Jake 'the Snake' Roberts has left the wrestling ring and picked up the microphone

We have exploded on the amount of shows we are bringing to Lafayette, especially at The Wurst Biergarten. The Wurst has turned into the pseudo comedy club Lafayette could never have. We cannot thank them enough for the support.

On Friday, "Jazz Cabbage" debuts at The Wurst. “Jazz Cabbage” is a stand-up comedy showcase featuring amazing comedians from all across the South.

This month we welcome Texas heavyweights Dusti Rhodes and Jaffer Khan. Both comedians are the most sought-after comics in Houston.

Joining them will be Alex Luchun and Lane Lonion of New Orleans, plus local comedians Charles-Thomas Vidrine and Ken Edwards.

The show begins at 8 p.m. and there is a $5 cover at the door. Be sure to get there early for food and drinks.

On April 19, Seinfeld Trivia will take place at The Wurst. This event is sold out for teams, but always open to spectators.

In May, we begin themed trivia twice a month at the Wurst.

How Jake “the Snake” Roberts got into comedy

On April 20, we welcome “The Unspoken Word Tour” featuring Jake “The Snake”Roberts and “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan.

This event will be an evening of comedy and stories from their days as professional wrestlers with Mid-South, WWF, and the WWE.

I had a little chat with Jake “the Snake” Roberts about how the idea came about, plus our ties to Morgan City, and more.

Lafayette Comedy: I am super excited and glad we got this show. This event goes deep into my childhood of being a wrestling fan. How did the idea come about for “The Unspoken Word Tour?

”Jake “the Snake”Roberts: I think the idea came up from sitting around, shooting the breeze, and sitting in the locker room telling jokes. All of a sudden you are telling these stories to friends and family, and everyone is laughing their butts off. Everyone kept saying, “You need to take these stories to other people.”

I was like I really don’t do comedy, but then, and this is the absolute truth, I went to see Mick Foley’s show and after seeing that I was like, I am a lot funnier than that.

I saw it could be a lot of fun and I am all about fun. Nowadays you gotta find someway to get that energy out. It was just the next step for me.

Now, I am into acting, but I will keep away from singing though.

LC:The Resurrection of Jake the Snake was an amazing documentary. It is painful, but inspiring and brutal. Has that been a big draw for you while on the road?

JR: It has been an amazing moment for me. I am out here on the road doing cons, whether it be ComicCon or whatever. Autograph signings and stuff. People come up to me and let me know they have seen the movie and it has helped them out. And that’s the people who really just make my day. It makes all that suffering seem worth it now.

If someone told me 10 years ago that I would be out here helping people get away form alcohol and drugs, I would have laughed at them.

The letters I get from adults and even kids, thanking me because daddy has moved back home, is just an amazing feeling.

LC: When I began telling people the show I booked, I said, if you game a younger version of myself a Top 5 list of people you would want to be your step-dad, Jake “The Snake” and “Hacksaw” Duggan would have easily been in the top 5. Of course, The “Junk Yard Dog” would have been number one, no offense.

JR: Oh, I remember those days brother.

LC: Now, I am from a small town called Morgan City...

JR: I know Morgan City, man! We used to do them shows on Monday nights. Hell yeah, man. I remember those days.

LC: How did you and Hacksaw hook up to do this tour?

JR: Him and I have been best friends for a long time. Once I started doing it, I told him I was doing this comedy thing. There are a lot of stories that can’t be told sometimes, but we had this opportunity to do something together.

We are heading to Houston to do a show for some troops, which is near and dear to both of our hearts. You in Lafayette really helped us out by booking us there, and by you booking us in Houston that night. That is basically how we are able to do the benefit for them in Houston.

It gets expensive flying us around. I can’t fit in coach anymore, and Duggan will sit in coach, but he will moan and groan the whole way.

LC: You got to get that “poor man’s first class” by getting in the exit row.

JR: I can’t take it anymore man. But anytime I can do anything with Hacksaw, we will have a good time.

LC: Looking at the days of wrestling to being on the road for comedy, how does being on the road differ now?

JR: Not much at all. Except we are not doing as many strip joints. Not saying we won’t, but normally we don’t. Those days are gone too, especially now that I don’t drink.

LC: Was Kamala really deathly afraid of snakes?

JR: Yes! Kamala was one of the funniest guys. He would jump and was terrified of snakes. He would say, “Now, now, now Jake. You know me and your daddy are friends. I will tell on you to your daddy!” Of course that wouldn’t stop me from getting close to him a couple of times with a snake. Once he got moving, whatever was in his way would get crushed.

LC: Do you still have any of the snakes?

JR: I hate snakes! I am probably as scared of them as Kamala is. I can’t stand the damn things, but when the bell rings I have an out of body experience and become a different person.

LC: What was your favorite Mid-South Wrestling story?

JR: There were so many of them, but probably with The Fabulous Freebirds down in New Orleans. The fans would get up on top of the buildings and throw rocks at you as you came in. Of course, if they saw you getting out of your car, you would come out and your tires would be slashed and all.

When the Freebirds blinded the Junk Yard Dog, they wanted to kill the Freebirds. One time it got so bad, they wouldn’t drive their own cars to the building anymore. The fans would total the cars, so they got cops to come, but then they started tearing up the cop cars. So the cops stopped coming.

So one time the Freebirds got dropped off and the fans surrounded them and Michael Hayes said, “If you mess with my car out here, I will come out and kick all of your asses.”

But the funny thing was he was pointing to Paul Orndorff’s car. Orndorff, who was a good guy, came out and his car was totaled. He couldn’t figure out why the hell they attacked his car. It was all because Michael Hayes told the fans it was his own car.

The Un-Spoken Word Tour with Jake “the Snake”Roberts and “Hacksaw”Jim Duggan rolls into Lafayette on Friday, April 20. General admission tickets are still available. To purchase, visit www.lafayettecomedy.com

Weekly comedy shows in Lafayette

Interested in trying stand-up comedy? Then you need to know where to begin.

Open-mics are stand-up comedy shows where anyone can signup to perform.

The Wurst Open-Mic is every Wednesday at The Wurst Biergarten, 537 Jefferson St.

Each week, experienced and amateur comedians take the stage to showcase new and old material with up to 5 minutes of stage time. At 9 p.m., the open-mic pauses while that week's headliner takes the stage. Following the headliner, the open-mic continues.

Hosted by Maggie Shipley and Vaughan Veillon, this open-mic is free for comedians, with a $3 cover for the general public. There will be drink specials including $2 PBR, Modelo, Dos Equis and Corona.

The show kicks up at 8 p.m. Interested performers should sign-up with Maggie or Vaughan by 7:45 p.m.

Also on Mondays, Bisbanos Cellar hosts a free open-mic at 8 p.m.

If you've ever thought about trying stand-up comedy, come on out. Drop us an email at lafayettecomedy@gmail.com or via our social media pages. Just search for Lafayette Comedy and you should find us.

JP Leonard is a comedian, educator and a kayak fisherman. He loves sad songs and ice cream.