#94 Comedian Rocky LaPorte Delivers The Laughs

Announcer 0:00

Looking to sound like you know what's going on in the world, pop culture, social strategy, comedy and other funny stuff. Well join the club and settle in for the Jeff Dwoskin show. It's not the podcast we deserve, but the podcast we all need with your host Jeff Dwoskin.

Jeff Dwoskin 0:16

Alright, Tim, thank you so much for that amazing introduction to get the show going each and every week and this week was no exception. Welcome, everybody to Episode 94 of live from Detroit the Jeff Dwoskin show. As always, I am your host, Jeff Dwoskin. Great to have you back for another amazing episode. This one we're dialing up the hilarity with our special guest comedian rocky Laporte. That's right, rocky Laporte, you loved him on Last Comic Standing on his many appearances on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, one of the funniest human beings in the world. I did pleasure of working with him way back, and I was excited when he found time to swing by the show and hang with me for a little bit. I'm excited to share our hilarious conversation with you. And that's coming up in just a few minutes. I'm still knee deep and fan letters from Episode 92 Scott Dikkers was here, one of the founding editors of the onion shared so many great stories why the onion? That's right, if you missed it, after you listen to Rocky Laporte today, swing back and catch that right just like a million billion episodes waiting for you go to jeffisfunny.com You can check them all out make sure you're subscribed and one of the podcast apps and you get alerted every time one of the episodes is released on Monday or when one of the bonus episodes are released on Thursdays you want to be in the no subscribe follow like it's totally free. You pick your favorite app, good pods, Apple, Spotify, I heart whatever it is you do you boo, but it's never miss an episode. I'm gonna make buttons that say that.

And now it's time for the social media tip. All right, this is the part of the show where I get to share a little bit of my social media knowledge with you a little 411 I picked up on the street. I've been in the social media game for most of my career, and I believe rising the tide helps us all become better on the socials. My tip for you today is make buttons for everything you do. I kid I kid. My actual tip today is for iOS users. There's this new feature with the new iOS, wherever you're pasting, you can actually scan text with your camera and it'll pop it into your tweet or Facebook post or email, whatever you're using. You hold down your thumb like you're trying to pay something in a little scan icon comes up activates your camera on the bottom of your phone pointed at text and then you click Insert when it has the text you want. And it'll put that right into your document. It's not good for handwritten stuff. It has to be like typed but could be handy. I'm not sure check it out. Let me know tweet at me at Jeff Dwoskin show and let me know if you found a good way to use it. In the meantime, have fun exploring and that's the social media tip.

I do want to thank everyone in advance for their support of the sponsors. When you support the sponsors you're supporting us here live from Detroit the Jeff Dwoskin show and that's how we keep the lights on today's interview sponsors is kitchen network can opener. tired of not eating because all your food came in a can tired of ruin your countertops trying to open cans by smashing them into the edge there has to be a better way well now there is the kitchen network can opener can safely open any can and under 90 to 120 seconds just to attach the kitchen network can opener to small, medium or large can and in 30 to 40 turns by magic handle. The top will be removed and you'll be ready to eat like a king who used to be a king. Hmm peas... a Kitchen network can opener because you deserve to eat too. All right, well check out the kitchen network can opener. They are really awesome. I bought everyone one for the holidays. I got lots of interesting luck, so I know that loved him a lot.

Anyway, I think it's time for me to share my conversation with Rocky Laporte with you. Rocky is one of the funniest comedians in the world. I was a huge fan of Rocky and then I got to work with Rocky Laporte. And while I was doing my set, I could hear Rocky laughing at my jokes while I was on stage. Let me tell you, there's no greater joy or sense of just accomplishment. When you hear someone who you admire laughing when you're doing something that you admire them for so much. It was great to catch up with Rocky. He shares a lot of great stories. You're gonna love it. Enjoy.

All right, I'm excited to introduce everyone was excited to introduce everyone to my next guests oh my god he's opened for Gary Shandling, Tim Allen, he was on Last Comic Standing one of the funniest comedians around ladies and gentlemen, Rocky Laporte. How are you?

Rocky LaPorte 5:10

I'm doing good, buddy. It was good seeing you in Detroit last time. Yeah, for sure we met right at Ridley's, right?

Jeff Dwoskin 5:18

Yes. Oh yeah. Good Times in Detroit.

