Comedian Max Dolcelli joins host Rich Stein

  Max Dolcelli is a man who has had to claw and fight for anything he ever had in life.  Born in Liguria, Italy the first son of a ship builder, he lost his father when he was but five years old but under him were a 3 year old sister and a baby brother. Life got immediately harder as mom couldn’t raise three young children without a job so Max and his sister went into a catholic orphange and mother moved in with Grandma with her infant and they would put one foot In front  of the other to cope with the loss of the husband, father and breadwinner.  Fortunately for Max and his little sister after six months they were rescued from a torturous place where Max was made to kneel bare legged on rice for hours and his sister left bruised and both were psychologically scarred.  Mama Angela would marry Papa Jimmy a year later and he took the entire family to America by way of New York Harbor.  It was no longer Ellis Island but for these native Italians who could not speak English, it was kind of a 1959 Ellis Island revisited.  Plus Papa Jimmy was a black man and that would also make their assimilation less fluid.  Max’s journey to comedy was a long one ( as he was barely six when he landed in New York) and many kids gripe about when their family moved and they had to switch schools a few times. Max said his tough childhood made him tougher and he learned how to fight to defend himself and he learned how to get laughs to disarm his combatants altogether. Max took the stage at the New York Catch A Rising Star and through sheer guts and strength he did well enough on his first shot that the club owner told him to keep coming back that he could get regular stage time. Like many comics who I have had on my show, his desire was so great that he rose through the ranks of opener to headliner very quickly.  He worked hard at his craft and has never really stopped over the course of forty plus years. He has been working the cruise ship circuit since 1989 which in Cruise years alone is a career and then some. Max still loves getting on stage and that is the most important asset in any comic over 70 who still chooses to perform.  I guarantee if you listen to this just to hear his Sam Kinison story alone you won’t be disappointed.  But there is so much more to Max than just the Sam story. He has had a long and successful career and has made and kept many friends along the way Ladies and Gentleman please welcome Max Dolcelli to the podcast…