Memories of Dr. Mark Birnbaum

Dr. Mark Birnbaum (1952 - 2023) was a ragtime pianist, teacher, recording artist, composer, Joe Franklin Show regular, and beloved New York East Side character.

I was Dr. Birnbaum's student and friend from 2004 to 2014. I have attempted to compile here a comprehensive collection of material pertaining to him— his compositions, recordings, and performances; journalism and documentary content concerning his life and his art; and my personal recollections of him. If you have any materials to contribute to this site, please contact me.

All photos in this section are by Kelly McKay except where otherwise noted.

In addition to being my piano teacher, Doc was also my friend. He appreciated my eccentricities, and offered me invaluable advice over cigars and his favourite quaff, Château Neuf du Pape. After lesson, I often visited with him and his beloved tortoise, Monty. A little stuffed goat often rested atop the piano lid; I called him Reggie.

Doc had a truly unique style. His sartorial sense evolved over the years I knew him but was always distinctively Doc, with a wardrobe comprising exceptional pieces culled from Manhattan's vintage clothing stores. A stunning tattoo adorned his left arm.

Consistency

Doc had a very firm policy regarding lesson cancelations— he did not permit them. You could reschedule with adequate notice, but not cancel. I came to see the benefit of this stricture. The weekly lesson must be a commitment and a priority; a student who does not honour this contract is unlikely to progress. I place a high value on consistency in all my undertakings, and I impress the importance of regular attendance on all my own music students.

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Monty

In 2005, Doc took in a small tortoise whose owner was neglecting him. Doc called him Torty, Torty-Monster, Torty-Mongrel, &c, but I called him Monty. To see Doc with Monty was to see Doc at his sweetest. He lavished Monty with affection, tending to his every whim, feeding him, stroking him, bathing him. Monty had everything for which a tortoise could want— a heated rock, a box on the terrace, a towel, and a gift bag to inhabit under the piano.

Monty was a tortoise of great musical discrimination. When he* heard something he liked, he rocked his front legs back and forth, bobbing his head from his shell. Although Monty was often shy in the presence of company, I am so fortunate that he considered me a friend. He often was out of his tank when I came for my lesson, and he was happy to let me pet him, sometimes even rocking in approval.

*We presumed Monty to be a "he," but we didn't really know. It's equally possible that Monty was a "she."

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Reggie

I took an immediate fondness to this small stuffed goat who appeared one day atop the lid of Doc's piano. Seeing him there always summoned up images of Pan, playing his pipes and partaking in wild woodland orgies. It took me several weeks to come up with a suitable name for him; finally I suggsted we call him Reggie after Reginald Kenneth Dwight, and the name stuck.

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Lucifer

I was never aware of this gorgeous tattoo until one night when we were playing at Thady Con's Jockey Club and Doc took off his jacket. I was as impressed as I was surprised when this elabourate portrait of Lucifer was revealed.

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Come Together

I started taking drum lessons in the summer of 2012. Always generous with his time, Doc agreed to perform a duet with me at my first drum recital. We rehearsed at my home and in a studio in preparation for the performance displayed above. In addition to polishing up our recital numbers, my fellow drum student Zoe Rosenberg and I took advantage of the rehearsal studio time to have some fun jamming with Doc.

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Doc's Guac

In 2010 I had a business that sold guacamole at street fairs and a local bar. Doc once appeared at my street fair booth, attracting curious tourists and natives alike with his flamboyant feathered hat and extreme platform boots. I reproduce below a story from Doc's Guac's now-defunct website.

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