Rocky LaPorte 5:21

What do you what do you think all this? What's the future of comedy here buddy

Jeff Dwoskin 5:25

podcasting

Rocky LaPorte 5:28

us talking in our bedrooms.

Jeff Dwoskin 5:31

Everyone just is like, Are you famous? Yes. Oh, so you've been on the Jeff Dwoskin show? Yes. So Rocky, you've done a million things. I'm most interested in kind of just going diving directly into the CBS pilot you did the rocky Laporte show? How did that come about? And what happens? What happens to that?

Rocky LaPorte 5:51

Well, my managers had people from the network's come out to see add great managers, Mussina Baker did Tamale and Drew Carey you know, Tim's the trick guy. I had the worst luck brother, my first pilot that I had the writers went on strike. And then the second development deal I had the actors went on strike. So so the network's just said, You know what, we're gonna put on some show or people get you know, the coconuts and get voted off an island. And that only cost us like a fourth of what we're paying, you know, the sitcom guys, and that's how reality TV came about. That was the network's were kicking back of going, hey, you know what, we're not paying a million dollars in episode for friends anymore. We're gonna get these, you know, knuckleheads that'll, you know, swim with sharks, and give them $30 An episode. So yeah, that's kind of what happened.

Jeff Dwoskin 6:51

It's such a what was this? What was the show about and what and what was like the process? Did you have to write it? The only frame of reference I have is, is the Seinfeld show where they got this?

Rocky LaPorte 7:02

No, they I wish they would have you know, I didn't like that my name was even under they were calling it the rocky Laporte show. And this show was actually written for another guy. He was a Canadian comic, but they found out that it wasn't a good fit, and he couldn't act. So they just changed it to go out. We just let's just get an Italian guy. Go. Listen, if you want to get an Italian guy, like, get Tony Danza or something like that. You don't I mean, like, I don't mind synching with an idea if it's mine. Like, if, if I think something's funny, and I go down in flames, I'm okay with that. But to have someone else's words that they think is funny in your mouth, and then you sink with it. Like, that stink is on you. You know what I mean? They go, Oh, we gave Rakesh shoni. I thought and they wouldn't give me a lot of leeway. I kept trying to go hey, wouldn't it be funnier if we did this? Or we did that showrunner goes, no, no, let's just do. Let's just shoot it this way. And we'll reshoot it that way later on. But they never did because they were he was shooting another show with that guy from Two and a Half Men that Charlie Sheen. The other guy Jon Cryer, right, that's. Yeah. So that network had a commitment for 13 episodes. So that was his baby. So he was trying to run over there every day and take care of that were mine. It I felt like he just wanted to get a shot. Like, let's just get this done and move on. And I think it could have been a lot funnier if they would let me be me. Like, that's the thing I don't get about Hollywood. Like they see you on stage. And they go on Jeff's hysterical. Let's hire him. And then, like, what did you do for a living before you got into comedy,

Jeff Dwoskin 8:52

social media, digital, or did you

Rocky LaPorte 8:55

really? Okay? So that's what, that's what you do. That's what you know, right? Right. So they're gonna take in and go, Hey, Jeff, we're gonna have you work on rocket engines. And you're gonna be it's like, I don't know nothing about rocket engines. You know, I'm saying like, and you're gonna have a wife and a dog and nine kids you adopted like they if they let you be like, they let Tim Allen be Tim Allen. They let Ellen DeGeneres be Alan, and Roseanne and Seinfeld, all those sitcoms were successful because they let those comics be who they were, you know,

Jeff Dwoskin 9:30

right. So that's unfortunate because because you're hilarious and that would have that would have been great to have an actual well, okay, now I've seen the pilot on on YouTube now that you've told me it isn't you I don't eat it every minute of it. It's a shame that they would have such a talent and then not be able to do it but it's they're just trying to crank it out. It sounds like they were just trying to the guy had other priorities. Yep. But that other show since it wasn't two and a half man must have gone nowhere to right. Yeah,

Rocky LaPorte 9:58

nothing got aired. Yeah, because of a strike, like everything just kind of fizzled. You know, that's my luck. When then the second time I had to deal with disney abc, and I came up with this great idea. And they had these two young girls, they were kind of like the gatekeepers, you know, I go, it's kind of like an adult version of Welcome Back Kotter. And they stared at me. They didn't know what Welcome back. Kotter was like, and it was on their network, like you think if you're like, This is your business that you would kind of know a little bit about the history of it. They had no idea what I was talking about. So it was like, Oh, my God, like, what do you? What do you do with this? Where do you go, you know,

Jeff Dwoskin 10:43

Tim Allen's had two shows, he couldn't convince them to give you one more shot at a show.

