Q&A

A commitment to continue practicing optometry means getting the required CE to maintain our accreditation. Thankfully, much of these hours can be obtained at the several multiple-day optometry-themed meetings that offer both stunning exhibit halls (the latest in eyewear, ophthalmic equipment and medications) and after-hours events designed to enable us hard-working O.D.s to unwind with our colleagues and friends.

One of my favorite ways to chill out from long days of CE is to check out the almost-all optometrist cover band, “Bad Habits: Eye Docs of Rock,” who have been playing together for roughly 30 years! (See: http://bit.ly/2rQhPbR ) They make me want to dance (and drink)!

All five of the band members know how to put on an excellent show, with four of them equally as skilled at refraction and diagnosing and managing eye disease! I met lead singer, Michael “Jules” Raies, O.D., more than 15 years ago, and I have enjoyed the band ever since. Accompanying Dr. Raies: Pat Dollenmayer, O.D., Tony Fenton, O.D., Dr. Bob Glass, O.D., and Mark Schindler (a district sales rep for Roland US, a music technology innovator), who, as you’ll read, is a patient of one of his bandmates. As Jackson Brown sings, “Doctor My Eyes.” Enjoy!

Jack Schaeffer, O.D., F.A.A.O.,
Editor-in-Chief
O.D. Scene

O.D. MUSICIANS WEIGH IN . . .

PAT DOLLENMAYER, O.D., TONY FENTON, O.D., BOB GLASS, O.D., MICHAEL “JULES” RAIES, O.D., AND MARK SCHINDLER.

Q: HOW DID YOU BECOME INTERESTED IN MUSIC?

PD: I received, as a gift, my first record player at age three. I vividly remember my mother putting on the first record for me. Since then, music has surrounded me constantly. I still own that record, along with thousands of other records I cherish to this day.

TF: I grew up in a family of musicians, so there was always music around. My father and all his siblings are, or have been, in bands all their lives. My grandfather and grandmother were in bands also. That fostered my interest in music.

BG: I loved music since I was a kid. I started playing piano on my own at age 10.

MR: I’ve been singing and performing on stage since I was 6 years old. I started playing violin and piano in grade school, and I also sang in my high school show choir, as well as in local variety shows.

Q: WHY DID YOU CHOOSE YOUR INSTRUMENT?

PD: My brother first started playing the drums, and we wanted to form a band.  We were into classic rock n’ roll and the most obvious instrument for me to learn was guitar, since I didn’t even know what a bass guitar was, and keyboards just didn’t seem “cool.” We started a band, just the two of us making up songs using just three chords that I learned from a Mel Bay instruction booklet. 

TF: I played tenor saxophone throughout high school and into college, but switched to drums when I realized there’s not much need for a sax in most bands. 

BG: There was a piano in my house, so that was the only choice.

MR: I just decided to teach myself to play the bass guitar when I was in high school and college. Not sure why I chose that instrument.

Q: HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN PLAYING YOUR INSTRUMENT?

PD: I began at age 14, but didn’t become serious about it until age 16.

TF: I picked up the drums around age 13, but didn’t get serious about it until I met these Bozos.

BG: My parents tried to get me to go for accordion lessons when I was 12, so that’s when I started. The teacher was mean, so I quit after two lessons and proceeded to learn by ear on my own.

MR: Since 1982.

Q: WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SONG TO PLAY AND WHY?

PD: I don’t have one, but I end up having a favorite song for the night, and it is whichever song the crowd seems to enjoy the most.

TF: My favorite song is “My Own Worst Enemy” by Lit. It is a more contemporary song, has a good rockin’ beat and, most of all, I sing it!

BG: I don’t have a favorite song; I love all kinds of music.

MR: One of my favorite songs to perform is “Sweet Caroline,” by Neil Diamond. It’s my favorite because it’s a crowd favorite!

Q: HOW IS BEING A MUSICIAN LIKE OPTOMETRY?

PD: Every time I enter an exam room, I feel like I am “on a stage.” I have a job to make that person happy and to use my knowledge and experience to maybe help them in a way that no one has been able to before. While singing and playing, I’m judged for my abilities to bring happiness as well, and “share” my years of practice with the audience.

TF: The correlation between being a musician and an optometrist personally is that I really enjoy both. It’s quite a dichotomy: optometrist by day, rock star by night!

BG: To me, music is nothing like optometry. Music requires me to use a different part of my brain and a whole different skill set. I enjoy the diversity.

MR: Both involve putting on a performance. That may sound strange to say that we “perform” for patients, but we do have to make a presentation to them, and we must make them feel comfortable, confident and happy with what we present. I try to win patients over, just like I try to win an audience over at a show.

Q: HOW DO YOU THINK BEING A MUSICIAN HAS HELPED YOU IN OPTOMETRY?

PD: No question, a comfort of being in front of people and knowing how to connect with that audience. You can’t sing the same song to every crowd. Communicating with people is “reading” them and knowing how to form that connection or bond.

TF: It has allowed me to meet lots more people in our industry. I can usually tell a fellow O.D., vendor or rep that I play drums in “Bad Habits: The Official Eye Docs of Rock,” and they have either seen us play or have heard of us. I hope that’s a good thing . . .

BG: Music has had no influence on my practice and vice versa. It has, however, expanded my horizons and made me a more well-rounded person.

MR: One of the biggest benefits of playing music for 30 years with Bad Habits has been the friendships I have gained with so many people in our profession. I have so many connections with fellow O.D.s, as well as business leaders in the industry. Also, I think optometry has helped me as a musician/performer too. Our profession has given me access to an audience I’m already connected with, and that makes our shows so much more fun for both the audience and the band!

Q: WHAT IS YOUR MOST MEMORABLE STORY ABOUT PLAYING?

PD: We opened for Eddie Money at a fair-type event. As he exited his tour bus, he said, “I need to meet and shake the hand of the guy who sang ‘I Feel Good’!’ That guy, was me, and I felt validated as a singer for the first time ever.

TF: A pretty girl asked me if she could have my sock. I gave it to her and thought, “I’ve made it! She wanted my sock for a souvenir!” After the gig was over, the girl returned with the sock. I thought, “She must want me to autograph it.” Turns out she needed it for a scavenger hunt. I was so crushed.

BG: In middle school, I was in a band, and it was laughed off the stage. In high school, the same kids who laughed at me wanted to be my best friend because the band I was in became the most popular in the area.

MR: The first time we played at the Hard Rock Café New York for Vision Expo East. Seeing our name in lights on the marquee all weekend, plus having a capacity crowd at the event is unforgettable.

Q: WHAT IS THE BEST EYE MEETING PARTY YOU PLAYED AND WHY?

PD: Any that have been in warm climates when it’s cold in Ohio.

TF: I like Vision Expo East because it’s in New York City; East West Eye Conference because it’s at the Rock N’ Roll Hall of Fame; SECO because they gave us our first big break; and Vision Expo West because, well, it’s Vegas, baby!

BG: SECO because it was my first show with the band.

MR: We’ve had great gigs at SECO, Vision Expo East and West, the Vision Source Exchange, the annual AOA meeting and the East West Eye Conference. (What’s better than performing at the Rock N’ Roll Hall of Fame?) OM