Every Single Day

Thursday March 24th, 2011 - Fox Lake, IL

   It takes a truly rare breed of human animal to thoroughly enjoy being famous and all the strains that go with it. We’ve all dreamt of walking down the red carpet at the Oscars with cameras flashing and screaming fans begging for autographs. That actually might be fun!

   Fun for how long though, maybe a half hour tops? And, dreams can easily be turned on and off in the mind instantly and at will. True fame cannot, and people become prisoners of it depending on their individual personalities. Some are better equipped mentally for it than others, but eventually even the best of the best have to get sick of always being ‘on‘.

   Technology doesn’t help either. Today being famous is a 24/7 gig, with no time off for good behavior. Paparazzi are squatting in the driveway waiting to snap pics of celebrities taking out their garbage these days, and I don’t think I’d ever enjoy that, however big of a ham I might be. I’m actually more of a bacon slice, one little piece usually takes care of it.

   It can be flattering to be recognized in public, especially when the person is a fan. I just had it happen a few days ago when I went to get a haircut. I got a sandwich afterward and the lady behind the counter had seen me at Zanies. When I first walked in she stared right at me and locked in her gaze. It was odd. I thought maybe my haircut looked extra goofy.

   I made my order, and we joked back and forth a little, and it was only then she asked if I was a comedian at Zanies. I asked her if she thought I looked funny and she launched into “My husband and I couldn’t stop laughing. We think you’re the funniest guy EVER!”

   I thanked her and meant it, and that made everyone else in the restaurant turn and gawk at me while I waited for my sandwich to be made. I’m sure nobody else probably had any clue of who I was, and that makes it even more awkward. I smiled and waited, but I could totally feel eyes on me as I picked up my food and went and ate it. It was uncomfortable.

   After I was done eating I made sure to make eye contact and smile and wave on the way out. Usually I carry pairs of free tickets with me for Zanies but of course I didn’t have any with me that day, nor did I have a copy of my ‘Hard Luck Jollies’ CD either. I usually do.

  That particular situation I handled well though, and I could tell by the look on the lady’s face she really did recognize me and in a positive way. I was nice to her and really meant it, and I made a point of acknowledging her before I left. I wanted her to feel appreciated.

   I’m not even close to being what could be legitimately called ‘famous‘, and I wouldn’t be able to begin to imagine what it must be like to be someone truly known like a Charlie Sheen or a Lady Gaga. Whether I like them or not, they’re about as recognized as it gets.

   Who was the most famous person of the 20th Century? Elvis? Michael Jackson? Hitler? Muhammad Ali? Richard Simmons? Carrot Top? Whoever it was, I bet they were sick of getting asked to sign autographs every time they walked out in public. I know I would.

   The reason I’m bringing any of this up at all is, believe it or not I get a healthy share of hate mail on a semi regular basis. I can’t believe why I’d matter that much for anybody to want to dash me off a nasty note, but apparently there are some restless souls out there.

   I’m not talking about those I may have had run ins with in the past for whatever reason, I’m talking about total strangers taking time to seek me out and send me emails telling me in lurid detail just how much my blog sucks and that I should stop writing it immediately.

    There’s usually some form of the statement “I read your blankety-blank little diary every single day and it’s SO blankety-blank terrible it makes me puke…” Really? Terrible I can handle, that’s an opinion and you’re entitled to one. But, you read it “every single day?”

   Am I over at your trailer forcing you at gunpoint to do that? Not “every single day” I’m not. Not once a week or once a month. Not ever. YOU are the one who CHOOSES to put yourself through the self torture of reading it that often, so I can’t say I feel any sympathy.

   Do I think I’m some self important hotshot writer now? Not in the least. I don’t claim to be a writer at all actually. I’m a journeyman road comic, still out here hacking out a living after a lifetime of dumb mistakes and rotten breaks. And - I’m a whiner, a kook, a student of humanity, but most of all I’m a dented can cataloging the events of my life. That’s it.

   I don’t claim to be better than anyone else, or even that my opinions are right. I just take a few minutes every day and jot down what I’m feeling, warts and all. I do it for me, and I don’t think about who reads it or if anyone even reads it at all. It‘s a daily exercise for me.