Rocky LaPorte 10:50

Yeah, you know, it's so weird. Tim wanted me to come out there and do some stuff. But at that point, I was already in LA for 14 years. And I I just kind of got burned out on the whole process. And I moved back to Chicago. I just thought you know what, man, I'm done for now. You know, I'll just do a podcast out of my bedroom.

Jeff Dwoskin 11:14

I hear it's all the rage minds out of my basement, but whatever. You're not saying I did.

Rocky LaPorte 11:24

More room looking you got a bigger studio.

Jeff Dwoskin 11:29

So is there any chance there ever been a proper Rocky Laporte show? Or is it kind of like,

Rocky LaPorte 11:35

well, you know, it seems now like a lot of people are moving out to LA and you can kind of film a lot of people are doing their own little things. And then they'll see my Netflix or whatever. And then, I mean, there's always the chance of something happening, you know, and I would like it to be I was even thinking of maybe shooting a short movie or an idea and pitching it that way, you know, so, we'll see, I guess, is keep punching. You know, buddy.

Jeff Dwoskin 12:04

Yeah, you got to just keep going. This is gonna happen for you. I will not I will not rest until regular board has a show. Well,

Rocky LaPorte 12:11

I like that's the same feeling I have about the bears. I keep thinking every year they're gonna be good. And then I just get to some point

Jeff Dwoskin 12:20

where the lions it's like, so. Alright, so talk to me about your friendship with Tim Allen, because you've also done two movies are Tim Allen.

Rocky LaPorte 12:31

Tim's a nice guy? I was doing Last Comic Standing. I guess he was at home watching television. And he saw me and he really liked me. He was this guy's funny. So he got ahold of Rick Messina at the time. And he asked me to do a, like a fundraiser, like a benefit for this Boys and Girls Club out there in Los Angeles. Yeah, I'll do it. I did it. And then he goes, Hey, call my agent on Monday. We're gonna try and get your partner's movie, you know? So he's been good to me. Tim's been kind to me, you know? So good guy.

Jeff Dwoskin 13:10

Yeah, he's a good I've met him once at the Comedy castle that way he cuz he's from here. He's from the Detroit area. Yeah. And then I did a show with him once. We did a dick purton fundraiser.

Rocky LaPorte 13:23

Oh, I did that. That Dick's a great guy. And yeah.

Jeff Dwoskin 13:28

Oh, Dick Purtan's Amazing. And it'd be so we do the show. I meet him beforehand. I remember thinking to myself, Oh, I didn't even I was asking him about Galaxy Quest or something like that. And then I'm like, Ah, I totally forgot. I was talking to Buzz Lightyear. I was freaking talking to Buzz Lightyear and it didn't even occur to me. It was I was so caught up in my Galaxy Quest.

Rocky LaPorte 13:49

And Santa Claus.

Jeff Dwoskin 13:52

I'm Jewish that one would that one wasn't as far

Rocky LaPorte 13:58

as funny. There was a couple scenes we had in a movie they always seen I don't know who edits these things. But there was a funny scene in a movie they cut out like a lot of your lines you know, like that are hysterical. And I don't know. I was telling Tim I go I don't want to fire my agent but he won't take my calls. And that's a funny line. That's a showbiz line people show up is with a guy that but you know,

Jeff Dwoskin 14:24

but they took it out which one was at the that

Rocky LaPorte 14:27

was a crazy on the outside? Yeah,

Jeff Dwoskin 14:30

that's it Tim right and direct that one? That's a Sigourney Weaver to right. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Yeah, he did. And then you were also in the shaggy dog. You were the shaggy dog. Just kidding.

