We recently caught up with medical doctor Neil Ratner, who recently released his book ‘Rock Doc’ -where he talks about his experiences working with some of the worlds greatest entertainers -including Michael Jackson, Pink Floyd, T-Rex and others. He also talks about what he would like the readers to take away with them after reading this book. Here is what he had to say:
Hi Neil, nice to meet you and congratulations on your new book Rock Doc. How long had you been working on it, before it was released?
Seriously for the last five years although I had written some stories as far back as 2002
Was it is easy to gather all the information of your different experiences over the years?
Some of the experiences I was able to remember as if they were yesterday whereas others I had to reconstruct, from isolated memories.
Your most talked about client was when you first started working for the King of Pop, Michael Jackson. How did this come about?
I met Michael when I was his anesthesiologist and both a close friendship and a professional relationship developed from there.
What is one of your fondest memories with him and what was he really like as a person?
There are many great memories but probably my fondest was spending the afternoon with Michael, his kids, Nelson Mandela and his family. Michael was kind, generous, had a great sense of humor and knew how to be a very good friend.
There were lots of different theories about Michael and what went really wrong near the end of his life. What do you think it was and do you think he was around the wrong people?
In my opinion Michael was a broken person after the child molestation trials and as a result very unhappy. Again, in my opinion he was being pushed too hard to do too many concerts -and yes, he wasn’t careful enough about the people who he chose to work with.
Who else did you work with that you mention in Rock Doc?
Edgar and Johnny Winter, Rick Derringer, Emerson Lake and Palmer, Pink Floyd, Three Dog Night, T-Rex and quite a few others
What have you learned the most about your occupation over the years and what has been your most rewarding experience?
Some of the most important things I have learned in life is not to give up, be true to yourself and try give back to those less fortunate.
What would you like readers to take away with them, when they read Rock Doc?
Life can be much more than doing the same job your entire life. Follow your dreams, believe in yourself and don’t let others tell you what you can and can’t do.
To order a copy of ‘Rock Doc’ go to: