June 27, 2024

Living the dream with author and artist Debra Cohen

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In this episode of "Living the Dream with Curveball," Curveball interviews artist and author Debra Cohen. Debra shares her incredible journey from being a rock and roll musician to becoming an author and spiritual seeker. She talks about her conversion to Judaism, her struggles with drugs and depression, and her eventual path to healing and self-discovery. Debra also discusses her new book, "Jewish Palestine, Arab Palestine: A History of Conflict," and her passion for music, including her latest single releases. Join us for an inspiring conversation about resilience, faith, and the power of following your dreams.
Please be sure to follow, rate, review, and share this episode to as many people as possible.
www.debracohenmusic.com
www.debracohenbooks.org

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00:00:00.560 --> 00:00:36.774
> Curtis Jackson (also known as DJ Curveball)>Welcome, um, to the living the dream podcast with curveball. Um, if you believe you can achieve Chee Chee, welcome, um, to the living the dream with Curveball podcast, a show where I interview guests that teach, motivate, and inspire. Today we're going to be talking to artists and author Deborah Cohen.

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> Curtis Jackson (also known as DJ Curveball)>Deborah converted to Judaism, you know, she studied in Israel. She is an independent artist. She was a school teacher.

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> Curtis Jackson (also known as DJ Curveball)>You know, she's done a lot in her life, so we're going to be talking to her. Uh, she just became a nonfiction author as well, so gonna be talking to her about everything that she's up to. So, Deborah, thank you so much for joining me today.

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> Deborah Cohen>Well, thank you, Curtis. You're quite the gentleman. You've got a very nice voice.

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> Curtis Jackson (also known as DJ Curveball)>Well, I appreciate it. Why don't you start off by telling everybody a little bit about yourself?

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> Deborah Cohen>Well, thank you to your listeners, and it's a delight to be here. I am located with my husband in beautiful Tampa Bay, Florida area. We moved here seven months ago as baby boomers looking for the perfect place to live. We've been all over the US, and, uh, this just speaks to our hearts as we get into our golden years.

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> Deborah Cohen>So, yes, I've had many, uh, careers in my life. I wanted nothing more than to be a rock and roll chick and started out at 22 years old in Boston in a new wave band in the eighties, uh, opening up for Joan Jett. And that was the highlight of my band days until I got caught, or should I say captured in the party wagon, because there was just all kinds of free drugs for people and bands. So, you know, I just got caught up in that scene. And, uh, Joan Jett obviously did not because she's still going strong. You go, girl. But, yeah, I took a backseat to drugs. And, uh. But the good news is, that's when I found God, because I never really paid attention to God until I was dying.

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> Deborah Cohen>And that's what happens maybe to a lot of people, you know, when you feel like you're losing your mind because you got a bad batch of LSD, uh, all of a sudden, God, nobody else could help me. I promised him, if you let me live, I'll serve you well. He let me live.

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> Deborah Cohen>Uh, but I had to get myself all fixed up first because I was in the middle of a messy, uh, annulment. And, uh, we left the band, and I decided to move to Nashville. And I'm leaving a lot of this out because there's a lot of detail for a short time. But, you know, I got into a let's see from there. In the nineties, it was a blues band.

00:03:09.524 --> 00:03:35.204
> Deborah Cohen>And, um, got the blues band together. We placed, uh, out of 16 bands, we placed, I think it was third or fourth out of 16 bands after we'd only been there for seven months. So I thought, yes, this is it. Happiness. I have a second chance. But then I fell into a funk after that and ended, uh, up at the doctor's being tested for depression.

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> Deborah Cohen>But the doctor gave me a pen and pencil test, our, uh, pen and paper test. And, um, I did not test for depression, even though I was at the point in my life where I didn't want to live, I didn't want to wake up, because this black cloud followed me for days and I never knew when it was going to leave me. Uh, so anyway, I went, started going to church from there because I was brought up Catholic. And, um, you know, we just went out of duty. But I wanted to branch out after I moved down south and started going into pentecostal churches. And, well, you can raise your hands and do all kinds of things, sing to your heart's delight, and you lose the structure and anything goes, you know. And it was musical and I just loved it. But, uh, that just was like the tip of the iceberg for my joy. So I wanted to get more of this elation experience. So I went to Israel 99 to study the Bible.