Rocky LaPorte 14:42

Yeah, I was the dog. It was so funny. In the first one, I played a canine cop and in the second one of the criminal like me and Tim were glad to hear something funny. I showed up for you know, like it was rehearsal audition or whatever. So Tim, he goes you know, a lot of Guys, when they get out of jail, they don't have anything you know, you don't have like a comb or nothing to wear. He was so good. We'll we'll donate some clothes for them when they get released. So I go to wardrobe. And the lady she goes, she was all she was Who dressed you? I'm like, these are my clothes. So that's good to know. I walk around dressed like a guy that just got out of prison. You know,

Jeff Dwoskin 15:26

Frank, he's got that goodwill calling.

Rocky LaPorte 15:30

You know, so funny. You know, Mike Green. Yeah, love

Jeff Dwoskin 15:33

Mike green. Yeah,

Rocky LaPorte 15:35

good, dude. I was at his club. And that's what we're talking about. And he was saying that, I go, Mike, I go. I've been on a road, almost 33 years and so much has happened to us that don't happen to you know, everyday people. And he said, Yeah, he goes, You know, every time we start talking about it, he says, everybody gets quiet, like the staff and the customers like, everyone wants to hear the stories of things we did. And I think us and musicians are only people that get to do stuff like that.

Jeff Dwoskin 16:08

Absolutely. Well share, share a couple of those stories. Let's hear some.

Rocky LaPorte 16:11

I did a lot of I got to meet the roll. I just told him I got to meet the one I got to meet the Rolling Stones and Brett Farve, you know from the Packers, couple years ago, when the Cubs, they beat Indians in the World Series. Those in October, literally, like, two months later, Cleveland Indians front office hired me to do their Christmas party. So when a guy introduces me, he goes, this next guy is from Chicago, at 400 people booing me all the way to the stage. They're like blue and the whole time. And I'm like, I'm a White Sox fan. You idiots. I was rooting for you guys. You know. It's just stuff like that, you know? I mean, how often you get to meet the stones or hang out with the Green Bay Packers, or just due to tonight's show, or just I've met a lot of great people. I've become friends with them and Lila and Sado, you know, he started playing. We played for the Browns for a while, and aerators pm and I became friends. And he was just like a sweet man, you know? And it's just like, just amazing. The things you get to do you know, with this job.

Jeff Dwoskin 17:20

It's awesome. And sit tight. And tell me about the tonight show experience? Like what's it like getting finding out you're going to be on it? What's it like, preparing for that set, and then just being up there?

Rocky LaPorte 17:31

Well, they make the comedy magic club in Hermosa Beach. They literally make you run your set there every night for about two weeks. Like just to make sure it's timed. Right, they want you right at about five minutes. You know, like, on and off. That's including laughs and they say that that audience is the closest to a TV audience. They're pretty good. So you know, you rehearse it for two weeks. And then it gives you a cue cards anyway, in case you like, get stunned, and you forget everything, you could still read them off the cue cards, you know, but the first time I was on all my friends, I can Pittsburgh and New York and San Francisco, they all had like viewing parties. I got bumped. So the second time I get on, I got bumped again. So the third time I didn't even tell nobody I go, I'm gonna wait till we shoot this. And then because I shoot it about five in the afternoon, and then it airs that night. So the third time, I just waited till I shot it. Man, I gotta tell you, Jeff, it's like, it's like being in a car crash like it. It happens so fast. And then you remember things later. And I just remember when I saw the tape, about a minute in about a minute into my SAT. I actually saw myself breathe like I went. And my shoulders went down. And I remember thinking in my head, I go, I'm on a Tonight Show, and I'm doing really good. So then you relax, and then you just bring it home. So then afterwards, Jay calls me over to the desk, I walk over, he shakes my hand and he goes turn around, you're getting a standing ovation. Like man, it was just, it was just on cloud nine there for a while, you know, it's incredible. Yeah. And then they pick you up in a limo and it's all like, you know, first class stuff. Well, the very next week, I had a gig booked, you know, some of our stuff booked for months out, you know, at a gig book up in the mountains in Pennsylvania. It was at a fire hall. And it was somebody's like 50th anniversary. So these people were in their 70s I'm up there. You know, people are walking up behind me getting food like there's like a big table and they're eaten in the middle of my act. And I got there. I didn't know the gig was in a day and I got there late and they're in sweatpants and a ball cap. And the lady goes, come on, we got a goat or they're waiting for you and out or old people. So I'm in some ladies basement Pittsburgh and I'm washing my head and she's ironing my shirt. And I'm thinking, I was on a tonight show last week in a limo. Now I'm in some basement in Pittsburgh, getting my head washed to go do a fire hall. You know, I'm like, welcome to showbiz.

