Sunday March 4th, 2012 - Chicago, IL A friend in need is a friend indeed. What a relief. Just when I thought I was caught in an unpleasant financial pickle, along comes Zanies Comedy Club to save the day. I’ve been a good soldier for them for too many years to count, and days like today are the reason why. Bert Haas called way too early in the morning for comedy bookers to be calling, but I’m extremely delighted he did because he was loaded with nothing but pleasant news. He had a last minute emergency need for me to fill in as the emcee at Zanies in Chicago tonight. Not only that, there were two shows instead of just one because of a charity event being held by a private party at 5pm. Not only THAT, apparently I had forgotten to get a couple of checks for other shows I had filled in for and another one for teaching comedy classes. My eyes lit up like I’d won the lottery, and I started dancing around the hotel room with the reckless abandon of a white man with nobody watching. It wasn’t good dancing, but it was done with the utmost sincerity. Once again, Zanies had bailed me out of a tight jam. I can honestly say I would never have been able to make my living as a comedian for as long as I’ve been doing it without all the ongoing steady help and support from the Zanies family from Chicago to Nashville. Bert Haas and Brian Dorfman have thrown me work at times I’ve really needed it, and this was yet another example. Grateful? I’m beyond that. They’re the extended family I never had. The owner Rick Uchwat knew how to treat his people, and had a knack for bringing out loyalty like I’ve never seen before. Jay Leno was a Zanies guy back in the day, as was Jerry Seinfeld. And Richard Lewis. And many more. It’s easy to blow off one’s past contacts when major success is achieved, but those guys never did. Even after they were famous, they still came back to play either Zanies itself or some larger venue with ‘presented by Zanies’ on the posters. I’d hoped to do that myself. When I had my radio job at The Loop, Rick signed me to an exclusive deal and paid me more money than I’d made before in hopes of making me a draw like Leno or Seinfeld or Richard Lewis. It was the same kind of deal Danny Bonaduce had, and he used to jam the clubs as his popularity in Chicago grew. I was being groomed to be another drawing card. Then when I got fired and my world exploded, Zanies kept booking me like they always had before, and they didn’t have to do that. They knew I was hurting, and made sure I had work through my toughest times. That has continued steadily since, and today it happened yet again. Nothing is so sweet to an overboard cruise passenger as a life raft approaching. Thank you Rick Uchwat. R.I.P. Thank you Bert Haas. Thank you Brian Dorfman, Thank you universe. You threw me a bone when I needed it most. This small bit to many will be like a fortune to me, and carry me through this rough money stretch I’m having. I enjoyed every minute of both shows tonight, and don’t take anything for granted. I caught a break.
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