> 00:04:55,559 Speaker 1: one on the street with a separate guesthouse out back. 74 00:04:56,720 --> 00:05:00,800 Speaker 1: And then there's the way it looks. The houses spectacular 75 00:05:00,839 --> 00:05:05,240 Speaker 1: with windows and windows and windows. Everything about it is 76 00:05:05,360 --> 00:05:10,279 Speaker 1: over the top. There's a pond with goldfish, lots of fish, 77 00:05:10,360 --> 00:05:14,840 Speaker 1: and a waterfall to the pond too. It's bigger, bolder, 78 00:05:15,360 --> 00:05:19,680 Speaker 1: brasher than anything else on the street. In two thousand 79 00:05:19,680 --> 00:05:22,040 Speaker 1: and ten, my wife Dawn and I bought the house 80 00:05:22,080 --> 00:05:26,560 Speaker 1: next door. It wasn't long before a man popped over 81 00:05:26,600 --> 00:05:29,560 Speaker 1: to our house to introduce himself. He was dressed like 82 00:05:29,600 --> 00:05:33,640 Speaker 1: a maintenance man, green khaki pants, a long sleeve workshire 83 00:05:34,160 --> 00:05:37,240 Speaker 1: and a faded baseball cap. He welcomed us to the 84 00:05:37,279 --> 00:05:40,039 Speaker 1: neighborhood and then he handed us a folder of press 85 00:05:40,040 --> 00:05:43,360 Speaker 1: clippings and I literally just took them and said thank you. 86 00:05:43,400 --> 00:05:46,000 Speaker 1: And but he wanted us to have them, you know, 87 00:05:46,040 --> 00:05:48,800 Speaker 1: he really wanted Joe to have him. There were articles 88 00:05:48,839 --> 00:05:53,279 Speaker 1: that a psychiatrist, Dr Isaac Hirshkoff, had written and articles 89 00:05:53,279 --> 00:05:56,880 Speaker 1: that had been written about him. In mid August, an 90 00:05:56,920 --> 00:06:00,920 Speaker 1: invitation arrived to a summer barbecue next door, hosted by 91 00:06:01,000 --> 00:06:04,720 Speaker 1: Dr Hirshkoff. This would be the last of three big 92 00:06:04,760 --> 00:06:09,000 Speaker 1: summer parties he threw every year. I went alone. To 93 00:06:09,080 --> 00:06:11,560 Speaker 1: reach the front door, I had to cross a bridge 94 00:06:11,680 --> 00:06:14,760 Speaker 1: over a fish pond. There were maybe forty or so 95 00:06:14,920 --> 00:06:19,120 Speaker 1: guests hanging out in the backyard. I roamed about, stopping 96 00:06:19,160 --> 00:06:23,040 Speaker 1: here and there to chat. I spotted the actor Richard Kind, 97 00:06:23,320 --> 00:06:25,320 Speaker 1: just in time to see him do a belly flop 98 00:06:25,320 --> 00:06:29,400 Speaker 1: into the pool. There were a handful of other people too, 99 00:06:29,720 --> 00:06:33,320 Speaker 1: people I recognized as prominent New Yorkers, like Dr Ruth, 100 00:06:33,400 --> 00:06:37,479 Speaker 1: the TV personality and sex expert. It was a warm afternoon. 101 00:06:38,279 --> 00:06:41,040 Speaker 1: I chatted with a few people, sipped on my glass 102 00:06:41,040 --> 00:06:45,040 Speaker 1: of wine, and began to wander around. At some point 103 00:06:45,240 --> 00:06:48,440 Speaker 1: I found myself in the living room. There was a 104 00:06:48,480 --> 00:06:53,839 Speaker 1: fake draft bust, Phoenician masks, plastic parrots hanging from the ceiling, 105 00:06:54,680 --> 00:06:58,080 Speaker 1: even a giant gong. But what struck me most with 106 00:06:58,200 --> 00:07:02,240 Speaker 1: the photographs. A lot send lots of photographs, and in 107 00:07:02,360 --> 00:07:05,479 Speaker 1: nearly every one of them there was Ike Hirshkoff with 108 00:07:05,520 --> 00:07:09,760 Speaker 1: a different celebrity, Ike with Henry Kissinger, Ike with Ellie Wizzell, 109 00:07:10,360 --> 00:07:14,080 Speaker 1: Ike with Brooks Shields, Ike with Gwyneth Paltrow, even ike 110 00:07:14,120 --> 00:07:16,960 Speaker 1: with O. J. Simpson. It was like one of those 111 00:07:16,960 --> 00:07:20,840 Speaker 1: diners where the walls are covered with pictures of celebrity patrons. 