Jeff Dwoskin 20:26

And for those who aren't comedians that are listening, that's comedy in a nutshell for you.

Rocky LaPorte 20:33

That is the role of you know,

Jeff Dwoskin 20:36

I mean, you're doing the Vegas thing and the next minute you're playing arenas basement.

Rocky LaPorte 20:40

Yeah, yeah. I remember one time it was in San Diego do used to have an improv down there this morning. You know, shock jocks. Those nitwits. They go, Hey, we're gonna do it was a Saturday morning. It was a five o'clock in the morning breakfast show. And we just got done working like at midnight for Friday. So all these people that came on Saturday morning, they were pretty much out since Friday night. They're all drunk. So they were having a food drive anybody that brought canned goods for the homeless. They got in free. There's all drunk people and homeless people there. And they had all these cans but at the time, didn't have can openers. Do you remember when cans were sealed? Yes. All these homeless people. This guy goes not only to homeless, I can't open my beans. They're trying to break him on Kurt. Nobody had can openers. I'm like, No, we have to have a can opener drive. And I really think after that, like I think that's when they started making flip tops. I think that was for maybe homeless people in the housewives. Like, if you don't have a can opener. They started putting flipped upside cans. You try to do something nice. It turns into a disaster

Jeff Dwoskin 21:55

can opener drive. And I just I needed to repeat that because that was that was possible. That's what we need. It's really, really funny. Yeah. Oh my god. Yeah. The worst was like China Open tuna fish with a can opener. And then you have opened it said spilling out everywhere. Yeah. Can the pole tops. Ingenious? Ingenious.

Rocky LaPorte 22:17

Yeah. Whoever thought of that must have been at my gig. It was really that gig in San Diego.

Jeff Dwoskin 22:25

Good. Funny. Okay, so you got discovered by Tim Allen participating on Last Comic Standing in 2014. Season Eight. I believe that sound about right. Yeah. So did you have to kind of audition? Or were you kind of picked for that? I, you know, divvied up one of the contestants who you don't

Rocky LaPorte 22:47

want to happen for Last Comic Standing season one. That fan one remember that? Absolutely. Yeah. And I like that. But the whole comedy community goes. That's our best comic in the United States. You don't I mean, like, he was crying on TV, you know, and like, you know, and then everybody voted for him. So season two, I got into it. I remember I was in it with Kathleen Madigan and Tammy pesca tally dead one spot left or picking 10 people and nobody had nine. And it was down to one more spot. I lost to a stripper. They picked a stripper. She didn't. I don't mind losing a good comic, you know, but a chick that dances on a pole. Like come on. So they picked her. And then the next year they called my managers and they go you know, we know rocky got screwed last year and bah bah, bah. And but the good thing was I got the tonight show out of that the guys that booked the tonight show were in the audience. So I got the tonight show out of that. So it seems like every time a door closes, another one opens. They will Yeah, rocky got screwed last year having come back next year. So I went back the third year. And it was the same thing that was one slot left. I lost a guy. Do you remember this is he was he was dressed up as a gorilla eating a banana and dancing. It's like, I'm not even losing the normal people here. You don't I mean, I'm losing the strippers and gorillas. That's like, Are you kidding me? ZZ after that I didn't want nothing to do with it. I go this is not about comedy. They just want they want the hot chick and you know, they're putting people in houses. Remember with Todd glass and they want attention. They were making a reality show. And I got the same font. So I just skipped it. And then season eight Wanda Sykes came on. And they're what they called me they go no, it's going to be more of a level playing field and it's going to be you know, then I found out that was a true either, but that's the business we're in right like you just got to keep swinging right for the fences.

