1 00:00:01,000 --> 00:00:04,920 Speaker 1: Psychiatrists see us in our most vulnerable moments, all of 2 00:00:04,920 --> 00:00:08,640 Speaker 1: our problems and dysfunctions laid bare to a stranger. We 3 00:00:08,720 --> 00:00:10,920 Speaker 1: hope that they keep our secrets and help us solve 4 00:00:10,960 --> 00:00:15,040 Speaker 1: our problems. We place our inherent trust in them, But 5 00:00:15,120 --> 00:00:17,600 Speaker 1: what if they use that knowledge against us for their 6 00:00:17,640 --> 00:00:21,960 Speaker 1: own benefit. In a brand new podcast from Wandering and Bloomberg, 7 00:00:22,040 --> 00:00:25,759 Speaker 1: The Shrink next Door, host Jonah Sarah takes you deep 8 00:00:25,800 --> 00:00:29,160 Speaker 1: into what it looks like when a psychiatrist becomes something 9 00:00:29,280 --> 00:00:33,880 Speaker 1: much more. You'll hear of extravagant parties attended by movie stars, 10 00:00:33,920 --> 00:00:36,760 Speaker 1: a lavish home in the Hampton's, and the man at 11 00:00:36,800 --> 00:00:39,159 Speaker 1: the center of it all. You're about to hear a 12 00:00:39,159 --> 00:00:41,720 Speaker 1: preview of The Shrink next Door, which you'll meet host 13 00:00:41,800 --> 00:00:44,199 Speaker 1: Jonah Sarah and hear about a relationship that would go 14 00:00:44,200 --> 00:00:47,519 Speaker 1: on to affect two people's lives for twenty nine years. 15 00:00:48,600 --> 00:00:51,000 Speaker 1: While you're listening, go subscribe to The Shrink next Door 16 00:00:51,000 --> 00:00:54,120 Speaker 1: on Apple Podcasts or wherever you're listening now. There's also 17 00:00:54,160 --> 00:00:56,440 Speaker 1: a link in the episode notes that will take you 18 00:00:56,480 --> 00:01:06,679 Speaker 1: there by any measure. Marty Markowitz was a success. He 19 00:01:06,760 --> 00:01:10,200 Speaker 1: had an Ivy League diploma, a law degree. His own 20 00:01:10,280 --> 00:01:14,840 Speaker 1: business and plenty of money, but when he hit thirty eight, 21 00:01:15,160 --> 00:01:20,440 Speaker 1: he found himself feeling seriously overwhelmed. His rabbi recommended a 22 00:01:20,520 --> 00:01:24,880 Speaker 1: therapist he knew who had an office on Manhattan's East Side. Well, 23 00:01:24,880 --> 00:01:27,520 Speaker 1: I go into his office, which was, you know, a 24 00:01:27,640 --> 00:01:31,679 Speaker 1: modestly furnished office with a desk and a chair and 25 00:01:31,760 --> 00:01:36,280 Speaker 1: a couch. The therapist name was Dr Isaac Hirshkoff, but 26 00:01:36,360 --> 00:01:39,479 Speaker 1: he told Marty to call him Ike. He was a young, 27 00:01:39,720 --> 00:01:43,279 Speaker 1: handsome man with a round face, a close crop beard, 28 00:01:43,600 --> 00:01:47,400 Speaker 1: and curly black hair. He was dressed casually in an 29 00:01:47,400 --> 00:01:51,560 Speaker 1: open collar shirt and shorts. I sat down right across 30 00:01:51,600 --> 00:01:55,120 Speaker 1: from him, and we looked at each other, and he said, okay, 31 00:01:55,160 --> 00:01:57,800 Speaker 1: why are you here. Marty had seen a therapist before, 32 00:01:58,240 --> 00:02:00,120 Speaker 1: the kind you would listen while you lay down on 33 00:02:00,200 --> 00:02:04,760 Speaker 1: the couch and talk about your dreams. This therapist was different. 