   Hopefully I can help aspiring comedians and entertainers in general both now and after I’m dead have an idea they’re not the only ones out there struggling or getting their teeth kicked in by idiots and scumbags. This is a difficult business, and not many will ever talk about what a grind it can be. I want to let the curious know what it’s like from the inside.

   Truth be told, I wanted this to be the comedy version of Jim Bouton’s book “Ball Four”, of which I’m still a huge fan. He spoke of what it’s like to be a major league ball player, something a lot of people want to do but never get the chance. The same is true with life on the road as a comedian. People think they want it but have no idea of what it entails.

   So, if you’re one of those who read my ramblings “every single day” and hate it beyond words, I’ve got two well chosen words just for you - PISS OFF. I couldn’t care less if you don’t like my diary or even if you don’t like me personally. A lot of people don’t like me, and it’s always been that way. The good thing is, a lot of others do, and that’s my saver.

   I don’t claim to be perfect, and never have. I don’t even claim to be good at writing this diary, even though I’m into my sixth full year now. I just want to have something to show for my time on this planet after I leave it other than an abused corpse filled with red meat and sugar, and a lengthy line of creditors searching for some mysterious stash of cash I’ve managed to hide from everyone. Sorry, it’s not there. All I have that’s really mine is this.

Posted via email from Dobie Maxwell's "Dented Can" Diary

Pendulum Upswing

Wednesday March 23rd, 2011 - Fox Lake, IL

   The pendulum was swinging in the good direction today, and I love when that happens. I felt myself on a bit of a slide there, but only briefly. Now I’m definitely on the upswing, and it’s time to plow ahead and get to work. This is the time to put in maximum effort.

   I really am delighted I got the call from the club manager in Michigan yesterday. That’s a major deal, as I thought that situation was severed forever. When I’m wrong, I’ll freely admit it but that wasn’t one of those times. I feel vindicated getting back in there and I’ll go in and light it up when I do go back. That’s one of my favorite clubs in the country.

  What amazes me is how clearly the message is that I needed to learn those lessons I did from all this. It was a nightmare while it was happening, and caused me to lose those who I thought were friends, but it also taught me how to conduct myself business wise and not ever have to let it happen again. Even getting embezzled was a lesson, and I see that now.

   Am I still pissed off at those who did it? I thought about that honestly today, and I have to say I don’t even think about them anymore. I have no feelings at all. It was exactly like when I heard of my father’s death. The damage was done, but I wasn’t thinking of him at all so it had no reaction. Not at first anyway. I feel the same with this. I don’t really care.

   I guess that’s a lesson in itself too. No matter how bad someone gets scorched, the cure for it is to just move on and let time heal it. I admit I was pissed at all those people while it was going on, but now they don’t mean a damn thing. If I saw them, I’d ignore them.

  Surrounding myself with quality people is the answer, and there are enough to make life wonderful. I’m refusing to waste my time with bung holes, and I’ll enjoy the company of the good ones and focus on building something with them. That’s my choice, and I like knowing I have a say in the matter. I can hang out with good people if I want, and I want.

  I had the pleasure of hanging out with two today. The first was an old radio partner from my past named Mark Napoleon. Mark and I worked in Kenosha in the same building I do The Mothership Connection at a country station in 1999. He was my traffic guy or at least that’s the company that paid him to be there, but in reality we were partners on the show.

  Mark is very funny and still can be heard doing traffic all over Chicago radio. He’s been one of my very favorite people since we worked together, and I’ve always wanted to work with him again in some capacity. We hadn’t seen each other in a long time, but made time to get together today. It was like we’d never been apart, and we hung out for three hours.

   After that, I went to visit another friend Rick Piccolo out in Algonquin, IL. Rick is great because he is getting back into comedy later in life and really enjoying it. He’s like a little kid and I love that kind of passion. He took me out for a late birthday meal, and I couldn’t be any more grateful for friends like Rick and Mark and so many more. They get it, and if I have to suffer through this life, these are the kinds of friends I want to have joining me.

Posted via email from Dobie Maxwell's "Dented Can" Diary

Apology Accepted

Tuesday March 22nd, 2011 - Fox Lake, IL

   Just when I thought I’d seen and heard everything, I get a phone call today that surprises the hell out of me - but in a good way. It was a club booker calling to apologize. To me of all people. I can’t say I ever remember that happening, so I’ll count it as a major positive.

