Justin Wilson | Louisiana Legends

funding for the production of Legends is provided in part by the Friends of LPB [Music] [Music] Rocko - storyteller whipped master chef well I can only be talking about one man copra my friend glad to see you Justin Wilson glad to see you girls bless you hard you look good I'm glad you to see me - well I'm better now that I'm talking with you Oh bless you well not Justin and I were talking on the set prior to the cameras coming on I mentioned a bad word and I didn't know it was a bad word and I'll let him explain it to you I mentioned the word comedian and he said Papa no good well you know a comedian usually they have both everything is written for them a great deal is written for I'm not I'm we humor estai see something humor was going on around men and take a little simple story and head on to it and things pop out come on I don't know where they come from that's a human nothing is written for me nothing at all okay we've got that straight and I wanted the folks to share your thinking on it Justin how does Justin Wilson which is not a Cajun name is she's dead not a kidney but it's a freshman that's a French name yeah do you have any Cajun blood at all I would say so yes my mother was part French Huguenot in part so I guess some of the Acadian huh my great-great-great great-grandfather landed in in Savannah Georgia and his name was you a hu ie like Bowie you know Bui but you ane that was in 1733 and he came on over land to Louisiana and settled in south Louisiana now some of the records the genealogy of had been lost and some of them I've been able to look into but I'm about half Louisiana French interesting I didn't know that but no not funny part about it if it's a drop of French blood people think of it as Cajun I'm so proud of the fact that I am you know let me ask you a question your life is built around Cajun humor how do you feel about the Cajun people what do you think of them as a people aside from just the obvious the humor some good cooking and so I think that they are great people I they they that the humor is a part of them you know just like the cooking is a part of them they love to live and they don't just and they live to love a lot of people just love to live and they don't see but Louisiana case people they put a lot into life and they get a lot out of it they don't particularly gossip about each other they may talk about it a little bit but it's not it's in the form of gossip I think that there are a lot smarter than people all over the United States be ready for see I know I've been worked in the oil field a lot as a safe you know I'm a safety engineer yes and I've worked with elision Acadian people in practically every all paths United States and Canada and you always find them they are doing the work because they know how I was a born and raised among them in Lafayette Louisiana spent about the first 20 years of my life there and I found them the most tolerant people in the world live and let live that's right that's exactly right I I'm that way I believe in it right now Justin your father was a remarkable man was he not well I think so I still tell some of the stories that the Cajun people told him years ago he told me I still tell somebody now I'm sure most folks don't know he probably held elective office in Louisiana longer than any man in political history he held elective office for 50 years 16 years of that were local offices like the town council and school board and things like that 32 years as Commissioner of Agriculture 32 years ago any politician would sign a contract today to stay in office 32 years issue I don't know if anybody has pulled it off do you oh yes Pat tug will do oh so did you say treasurer so did wade Martin Jew Wade Martin many issue did Justin when you were a kid in school say grammar school were you a funny kid what did you have well you know four cents of him yeah yes I started out as a retain what is oh there's a tap dancer and interpretive dancer you know did all all the interpretive dance like to snatch back in snake hips and things like that and I sang in clog dance and all that and I was in every play that they had and they usually were comedies so you always have had the comedic streak in you well well that's a good word you you'd learn it this morning for this I wanted to outsmart you maybe you spotted addiction I learned when you came to Justin then you came on after grammar school to LSU well I Tim at the high school and they meet there's you know where was granulated booth was graduated from high school there I came on to LSU but I went there five different times as a freshman LSU and I'd still be wondering what wind what did you major it I majored in a campus tree I read that and I had a good time doing it and I'm so glad I did does campus do you mean the same thing as girls well that had a great deal you wouldn't think of a Teddy cam tree not study very well attended five times I would raised it five different times as a freshman that was in about four years or in Louisville but you know what's funny one that girls and I tell people is I'm guest lecturer and two of their colleges out there I bet they don't ask you to talk on grades though our stud oh my grades were good really oh yes it was your social life that God