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> Deborah Cohen>And that is where I discovered that Jesus was a jew and so were most of his disciples. I had never in my whole life heard that Jesus was a jew. And so I started asking the obvious question. Wait a minute.

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> Deborah Cohen>If Jesus was a jew, why doesn't he teach Torah? Because that's the book of the Jews that Moshe Rabbeinu taught. That is the million dollar question. And nobody could answer that question.

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> Deborah Cohen>Well, you know, no. And I'm, um, the one of those people that ask a lot of questions.

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> Deborah Cohen>So, you know, I get the higher ups mad at me, not intentionally, but because I ask obvious questions. How can you follow somebody that doesn't teach what they taught?

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> Deborah Cohen>You're following somebody that died. And 60 years later, the disciples came up with this Brit Hadasha book, you know, New Testament thing.

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> Deborah Cohen>Jesus didn't teach from the New Testament?

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> Deborah Cohen>Oh, uh, no.

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> Deborah Cohen>This woman's asking too many questions.

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> Deborah Cohen>So I decided I couldn't learn anywhere. The Jews wouldn't accept me at that point because I was still a Christian. And, uh, I studied Torah on my own with Rico Cortez. He's a phenomenal teacher online. Anybody can find him.

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> Deborah Cohen>Rico Cortez will help you to cross over. And I don't mean cross over all the way.

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> Deborah Cohen>Like the word Hebrews means crossing over, but because he's messianic, which means he still believes in Jesus. But I went all the way to Moshe Rabbeinu and converted to Judaism because that's where my spiritual path is. I was actually a jewish soul born into a gentile body in a catholic family. Now, uh, grab ahold of that and think about it for a minute, because it was quite an interesting ride, and the best is yet to come. Because now, thanks to my husband, I got married when I was 62. Now I can live the dream because I don't have the day job in the way. I was a postmaster, um, on Bailey Island. I thought my job would make me happy.

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> Deborah Cohen>I was not happy doing that. I started drinking too much. So then, of course, when I did not get signed by a record label when I was in Nashville, because I was told I was too old to get signed, I'm like, oh, my God, I've waited for this all my life, and this guy just put a dagger in my heart. I'm too old.

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> Deborah Cohen>Oh, well, I guess I'll go back to college and, uh, what can I do now? I'm too old. Let me think. Uh. Oh, I know. I'll be a public high school teacher. I'll do that. So I went to Tennessee Tech University in Cookeville and graduated in 2005 at 50 years old with a teaching degree in Esol and hated the next ten years of my life and ended up with PTSD triggers. Oh, my gosh. I had to leave because I was turning into a basket case, even though my principal, since assistant principal, said, you know, I know what your problem is on the annual review that all teachers get in public schools. And he said, I know what you need. I know what your problem is. Hang tight. Okay, so I'm thinking, oh, uh, what's. What's he. Is he going to fire me? Because that's the fear that you won't get asked back another year. He said, no. He said, you have PTSD. I'm like, wait a minute, I have PTSD? I thought I got treated for that when I was sexually molested by my stepfather at 13. I went to years of counseling for that.

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> Deborah Cohen>What do you mean I have PTSD? Well, I forgot about the triggers. Can come back at any age. He says, but I've got the cure for you.

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> Deborah Cohen>I want you to go to your doctor and get some antidepressants.

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> Deborah Cohen>He says, most of my teachers are on them.

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> Deborah Cohen>And I promise you, nobody, nothing will bother you if you take antidepressants. And I thought to myself, you know, I've already been down the road with drugs, and I see where it took me. I'm not going there. I'm going to resign and spend the rest of my life. And this was at, ah, 2015, fixing myself. And so I became a yoga teacher in Florida and lived in an rv full time to enjoy nature and had a wonderful time, even though it goes on and on. I found out I was ill with Lyme disease, and that would take another hour to talk about, but anyway. And I was healed at a praise service in Ulyss, Texas. Texas? Wait a minute. I thought you said Florida. Oh, yes, I was in Florida.