   It all had to do with the nightmare fiasco I had to endure with that slithering oil can flim flam man who convinced me to teach him how to teach comedy classes so Jay Leno could endorse my course. He said he wrote for the Tonight Show and I stupidly swallowed it.

   What a naïve bumpkin I was, and he totally scammed me to the bone. We taught a class together in Michigan, and it was actually quite successful. We had 17 people and it was a blast, even though I did the teaching part and the other goof just nodded his coconut head along with everything I said and went “Uh huh…uh huh.” He was completely useless.

   Without drudging up all that pain, he ended up going behind my back and snagging that club for his own, telling the manager who called me today I wasn’t interested in doing the classes there. That was never the case, and it ended up becoming a sore spot immediately.

   I tried to explain my side of the story but the manager didn’t want to get involved. He’d been friends with the comedian who screwed me over for years, and he assumed I was the bad guy in the whole mix. I ended up not getting booked at the club for years, and it left a very bitter taste in my mouth. But - I let it go and moved on, figuring I’d lost this battle.

   Well, lo and behold I get a call today from the manager offering me a week of work and apologizing for the situation and how it all played out. Apparently there was a falling out between those two, and a lot of things surfaced that caused a complete change of heart.

  I gladly accepted the apology and reassured the club manager I was never angry at him - and I wasn’t. It was the knob shine who went behind my back and said I didn’t want any part of the classes anymore. That was uncalled for, but he never thought he was wrong.

   Funny thing though, he’s been burning bridges all over the country lately. I can think of at least four other bookers he’s had run ins with, and every one of them have told me of it as it has happened. This is only the latest, and I have to say none of it makes me feel sad.

   It even escalated at one point to having Jay Leno call me on the phone. I said I shouldn’t have been stupid enough to think Jay Leno would endorse me or my little old course, but that’s exactly what the guy promised. Then Jay asked me for the guy’s name. When I said it, it didn’t ring a bell. That really sealed the deal. I knew I’d been scammed by a shyster.

   I was delighted to get the call today. I love working that club and am glad to be back in good graces. I’m sorry the manager had a falling out and I can’t figure out what this goof is trying to prove. He’s a mediocre comic at best, and now is resorting to ‘teaching’ for a way to scam money. I’m not perfect, but I’m not that. Hopefully this can all go away now

      But, I must say it was all a tremendous lesson - even though it was and still is extremely painful. I really did learn a lot, and I’m going to choose to take that from it rather than let myself get bitter and give up. Yes, I got screwed. Hard. Without dinner, flowers or a kiss.

  However, it showed me quite a few things I was doing wrong and I’ll never do them that way again. First off, I was stupid to trust some drifter who came out of the blue and made me an offer that was too good to be true. I fell for it, and assumed he was being sincere.

   Second, I undervalued my product. I’ve worked for years to polish my class lesson plan over and over and over yet again, always trying to improve myself and my material before each class session. I genuinely care about my students, and I would never ask any of them to do something I wouldn’t do myself. I work just as hard as I would expect a student to.

  Most of the other comedy teachers I’ve seen are just in it for the quick buck. Not all, but the vast majority I’ve seen definitely are. I have always been a disciple of Gene Perret and give him credit for his methods of joke writing. He’s the king and always will be, but he’s a writer and focuses on that. I have a more broad based course with performing skills too.

   Thankfully, the one thing nobody can steal is my passion. No matter how many of these wanna be wank poles try to horn in on my comedy classes, NONE of them will ever come close to how much I try to give to my students. My methods may be a little unorthodox to say the least, but the ones who’ve gotten it over the years say it was a thrilling experience.

   That’s what I want to continue, and help spread laughter and creativity to more than just those who want to be comedians. That’s a hard gig, but a lot more common folk could get a lot more laughs if they would focus on doing that. I want to contribute that to the world.

   I remember there was that guy dressed in black with the hat that taught guitar lessons in a course he sold on late night TV. I don’t remember his name, but I remember wanting to get the course and start playing the guitar. I still do. I won’t get invited to join Funkadelic, but that doesn’t mean I can’t have fun and fart around in my spare time playing a guitar.

   I think comedy can be sold in the same way. People need and want to be funnier, and I can offer a simple fun course plan to accommodate every level. That’s a very noble goal and something that will make the world a better place. As corny as that might sound, I’m in. The classes have been such fun over the years, I know they can help a lot more people.

