Almost two hundred Tucsonans are going to laugh their way in to the New Year. "Laughing is the cheapest form of therapy," Dobie Maxwell said in a early Sunday morning interview. Maxwell is performing two shows tonight at Laffs Comedy Cafe, 2900 East Broadway.

Maxwell, 50, was performing at Zanies Comedy Club in Chicago last New Year's Eve. "I love Tucson because the people are laid back and come to laugh. It's a lot of fun," Maxwell added, "I love coming here because there's an In-and-Out Burger, Waffle House and Wiener Schnitzel all in the same town. As a comic, you become a fast food connoisseur."

When Maxwell isn't performing comedy he's teaching standup comedy classes in Chicago. "When I started out there weren't a lot of people that helped me at all. The headliners would just want to drink or hit on the waitress, and all I wanted was just five minutes of their time," Dobie said. "Not everyone was like that, but a large percentage that could have been nice weren't."

“My grandpa told me “It’s nice to be important, but it’s important to be nice.” It’s corny and sappy, but it means the world to me. I’ll live by that until I die.”

Maxwell promised his grandfather that he would get a civil service job before entering show business. “I kept my promise and got a civil service job for one day as a clerk typist for the Milwaukee Police department. The only thing I typed was my resignation,” the comedy lifer said. "I knew I wouldn't like it, but I had to keep my promise."

Maxwell has been working in comedy clubs since he was 20 years old. “I sat people, emceed shows and then I went on the road full time when I was 22,” the 50 year-old comedian said.

Dobie has a lot of self-deprecating material in his act. He often refers to himself as “Mr. Lucky.” “The first time I came to Tucson, it rained three out of the four days I was here. I’m always in the wrong place at the wrong time,” Mr. Lucky said. “People that know who I am come up to me and say “I had a ‘Mr. Lucky Day’ the other day.” It makes me feel so good when I hear that.”

“15 years ago my best friend robbed two banks and tried to blame it on me,” Maxwell said. “I had to wear a wire for the government and get him to confess that he did it.” Dobie finally got his childhood friend to admit the truth after seven years of surveillance. The 25 year comedy veteran is hoping to adapt this story into a novel and have it completed by the end of 2014.

Dobie is looking forward to be reunited with his brother and sister whom he hasn’t seen or spoke with in decades. “My dad was a biker and my mom was a drug addict and they left our family, so we have been estranged for decades,” Maxwell said. “I had a blow out with my sister about 20 years ago, and we haven’t spoken. Finally, through my half-brother, she has agreed to meet so we are going to get together and let things heal. I know it’s not important in my comedy career, but in my life, it’s the only thing I have ever wanted.”

Mr. Lucky and Los Angeles comedian Jason Resler are performing two shows tonight. Ticket prices are $25. First show starts at 7 p.m. and the special NYE event starts at 10:30 p.m. There will be a champagne breakfast at midnight.

Click here to purchase your tickets or call 1-520-323-8669 to make reservations.