112 00:07:22,080 --> 00:07:25,880 Speaker 1: At that moment, the man himself appeared. He greeted me 113 00:07:26,080 --> 00:07:28,720 Speaker 1: like a long lost friend and said that my wife 114 00:07:28,720 --> 00:07:31,800 Speaker 1: and I should come over soon for a drink, and 115 00:07:31,840 --> 00:07:36,320 Speaker 1: then he was gone. Sure enough. A few days after 116 00:07:36,360 --> 00:07:39,360 Speaker 1: the summer party, the same maintenance man we've met before 117 00:07:39,640 --> 00:07:42,840 Speaker 1: showed up at our door again. This time he brought 118 00:07:42,920 --> 00:07:47,440 Speaker 1: an invitation for drinks. It was very formal, as if 119 00:07:47,440 --> 00:07:49,920 Speaker 1: he was reading from a script. I mean, like Dr 120 00:07:50,000 --> 00:07:53,120 Speaker 1: Hirshkoff would wants you to come over at such at 121 00:07:53,120 --> 00:07:54,880 Speaker 1: such a time, on such and such a day. And 122 00:07:55,000 --> 00:07:58,520 Speaker 1: the formality of it blew me away. And he was very, 123 00:07:58,920 --> 00:08:03,080 Speaker 1: very exacting about how it had to go. So we 124 00:08:03,120 --> 00:08:06,200 Speaker 1: went one of the strangest evenings I've ever had in 125 00:08:06,200 --> 00:08:09,760 Speaker 1: the Hampton's or anywhere else for that matter, but definitely 126 00:08:09,800 --> 00:08:16,960 Speaker 1: the Hamptons. It was pouring rain. We headed over, umbrellas 127 00:08:16,960 --> 00:08:19,800 Speaker 1: in hand to get to the front door. We crossed 128 00:08:19,800 --> 00:08:23,240 Speaker 1: a bridge we could see COI circling in the water below. 129 00:08:24,320 --> 00:08:27,360 Speaker 1: Ike and his wife, Becky welcomed us in and ushered 130 00:08:27,440 --> 00:08:30,720 Speaker 1: us to a round kitchen table. There were snacks laid out, 131 00:08:31,000 --> 00:08:35,440 Speaker 1: carrots and salary. I served white wine. So what I 132 00:08:35,520 --> 00:08:40,800 Speaker 1: remember is him talking incessantly about being a sex therapist 133 00:08:40,840 --> 00:08:44,160 Speaker 1: and a celebrity therapist. And I can't remember the details, 134 00:08:44,200 --> 00:08:46,400 Speaker 1: but that that it just really sticks in my mind 135 00:08:46,440 --> 00:08:49,600 Speaker 1: that he kept going on and on about that. It 136 00:08:49,679 --> 00:08:51,960 Speaker 1: was more like a monologue than a dialogue. That's what 137 00:08:52,000 --> 00:08:55,720 Speaker 1: I remember. What do you remember? I just remember thinking 138 00:08:56,480 --> 00:09:02,480 Speaker 1: these people are I felt suffocated. Did I talked about 139 00:09:02,520 --> 00:09:04,400 Speaker 1: his work. I've never seen a thing like it, But 140 00:09:04,440 --> 00:09:08,680 Speaker 1: I remember thinking it was very brazen about the details 141 00:09:08,760 --> 00:09:11,600 Speaker 1: of his life, considering we were