JCW ARCHIVE: Joking Ain't Easy

Summary

The John Clay Wolfe Show

Episode: JCW ARCHIVE: Joking Ain't Easy
Date: August 16, 2025
Theme: The challenges, chaos, and camaraderie of performing stand-up comedy in small-town Texas—with a night at the Rattlesnake Ballroom, run-ins with quirky locals, and reflections on the craft of comedy.

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Episode Overview

This episode takes listeners on a comedic behind-the-scenes journey as the John Clay Wolfe crew—including guest comedian Jerry Wayne Longmire and “the wolf pack”—recount a night at the Rattlesnake Ballroom. The conversation is a lively mix of storytelling about the challenges of performing comedy in rural venues, brushes with small-town drama (including suspicious flat tires and rowdy audience members), and a thoughtful dive into what it takes to be funny in front of a crowd for more than just a quick moment.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Setting the Scene: Rattlesnake Ballroom Comedy Night

[01:13–01:54]

• Jerry Wayne Longmire describes their first experiment hosting a pre-show comedy night at the Rattlesnake Ballroom:

  “When I saw that, I was like, man, we can have people come in to guest host on the show and like do a musical set or a comedy set the night before at the Rattlesnake. And this was our first time to do it and it turned out great.” – Jerry Wayne Longmire (01:20)

• JD Brian jokes about heading to Calgary, describing it as “Little Texas…they got poutine, which my wife hasn’t said if I can have yet.” (01:45)

2. Small Town Drama: Parking Dispute and the Mystery Flat Tire

[01:59–04:45]

• Jerry recounts an altercation with a local Harley rider over parking—a classic case of “outsiders vs. townies.”
• He tries to defuse the situation with humor, claiming a handicapped placard.
• After the show, Jerry discovers a pancaked tire, suspicious given the earlier “territorial” run-in:

  “I came out last night after the show…need some beer for the—because we’re going home. We’re gonna sit on the deck…And I feel it immediately. I’m on ass, flat tires.” – Jerry Wayne Longmire (03:33) “So my car is parked down there. I’ve got to do that later after the show. God, dog, dog.” – Jerry Wayne Longmire (04:41)

3. Rowdy Crowd: Handling Interruptions at Stand-Up Shows

[04:50–06:30]

• JD Brian deals with a particularly loud audience member during Jerry’s set. After a few futile glares, he finally asks him to keep it down:

  “Finally I turned around, went, can you just crank it down just a hair? I’m really trying to hear the show.” – JD Brian (05:15) “Oh, he didn’t just say it like that. He’s like, ‘Hey, dude, quiet. There’s a show going on right now.’” – Podbean Announcer 3 (05:22)

• The exchange escalates with “shut up and eat your nachos” volleyed at JD Brian and his group, but ultimately everyone settles down.

4. Comedy Roots and Long-Form Stand-Up Craft

[08:00–11:04]

• Jerry asks JD how he transitions from short-form (TikTok, open mics) to long-form comedy (hour-long sets).

• JD Brian credits his storytelling roots:

  “I grew up with my dad and his brothers on the back porch…a contest who had the best story…who could get everybody laughing.” (08:45)

• He shares the process: start with tight, funny stories for open mics; gradually earn longer slots; eventually develop material for full specials.

• On writing for different audiences:

  “So right now I’m writing my new special…I’m in a crowd here where I’m not 100% sure I want to go this direction…[I] can just whip that out and it’s easy.” – JD Brian (09:32)

• Memorable riff:

  “Excuse me while I whip this out.” – Jerry Wayne Longmire playfully referencing pulling out a crowd-pleaser story (09:54)

• The crew discusses the energy and pacing required for stage work—slowing down, controlling nerves, and performing even with family present:

  “Number one advice they always give young stand-up comics to start: slow down, slow down, slow down…” – JD Brian (11:37)

5. Travels & Tales: ‘Fat is Funny’ and Airplane Anecdotes

[12:13–14:13]

• Jerry asks JD about flying as a “big old boy.” JD tells a hilarious story about being weighed before boarding a tiny plane in Africa, and his fears of unbalancing the flight:

  “If I walk up your airplane and you weigh me before you tell me where to sit…you don’t got enough airplane for me.” – JD Brian (12:24) “She comes back…moves me six inches to the left…I didn’t move for five hours. I told my friends I held a fart in for the last two hours…I can just see the headlines—Fat guy farts down plane in Africa.” (12:48)

• He jokes about Spirit Airlines being like flying in the third world, while the panel riffs on bad budget carriers and Canadian stereotypes.

