Tinkerbell?No, I don’t plan on changing my name to Esther!
He’s a two-time U.S. National Figure Skating Champion, his nickname is “Tinkerbell,” he’s expected to shine at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino, he thinks Paris Hilton is a riot, he’s a 20 year old Catholic and he’s totally into Kabbala. Salon interviwed Johnny Weir about all this and more. Weir is actually pretty funny. Here’s what he had to say about Kabbala:

You practice Kabbala.

Yes. My string actually fell off while I was up here, so I’m purged of all my negative energy …

While you were where?

My string, my red string that I wear?

OK.

It fell off while I was in New York, so it means that I’m purged of my negative energy.

So, while the string is on it collects negative energy and when it falls off you’re free?

Yeah. And the red string kind of saves you from other people dissing you. It kind of saves you from the evil eye, is what the story says. It sort of collects your evil energy, and then when it falls off you’re done. But then I put another one on just to be safe after. So it’s a cycle, but when it comes off it’s a nice feeling, like a weight’s off your shoulder or something. It’s weird …

So it’s like a karmic muffler?

Yes.

That falls off when it’s full?

Really.

So, what do you get from Kabbala, and do you plan on changing your name to Esther in the near future? [Madonna changed her name to Esther after she began studying the Kabbalah.]

No, I don’t plan on changing my name to Esther! But, um, I’ve always had a big interest in the Jewish faith, and I was raised in a Catholic family, and my mother would like it if I stayed Catholic and that sort of thing … Judaism is just something that stuck out to me, and a friend introduced me to Kabbala actually before Esther started doing it … It’s about living your life as a good person and trying to be the best person possible and not worrying about what criticisms might come your way, and at the same time not criticizing other people for their shortcomings. For a while I was getting a big head about how good I was becoming and what was going on with me, and it just sort of helped me stay centered and that sort of thing. You know how you tie a string around your finger so you can remember something? It’s like that. You have a string tied around your wrist and when you look down you see it and you think, “Oh, well that was really mean what I just said.” It makes you kind of realize what you’re saying and how you’re acting.

Esther’s gotta be a better nickname than Tinkerbell! And yes, the red string in the photo is yet another BAD photoshop job.

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ck

Founder and Publisher of Jewlicious, David Abitbol lives in Jerusalem with his wife, newborn daughter and toddler son. Blogging as "ck" he's been blocked on twitter by the right and the left, so he's doing something right.

9 Comments

  • Tinkerbell. I like that…

    I think I’ll make myself a kabbalah name too. I mean, I am Jewish. And that sure sounds like a free pass into the whole kabbalah thing for me.

  • Tinkerbell is Paris Hilton’s dog. No way I’d choose that name. I have the coolest Kabbalah name ever…Madonna. She took my name, I’ll take hers. It’s only fair…

  • K, but see, the whole Disney theme’s the coolest ever. I’m going to be Sebastian because it sounds exotic and cool. Or maybe Belle cause that’s also foreign and she’s the hottest Disney character after the Beast himself (but I can’t really go with Beast). Of course, when it comes down to just names Aladdin is probably the sexiest sounding one, but eew–he has pillow hair.

  • He sure looks like a Tinkerbell.
    Especially with those hips!
    Jeez, is that really a dude?

  • D, I agree thats either a 12 year old girl, or some estrogen filled man, dude needs some shoulders… I would want a Powerful Kabbalah name, like A wizard name, with some Jewishness 2 it…. like Merlinberg

  • P.s. I have a super Kabbalah tip for the world.. one of themost powerful rituals, known…….

    DON”T SPEAK LASHON HARAH!!! Evil eye will go away

  • All he needs is a nice plate of meat’n’potatos every day and a good workout, he’ll be a man in no time. Right now he looks more like Oksana Baiul.