strangers, and also considering 142 00:09:11,600 --> 00:09:15,200 Speaker 1: what he does. He did talk about an NBA sports 143 00:09:15,240 --> 00:09:20,439 Speaker 1: guys and somebody a Yankees player. I just thought he 144 00:09:20,559 --> 00:09:24,160 Speaker 1: lacked a lot of discretion given his field. We listened 145 00:09:24,200 --> 00:09:27,520 Speaker 1: politely as he went on and on. I just remember 146 00:09:28,040 --> 00:09:32,040 Speaker 1: looking towards the door. Finally, after about an hour, I 147 00:09:32,080 --> 00:09:34,960 Speaker 1: said we needed to get home, and we got up 148 00:09:35,000 --> 00:09:40,120 Speaker 1: to leave, and it was very clear that I wanted 149 00:09:40,160 --> 00:09:45,480 Speaker 1: a photograph, a photograph of me. I think he came 150 00:09:45,480 --> 00:09:47,959 Speaker 1: out and said, what would like to get a picture 151 00:09:47,960 --> 00:09:52,200 Speaker 1: of you? And it was just Joe. It wasn't Joe 152 00:09:52,240 --> 00:09:55,960 Speaker 1: and I. So I let I take my picture, hint 153 00:09:55,960 --> 00:09:59,040 Speaker 1: it to his wall, and then we left as fast 154 00:09:59,240 --> 00:10:03,520 Speaker 1: as we could. I remember getting to her home, collapsing 155 00:10:04,520 --> 00:10:07,280 Speaker 1: on a couch or something. Dawn told me she never 156 00:10:07,320 --> 00:10:10,400 Speaker 1: wanted to go back. There was no sign of the 157 00:10:10,440 --> 00:10:13,280 Speaker 1: maintenance man the night dawn and I went over, but 158 00:10:13,360 --> 00:10:16,840 Speaker 1: I knew he was still around. Sometimes we'd be on 159 00:10:16,880 --> 00:10:19,720 Speaker 1: our deck and we'd see him outside working in the yard. 160 00:10:20,480 --> 00:10:23,440 Speaker 1: When I returned to the Hamptons the following summer, I 161 00:10:23,559 --> 00:10:26,960 Speaker 1: noticed something strange at the house next door. I would 162 00:10:27,000 --> 00:10:29,520 Speaker 1: see the maintenance man out on the property doing his 163 00:10:29,679 --> 00:10:34,280 Speaker 1: usual work in the backyard, but Ike kursh Cough was gone. 164 00:10:35,440 --> 00:10:37,760 Speaker 1: I would never see him, or his wife, Becky, and 165 00:10:37,800 --> 00:10:42,200 Speaker 1: the Hamptons again. There were no more summer parties. It 166 00:10:42,360 --> 00:10:47,080 Speaker 1: was as if they had simply disappeared. And that's when 167 00:10:47,120 --> 00:10:49,880 Speaker 1: I learned that everything I had thought i'd known about 168 00:10:49,920 --> 00:10:54,760 Speaker 1: my neighbor was wrong. It's it's a wild story. That's 169 00:10:54,880 --> 00:10:58,280 Speaker 1: the maintenance man, the guy who came to our door 170 00:10:58,400 --> 00:11:01,280 Speaker 1: with the press clippings, the guy we saw working around 171 00:11:01,320 --> 00:11:06,920 Speaker 1: the yard. That was Marty Markuitz, the same guy who 172 00:11:06,920 --> 00:11:10,080 Speaker 1: had first gone to see Dr Isaac Hirstkoff as a 173 00:11:10,160 --> 00:11:20,480 Speaker 1: patient nearly thirty years earlier. That was just a preview 174 00:11:20,559 --> 00:11:23,160 Speaker 1: of the Shrink next Door. To listen to the rest, 175 00:11:23,480 --> 00:11:27,040 Speaker 1: subscribe to The Shrink next Door on Apple Podcasts or 176 00:11:27,040 --> 00:11:28,640 Speaker 1: wherever you're listening right now.