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• On the uniqueness of small-town venues:

  “Have y’all ever seen the Blues Brothers movies? You remember Bob’s Country Bunker? Yes, that’s it.” – Jerry Wayne Longmire (02:29)

• Encounters with local ‘ownership’ of comedy:

  “‘Do you know who I am?’ ‘No, I didn’t. I pulled the handicap card, man. I’m crippled, dude. Here’s my badge, okay?’” – Jerry Wayne Longmire (03:11)

• Reflections on ‘sundown towns’:

  “Is this a sunset town?” – Jerry Wayne Longmire (07:19)
  “I know what a sundown town is. Don’t let the sun sit on your black ass.” – Jerry Wayne Longmire (07:38)

• On family watching raunchy comedy:

  “He did a bit about her undercarriage after the baby was born.” – Jerry Wayne Longmire describing Turley’s family-in-the-audience mishap (11:14)

• On the learning process of stand-up:

  “For me to be ready to record it…all the beats aren’t hitting the way I want it to yet.” – JD Brian (09:20)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• Rattlesnake Ballroom Show/Kickoff: 01:13–01:54
• Parking Lot Drama & Flat Tire Story: 01:59–04:41
• Heckler & Rowdy Crowd Management: 04:50–06:30
• Discussion on Long-Form Stand-Up: 08:00–11:04
• Anecdotes: Flying While Big/Spirit Airlines: 12:13–14:13

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Episode Tone & Style

The show maintains a laid-back, playful, and slightly irreverent Southern vibe, fueled by the hosts’ quick wit and camaraderie. The stories are painted in broad, self-deprecating strokes, with the cast poking fun at themselves, each other, and the quirks of small-town life and show business.

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Final Thoughts

If you love road stories, inside comedy baseball, and a bunch of funny Texans joshing around about the risks—and rewards—of making people laugh in the wild west of rural nightlife, “Joking Ain’t Easy” is a great listen. Jerry Wayne Longmire’s storytelling shines, and whether you’re a fellow comic or just a fan of laughter and chaos, this episode delivers equal parts humor and insight into the art of stand-up.

Transcript

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[John Clay Wolf]

The John Clay Wolf show has appeared on terrestrial radio for a really, really, really long time. So we dug into our pockets and on the other side of our we found something funny. And yes, it's contagious. Gather round as the wolf pack goes on this throwback adventure.

[DJ Pre K]

What's the damn deal? It's your boy DJ Pre K with the John Clay Wolf show chilling in the archives. And I figured I'd bring back our homie Jerry Wayne Long. You know, he came out to the springs to share some laughs with the crew. But of course there's got to be some small town drama going on. Luckily, we rolling with thugs like JD Brian to keep us safe. And hey, joking ain't easy, but somebody's got to do it. Check it out.

[Jerry Wayne Longmire]

We're coming off of a morning of. We had a good time last night with Jerry Wayne Longmire. He came by the ranch. We planned this to go by. There's a little venue in this town called the Rattlesnake Ballroom. And I, when I saw that, I was like, man, we can have people come in to guest host on the show and like do a musical set or a comedy set the night before at the Rattlesnake. And this was our first time to do it and it turned out great. And Jerry came up, he's going to Canada for another show tonight. He's flying out. Canada? Canada. Where are you going in.

[JD Brian]

Going to Calgary, man. For a week. Little Texas. Basically, it's. It's just belt buckles and big trucks. That's the same place except they got poutine, which my wife hadn't said if I can have it yet.

[Jerry Wayne Longmire]

JD Had a problem at the event last night. Did he get in a fight? What? Oh, yeah.

[Podbean Announcer 3]

By the way, Jerry, you are wonderful.

[Jerry Wayne Longmire]

You're.

[Podbean Announcer 3]

You do a great job of long form stories.

[Jerry Wayne Longmire]

Yeah.

[Podbean Announcer 3]

And comedy. Seriously.

[Jerry Wayne Longmire]

Yeah.

[Podbean Announcer 3]

And so he was in a bit talking about what happened to him when he's getting pulled over, which is a great story when you catch his comedy.

[Junkie the Barkeep]

What did I do?

[Podbean Announcer 3]

And so Jay, there's a guy just talking loud. This is an interesting, by the way, interesting atmosphere. We're eating and there's A stand up comedy going on too, which.

[Jerry Wayne Longmire]

Have y' all ever seen the Blues Brothers movies?

[JD Brian]

Yeah.

[Jerry Wayne Longmire]

You remember Bob's Country Bunker? Yes, that's it. Yeah.

[JD Brian]

Yes. That is a perfect representation.

[Podbean Announcer 3]

So we're eating and there's a guy in the back.