34 00:02:05,320 --> 00:02:09,880 Speaker 1: His modus operandi was basically, I'm your pal, tell me 35 00:02:09,919 --> 00:02:12,840 Speaker 1: what's bothering it, and let's take it from there. Marty 36 00:02:12,919 --> 00:02:16,320 Speaker 1: spent the whole session laying out his problems. He told 37 00:02:16,360 --> 00:02:19,760 Speaker 1: Ike how his father and mother had recently died, how 38 00:02:19,760 --> 00:02:22,680 Speaker 1: he had inherited the family business, how he was having 39 00:02:22,680 --> 00:02:27,520 Speaker 1: a hard time dealing with his new responsibilities. When he finished, 40 00:02:28,080 --> 00:02:32,120 Speaker 1: Marty says, Ike looked at him and said, I'm gonna 41 00:02:32,160 --> 00:02:36,160 Speaker 1: take you on as a patient, and I said, okay. Nice. 42 00:02:37,120 --> 00:02:39,280 Speaker 1: Not only was I taking him on as a patient, 43 00:02:39,720 --> 00:02:42,840 Speaker 1: but he made Marty a promise. He said, don't worry, 44 00:02:42,919 --> 00:02:46,920 Speaker 1: I'll take care of everything. I was overwhelmed and to 45 00:02:47,000 --> 00:02:51,600 Speaker 1: have someone say to me, don't worry, calm down, this 46 00:02:51,800 --> 00:02:54,440 Speaker 1: is nothing to get upset about. We're gonna straighten everything out, 47 00:02:55,120 --> 00:02:58,560 Speaker 1: and we're gonna do it fast very comforting to me. 48 00:02:58,840 --> 00:03:00,720 Speaker 1: Marty wrote him a check. I think it was for 49 00:03:00,880 --> 00:03:03,600 Speaker 1: a hundred and sixty dollars something like that. Back back 50 00:03:03,600 --> 00:03:07,920 Speaker 1: in the day. It was June. Marty had come to 51 00:03:07,960 --> 00:03:11,840 Speaker 1: Ike because he needed help, But if he had known 52 00:03:12,120 --> 00:03:15,160 Speaker 1: what his new therapist had in store for him, he 53 00:03:15,320 --> 00:03:19,000 Speaker 1: probably would have walked out the door and never come back. 54 00:03:31,760 --> 00:03:35,600 Speaker 1: From Wonderie and Bloomberg, I'm Joe, No Sarah a columnist 55 00:03:35,640 --> 00:03:39,600 Speaker 1: with Bloomberg Opinion, and this is the shrink next year. 56 00:03:50,480 --> 00:03:56,520 Speaker 1: This is episode one. Welcome to the neighborhood. Every neighborhood 57 00:03:56,520 --> 00:03:59,720 Speaker 1: has its share of mysteries. We can live our entire 58 00:03:59,800 --> 00:04:02,800 Speaker 1: lot fives and barely know the people just one door down. 59 00:04:04,040 --> 00:04:06,960 Speaker 1: I have a summer house in Southampton, a couple of 60 00:04:07,000 --> 00:04:10,720 Speaker 1: hours outside of New York. This part of the Hamptons 61 00:04:10,760 --> 00:04:15,720 Speaker 1: is called the Bay Side. It's quiet, peaceful, a place 62 00:04:15,760 --> 00:04:19,760 Speaker 1: to escape from the city in the hot summer months. 63 00:04:19,800 --> 00:04:22,560 Speaker 1: Sampson and Jackie Guillatt have a house on the same 64 00:04:22,600 --> 00:04:26,960 Speaker 1: street as me. My name is Jacqueline Guillott and we're 65 00:04:27,000 --> 00:04:33,320 Speaker 1: married thirty five years. We're married fifty two years. They've 66 00:04:33,320 --> 00:04:36,760 Speaker 1: been coming here since the eighties. Most of the houses 67 00:04:36,760 --> 00:04:40,840 Speaker 1: on our street are single story with wooden clappered fronts. 68 00:04:40,839 --> 00:04:44,120 Speaker 1: Sampson and Jackie's house is no different, so lovely home. 69 00:04:45,160 --> 00:04:47,880 Speaker 1: But there's one house on the street that stands out 70 00:04:48,279 --> 00:04:51,279 Speaker 1: for starters. It's just bigger than most of the other houses. 