   Thirdly, this whole thing taught me about dealing with people in a business situation. If I have a good idea, and I think I do, nothing is stopping anyone from stealing any or all of it and trying to put me out of business. It’s up to me to put out the very best product I can.

   Between that serpent and my ex partner who embezzled all the money from the classes, I’ve learned a lot of the same lessons others in show business have had to lose a lot more than I did to let it sink in. I got off easy, and I have totally learned from it all. Bitterness is a natural reaction, but it won’t change anything. I choose to dust off and move forward.

Posted via email from Dobie Maxwell's "Dented Can" Diary

Kenosha vs. Hollywood

Monday March 21st, 2011 - Kenosha, WI

   It’s amazing how much of my life has been rooted in Kenosha, WI in the last few years. I never expected it, but I can’t say it’s a bad thing. I like the town and have made a lot of good friends there between having the radio show on WLIP and being part of the crew of director Mark Gumbinger’s film projects. I feel comfortable hanging in town. I enjoy it.

   Plus, it’s very easy to get to from where I live and it’s halfway between Milwaukee and Chicago and I have business in both cities. I could easily see myself living there for a long time and not regretting it in the least. It’s centrally located and easy to navigate the town.

   I’ve never been one to climb any social ladders. If I like someone, I like them no matter where they live or who they are. That’s not the way it works in Hollywood, which is why I didn’t last out there. I made friends with a lot of people who were struggling like I was, so that wasn’t the way to advance my position. I ran out of money and had to leave town.

   In a perfect world, I’d have gone back there and still be there now. I’d have found a way to survive, and maybe even hit on some script idea. It’s hard to say, but I did know people out there and they’re now becoming the next generation of Hollywood. Mark Roberts is a brilliantly creative comic mind and he’s an example of someone doing very well out there.

   Mark is a rare breed who can both perform and write. He’s been in all kinds of shows as an actor, and he’s terrific. But, he’s as good or better behind the camera. He’s right where he belongs, and deserves all the success he’s getting. I’m not claiming to be in a league of a Mark Roberts, but he does know me and had I stayed out in L.A. longer, who knows?

     Billy Gardell is another example. He’s a great guy and has worked extremely hard to get to where he is, and I’m thrilled for his success. There are quite a few others I’ve met over time who are also doing well like John Riggi, Jimmy Pardo and of course Drew Carey. I’m happy for all of them, and they each made a lot of sacrifices for a long time that paid off.

   Quite frankly, I didn’t do that. I chose to leave town when my money ran out and return to Chicago, as that’s where I could earn a living. I gambled on radio several times and got scorched each time. It is what it is, but that’s why I never ended up going back out to L.A. In my mind I always intended to, because I love it out there. I just haven’t had the chance.

   Now, I’m in a whole different position. I just want to salvage a good life and have fun at this point. If I went back out to L.A., I’m a different person. I’m not as hungry now, and I don’t want to live like a cockroach all over again. I wouldn’t expect to just show up and have the people I know give me a job. They earned their positions, and I didn’t. True fact.

   What I have attained is a spot in the crew of Mark Gumbinger and his network of talent. It might not be big time, but they’re fun people with real talent, and I’m proud to be a part of the mix. Mark called a meeting at his house tonight to brainstorm his next project and it was a lot of fun. Whatever mistakes I made in Hollywood, at least I’m part of this group.

      Life eventually becomes a matter of what’s realistic. Hopes and dreams are great, but as time passes the immensity of vision eventually shrinks to fit the circumstances. I never had time to dream as big as I should have, because I was always too busy trying to survive and pay my bills. I know I wasn’t the only one to have had to deal with that, but it was a drag.

   Now is not the time to be bitter about it though. I could sit here and dwell on it but that would only fester and rot and do nothing positive whatsoever. That’s how life played out. Tough noogies. Maybe I was a mega star in a past life or a parallel universe, but here I’m a run of the mill schmuck who never really found a stride. I’m still out here slugging away.

   The time frame I’m dealing with is a lot smaller now. Who am I kidding? Even if I do hit it in the next little while, I’ve got a lot of hard road miles on my carcass from chasing all of this for so long. And I don’t know how much punishment it can withstand. I need to get in shape and stay there. I’ve pissed away my youth and sooner than later I’ll be paying for it.