[Jerry Wayne Longmire]

Who are you, boy? You think you're funny? You realize you're in my town? I'm the only one that's allowed to be funny in my town. When I pulled up to the damn place, there's a Harley sitting there, and he's pointing. All the cars are slotted in at an angle. And this Harley's straight on. So he's taking up two spots, but there's a big spot next to him. So I wiggled in and got in there. And he walks up, he's outside on the deck. What are you doing? I'm like, I'm parking. You can't park there, dude. You're taking up two spots. This in two spots. I'm like, yeah, it's two spots. I need to park here. Do you know who I am? No, I didn't. I pulled the handicap card, man. I'm crippled, dude. I'm a handicapped. Here's my badge, okay? I don't want to fight, but I. I've got a pass right here. It's my. My crippled. My. My placard. So long story short, he wasn't happy. I finally said, what do you want to do? Well, I'm gonna have to turn my back to get out of here. It's like, you mean to help you. And anyway, we went in and I came out last night after the show when I. And I'm like, man, I need some beer for the. Because we're going home. We're gonna sit on the deck, we'll have some beers, right? We're out. I get my car and we're driving. And I feel it immediately. I'm on ass, flat tires.

[John Clay Wolf]

No.

[Jerry Wayne Longmire]

What?

[Podbean Announcer 3]

Oh, did he flat?

[Jerry Wayne Longmire]

No way. So one tire is what is pancaked.

[JD Brian]

Down to the rim.

[Jerry Wayne Longmire]

So I just pulled on to the. I mean, it was just one block. Took a left into the deal. I left it at the choke and puke. 7:11. Deal. Wow. And I was glad that you're behind me. And I jumped to ride with Jerry.

[JD Brian]

Yeah. Surprised the hell out being because we just pulled up. We were following him out here at the ranch. He parked the truck and I hadn't noticed the flat or nothing. Chicken were talking. He comes walking out with a case of beer and hops in the back seat. I was like, where Are we going, brother?

[Jerry Wayne Longmire]

We're going to party.

[JD Brian]

I thought, you want to go do a little off roading in the Volvo. I was like, all right.

[Jerry Wayne Longmire]

That happened.

[John Clay Wolf]

That happened here last night.

[Jerry Wayne Longmire]

Yeah. I mean, I don't know if it was slashed because I went on a drive with the girls beforehand. Maybe I got into cactus or something, but it sure is flat. So my car is parked down there. I've got to do that later after the show. God, dog, dog.

[Podbean Announcer 3]

There's something about, I guess, the rattlesnake that makes people want to fight.

[Junkie the Barkeep]

That's why I'm not the only one that got it.

[Podbean Announcer 3]

Yeah. Because during the show, JD Bowed up to a guy because he was Latin.

[Jerry Wayne Longmire]

Yes, you did. Okay.

[Junkie the Barkeep]

The guy's right behind me. I know, right? The guy's right behind me talking to two other drunk chicks, and they're just. And Jerry's doing a great show. And this guy's like, hey, years of time, back when I drove my car down by the long. The Long View, I was loud as he can be. You know, you do the turnaround thing where you look at him and go, come on, dude. And didn't. Didn't phase him a bit. So finally I turned around, went, can you just crank it down just a hair? I'm really trying to hear the show.

[Podbean Announcer 3]

Oh, he didn't just say it like that. He's like, hey, dude, quiet. There's a show going on right now.

[Jerry Wayne Longmire]

I was like, Damn, J.D. i'm trying to be nice. And. Well, how did he take it? Did he slash his tires? Well, that's probably why my tires got slow. Oh, it's my fault. That's what it is.

[Podbean Announcer 3]

He was surprised he didn't say Podbean.

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[Podbean Announcer 3]

Anything. And then he started to kind of talk about.

[Junkie the Barkeep]

He started talking nachos, and the girl.

[Podbean Announcer 3]

That was next to him kind of poked himself.

[Junkie the Barkeep]

Why don't you eat your nachos? I'm like, oh, Lord, here we go. Here we go.

[Jerry Wayne Longmire]

He told you to shut up and eat your nachos.

[Junkie the Barkeep]

Shut up and eat your nachos.

[Jerry Wayne Longmire]

So what'd you do.

[Junkie the Barkeep]

I just shut up and eat my n. I watched the show, and he shut up is what happened.

[Podbean Announcer 3]

He did.

[Jerry Wayne Longmire]

He did.

[Podbean Announcer 3]

He. But I was proud of JD Actually bowing up to a country boy.

[John Clay Wolf]

I didn't even notice that I was. I was sitting right next to you during the whole show.

