For four seasons, Carlos Mencia shared his manic, race-related humor on Comedy Central’s “Mind of Mencia.”
Now, the politically provocative punch-liner is busing across America on the “At Close Range” tour. He’ll bring his unpredictable act to the Louisville Palace on Sunday.
“The beauty of my shows is, they’re very about what’s occurring right then,” said Mencia, by phone from the tour bus in Binghamton, N.Y. “I don’t know what I’m going to talk about two minutes before I get on stage. It’s all about that moment in time.”
He discussed the new political scene, huge families and the accusations floating around that he’s a blatant joke-swindler.
I know how much you like mullets. We have mullets aplenty here.
I love mullets. The other day, in Pittsburgh, I saw the greatest mullet I’ve ever seen. I can’t describe it. It was just the mullet of all time; complete “business in the front, party in the back.” I’ve never seen anything like it.
Was the man at all embarrassed by his mulletness?
There was no shame at all, which by the way, I respect … He had a hot chick with him.
No! I’ve got a hot chick, too, just a hot chick that doesn’t dig mullets.
This year was a different kind of year. It was more about “We can’t have the same thing” than it was about anything else. Not to take anything away from Obama, because he’s obviously a very intelligent well-spoken man, but the truth is, it could’ve been a one-eyed three-armed leprechaun saying (in an Irish accent), “I just want you to know I’m not going to do the same thing as the last guy.”
So why did a decent amount of folks still vote Republican?
The problem in America sometimes, is people believe that red state/blue state (garbage). We live in a world that is half lit and half dark at the same time all the time. For any liberal or conservative to believe they’re always right is asinine. They’re all blaming each-other, and that’s where I come in.
Do you think Affirmative Action is still relevant now that we have a black president?
No it’s not. Once a black guy becomes president, everything you used to believe no longer exists when it comes to racism. Are there going to be racist people in the world? Yes, but that’s just hate. That’s just humanity. That’s just people … when you put it in perspective. In truth, a black guy has proven that in America, the dream is real.
I don’t know if we should still have Affirmative Action.
If I were to say to you, ‘Let me tell you why I can’t (blah blah blah) in America,’ you can legitimately say to me, as a white American, ‘Well, Barack did it; what’s your excuse?’”
I’m not an attention-getter believe it or not.
So, trying to stand out among your siblings isn’t what started your comedy career?
I do comedy because I want to change the world. I want to make the world a better place to live, I want people's lives to have a better perspective. For a while now, in this country, the best truth has been told by comedians, whether it was Richard Pryor or Lenny Bruce or George Carlin. There’s a reason why they’re giving shows to people like D.L. Hughley on CNN, and its because they’re figuring out these guys can say things that nobody else can.
Have you heard of the Duggar family? They have 18 kids — I think, I lose count — and have their own television shows and specials and they get all this free stuff. It wasn’t like that in Honduras, was it?
Jesus Christ, no. It’s all so stupid now. When I was a kid, kids didn’t cost very much. It was a different world. Your 16-year-old was taking care of your 5-, 7- and 8-year-olds. The 12-, 13- and 14-year-olds were kind of on their own. We ate rice and beans as a staple. It was a different time. Now it’s ridiculous.
Take Pampers, for example, and milk. Milk used to be a staple and it wasn’t that expensive. And Pampers … I wore one of my older brother’s Pampers. They would get washed and we’d use them again. In today’s America, if you have more than six kids and you’re not unbelievably, disgustingly rich, you’re a moron.
The problem is, in (the Duggars’) reality shows, nobody calls these people idiots.
The point of that bit is not about her as much as in this society that we live in. A woman’s intelligence can’t really change the world, but a woman’s beauty might. As superficial and stupid as that is, that’s real. Why do you think every single woman on all the news channels are hot (and the men aren’t)?
OK then, why isn’t Hillary president?
Because people like Barack Obama better?
Naw. If she was more attractive, she would have gotten more votes.
Let’s change the subject. Anything you want to say to Joe Rogan, whose been insisting you plagiarize your jokes?
Ha ha ha! I would never put another comedian down. My father told me a long long time ago, ‘If you can’t rise on your own, you will shame me, if you put somebody down to make yourself feel like you’re better, taller or on top. That is not how our family succeeds.’ Any comedian that gives me crap, I literally want unbelievable success for them, so that when they get as successful as me, or more successful, hopefully, they’ll know what its like to be hated as well. Anyone with success is not liked by a certain segment of society. Always.
The one I admire the most is my father. My father is the funniest man I’ve ever known in my life.
He had a built-in laugh track!
Now that you say that, I think I know why he had so many kids. He wanted an audience. It’s like he just decided, ‘I’ll just make your mom have an audience for me.’
What lessons have you learned on your current cross-country tour?
We all want the same things. Everybody in America, from Billings, Mont., to Olympia, Wash., to Syracuse, N.Y, everybody wants the same thing. We want our kids to be safe, we want a decent, secure job, we want a little bit of money for retirement, we want to make sure our government isn’t corrupt and we all hope our daughter doesn’t get pregnant before she gets married.
