In 2003 I ended up getting a side job as a customer service rep for a fan club agency (most famously known for The Whitney Houston Platinum Club). It was one of my three jobs at the time. I worked in two other restaurants,.. one being California Pizza Kitchen in Union Square, and the other… a quirky 24 hour graveyard gig at Sparky’s… a diner near the Castro in San Francisco. I lived in a walk in closet of a studio off of Geary and Larkin in the Tenderloin District for $447.83 a month. I’m still not sure HOW I got a kids bunk bed in that closet, but by the power of cheap swedish furniture and willingness, I had succeeded in creating a home.
In the daytime I’d answer phones with “Thank you for calling the Whitney Houston Platinum Club” , “Thank you for calling the Melissa Etheridge Information Network”, “Thank you for calling the Kenny Loggins Club” and so on and so forth. It paid 10 bucks an hour, and to me that was good enough. My primary responsibilities were getting fans their tickets, their meet and greets, and setting up their travel packages. It was an eccentric job, one that I soon quit my other jobs for. Over the months I got promoted to CS manager, and ended up sticking around while others came and went.