[Junkie the Barkeep]

You couldn't hear that guy talk?

[Jerry Wayne Longmire]

No, they were loud as hell. I almost said something.

[JD Brian]

I can hear stage.

[John Clay Wolf]

I'm. I'm like. I mean, focused in. Like, I'm analyzing you, Jerry, while you're doing your set.

[Junkie the Barkeep]

You were laser focused on.

[John Clay Wolf]

I mean, I'm watching that. I want to learn how to do this right.

[JD Brian]

I can tell. Oh, man. Find somebody better to watch. You were.

[Junkie the Barkeep]

You were great. And I was trying to hear the show, and Junkie, the barkeep couldn't keep quiet.

[Jerry Wayne Longmire]

I'm making a date with Ali Shadi. Remember him out of here?

[JD Brian]

Oh, yeah, yeah.

[Jerry Wayne Longmire]

He came and sat in on the show several years ago, but I said, we need to do the same thing with him. But he's African American.

[John Clay Wolf]

Yeah, he's every man, though, dude.

[JD Brian]

Oh, he'll get up there and sit down on that stage. He'll shut up.

[Jerry Wayne Longmire]

Is this. Is this a sunset town?

[JD Brian]

It feels. I. I have not.

[Podbean Announcer 3]

What is that?

[JD Brian]

It's been a minute since I got outside of Houston proper in Texas, and I forgot.

[Junkie the Barkeep]

Sunset town. What does that mean?

[JD Brian]

Yeah.

[Podbean Announcer 2]

Uniform.

[JD Brian]

That's right. Yeah.

[Jerry Wayne Longmire]

I know what a sundown town is. Don't let the sun sit on your black ass.

[JD Brian]

They got a lot more of them in Louisiana. I got a handful of them here.

[Junkie the Barkeep]

Are you serious?

[Jerry Wayne Longmire]

I don't think that's real anymore.

[JD Brian]

Oh, I think Louisiana real in places.

[Jerry Wayne Longmire]

It is real. Is it still real? Oh, come on. It is real. It's real for people like me.

[JD Brian]

I don't feel white. Yeah.

[Jerry Wayne Longmire]

Okay. They slash your tires and you look like you. Okay. No, thank you. Now. It'll be fine. It'll be more than fun. We're just cutting up. How did you learn to go long form? So be being funny in clips and being funny in moments. And the Tick tockers and this and that is one skill. But to get up on a stage and carry consistently with momentum for 45 or an hour and a half. How long did it take you to develop that muscle?

[JD Brian]

Oh, man, you're still doing it, I'm sure. Yeah, yeah. It's a constant learning process. I started. I was always a storyteller. I was fascinated with you storytellers. Jerry Clower and these kind of guys. I. I Grew up listening that. And I grew up with my dad and his brothers on the back porch. And it was just a contest who had the best story. And it was just who could get everybody laughing. Keep. So I grew up in that environment, so it's always been strong with me. It's really hard when you're going into stand up, though, because stand up, they won't last per minute. They won't. You start out doing 5 minute open mics, 2 minute open mics, 1 minute open mics. So it. It takes a while. You have to. You have to get funny enough in those situations that they give you longer time where you can stretch it out. But it's. It's just been in like the past years. Like that last story I tell, if I tell the full version of that story, it's like a 20 minute story. And I wrote it for a storytelling contest. Literally. I was doing a storytelling contest in College Station and I was on the way there and I was like, well, here's something, you know, and I put this together and won that contest that night. And I was like, I'll just put this one over. So right now I'm writing my new special and I've got, you know, about half of it there that the pieces are there, but all the beats aren't hitting the way I want it to yet. Right. For me to be ready to record it. So that story is a good one for when I say, okay, I'm in a crowd here where I'm not 100 sure I want to go this direction with some of this other material.

[Jerry Wayne Longmire]

Right.

[JD Brian]

And I can just whip that out and it's an easy.

[Jerry Wayne Longmire]

Like here, excuse me while I whip this out.

[Podbean Announcer 3]

Well, and the best part is the story so graphic and people are eating it. This just the blend of it wasn't really something you would do normally comedy show.

[Jerry Wayne Longmire]

So it was great. Yeah, it reminded me. I used to. I did a few open mics and it's tough. I haven't done it a long time, but I used to stop at the improv on the way. I would drive, I would go. I started driving to Louisiana when I was buying cars to come back on the night of the open mic at Improv Addison and not Addison in. In Arlington and get up there and do that. I'm fortunate to have this radio stuff under my belt. So you're used to the long form, but it is different when you get up on that stage. Turley, you've done it.

