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COVER STORY |
November/December 2007
Carlos Mencia UNCENSORED |
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| By Kathleen Mascareñas |
Carlos Mencia has one of the most identifiable names
in comedy—but few people know his personal story.
Did you know, for example, he is the 17th of 18th
children born in Honduras to a Mexican mother and
Honduran father who named him Ned and—out of necessity—
gave him away to a tía in East Los Angeles when he was just
three months old? Or that, as an elementary student, he scored at
the genius level on aptitude tests and his teachers let him skip
from sixth to 10th grade?
When he was a college student, Mencia majored in electrical
engineering—but dropped out just shy of completing his degree
to pursue comedy. He recently took some hard patadas for
allegedly stealing other comedians’ material, charges he
vehemently denies. Finally, he is a new dad who readily
embraces the high price of fame.
When Editor at Large Kathleen Mascareñas recently
hopped into the mind of Carlos “Ned” Mencia, she was highly
entertained—but be forewarned. That frontal lobe produces an
overabundance of S-words—and you know we don’t mean
Spanish.
THE MARK OF MENCIA
* Mind of Mencia is one of the biggest draws on
Comedy Central, bringing in an average of 2.1
million viewers an episode.
* Mencia recently starred opposite Ben Stiller
in the feature film, The Heartbreak Kid, which
opened last month in theaters nationwide.
* Mencia’s production company is called Nedlos,
a name that blends his birth name with his
stage name.
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Latino Future: You are currently on the road
performing Carlos Mencia Live until the end of
December. How’s the tour going?
Carlos Mencia: I can’t believe how amazing the receptions
are. [The performances are] sold out pretty much everywhere
I go. It really is incredible.
Since you’re traveling so much, what city do you
consider to be the nalga of the U.S.?
I don’t see a sh**** place in America. I’ll be honest with you;
I’m getting fed by these people. My family is taken care of
because people buy tickets.
What I do see is people pointing to other sides. People who
live in the black ghetto go, “Man, I wouldn’t live over there with
them Hispanics or rednecks.”
There is no difference between people who live in the black
ghetto, the white ghetto or the barrio. If you think there is a
difference, please watch COPS.
You’ve been doing comedy since the late ‘80s. Reflect
on the moment you knew you made it.
I still don’t believe I’ve made it. I got into this business
because I realized God gave me a gift. I enjoy doing standup. I
want to make people laugh and forget about their sh**** day,
week or life.
You’re from a family of 18 children. How much of
your comedic material stems from your family?
Pretty much all of it stems from the point of view I have about
family. The cool thing about having a big family is there’s no
holier than thou: I’ve got the drug addict in the family; the
alcoholic; the whore; [and] the religious one. It makes it easier
for me to pick on other people because I’m okay picking on
myself, my family or my people.
Do your family members hit you up for money?
Yeah. I call myself the Bank of Mencia. Some of them take
advantage, but a couple of days ago my nephew came over and
was washing all the windows in my house. I was like, “Dude,
what are you doing? If you fall, you’ll bust your ass.”
He was like, “No, man,
that’s cool. You lent me
some money and I told you
I was going to pay you and I couldn’t,
so I’m gonna wash your
windows.”
SEE MENCIA LIVE
www.carlosmencia.com
www.comedycentral.com
Friday, November 2
Shelton, WA
Little Creek Casino
Saturday, November 3
Salem, OR
Elsinore Theatre
Friday, November 9
Peoria (IL) Civic Center Theater
Saturday, November 10
Davenport, IA
Adler Theater
Sunday,
November 11
Ames, IA
Stephens Auditorium
at Iowa State University
Thursday,
November 15
Joliet, IL
Rialto Square Theatre
Friday,
November 16
Waukegan, IL
Genesee Theater
Saturday,
November 17
Madison, WI
Orpheum Theater
Sunday,
November 18
Fort Wayne, IN
Embassy Theatre
Friday,
December 7
Lubbock (TX) Municipal
Auditorium (City Bank)
Saturday,
December 8
Rio Puerco, NM
Route 66 Casino
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It used to be fairly common for
a family with a lot of kids to
give one of the kids away. Your
parents in Honduras gave you to your aunt and uncle in the States.Did that
screw you up emotionally?
No, not at all. I look up to both of them. I [basically] got two
sets of parents. I think it’s awesome.
My mom and dad are physically unable to have kids. My
birth mother is the most amazing woman I’ve ever known. There
are a lot of gifts you can give, but my mother gave the gift of life
to another human being. Luckily, I’ve turned out okay and
created some success out of my life.
On your website, it says you were able to stay out of
gangs because of the love and support of your family.
Were you close to getting into a gang?
When I was in the sixth grade, I took an aptitude test and they
were going to transfer me from the sixth grade to the 10th grade.
My father thought I was too young and I’d be influenced by the
older kids and do stupid sh**, so he sent me to Honduras for
three years.
I didn’t go to school when I was in Honduras. I came
back and went into 10th grade and continued on. After
that, there was no way I was going to get into gangs
because they’d send my ass to Honduras for another few
years—and I ain’t doin’ that sh** again, eatin’ bananas for
two weeks straight.
The rivers are full and overflowing. They sent me
to a village with no water and no electricity. It was
crazy.
Your son turns one in December.What
type of dad are you?
I’m a prankster, man. The only thing I want to teach
my kid is there’s a time and place when you are
going to need to learn to be responsible. But life is
about living and enjoying and having fun.
Do you want more kids?
Definitely, man. [My wife and I] were just talking about
that. I don’t want my son to feel like the world revolves
around him. I definitely want to have at least two kids
[who] fight about sh**. But there’s no way I’m having
18…no fu***** way!
Mind of Mencia has been going strong for more
than two years now on Comedy Central—not too
shabby for a show slated for only 10 episodes.
Knock on wood; let’s see how long I can do it...how
long I can bear the fighting and all the stuff that happens
with putting on a show like mine. It’s grueling man. It
truly is.
You’ve also been through a lot of emotional
drama with the Joe Rogan controversy and the
accusations you’ve stolen other comedians’
material.You have continually denied the
allegations but, in complete honesty, how
hard has that criticism been on you?
No, [it hasn’t taken] a toll on me. I know where that
comes from. It’s an American tradition I call The
Piñata Syndrome.
Have you ever seen an ugly piñata?
No, they
are always beautiful and colorful and, as soon as
somebody makes [one] perfect and beautiful, you string it up
and beat the sh** out of it. It just makes me realize I’m worth
making fun of. All that stuff comes with success.
THE MATERIAL OF MENCIA
Take a Joke America(2000)
America Rules(2002)
Unmerciful(2003)
Not for the Easily Offended(2003)
Down to the Nitty Gritty(2004)
This is Carlos Mencia(2006)
Mind of Mencia, Seasons 1 and 2(2006-07)
No Strings Attached(2006)
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So you’re the piñata in this case?
Oh, God yes, I’m the piñata. Let’s see what comes out—candy
or something else.
You turned 40 on October 22nd. Is that a big birthday
for you?
No, man. I don’t count; I just live. Worrying about your age is
the dumbest sh** ever. It’s like
being on a freefall without a
parachute and screaming.
Just enjoy the fall, man,
‘cuz one day you’re gonna
hit that ground and die.
It’s inevitable. Too many
people are afraid of life.
Life is great! Life has
handed me an amazing hand.
I have enjoyed my 40
years on this earth
immensely.
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