well I just figured I better quit before my grades got bad Justin do you remember the first real Cajun whom you ever met who you ever knew oh yes she lived next door to me and Amy to Louisiana my name was mrs. wheeshed a hundred which is a German name yes what a husband was a secretary to the police jury in a meet for many many years and she was a little short Cajun lady and she talked French with my mother every nun and that's why I heard my first French now you knocked around and had all kinds of jobs didn't you as ago I knocked around and I worked for myself agreed after that but I've ho bowed I have a fruit you know pack fruit all over United States I've been a peace officer I'm still one I've done a lot of things and you just in men and in safety work I've worked on so many different jobs and it's been a lot of fun it really has I've learned an awful lot how did you get into the safety engineering business well I was an enforcement officer and I got intern I was had charge of the safety fire protection of all the warehouses in Louisiana here at Pea long hired me to clean up the warehousing industry in Louisiana when I wasn't old enough to vote and I cleaned it up - I got whipped a few times and all that but I cleaned it up and made it safe to issue negotiable receipts where farmers could borrow money and I charge of all the fire protection and the stacking of rice and cotton food products and all that and I got interested in it and I wasn't making much money is an unfortunate loss I can tell you that they still don't make smell don't make enough and so I got hidden safety and started doing that and I became one afternoon a speaker them to Justin you mentioned Huey Long and you're a real professional your stage personality that's really your trade how good was he on his feet he was a little bit before me he was phenomenal on his feet now I can tell you this he would talk three hours on the radio and if you reach to turn it off somebody would cut you hand off seriously not only was yes what did you think of the late dudley leblanc whom i did know and it was fabulous I knew him and liked him very much I think he was a very funny man he was a wit he really was a humorist and he was a real entrepreneur wasn't he oh boy was he I I admired him I liked him what he did with had a call and that was before the days of television well I suspect that hasn't been done before and will never be done again I'm talking about his merchandising and mortal I was terrific he did a tremendous job on that he really did how did you get into the storytelling business well I don't know my father was a very fine storyteller but I got into this tour telling business because it would get people's attention and as a peace officer if you could get someone's attention and keep them in a good-humoured saved a lot of knocks and bruises and there's a safety man if you get the attention they most probably would listen to you a little bit better and it's done like that that's done a great job for me on that and the thing about it I like to see people laugh I don't think they laugh enough no at what point did this this humor this dialect at what point when did it first strike you that hey maybe I'm onto something and that I'm not just fooling with something as an entree as a tool of my profession but maybe I'm looking at a brand new profession when did it dawn on you that you might have something I don't think it ever has I really don't know this is it's just something that I did and have been doing for years and make people laugh and to think about people like something in the dialect you know they all comedian pearl Jack pearl yes he used to come on there and people would listen to that on the radio for hours and hours and couldn't understand half of what he'd say but they would laugh but it was funny yes it's funny but but still there must have been a point maybe someone told you or you told yourself well you said well maybe the people who pay me a large sums of money or maybe at that time little some little some believe me was a person or an accumulation well I think that the person who had the most influence about that was Will Rogers I met him here in Baton Rouge when I was just a kid is that right and spent about six hours with him and he said son don't ever quit telling those wonderful stories because people don't laugh enough he said but I always tell him something serious so they won't think you complete fool and I've been doing that ever since and I think that was about the time it had and I'd started out though as a singer I started out as a singer you know when I sang professionally for a long time I've sung in hopper writers and operas and no musical comedy and things like that and I still sing but in in talking and there was modern one which market for singing but there was for somebody that could talk this is in 1934 and 35 you see and I just don't know yes and so just accidentally I think it did most of it was to be truthful about it that that's wait look to me where do you get your material for example the demands on you must be tremendous and and you've got to come up with new stuff I suspect almost constantly people called me people call me and tell me a new story all do they really they write you too well they write me but they