Jeff Dwoskin 24:55

Yeah, I remember. I auditioned for season with it. season that John Heffron, I think are that was Kathleen Madigan and John Heffron, I think we're in that season, so probably season two. And Mark Ridley had known someone so I was supposed to fly down with, with a buddy of mine, Jay Chris, and he missed the planes. I'm down there by myself and I don't have the names and nobody has said this is before cell phones. So but like a few hours later, he showed up, and we walked in and we did our little audition. He got kind of picks for the Late Show. You know, the read the next one, and I got picked to do nothing. Actually, I got picked to do nothing. And I think this is I think Jim Norton was there. I think this is the year Jim Norton got it. And there was another guy there Buck star. Yeah. Okay. And fuck star was a male stripper. Well, this guy, Buck star apparently worked for the show. And I'm watching it. This is when I realized like, it was all the reality TV, his house, how manipulated it is. And so I'm watching him. And he got picked to go to like the Late Show, right? And apparently, what I don't know right now Oh, and he's on the phone with his dad. And then the producer gets on the phone because they're trying to get his dad to say something to make them cry. So they're really trying to manipulate this phone call. But I didn't realize I watched it back was he had auditioned in every single city. And then so this was oh, I remember that guy. I remember that. This was him. This was the last show. This was the last audition show. And so he finally got on. And I didn't realize it. It was like a thing. It was like a thing that they just kind of because he kind of worked with the show. It didn't just show up at every Yeah, yeah. But I was watching them go. I mean, they they're trying to get him to cry younger, they want his dad to say something or something to make them cry. And so it was just so crazy. I think Jim Norton got on. And then he made it. And then I think he eventually had to drop out for something else. If I remember correctly, my memory, sir,

Rocky LaPorte 26:45

who would spend like $80,000 going city to city to try to get on the show that keeps telling you know,

Jeff Dwoskin 26:52

I think he worked for Last Comic Standing. And so he was just probably good. Yeah. So that was that. So that was my thing, right? But I remember my friend Jay Chris, he was filling out this form to be on the show. I mean, they were this these forms you have to fill out to be on TV. It was like Who is your roommate? From, you know, college, like every year and all their information and like, you know, cuz God forbid, is like, Oh, this guy, Jeff Dwoskin just appeared his roommate killed 50 People seven. Yeah. And he hasn't seen in 10 years. But we don't need the press. We don't need the press. But yeah, no, that was crazy. So the thing to remember, correct me if I'm wrong about this? I remember you've got a very great style of delivery. It's what makes it's part of like your charm and why you're so funny. Right? I mean, thank you did was it Roseanne or somebody they told you to talk faster or change your rhythm and because Yeah, cuz I remember like watching it. And I remember like other people talking about it, too, or whatever, in some groups, or whatever. I was like, it's like, what are they doing? Hockey to change his delivery. This is Rocky the poor? Do you not understand? They just did they? Somebody wasn't getting yet. It was just like,

Rocky LaPorte 28:06

Yeah, I think they hired her to be like the Who's that guy? And he's kind of a mean guy. And oh, and

Jeff Dwoskin 28:14

American Idol. Yeah, yeah. It's that same guy or

Rocky LaPorte 28:18

to be him Simon, one of the episodes. Here's the thing. This is the only thing that bothered me. And I'm not one of those guys that like to my horn and say, oh, you know, but I'm not even exaggerating. After every set I had. I got a standing ovation. Like people that cross that up and applaud it. But they didn't let the audience vote that year. They let the judges vote. So they're going to have in who they want it in, you know. So one show, Roseanne told me, she's you're funny, but your pace is too slow. And I remember Bill Burr, uh, he didn't have to do this. I'll always be indebted to him. She put it on Twitter, Bill Burgos. Hey, Roseanne, he goes that that's a tone Steven right to slow it down. Like Like, that's his pace, like racking Tilden clubs for years at that pace, you know, that made me feel good at least that some of my peers knew that. She was kind of off base. I didn't like that because I thought it was gonna be a level playing field. But it wasn't they they put in who they won. And then at the end, we had this big rap party, and she's dancing with me and drinking and she's going you're a wonderful comic. And I'm like, Why didn't you say that on television? You know what it is? You know what it is? It's our business.

Jeff Dwoskin 29:44

I guess karma happens. Tell the good people, right? You no doubt I rare, right? Yeah. He's funny, too.

Rocky LaPorte 29:52

I remember one time he auditioned for a show. They wanted to do a show around them, but didn't like him. So then they started casting for a domme Ira type. It's like, god damn Ira like, what the hell? You know? So cheese

Jeff Dwoskin 30:09

just gets insane the, with these casting people to when it's about comedy, it's like, and it's not it's not about who's the funniest it's Why do I bother doing this just do something else you can do a comedy showcase. You don't have to bring back. What's the one where they sat in the chair and you tried to make them laugh?