71 00:04:51,920 --> 00:04:54,760 Speaker 1: It's two stories instead of one, and it's the only 72 00:04:54,760 --> 00:04:57,400 Speaker 1: one on the street with a separate guesthouse out back. 73 00:04:58,520 --> 00:05:02,560 Speaker 1: And then there's the way it books. The house is spectacular, 74 00:05:02,680 --> 00:05:07,039 Speaker 1: with windows and windows and windows. Everything about it is 75 00:05:07,160 --> 00:05:12,120 Speaker 1: over the top. This pond with goldfish, lots of fish, 76 00:05:12,200 --> 00:05:16,680 Speaker 1: and a waterfall to the pond too. It's bigger, bolder, 77 00:05:17,160 --> 00:05:21,520 Speaker 1: brasher than anything else on the Street. In two thousand 78 00:05:21,520 --> 00:05:23,880 Speaker 1: and ten, my wife Dawn and I bought the house 79 00:05:23,920 --> 00:05:28,360 Speaker 1: next door. It wasn't long before a man popped over 80 00:05:28,400 --> 00:05:31,400 Speaker 1: to our house to introduce himself. He was dressed like 81 00:05:31,440 --> 00:05:35,480 Speaker 1: a maintenance man, green khaki pants, a long sleeve workshire 82 00:05:36,000 --> 00:05:39,719 Speaker 1: and a faded baseball cap. He welcomed us to the neighborhood, 83 00:05:39,920 --> 00:05:42,400 Speaker 1: and then he handed us a folder of press clippings 84 00:05:42,560 --> 00:05:45,200 Speaker 1: and I literally just took them and said thank you. 85 00:05:45,240 --> 00:05:47,839 Speaker 1: And but he wanted us to have them, you know, 86 00:05:47,880 --> 00:05:50,640 Speaker 1: he really wanted Joe to have him. There were articles 87 00:05:50,640 --> 00:05:55,080 Speaker 1: that a psychiatrist, Dr Isaac Hirshkoff had written and articles 88 00:05:55,120 --> 00:05:58,720 Speaker 1: that had been written about him. In mid August, an 89 00:05:58,760 --> 00:06:02,760 Speaker 1: invitation arrived to a summer barbecue next door, hosted by 90 00:06:02,839 --> 00:06:06,280 Speaker 1: Dr Hirshkoff. I this would be the last of three 91 00:06:06,320 --> 00:06:09,799 Speaker 1: big summer parties he threw every year. I went alone. 92 00:06:10,760 --> 00:06:12,880 Speaker 1: To reach the front door, I had to cross a 93 00:06:12,920 --> 00:06:16,440 Speaker 1: bridge over a fish pond. There were maybe forty or 94 00:06:16,520 --> 00:06:20,080 Speaker 1: so guests hanging out in the backyard. I roamed about, 95 00:06:20,520 --> 00:06:23,799 Speaker 1: stopping here and there to chat. I spotted the actor 96 00:06:23,920 --> 00:06:26,440 Speaker 1: Richard Kind, just in time to see him do a 97 00:06:26,480 --> 00:06:30,440 Speaker 1: belly flop into the pool. There were a handful of 98 00:06:30,440 --> 00:06:34,320 Speaker 1: other people too, people I recognized as prominent New Yorkers, 99 00:06:34,320 --> 00:06:38,120 Speaker 1: like Dr Ruth, the TV personality and sex expert. It 100 00:06:38,200 --> 00:06:41,480 Speaker 1: was a warm afternoon. I chatted with a few people, 101 00:06:41,880 --> 00:06:45,159 Speaker 1: sipped on my glass of wine, and began to wander around. 