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> Deborah Cohen>But after going to school for aromatherapy for a year, it just wasn't happening for me anymore. I needed to grow, so. And I was lonely at 61, so I thought, you know, the country seems to be, uh, upside down right now. Where can I go? So if the USA caves in, I still have a fighting chance. It's Texas. Texas, that's it. I'll go to Texas. So I hooked up my f 150 and my 33 foot rv and drove across country, parked myself in Fort worth, and then shortly after that, I went to a praise and worship service in Ulyss, and I got healed from Lyme disease right then and there, right before I met my husband, and I met him at a synagogue. And it was love at first sight because he wears tie dye shirts, and I love tie dye. So we got married in 2016 after our second date, and we've been happily married now for seven years now back in Florida. And I just finished writing my first book, so how's that, Curtis?

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> Curtis Jackson (also known as DJ Curveball)>That is great. And you are definitely a good announcer, and you announced everything. Hopefully, with this book, you do an audio version and you narrate it.

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> Curtis Jackson (also known as DJ Curveball)>Tell the listeners about that book and why you decided to write it.

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> Deborah Cohen>Okay, well, you know, after the October 7 massacre in Israel in 2023, I developed an intense spiritual burden for Israel.

00:11:21.484 --> 00:13:09.094
> Deborah Cohen>And it felt like, um, I don't know, it's, you know, this kind of a burden is for anybody in your life, especially if you're following God. God will ask you to do things with him, because you can partner with God. When you spend time with him and walk with him and talk with him and sing with him, study with him, and all those things, all of a sudden, you start becoming much more spiritually attuned and sensitive to why you're on this planet. And so I thought, oh, this feels like a God thing. I need to do something with this burden. I'm so troubled for Israel. Well, how can I help people? It seems like the college students all over the world hate Jews all of a sudden, again, after the Hitler thing, and they hate Israel and they're blaming Israel for the fate of the Palestinians. And wait a minute, I just saw a documentary called birth of a conflict, and that's not what people are saying. They're saying something different. Let me look into the UK archives and find out about these secret documents that were recently discovered by a scientist that had been hidden for 60 years. And they came out, and this documentary came out in 2022. So I decided to put it in book format because a lot of people don't know about the documentary. It's easy to read. I made it very easy. So, because I was confused. I mean, you hear all this propaganda stuff and you're like, what's the truth? You don't know what it is anymore because the masses are talking about pro hamas, a terrorist organization. Why are we supporting a terrorist organization?

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> Deborah Cohen>So, um, it's available on Amazon, and it's easy to read. You can get it on Amazon or audible.com. just do a Google search and make sure you spell my name right, Debra. And the title of the book is called Jewish Palestine, Arab Palestine. A ah, history of conflict by Deborah Cohen. Because we need to know what really happened. Documented facts, historical facts that were uncovered that explain how Israel became a statehood and why the Palestinians did not. And when you read the book, you're going to find out Israel is not to blame.

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> Curtis Jackson (also known as DJ Curveball)>All right, well, I know that, uh, you have a home recording studio now, and are you putting out any music? Let us know about it.

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> Deborah Cohen>Well, okay. Now, I decided after I ran out of money, you know, paying all of these recording studios to record albums, it took forever on my teacher's salary, because everybody knows that schoolteachers and policemen don't get paid enough to live on. So I had to learn how to record myself. And I had a very dear friend. His name is Angel Recha, and he taught me how to do, uh, recording with Logic pro X and my iMac.

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> Deborah Cohen>Of course, the kids, all the kids now can do it, because when I was in the classroom, the kids knew how to use all the recording stuff better than I did.

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> Deborah Cohen>It just seems natural for any teenager today to get the phone out or whatever and record. I had to learn how to do my own recording, and I decided to release singles because, you know, I don't want to put out an album that takes a year.