Rocky LaPorte 30:30

Oh, I did that too. Yeah, make me laugh, make me laugh. The new make me laugh that was does a lot of fun. You know, they just Hollywood. Most of the people out there, it seems like it just runs out of fear. Like everyone's in fear of losing their job. So everybody over corrects everything. And everything's under a microscope. And it's just like, you know, comics that have been making people laugh for 30 years. That's what they do. Let them let them do that, you know, like, they let Roseanne be who she was. And Seinfeld. Like they let them be themselves on those show. And Ray Romano. That's why all those shows work. But then they get you in there anyway, we want to hit a, you know, you're gonna work in a zoo with tigers. And like, way away what you know.

Jeff Dwoskin 31:22

So what advice would you give to somebody who wants to be a comedian? Hey, Rocky, give me some advice, whether they

Rocky LaPorte 31:30

apply to drive at Amazon. It's a real big thing now. You know what? Comedies hard it's not easy at all. And it's a tough life like you. You go city to city asleep and dumps you know, especially in the beginning, you I've missed out on a lot of things with my family, you know, because of it. It's a lot of sacrifices, the things that I think changed today. Some of these kids, they have a funny 15 minute video that goes viral. And then a club will headline them for 45 and then on add 45 to just get that 15 minute thing. And I think the only way you get your education learn how to be a good well rounded comic is you got to go on a road you got to play the south and the east and the Northwest. And that's how you learn to play the country because they're different audiences. You know,

Jeff Dwoskin 32:27

great advice from the man who's been everywhere and one of the funniest people around. I can't thank you enough for hanging with me Rocky. Welcome, brother. It was a lot of fun, man. How can people keep up with you on the socials?

Rocky LaPorte 32:40

I'm at Rocky Laporte with E and everything on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram.

Jeff Dwoskin 32:46

Now I'll put all the links to all that stuff in the show notes so people can find your real easy. Thank you. Well, thank you. Rocky was amazing. hanging right?

Rocky LaPorte 32:54

Yeah, you're welcome, brother. It was good to see you.

Jeff Dwoskin 32:57

All right. How fun was Rocky the port, so many great stories, such a hilarious Comedian. It becomes your town. Definitely get some tickets and go see rocky Laporte live in concert at your local comedy club.

With the interview over it can only mean one thing. That's right. It's time for a trending hashtag in the family of hashtags and hashtag around. Download the free hashtag roundup app at the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. It's free always Free Download Play receive notifications right to your phone every time a hashtag game starts play along with us and one day one of your tweets may show up on a future episode of live from Detroit. The Jeff Dwoskin show fame and fortune awaits you. This week's hashtag is #BroadwayForDogs brought to us by sneaky tags a weekly Game On hashtag round up thought we'd pulled a theme from the episode where we talked about rocky working with Tim Allen on the shaggy dog movies hashtag Broadway for dogs the ultimate dog Broadway mashup tag take something Broadway take something related mash them together and you get #BroadwayForDogs.

Here are some fun examples. Obedience School of Rock, the music man's best friend, the best little dog house in Texas rock of sausages, The Color Purple, the sound of howling The hills are alive. Westie side story, The Lion King Cavalia their book of mouthpieces, the panting of the opera and our final hashtag Broadway for dogs tweets, add a good chair frisbee Oh, a ride those were some awesome #BroadwayForDogs tweets. As always, they'll be retweeted at Jeff Dwoskin show on Twitter, show him some love retweet them like them. Let him know you heard about him on the Jeff Dwoskin can show don't forget to visit us at Jeff is funny.com Buy me a coffee no better way to celebrate the upcoming 100th anniversary than buying me a coffee. Sign up for my mailing list. Tell all your friends. Subscribe to the podcast, so much you can do so much fun to be had at Jeffisfunny.com. Well, we're at the end of the episode. Can you believe it? Episode 94 has come and gone. I want to thank my special guests, rocky lavori for joining me. And of course I want to thank all of you for coming back week after week. It means the world to me, and I'll see you next time.

Announcer 35:33

Thanks so much for listening to this episode of the Jeff Dwoskin show with your host Jeff Dwoskin. Now go repeat everything you've heard and sound like a genius. Catch us online at the Jeff Dwoskin show.com or follow us on Twitter at Jeff Dwoskin show and we'll see you next time

Transcribed by https://otter.ai