call me and I return every call that I get see and I in you know hold in Beverly it would be within I would say 50 called is gonna be someone with a story with a story Justin do you have a good memory or do you have to write these stories down I never have written them down is that right on a line or two that's the humorous you see if you know writing isn't you the writer you know is being a humorist a frightening thing that is there has to be a certain amount of challenge now you go on a stage and let's face it those thousand people sitting out there what they're really saying to you is I paid and hey make me laugh now you might have a headache that day or maybe a business didn't go well so is it ever frightening do you ever having these little dots before you get to that huh Mike never I never have I never had it but I realize what you're saying is absolutely true now I've had those thoughts but not frightening thought I had all this is where there's been one person said they say that's so-and-so not gon make me laugh well he created hell I'm gonna make him laugh then I generally do how do you like the Don Rickles School of humour the ridicule school of you know most of your jokes poke fun at yourself that's right and that type humor pokes fun at other people I wondered what would be your opinion of that well my pain of that is I'm a master of ridicule but I'd used it in political talks for years yeah I also know that ridicule is the most dangerous weapon that you can use so I don't use it on anybody except me Jimmy Davis also tells jokes on the stage only on himself I know it bless his wonderful heart Justin you had an opportunity on the Ed Sullivan Show which at that time was the number one show in four years was a number one show what kind of experience was that tell him well it was a disappointing experience because they told me I had to rehearse my stories and I didn't know that I never have rehearse two stories he and I made the engineer angry and he turned the sound off on the audience so it didn't look good but the audience was very fine people think it wasn't but the audience was very good even though the sound was turned off I could see them in all I am is a humorist I'm a reflection of that audience that's all in the world I am without that onus I can't go I do my cooking show I can't do it without an audience what's the most unusual audience that you've ever had to perform before I've had to tell stories - that's a hard question - Hanson have you ever had a way out one that you said what am i got my oh I've had that many times in my life and let me tell you some that first 30 to 60 seconds means an awful lot to you too I've talked to more different types of audiences I guess than anybody in the business and there's a speaking business because that's basically what I am an after-dinner speaker humorous afternoon speaker I talked to I think one of the most one of the most unusual audiences is retirees they sitting there they want to be entertained bad and you better hit attain them and sometimes it's kind of hard to do because you don't want to step on anybody's toes you know in for instance if you tell drinking store now I never forget one thing when one community I'm not gonna tell you where what in Louisiana I talked I told several stories about drinking and I had a preacher writers put an ad in the paper I kept that now wrote him a letter and I told him one thing about occasions that we were taught when we were children the same thing that's supposed to be taught you as a minister with tolerance but I'm sure you have a lot of it now signed sincerely Justin Wilson Justin how does one handle a drunk in the audience well I played nightclubs and I do it because I get to sing you know that's why I play them every now and then don't do it often there's two ways to handle a drunk you can't ignore number one you can't ignore them you got to get to them real quick any heckler I've I've paid their own political talks I've paid people to heckle me so that I could get the sympathy of the audience you know that's an old trick for yes oh yeah the the thing about it is this this drunk you got to handle him right away if you don't you're dead he will heckle you bother you the whole time you're up there I take him right now cut him to pieces if I possibly can how'd you get started with cooking and I think I should mention at this point that when this program is shown you'll probably be able to see a Justin Wilson series on these stations his masterful cooking he is a master chef real good chef they they do ice sculpture in order I don't know how to do all I talked to the studio crew who filmed your programs how many are there how many projects 26 and each of them gained an average of about 12 pounds and they said it was awfully hard to go back to whopper burgers when you finish for that that's great that is a wonderful compliment you to cook well got hungry this is true well I watched my mother when I was a child and have a reared on a farm in home and I'm staying the kitchen and help her cook rather than get out there in the field or just watch her cook and she was a terrific wonderful cook she cooked Cajun type cooking she cooked south Louisiana Thai so you choose well like I Cajun eyes Chinese food what in the