102 00:06:46,160 --> 00:06:49,880 Speaker 1: At some point I found myself in the living room. 103 00:06:49,920 --> 00:06:54,000 Speaker 1: There was a fake to draft bust Veoenician masks, plastic 104 00:06:54,080 --> 00:06:58,680 Speaker 1: parrots hanging from the ceiling, even a giant gong. But 105 00:06:58,760 --> 00:07:03,760 Speaker 1: what struck me most the photographs. Lots and lots of photographs, 106 00:07:03,839 --> 00:07:06,400 Speaker 1: and in nearly every one of them there was Ike 107 00:07:06,520 --> 00:07:10,760 Speaker 1: Hirshkoff with a different celebrity, Ike with Henry Kissinger, Ike 108 00:07:10,800 --> 00:07:14,880 Speaker 1: with Ellie Wizell, Ike with Brookshields, Ike with Gwyneth Paltrow, 109 00:07:15,360 --> 00:07:18,400 Speaker 1: even ike with O. J. Simpson. It was like one 110 00:07:18,440 --> 00:07:21,400 Speaker 1: of those diners where the walls are covered with pictures 111 00:07:21,440 --> 00:07:26,320 Speaker 1: of celebrity patrons. At that moment, the man himself appeared. 112 00:07:26,920 --> 00:07:29,840 Speaker 1: He greeted me like a long lost friend and said 113 00:07:29,960 --> 00:07:31,920 Speaker 1: that my wife and I should come over soon for 114 00:07:32,000 --> 00:07:37,400 Speaker 1: a drink, and then he was gone. Sure enough, a 115 00:07:37,440 --> 00:07:40,280 Speaker 1: few days after the summer party, the same maintenance man 116 00:07:40,360 --> 00:07:43,680 Speaker 1: we've met before, showed up at our door again. This 117 00:07:43,800 --> 00:07:48,560 Speaker 1: time he brought an invitation for drinks. It was very formal, 118 00:07:48,920 --> 00:07:51,240 Speaker 1: as if he was reading from a script. I mean 119 00:07:51,320 --> 00:07:54,560 Speaker 1: like Dr Hirshkoff would wants you to come over at 120 00:07:54,560 --> 00:07:56,520 Speaker 1: such and such a time on such and such a day. 121 00:07:56,680 --> 00:07:59,520 Speaker 1: And the formality of it blew me away. And he 122 00:07:59,640 --> 00:08:04,000 Speaker 1: was very, very exacting about how it had to go. 123 00:08:04,560 --> 00:08:07,720 Speaker 1: So we went one of the strangest evenings I've ever 124 00:08:07,760 --> 00:08:10,720 Speaker 1: had in the Hampton's, or anywhere else for that matter, 125 00:08:11,080 --> 00:08:17,800 Speaker 1: but definitely the Hamptons. It was pouring rain. We headed 126 00:08:17,880 --> 00:08:20,960 Speaker 1: over umbrellas in hand to get to the front door. 127 00:08:21,120 --> 00:08:24,280 Speaker 1: We crossed a bridge. We could see COI circling in 128 00:08:24,280 --> 00:08:28,040 Speaker 1: the water below. Ike and his wife, Becky welcomed us 129 00:08:28,080 --> 00:08:31,360 Speaker 1: in and ushered us to a round kitchen table. There 130 00:08:31,360 --> 00:08:35,960 Speaker 1: were snacks laid out, carrots and salary. I served white wine. 131 00:08:36,840 --> 00:08:41,520 Speaker 1: So what I remember is him talking incessantly about being 132 00:08:41,559 --> 00:08:45,160 Speaker 1: a sex therapist and a celebrity therapist. And I can't 133 00:08:45,160 --> 00:08:47,720 Speaker 1: remember the details, but that that it just really sticks 134 00:08:47,720 --> 00:08:49,640 Speaker 1: in my mind that he kept going on and on 135 00:08:49,720 --> 00:08:53,520 Speaker 1: about that it was more like a monologue than a dialogue. 