The Real Deal

As I mentioned in my last post, I had to catch a plane hours after the AK show and hightail it to Milwaukee on no sleep. I had three days to enjoy the beer, the brats, the kooky family, the overflowing cups of coffee and overly friendly waitstaff.

Yep, that’s right: THREE whopping days!

That’s a lot for me. Last time I went back to Milwaukee was for my high school reunion, two years ago. I was a total douche and missed the plane — the day before Thanksgiving — and had to wait TWO DAYS to catch the next flight out of Barcelona. When I finally got to Milwaukee, I had… ONE full day before I had to go home again. I spent more time on the plane than in Milwaukee!

This trip was nothing like the last one. Problem-free, and these 3 days were an absolute luxury! All the flights were punctual, no one got sick, no one died, not one plane crashed, and I got back just in time for last Monday’s show. How could I complain?

The best part of the trip was seeing my Uncle Bobby. I’ve always loved being around him because he’s one of the happiest people I’ve ever known. You never see him in a bad mood, he never has an unkind word to say about anybody, and you just feel good being around him.

Uncle Bobby’s always had a naïve, childlike quality that you hardly ever find in adults. His apartment is filled with weird souvenirs, toys, and musical knicknacks, such as his infamous Heidi Fleiss musical portrait.

When you consider that he’s spent his life as a courtroom lawyer — rubbing shoulders with the lowest of criminals, scumbags, and cynics — and I’m just talking about the lawyers! – ZING! — the fact that he’s maintained such a positive outlook on life is all the more amazing.

You know how people always joke about musicals — how fake they are, because no one in real life ever just bursts into song and starts tapdancing in the middle of a conversation? Well, these people have never met Uncle Bobby. Ever since I can remember, he’s found ways to work a show tune into a conversation when you least expect it. It’s like the world is an empty stage, just waiting for us to jazz it up and turn it into a show. I mean, why the hell not?

His smile says it all. It’s the kind of smile that makes you feel absolutely loved and happy.

Some of us go through a phase — usually when we’re dumb teenagers — when we think being an asshole is cool. Uncle Bobby has always taught me otherwise. He’s the real deal.