This is the story of Mike King, dentist, stand-up comic, author, writer of musicals and a one-man-show, husband, and father.
You’ve got to be a little off to do standup comedy as a profession. Maybe even more so if you were already a practicing dentist. And even more so to do all the other things Mike is doing. The drive to take risks must run deep with Mike King.
Where it all began: He grew up on the West Side of Denver, Colorado where he could look out his bedroom window and see the beautiful foothills of the Rocky Mountains. He liked running around with friends in his middle-class neighborhood where no one seems to lock their doors, watching Bewitched, and eating Chuck Wagon burgers. His family was part of a formula that made them feel safe and that life was predictable. What could go wrong? So when his father decided he wanted to convert his friendly East Colfax Avenue neighborhood tavern into a strip club, the life he had as a twelve-year-old boy flew out the window.
His dad turned out to be a natural, talented showman. And his mom, in spite of being raised Jewish orthodox, was a gifted manager. The club flourished, and fame came quickly. Soon it was a place to go with lines of people waiting to get in. There was nothing like it. It was in the press, in the news and on television. “Sid King’s Crazy Horse Bar” in Denver was one of the largest burlesque houses west of the Mississippi. It was so famous, Clint Eastwood shot his film “Every Which Way but Loose” there.
But for Mike, there was no place to hide. Kids were talking about it at school, people stared or pointed at him, some gave him the thumbs up while others thumbs down. The low point was the row of strippers in the congregation at his bar mitzvah. They wore tight red and pink low-cut dresses. Later, friends, jokingly called it, “Kings’s Bar Titzvah.” But, in spite of all the teasing, it wasn’t long before he was performing for the grown ups. He learned a thing or two about showmanship at that club his parents ran.
Fast forward some years when Mike was out on his own. He had decided to become a dentist, specializing with kids. He built his practice in an unusual way: by relaxing the kids through incorporating comedy and magic tricks into his treatment. He has even written two children’s books, Flossopher and the Brushing Trees and Enamel the Camel. Entertaining is in Mike’s blood.
In the comedy-club circuit he’s known as “The Fifth Dentist”–you know– “Four out of five dentists recommend sugarless gum.” Mike appears regularly at Broadway Comedy Club, New York Comedy Club, and Gotham Comedy Club. He has appeared on Comedy Central, America’s Funniest Home Videos, and An Evening at the Improv. He has opened many times for Ray Romano, and was featured in Newsweek magazine and the New York Times. He was recently selected to perform at the LA Comedy Festival. There is no doubt his professional life is very successful.
Then, when Mike was in his 50’s, he met his wife, Gaby. They fell head over heels in love, and Gaby was determined to become a mom. Mike wasn’t so sure about parenthood. However, he knew for sure that he wanted to make her happy. As they were continually trying to make a baby, Mike began to wonder if you could die from having too much sex?! They were doing it all the time and everywhere, but unfortunately, no babies were forthcoming.
Eventually, they made the decision to adopt, only to discover that domestic adoption is often a long, costly process that is very emotionally difficult. They went from hope to despair, to hope, and back again many times over.
Mike King wrote a book about it. Dad Spelled Backward: A Journey Through the Maze of Love, Marriage, and Adoption is both hilarious and heart-wrenching. It is the candid account that is ultimately a testament to unconditional love. Mike recounts how he and Gaby were connected with one pregnant woman after another until they were finally given a baby, only to have to give the infant back when the birth mom changed her mind. This left them emotionally drained, and they even debated giving up the search.
Some couples may have broken up over such stress and heartbreak, but it only seemed to pull these two closer together. “I hope Dad Spelled Backward inspires people who want to, or are considering whether to, become parents. Mike says, “We all face obstacles in life, but if love prevails, it’s worth the struggle.”
You’ll laugh, and cry, and laugh some more with Gaby and Mike in this heartwarming story of one man’s journey into happy marriage and fatherhood. Mike’s greatest joy is spending time with his wife and their daughter in New York City. And somehow, Mike has managed to balance his love for pediatric dentistry with his love for the entertainment business, and his overall love of family.