00:15:16.158 --> 00:16:11.124
> Deborah Cohen>This is like, especially during COVID nobody was touring. So how am I going to stay out there? Uh, I will record a single a month and put them out there depending on what's going on in my life. So my discography is like a life story, which is why, actually, I have my own podcast called a story and a song where I talk about how each song came about. So I released them on united, uh, masters distribution. You can find the music anywhere, anywhere that streaming music is found. Um, the latest one, I got involved with this book, you know, like I said, in, uh, right after October 7, 2023. So I haven't put out a single for a while, but the latest one was this land, my home.

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> Deborah Cohen>And it's about the scriptural promises that God, the God of Israel, the creator of the universe, made to the children of Israel that this land that we're fighting over with the Palestinians and whoever else is promised to the Jews. But don't despair and don't get in the huff if you're not jewish, because God promised land to the Arabs as well and every other tribe in this world. The problem is, in this world, we don't read the Torah, so we don't know where we're supposed to be located on which land, but in the Bible, it clearly tells you, and I mention it in my book, Jewish Palestine, Arab Palestine, a, uh, history of conflict. So if you are fighting with the Jews, actually you're fighting with God. So let's get my book in your hands and help to change your mind. So at the end of your road, you'll have to answer to the white throne, and he's going to ask you, wait a minute, you had a chance to get it right and you decided to keep supporting terrorism?

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> Deborah Cohen>I wouldn't want to be in your shoes.

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> Curtis Jackson (also known as DJ Curveball)>Well, tell us about any upcoming projects that you have that the listeners need to know about.

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> Deborah Cohen>Oh, Curtis, you're so nice, and you just let me do all the talking. Um, well, you know, if anybody has written a book after you write the book, this is the first lesson I learned, because I am a new author on what a champagne tastes with a beer budget, so to speak. Well, if you write a book and you just put it out there and you think the book is going to sell itself, you're dead wrong. So, again, starting back in October 2023, I was putting out a song a month, and all that got put on hold so I could work on this burden in my heart. This book that came out maybe a month ago, and so now I'm being consumed with the time it takes to market this book marketing, and it takes gobs of time.

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> Deborah Cohen>So I want to get back to recording my song a month, because how do I get my songs? Uh, they come to me in dreams. I've been dreaming music ever since I was in Nashville in 94.

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> Deborah Cohen>I have got a paper bag full of cassettes at that time because I wake up in the middle of the night when I hear the song.

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> Deborah Cohen>If I'm ambitious and don't want to go back to sleep, yes, I have lost several songs because I was too lazy to get out of bed. So I sing into my phone, and then when I have time, I create the song from the dream music.

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> Deborah Cohen>Well, I've got this overflowing bag of cassettes and now phones with music that I heard in my dreams that I need to record.

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> Deborah Cohen>So I'm hoping at some point I'll be able to get back into the recording studio, but I really don't know, Curtis, when that's going to be right now.

00:19:31.663 --> 00:19:43.763
> Curtis Jackson (also known as DJ Curveball)>Okay. And as far as letting you do all the talking, the show is all about my guests and telling their story and getting their stuff out there. Give out that website so people can keep up with everything that you're up to.

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> Deborah Cohen>Yes, absolutely. I've actually got two websites. And again, I. Curtis, you're very gracious.

00:19:49.650 --> 00:19:59.082
> Deborah Cohen>Thank you for your time. My music website is deborah cohenmusic.com, and I have to spell it because I don't want you to get it wrong.

00:19:59.218 --> 00:20:05.089
> Deborah Cohen>Dash dash o dash h dash e n music.com.

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> Deborah Cohen>and my book website is Deborah Cohen books with an s.org.

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> Curtis Jackson (also known as DJ Curveball)>All, uh, right. Deborah cohenbooks.org and Deborah Cohen Music M correct. Close us out with some final thoughts. Maybe if that was something I forgot to talk about, that you would like to touch on and just see any final thoughts you have for the listeners?