[Podbean Announcer 3]

Yeah. Oh, yeah.

[Jerry Wayne Longmire]

It's.

[Podbean Announcer 3]

It's eye opening. You have to control your energy. That's the biggest thing. Because if you get up there, we're.

[Jerry Wayne Longmire]

Talking about being a comedian on a stage in front of a lot of people with just you and a microphone in them.

[Podbean Announcer 3]

Yeah. If you have family there, that kind of helps. Unless you're doing comedy about them, which I was doing. But it's the energy is you. I really realized when I got up there I was like way too hyper and I started talking too fast and you're like, slow down, slow down.

[Junkie the Barkeep]

You blow through your head.

[Jerry Wayne Longmire]

This thing on the, on the Internet. I watched a video of Turley, me really committed at the time because he got up into this bit, his mother in law and his wife were in the audience and he did a bit about her undercarriage after the baby was born.

[JD Brian]

Oh no, bro. I usually just ask that. Family doesn't come to shows. Yeah. Because I'm going to talk about some of them.

[Podbean Announcer 3]

Well, I didn't know, I didn't know my mother in law was going to be there. That was my wife getting back at me because she knew what the material was going to be. I was like, oh man.

[JD Brian]

Yeah. Some of the, the number one advice they always give young stand up cops to start, slow down, slow down, slow down, you know, and then another one. When, when I first started I was, I wasn't fast, I was real slow. So they were constantly like, do you got any more? Can you, can you, can you hoof it up a little bit, brother?

[Jerry Wayne Longmire]

Hit the hooks harder.

[JD Brian]

Yeah, just speed it up. Just speed it up.

[Jerry Wayne Longmire]

So Jerry Wayne, you are heading to Calgary, Canada to do a week stand up.

[JD Brian]

When, when's your flight leave, man? I think 9 o'.

[Jerry Wayne Longmire]

Clock.

[JD Brian]

Okay, headed out. A little red eye.

[Jerry Wayne Longmire]

You're pretty. You're pretty big old boy. I don't know how big old boy you are, but I bet they're excited. Do you have any problem with the people on the airplanes?

[JD Brian]

Oh, yeah. Oh well, I just came back.

[Jerry Wayne Longmire]

Fat is funny.

[JD Brian]

Yeah. I went to Africa and I've got rules now that I didn't even have before. And one of those rules is if I walk up your airplane and you weigh me before you tell me where to sit on the airplane, you don't got enough airplane for me because they, my friends, little bitty skinny people, they're like little fairy people and they just put them on the plane, no problem. And I'm walking up a plane that I could pick up, put in the back of my pickup, you know what I mean? I'm already nervous we're gonna fly five hours over the Sahara. And I'm like, okay. I walk up this plane, and she's like, whoa, big guy, hold up just a minute. And she pulls this scale. I guarantee that scale weighed as much as I did. She pulled the scale out of the bottom of the airplane, set it down, weighed me in my backpack and everything. I was like, all right. Then she gets me on the airplane, and she tells me where to sit. So I think I'm in the right place. My friends are already kind of glaring at me funny because about this. And I'm like, well, we get ready to take off. She comes back there on an airplane, she moves me six inches to the left. And I talk about terrified, man. I didn't move for five hours. I told my friends I held a fart in for that the last two hours, you know, I can just see the headlines. Fat guy farts down plane in Africa. You know, it's not the Buddy Ollie story. That ain't second. I'm flying to Canada on Spirit Airlines. I'm sure they'll weigh me before I get on, you know.

[Podbean Announcer 3]

Oh, Spirit.

[JD Brian]

Yeah. It's going to take four days to get to Canada. I could probably drive there quicker.

[Jerry Wayne Longmire]

God, Spirit. Is that like. Is that the new Jet Blue?

[Junkie the Barkeep]

Yeah, but it's still the old Spirit.

[Podbean Announcer 3]

Yeah, it's like flying in a third world country is what it is.

[Jerry Wayne Longmire]

What is Canada? Yeah.

[Podbean Announcer 3]

No, I'm talking about on the plane, though.

[JD Brian]

Yeah.

[Podbean Announcer 3]

Chickens in the isle zero.

[Junkie the Barkeep]

Yeah.

[DJ Pre K]

All right, y' all know what to do. Hit us up on John Claywolf dot com. You can check out old episodes on there. You know, stay up to date with what we got going on. Get cool gear. We got hats, shirts, all that hit us up on Facebook. You know, search John Clay Wolf show. We're on Instagram. John's on Twitter. You know, you can holler at all of us. Okay. You know how to spell it. Okay. We appreciate you all listening. Keep on rocking with us.