136 00:08:53,520 --> 00:08:56,400 Speaker 1: That's what I remember, what do you remember. I just 137 00:08:56,480 --> 00:09:04,040 Speaker 1: remember thinking these people are I felt suffocated. I talked 138 00:09:04,040 --> 00:09:06,240 Speaker 1: about his work. I've never say thing like it, but 139 00:09:06,280 --> 00:09:10,559 Speaker 1: I remember thinking it was very brazen about the details 140 00:09:10,600 --> 00:09:13,440 Speaker 1: of his life, considering we were strangers, and also considering 141 00:09:13,440 --> 00:09:17,000 Speaker 1: what he does. He did talk about an NBA sports 142 00:09:17,080 --> 00:09:22,280 Speaker 1: guys and somebody a Yankees player. I just thought he 143 00:09:22,360 --> 00:09:25,959 Speaker 1: lacked a lot of discretion given his field. We listened 144 00:09:26,000 --> 00:09:29,280 Speaker 1: politely as he went on and on. I just remember 145 00:09:29,880 --> 00:09:33,880 Speaker 1: looking towards the door. Finally, after about an hour, I 146 00:09:33,920 --> 00:09:36,800 Speaker 1: said we needed to get home, and we got up 147 00:09:36,840 --> 00:09:41,960 Speaker 1: to leave, and it was very clear that I wanted 148 00:09:41,960 --> 00:09:47,280 Speaker 1: a photograph, a photograph of me. I think he came 149 00:09:47,320 --> 00:09:49,800 Speaker 1: out and said, what we'd like to get a picture 150 00:09:49,800 --> 00:09:54,040 Speaker 1: of you? And it was just Joe. It wasn't Joe 151 00:09:54,040 --> 00:09:57,800 Speaker 1: and I. So I let I take my picture, hint 152 00:09:57,800 --> 00:10:00,880 Speaker 1: it to his wall, and then we left as fast 153 00:10:01,080 --> 00:10:05,280 Speaker 1: as we could. I remember getting to her home, collapsing 154 00:10:06,360 --> 00:10:09,120 Speaker 1: on a couch or something. Dawn told me she never 155 00:10:09,160 --> 00:10:12,240 Speaker 1: wanted to go back. There was no sign of the 156 00:10:12,280 --> 00:10:15,120 Speaker 1: maintenance man the night Dawn and I went over, but 157 00:10:15,200 --> 00:10:18,680 Speaker 1: I knew he was still around. Sometimes we'd be on 158 00:10:18,720 --> 00:10:21,559 Speaker 1: our deck, and we'd see him outside working in the yard. 159 00:10:22,320 --> 00:10:25,280 Speaker 1: When I returned to the Hamptons the following summer, I 160 00:10:25,400 --> 00:10:28,800 Speaker 1: noticed something strange at the house next door. I would 161 00:10:28,840 --> 00:10:31,360 Speaker 1: see the maintenance man out on the property doing his 162 00:10:31,480 --> 00:10:36,080 Speaker 1: usual work in the backyard, but Ike karsh Coough was gone. 163 00:10:37,280 --> 00:10:39,600 Speaker 1: I would never see him, or his wife, Becky, and 164 00:10:39,600 --> 00:10:44,040 Speaker 1: the Hamptons again. There were no more summer parties. It 165 00:10:44,160 --> 00:10:48,960 Speaker 1: was as if they had simply disappeared. And that's when 166 00:10:48,960 --> 00:10:51,720 Speaker 1: I learned that everything I had thought i'd known about 167 00:10:51,760 --> 00:10:56,600 Speaker 1: my neighbor was wrong. It's it's a wild story. That's 168 00:10:56,720 --> 00:11:00,200 Speaker 1: the maintenance man, the guy who came to our war 169 00:11:00,280 --> 00:11:03,160 Speaker 1: with the press clippings, the guy we saw working around 170 00:11:03,160 --> 00:11:08,760 Speaker 1: the yard. That was Marty Markoitz, the same guy who 171 00:11:08,760 --> 00:11:11,920 Speaker 1: had first gone to see Dr Isaac Hirstkoff as a 172 00:11:12,000 --> 00:11:22,280 Speaker 1: patient nearly thirty years earlier. That was just a preview 173 00:11:22,400 --> 00:11:25,000 Speaker 1: of The Shrink next Door. To listen to the rest, 174 00:11:25,320 --> 00:11:28,840 Speaker 1: subscribe to The Shrink next Door on Apple Podcasts or 175 00:11:28,880 --> 00:11:30,439 Speaker 1: wherever you're listening right now.