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> Deborah Cohen>Well, you know, um, let's see. Did you like to talk about the books and, um, motivation, inspiration? Okay. Well, inspiring things like, in the beginning was the word, and this world was created with wisdom. And in the busyness of life, we can't help in this day and age in the microwave society of running the hamster wheel. I even have a song brewing about being on the hamster wheel. I remember m being in bumper to bumper traffic, feeling like, you know, I'm on the way to a job meeting, and I'm like, oh, my gosh.

00:21:16.296 --> 00:21:21.644
> Deborah Cohen>And I used to sing the song by Peggy Lee. Is it. Is that all? Ah, there is.

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> Deborah Cohen>If that's all there is.

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> Deborah Cohen>If that's all there is, my friends, then let's keep dancing.

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> Deborah Cohen>Let's bring out the booze and hats. Uh, if that's all, uh, there is. Oh, my gosh, what a sorry song. But I used to sing it when I was in the car, feeling like I was on a hamster wheel. And I thought, oh, uh, there's gotta be a better way to life than just this. Working, working, working. Trying to afford to keep your head above the water.

00:22:03.773 --> 00:22:15.534
> Deborah Cohen>Well, you know, we are a spiritual being in a physical outer shell. So when you look at me, you're not looking at me. You're looking at my garment.

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> Deborah Cohen>But inside is the spirit.

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> Deborah Cohen>Everybody has this spirit. Everybody has light within them. But they have to decide if they want the light to shine forth before all men and women, or if they want to snuff it out and walk in darkness. And yes, I, uh, used to love the nighttime. I lived for the nighttime. In my early twenties. I loved playing at the rat in Kenmore Square, Boston. It was full of darkness and drugs and loud marshall stacks, but. And that satisfied, actually, a part of my life big time. But guess what? If you keep living. I never thought I'd live to be this old. I'm going to be 70 in November. I'm like, oi, Vavoy. Uh, what am I going to do? You had best be starting to take care of yourself now. Because if you do live, as long as I'm here, you're gonna wish you did a better job taking care of yourself. In your twenties, when I used to take black beauties to be skinny and my lunch was a cup of coffee and a Snickers bar, well, that will catch up with you. And all of a sudden you get older and you got these aches and pains and all this other stuff. Unless you're like cherry, who's still gorgeous. But guess why? Yes, some of it's genetic, but it's really about money.

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> Deborah Cohen>So take care of yourselves.

00:23:42.473 --> 00:23:47.814
> Deborah Cohen>Work with what you have. Don't compare yourself to anybody else. That's a trap.

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> Deborah Cohen>You are beautiful just the way you are.

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> Deborah Cohen>And if you look in the mirror and you say, no, I'm not beautiful, then you've got some work to do. Because the goal of each and every one of us is to feel good about what life has dealt to us and to make the best of who you are while you're here on planet Earth.

00:24:13.003 --> 00:24:23.183
> Curtis Jackson (also known as DJ Curveball)>Nice hype. Energetic interview, ladies and gentlemen. Be sure to go to deborah coingmusic.com and debracoingbooks.org.

00:24:23.884 --> 00:24:39.193
> Curtis Jackson (also known as DJ Curveball)>follow rate review share this episode to as many people as possible. Pick up a book, check out her music. Check out everything. Deborah Cohen if you have any guests or suggestion topics, please send them, um, to Curtis Jackson 1978.

00:24:40.374 --> 00:24:54.640
> Curtis Jackson (also known as DJ Curveball)>Net please jump on your favorite podcast app, hit us with a follow leave us a review and share this episode. Once again, thank you for listening and supporting the show. And Deborah, thank you for joining us.

00:24:54.781 --> 00:24:56.663
> Deborah Cohen>Oh, my pleasure, Curtis.

00:24:57.523 --> 00:25:05.756
> Curtis Jackson (also known as DJ Curveball)>For more information on the living the Dream podcast, visit www.djcurvefall.com.

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> Curtis Jackson (also known as DJ Curveball)>until next time, stay focused on living the dream. Dream.