Turkey Shmurkey

By: Jonathan Jones 11/28/2012

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By Dobie Maxwell – www.dobiemaxwell.com

   I had an especially enjoyable Thanksgiving this year if I do say so myself. Those of us who are what I refer to as ‘dented cans’ can tend to dread the holidays, and quite frankly I’ve been one of them since childhood. Many comedians come from the worst of broken homes, and that’s part of what gives us the motivation to endure the insanity of show business. It’s surely not a cakewalk.

It can be even more daunting without the support of a family unit. I’ve never wanted to subject a wife and especially children to the instability of that lifestyle, and I’ve chosen to go it alone for that reason. Comedy and entertainment is in my blood. I’m a ‘lifer’, and I recognized that early.

Holidays come and go, and some are lonelier than others. It’s about family, and I’ve never had a strong family bond. That’s just how it is, and I know I’m not the only one so I just remain quiet and try to be thankful for the good things I do have. Every day is Thanksgiving in my life circle.

That being said, I received an invitation this year to attend a ‘guy’s night out’ Thanksgiving at a friend’s house who is also an entertainer. He knew a couple of other gentlemen that had nowhere to go, so we all got together to enjoy some guy time. There was plenty of football on a ridiculously big screen TV, and fantastic albeit nontraditional food which included piles of fresh shrimp and humongous New York strip steaks.

After dinner, we lit up giant cigars and watched a Three Stooges DVD someone brought over. Then someone brought out a brand new Led Zeppelin DVD and we watched that. I love women, don’t get me wrong. But this was the best Thanksgiving I can remember. Tradition is extremely overrated in my opinion. This was an absolute blast, and we were all thankful. Turkey shmurkey.