   I want to do something great in my life and always have. The clock is really ticking hard  and for the first time, I hear it. I used to be that young buck with my whole life in front of me. That isn‘t the case anymore. I woke up one day and all of a sudden I was out of time.

   The big question is - what exactly IS this greatness I think I seek? I used to think it was ‘hitting it big’. Well, that definition is different for everyone. In effect, I did hit it big in the radio business when I got hired to do mornings at The Loop in Chicago. That’s a big time station, and radio people were and even still are impressed. Not everyone gets to do that.

   My problem was, I didn’t get to STAY doing it. If we were still on the air, I bet I’d have saved a quarter of a million dollars by now. Between the radio salary and comedy gigs and I’m sure I would have kept teaching classes too, I’d be sitting on financial easy street now.

   For whatever reason, that’s just not going to be the way it is in this lifetime. Again, I can sit and bitch about it or I can keep slugging and salvage the best I can with the equipment I have left to mine what I can out of the rest of my life and avoid being bitter about what I didn’t get. That’s very easy to do and I’ve seen way too much of that to know it’s a trap.

   I’m not going to be Mark Roberts or Billy Gardell or especially Drew Carey. This isn’t a negative statement, it’s simple fact. Those guys went out to L.A. with sky high hopes and dreams and stayed there. Woulda, coulda, shoulda, but I didn’t. I can’t expect to head out there now and catch up for lost time. I chose what I chose for whatever reason, so be it.

   That doesn’t mean I can’t have fun though. It also doesn’t mean I can’t build a business right here in the Midwest. I know I can teach people who want to learn about comedy and I’ve proven it hundreds of times. Maybe that’s my way of salvaging some kind of a life.

   I’ve got a lot of my plate right now, and it’s time to play it out with careful thought. I’ve pissed away a lot of years, but I have a lot of experience too. This is probably my last shot to really hit anything of note. It’s late in the game and if I’m going to win it, it’ll be soon.

Posted via email from Dobie Maxwell's "Dented Can" Diary

Rethinking Radio

Sunday March 20th, 2011 - Kenosha, WI

   I feel like I’m drifting again. Damn. How does that happen? One minute I feel I have life and its complex mysteries figured out and everything is going smoothly. The next I’m in a funk trying to locate the exact spot it all came off the rails. Right now, clues are scarce.

   I thought I was on a straight and steady path for a while there, and I totally was. I was in an upbeat mindset and ready for adventure. After this past weekend, I feel like I’ve wasted my entire life and want to donate my organs to someone who can use them and check out.

   There’s a fine line between being productively busy and completely overwhelmed. I may have accidentally tiptoed over it, and that’s why I’m feeling the way I am. I’m not exactly sure which side of that line I’m on right now. Big dreams are great, but we all have limits.

   My main problem is even though I’m getting better all the time, I’m still not up to where I need to be when it comes to both organizational skills and focus. I bounce back and forth between projects and as situations arise to occupy my time and attention, I get distracted.

   There’s a real trick to delegating tasks, and I haven’t mastered it yet. Up until recently, I wasn’t able to do it at all, so there is significant improvement. I’m in the middle of giving a test run to several people to see what comes back. I know everyone is different, so it’s my responsibility to make sure I communicate what I expect and see if the others can deliver.

   I’m sure I’ll be happy with some, disappointed with others and surprised either way with surprises I didn’t expect. I chose a wide variety of people to ask for help, and have gotten a wide variety of responses in return. It takes time to get everything into place, and it feels like everything is all over the place. That’s where I am now, and it feels like I’m drifting.

   One of the projects that’s really a crapshoot is the Mothership Connection radio show in Kenosha, WI on AM 1050 WLIP. It’s been on over three years now, and even though I’ve had to keep changing co-hosts the show is sounding better than ever - no thanks to me.

   The current crew is really doing the job, and I’m delighted. All of them started either by being guests or in my friend Shelley Maas Hernandez’s case, just coming out to watch the show and see how it worked. She had so much fun I offered her a free pass to come back anytime she wanted. She did, and now she’s a co-host and runs the show when I’m gone.

