Friday, March 29th @ 9 pm & Saturday, March 30th 8pm & 10pm
By Lisa Morgan
Rocky LaPorte, a former Chicago truck driver and dock worker, began his standup career in the “Windy City” back in 1988. After winning some local comedy competitions, Rocky went on to win the Johnnie Walker National Comedy Competition, beating out over 1,100 contestants in ten cities. This was followed by numerous television shows like Cheers, Pat Sajak, Comic Strip Live, a CBS pilot titled “The Rocky Laporte Show” and his very own, half hour special on Comedy Central. When Rocky finally got to do the Tonight Show, he said, “It only took 16 years of sweat and toil, but who keeps track of that kind of stuff?” Although an appearance on the Tonight Show is touted as a career high for most comedians, Rocky says one of his proudest moments came when he was voted as one of the funniest guys in his class at a recent G.E.D. reunion. This honor ran a close second to being voted “Best Male Club Comedian of the Year” at the Las Vegas Comedy Festival, an award presented by George Wallace and Andy Kindler. This honor was bestowed based on a poll of forty of the top comedy clubs around the country.
With a busy schedule of corporate work and touring major cities, Rocky has become a favorite everywhere in the country. But near and dear to Rocky’s heart is the charity work that he does in abundance. LaPorte has performed two tours for the troops in Iraq. One such tour was shared with Drew Carey and Kathy Kinney (Mimi) of the Drew Carey Show, and can be seen on the Showtime special “Patriot Act: A Jeffrey Ross Home Movie.” I asked Rocky if everything is as safe as it looks on TV, surrounded by soldiers on a secured American base: “They definitely protect you and take extra measures to keep talent safe when you fly in for these events. But it’s very obvious that there’s a war going on. Exactly ten minutes after Drew and I left our hotel in Bagdad to come home, our hotel was hit with a mortar round. Had anybody been running late, that wouldn’t have ended very well.” Rocky’s son, Rocky Daniel LaPorte, recently completed a tour of duty in Iraq as an Army combat engineer. Needless to say, Rocky has an infinitely deep appreciation for our men and women in the war zone. “You know, it’s funny; they tell us, ‘Thank you for coming and bringing us a little piece of home.’ I’m like, ‘Are you kidding? We get to go home! You have to stay here and do this job!’ There are so many young men and women there and your heart breaks for them.”
Rocky’s charity work supports other great causes such as St Jude’s for Children, N.F.L. Charities, Homeless shelters, cancer research and police and fire department fundraisers as well and animal shelters.
Rocky’s clean, blue-collar style of comedy is impossible not to love. Today Rocky is one of the most sought after comedians in the country. “I’m definitely excited to be back in Southern California. I used to live there, so I’m really looking forward to performing and seeing my family and friends again.”
Rocky LaPorte will be performing with fellow comedians Ron Morey and Taylor Williamson. Tickets can be purchased at Fantasyspringsresort.com or by calling 800.827.2946. Guests must be 21 or older to attend Improv performances.
