Another Car Wreck

Wednesday December 3rd, 2008 - Milwaukee, WI

Joy and pain - like sunshine and rain. Those are words from a song by Frankie Beverly and Maze and I’ve quoted them before. Too many times in my life I’ve had days where it goes from one extreme to the other and today was yet another. It’s an emotional yo-yo.

The up parts were very good. There’s a woman I’ve talked about before that I’ve known for many years and she keeps drifting in and out of my life for whatever reason. She’s had a rough road of her own in many ways and today was her 40th birthday. That’s a big one.

She really does have a good heart and she’s very smart and funny and still looks great at 40. She’s got three kids and tries to be a mom and also hold down a job too. There’s a lot of pressure in all of that and I just wanted to take her out and treat her for her birthday so I came up to Milwaukee early and we went out and had a nice meal. She really enjoyed it.

She’s Italian and likes wine so I bought her a bottle and got her a card and just tried my best to make her feel special on her birthday. Who doesn’t want to have someone do that? I know she appreciated it and that’s all I wanted. It feels good to make others feel good.

Then tonight I did a show at a place called the BBC for a guy named Art Hinty. Art is a fantastic guy who is putting together shows for Milwaukee comics who are not embraced by the ‘mainstream’ if indeed there is a mainstream in Milwaukee. I highly doubt there is. I could never find it anyway. All I found were cheap drunk idiots who didn’t like comedy.

I’m sad to say it still seems to be that way. Art worked his ass off trying to promote this show and it was a really great concept in my opinion. His theme was ‘Celebretards’ and it was supposed to be all the comics’ takes on celebrities however they chose to approach it.

He put together a power point presentation with videos and it was extremely well done. I met a whole crew of new Milwaukee comics who are going through the same pain in the ass and other places as my generation of Milwaukee comics did. Nothing has improved. It made me sick to see how small the turnout was but it made me proud to see the new crop.

There were several times during the show where I laughed out loud and that’s not a very easy task at this point in my comedy journey. I’ve seen a lot and even if I like it I’ll nod or smile but to laugh out loud takes an extra kick but quite a few times tonight they got me.

I went up at the end of the show and did about 15 minutes because there wasn’t a crowd other than comics by that point but they were a great audience. It’s an honor to know I’m looked up to by these people because they’ve heard my name and most of the lore that has surrounded my name in comedy circles through the years. I felt like they all respected me.

I told them from the stage how much I appreciated them and how difficult it is to get an ounce of support from anyone local and how it’s always been like that so not to take any of it personally. I told them I was proud of them all and I am. They’re the next generation.

After the show we sat around for a while and just talked comedy for a while. Art is very funny himself and he loves comedy and wants to develop a group of Milwaukee talent but there just doesn’t seem to be an interest from fans to make a comedy scene and that reeks because it’s my home town and I’ve always wanted to have a hot scene to come home to.

That’s never happened and I doubt if it ever will. Milwaukee comedians are the bastard step children of the arts crowd. Polka bands and cribbage tournaments get more play and that’s just how the town thinks. Comedy is not a priority in Milwaukee and that’s a fact.

San Francisco is a great comedy town. So is Boston. Seattle and Minneapolis are pretty good and even Detroit has a very fine group of comics and fans. Austin, TX is very good too as is Louisville, KY. That’s where I recorded my first CD and I still love going there.

I just wanted to take all the young comics under my wing after the show and tell them to hang in there and how proud of all of them I am and I really am. They’ve got my support because I know how difficult it is to get laughs in Milwaukee. That’s why I moved out.

There is a bright future for Art and his crew. I told them I’d come back any time and I’ll also hopefully stay in contact with these guys and try to help out or at least support all of them in any way I can. It was fun to see faces light up when they knew who I was. I could really feel their respect and I loved every second of it. I’ll more than help them in return.

All that was a big high and I decided I was going to treat myself to a barbecue from my favorite barbecue place in the world Speed Queen barbecue on 12th and Walnut. That’s an awful neighborhood but the food is so good it’s worth risking a stray bullet to get some.

Many years ago I had my car stolen there when I stopped to get my grandmother a meal on her 85th birthday. I was only inside for a few minutes but when I came out my car was long gone. I went back inside and ate because I’d already paid. Sorry about that Grandma.

I was going to go through the drive through window and was turning left on 12th Street when out of nowhere a car came and t-boned me on the passenger side rear door. BANG. Just like that my car was totaled and I never saw it coming. The two people in the other car were teenagers and they got out of the car and fled the scene. That was a big red flag.

My car also hit another lady’s SUV as she was trying to leave the restaurant. The police didn’t get there for over an hour and it was freezing cold and I sat there wondering what it is I keep doing to get myself in situations like this. I didn’t even get to have any barbecue.

It turns out the car appeared to be stolen and the two kids who fled probably weren’t the real owner(s) and I was once again left holding the bag. That’s a bag I’m sick of holding but what else can I do? I have insurance and I hope my rates don’t go up but who knows?

I have no clue anymore. All I know is I lost a great Toyota I paid a fair price for and I’ll have to scour the auction on Saturday hoping to find another solid deal. I hope I can do it.