   She does a more than satisfactory job, and sounds great along with both Greg DeGuire and my comedian friend Gary Pansch. Greg is a true expert on several paranormal topics, and adds a level of credibility even I don’t have. Gary adds to the mix too, and we have an absolute blast on the air together. I keep things loose, but they don’t need me to be there.

   They do fine, and Shelley is great at lining up guests every week. That’s something I had no desire to do, but was a necessary part of the job. It’s running smoothly now, but the big issue is how can we turn a buck? Fun is fun, but I don’t have time to keep investing in this.

Posted via email from Dobie Maxwell's "Dented Can" Diary

A Brutal One Nighter

Saturday March 19th, 2011 - Bloomington, IL

   Talk about both sides of the spectrum. Last night was about as fun as a one nighter gets, tonight was exactly the opposite. That doesn’t usually happen on back to back nights, but being Mr. Lucky often has side effects that don’t happen to anyone else. This was brutal.

   The venue tonight was called the Tree House in Bloomington, IL. There’s been comedy there in some form for decades. I remember working it at least a dozen times over the last twenty years, and have had mixed results. Sometimes it’s been fine, other times pure hell.

   The actual setup isn’t bad at all. There’s an elevated stage and nice seating area with no poles or bad sight lines in the way, and the sound system has been workable. The lighting is terrible, but that’s better than having bad sound. In theory, this could be a good venue.

   Unfortunately, they haven’t figured out a way to make it work just yet. This wasn’t the Tree House I remembered, and I could see trouble brewing as soon as I walked in. There was loud rap music playing with disgusting X rated lyrics, and the people were mouthing along with the words which is a bad sign. It felt like a gang hangout, and I didn’t like it.

   Showtime was 8pm, and by 7:55 there were 12 people there for comedy - all sitting in the back row. Nobody was there to seat them, and I could smell trouble. There were also about 20 people at the bar in the rear of the room, about half of them white trash boozers who were loud and obnoxious. When the show started, they were talking to the comics.

   Whomever was to host the show didn’t show up, so a potential comedy student went up and tried to fill in after a short debriefing. He was there to maybe do a guest set, but not a hosting job. He was very green and had no clue as to what to do, but that wasn’t his fault.

   The feature was a very nice young kid out of Chicago named Jay Washington. He tried to do his best, but the hillbilly mafia wouldn’t stop talking and that makes it very difficult especially for a newbie. I give him kudos for hanging in there, and he did his whole time.

   As for me, I’ve been around way too long to put up with any lip from drunks. I went up and immediately confronted the situation and threw gas on the fire. I told him to shut his toothless pie hole or the show would be over. He wouldn’t, so I got off stage until he got thrown out. It was awkward for several minutes, but eventually all of them staggered out.

   I’m sure the bartenders and staff were pissed, but I wasn’t going to fight those imbeciles for 45 minutes, especially when they didn’t pay to see the show. I don’t think anyone had expected there to be a confrontation, but it absolutely worked. The 12 people were great.

   I ended up doing a full show, and those people laughed hard and were a fantastic crowd, or reasonable facsimile of a crowd. I actually had fun performing for them, but afterwards I realized even more I need to stop doing these lowball one nighters. No amount of money is worth having to expose myself to this kind of aggravation. This was a waste of energy.

Posted via email from Dobie Maxwell's "Dented Can" Diary

A Fun One Nighter

Friday March 18th, 2011 - Frankfort, IL

   Tonight I was back in Frankfort, IL at a place called ‘CD&ME’. Why they named it that is still a mystery, as is why they decided to do comedy shows in the first place, but they’re sweet people so I keep saying yes when they ask me to show up. They respect comedians.

   It’s booked by my fellow Jerry’s Kidder Ken Sevara, and he’s really put a lot of his own sweat equity into it to get the room going. Frankfort is about as far south as it gets when it comes to Chicagoland suburbs, but Ken lives there and it’s a place for him to call his own locally. It’s a smaller version of the old pro wrestling territories. Ken claimed Frankfort.

   I think it’s actually a tree nursery or something, but they have a large building with a bar and balcony and large dance floor area where the shows are held. The owners are about as nice as club owner types can get, and they’ve at least supported Ken since he started this a few years ago now. It’s gotten better with time, and people do come out to enjoy comedy.