world of Cajun I had any kind of food that made it different a little bit of season that they don't nothing about you know and now then I I went to fruit trapping and things like that and ho board and you cooked you had to cook Justin uh barbecue is my favorite food oh there you can take sir yes sir Lafayette Louisiana probably the finest cooking in not at any rate is there a secret to real good barbecue yes there is there is a secret to real good barbecue and the secret is not to how to fire not to how the father I try to make any kind of sauce you won't you know but what I like to do is retain the taste of the meat we ask you this getting on the stage or standing before a group and how often do you do you go out and perform and tell stories in an average year how many times in between 115 total about half of your time is spent traveling and getting up there and making photos well here's a question you like the rest of us sometimes must be downhearted or we're physically exhausted how do you get yourself up to go make people laugh somehow to me there's something frightening about that well it isn't to me but this is the thing about it when when I get up to talk to those people I forget everything else except what I'm there for and I have a good time doing it I've convinced myself see everything I do today for a living go started out as a hobby yes that's interesting in it and it works better that way I'll admit that they've been times I've had I performed once in Selma Alabama I had my temperature was 104 and I've got a standing ovation and the reason I got this standing ovation is I knew I had to do well because I felt so bad that if I didn't do well I would have let that audience down III feel like that if I would let that understand diabetes committing your sacrilege really because I don't think that I should have think that I should by all means make that order to realize how great the Louisiana Cajun people are and that's what I try to do I'm gonna put you on the spot go hey doll of the thousands of stories that you have told over your long and distinguished career what's your all-time favorite Cajun story well I'll tell you that I have several favors but this is one I tell practically every time I talk because it were told to me but the truth there was a Cajun Nick doors of hell he wasn't drunk with me well he wasn't no alcoholic even a wine head that's what he was devious plain old wine head in one Saturday morning you were gonna hang around oh and back in fact little bit the deities making a trim it's a bad to wallpaper going with you he's a some little man sitting on his belly stomach playing booray puck well you know and he talked with himself I feel bad and I've been bad and I got to do somebody move on that but then he used me talking about doing something but being better I did something but feeling this terrible and I know what they did about that I got to run that dog down it bit me and bite him back the reason on the bend got a half if that old cheap wine they didn't drink every day and he drank so much of it every day when he got up the next morning before he took the first little bitty ship he smelled terrible didn't if he took a few simple smell even more so so he breathing got some Boone's Farm strawberry him drank it down his courage came back all the way plumb the wallpaper settled back on the wall little man quit playing booray when his belly stomach but they left the cards oh we shall feel much more better now I did somebody being bad and I've been bad what I'm gonna do oh I'm gonna go to confession he was a captain he got a bethought to save himself but he knew it cut his throat we found another v that boon for him drank it down Jaidyn self bade himself put his best blue Serge suit and he went to confession now that single confession goes he's got a little room on one side where legally speaking to confess all going down on the other side he got another room where also - legally speaking the confess e going down in between it a little while mesh cover wearing about six before you can't see to it but you can use truth in father got to get up close lords close to that winner could name people do not talk loud and that confession I'll bet my friend going there and he say father boom that all sour wine would not be little fries out he says yes he's got a hauled off and sin and bad son have you killed anybody oh no father I ain't kill nobody okay son that's enough confession for this week okay father well he stayed act of contrition me back out of there and he walked out of church he made a friend with him brought himself penny say you going to confession oh yeah I'm going to confession you killed anybody I don't know I didn't kill nobody what area isn't going all these hearing in murder cases today's ask how the Cajun audiences react to your humor I'll get standing ovations from them say they are wonderful the marvelous part about Cajun that is 99.9 percent of them is they don't mind a joke being on them they're that sense of humor it's so much better than any other ethnic so-called ethnic group course we run parlors in French we think you already think we don't think we are everyone else has an accent that's right we think y'all talk funny you know the the marvelous Cajun sense of humor I guess