   From where I live it’s almost a full 100 mile one way trip and really not worth my while financially or career wise, but the people are so nice I can’t resist saying yes. Ken treats us all very well and at this point I can have my pick of weeks whenever I want to work there.

   If nothing else, it’s a great place to work out new material. I’m usually able to grab their attention in the first minute, and I can take them anywhere I want after that. I want to give the audience my very best and also Ken and the owners for having me. I’m very grateful.

   Unfortunately, grateful doesn’t pay the bills. The gig is what it is, and even though it’s a fun time, the pay just isn’t there. Plus, now it’s a Friday so unless I can tack on a Saturday somewhere, it’s difficult to take it anymore on its own. It becomes a matter of economics.

   I worked tonight with a kid named Pat McGann. This kid is going to be big time, and he is just getting started. He’s a good looking Irish kid from the south side who’s father is an alderman or judge or someone with influence. I didn’t ask, and it’s none of my business.

   He hasn’t been doing comedy long, but he’s got all the tools to have a big time career in some kind of show business, and I’m happy for him. I never had what he has on stage and off, so there’s no reason to be jealous. Plus, he’s a nice kid and has a good work ethic too.

   Pat did a fine job opening for me, and I brought it home with a solid set. My friend John O’Brien drove all the way down from Wilmette, and he’s seen me countless times before. He’s always been a huge supporter, as has his wife Gail. How can I not be blown away by that? John had nothing but great things to say, and when I came off stage he was smiling.

   “Now THAT’S a professional.” John said. What a nice thing to say, and I appreciate the fact he knows how difficult comedy really is. He’s a former student and has done comedy on and off for many years now, so he knows the inner workings. Saying what he said and how he said it made me feel great, even if nobody else in the whole place had half a clue.

   What sets CD&ME apart from regular comedy one nighters is that they hire a music act to play after the comedy shows are finished, and make it an evening of entertainment for a single cover charge, and I think it’s very smart. They are located out in a remote area so it makes perfect sense to want to keep the customers in one place for as long as they can.

   This week’s music act happened to be my friend Dave Rudolf, and I’m thrilled. Dave is a super talent and an even better person, and I was the one who suggested he come out to see a comedy show a while back so hopefully he could get hired, and that’s how it went.

   I love it when I can hook good people up, and this was a perfect match. Dave lives very close by in Park Forest, IL, and this wasn’t a far ride at all. Having work close to home is a real treat on many levels, and everything just fell together without a glitch for a change.

   That being said, I noticed Ken seemed a little upset when I arrived. When I asked what was bothering him, he told me another comedy show was coming to a steak house up the road, and not only that quite a few of the comedians he’s used for years are working there.

   This is becoming more and more typical these days, but I don’t like it. I’m all for people working, but in some cases there isn’t enough for everyone and I think this is it. Nobody’s debating the steak house isn’t allowed to start a comedy show. That’s not the issue at all.

   What’s at steak here is the territory. Frankfort isn’t that big a town, and is probably only a one night a week area. Putting two there will very likely kill off both of them in a short time, and then nobody will be there. That’s bad for comedy, and they should know that.

   Unfortunately, there’s no requirement for smarts when it comes to starting up business ventures, and they’re going to do what they’re going to do. Ken has invested four years in his room and has really done a nice job with it. The new gig is being booked by a person neither Ken nor I particularly like personally, and that’s going to make it extra irritating.

   I do agree that the comedians should have at least called Ken and let him know they had taken work at the new place. Etiquette in the old days said that’s exactly what to do. It’s a courtesy, and depending on the situation doesn’t necessarily mean they can’t do both gigs.

   In a bigger city, I don’t think it matters at all. A person can work all the clubs in a town back to back to back, and it won’t make a difference. Smaller venues in smaller towns are different, and if a place does comedy first the comedians owe the bookers at least a call.

   Pat McGann happens to book a very nice gig at the Raue Center in Crystal Lake, IL. I’m booked there in April, and another club close by asked me to perform also. It’s on another night just like this gig in Frankfort, but out of respect I called Pat to ask about their rules.

   Pat said they preferred I not work the other place, and that’s fine I can understand trying to build a draw, and it wasn’t a problem. I told the other guy, and he understood. End of a potential problem. Comedy is a very delicate undertaking sometimes. This is an example.

Posted via email from Dobie Maxwell's "Dented Can" Diary