is the greatest in the world and I've encountered earlier that worked all over this country I've worked in 48 states see Justin what are you doing your spare time what does a storyteller humorists do in his spare time I don't have any I still do safety work my spare time I laugh I swim I love I love to talk to people and I'd love to listen to good music oh and I just left earlier you cook at home oh yes I cook practically every meal at home I love to cook when I cook in his relaxation Domingo's it if I have a safety problem I'll get in the middle of the night and make a rule take an hour to make that route won't ask you this you walk with a cane and of course have a slight limp and many people wonder what how did that come about how did that happen an automobile accident coming from a safety conference where I was the featured speaker on traffic safety in it something was that many years ago oh yes I spent 21 months and the lady lake Hospital so you you probably what we're lucky to keep your leg well I was lucky to live I heard him arrange my own funeral did you really in accord lean in a coma yes and I became a narcotic addict Gus a Mainliner and I kicked the habit cold turkey and I'm very proud of the fact of that I don't mind telling people that well that is what he wanted anyone once I had a I got my mine orthotic to handle the pain the head of the pain I'm told that's very common incidentally yes it is but did what thought isn't common is to kick the habit cold turkey a Jerry Lewis the comedian I'm talking about now from pain I understand that he got on the drug and for him to kick it I believe they had to physically knock him out well they had to put him on what they call a withdrawal treatment but if you ever quit that habit if you have a kick the habit cold turkey you're not likely to ever be an alcoholic you didn't hardly quit smoking which I did you'll never I don't think I could ever be a narcotic addict again I don't even like to take an aspirin but when you kick it cold turkey you pray to die for seven days is it that brutal you know we see it in movies and we read about it is that it certainly is how did you do sleep physical physical letdown is what you get well I just knew I had to do had to do it I promised dr. Glenn Smith who delivered me into this world it was a great psychiatrist a hefty became with well if he was a GP I've promised him gave my word that just wouldn't take me off of when I was in that hospital in that cast for 14 months I was in a cast for 14 months from my head now and that I'd kick the habit and I kept my word you know you go in and out of the Cajun accent and I don't even know if you're aware of in other words even when you just talk and I was wondering do you ever think in that accent making it all the time when when I'm not talking with it I'm trying how about future plans what is Justin Wilson wanna do you're a healthy vigorous man very you look wonderful I feel I'm just two feet from you and it's not a matter of stage makeup or anything you you really hurry actually I feel so good it's it's a illegal it should be ashamed but I'm not my planter to keep going like I'm going I uh I want to do a series of safety tapes for four people due to use for accident prevention I'm going to I also have an idea of a TV show I want to do but I want to see those audiences I want to make a series of at the dinner talks or every year as long as I can get there you love people I know where they are all but I love them anyhow I know what they are too but I'm not as sure as you Justin you're an interesting fascinating man you're you're a different man I must tell you then then you are when you're doing your act oh yeah there's two different Justin Wilson's there's a very serious Justin Wilson who's a a kind of a philosopher with that not necessarily any witnessed in and then there's the Justin Wilson who's a fabulous humorous well with philosophy you have to make to wit if you don't you when I don't think you could be a philosopher and if you'd with deadly serious all the time you know like like I just said I know what people are but I love him anyhow you know it's funny but it's true I'm not what you'd call a philosopher girls I just I believe I believe in me I know me I'm completely honest with me I think that that's the hardest person in the world to become pretty tough I haven't solved that one yet either I think that the greatest gift in the world is for a man to be able to bestow happiness upon other people and that's what you've done with your life and it's been a pleasure being with you my pleasure seeing you laughing for two and a half hours good I think the stewardess thought we were both crazy that's all right we were thank you thank you [Music] [Music] funding for the production of Legends is provided in part by the Friends of LPB for a copy of this program called one eight hundred nine seven three seven two four six or cent 1995 to Louisiana legends Carib LPD 7733 Perkins Road Baton Rouge Louisiana seven oh eight one oh please allow four to six weeks for delivery

Channel: Louisiana Public Broadcasting

Views: 17,198

Rating: 4.9605913 out of 5

Keywords: Justin Wilson, cajun, comedy, cajun storytellers

Id: YJMGHbaqtkU

Length: 29min 17sec (1757 seconds)

Published: Sun Nov 03 2019