I got together with my friend Carlos Mencia on his run through Northern California and he agreed to sit for an interview for an interview. I’ve met Carlos a few different times, and we have an understanding: I’m not interested in ‘Dee Dee Dee’. If I wanted that guy, I would just watch the Mind of Mencia on DVD. I want to talk to the man I know him to be; thoughtful, insightful, intelligent, and long winded! Carlos Mencia LOVES to talk. This interview took place over a couple of different days, both over the phone and in person. Portions where either Carlos or I babble on incessantly have been (thankfully) edited out.
N: Mind of Mencia on Comedy Central lasted for three seasons, what was it like to work there?
M: It’s difficult. It’s a network, like any other network, with very defined rules about what you can or cannot say. Comedy Central is on cable, so it isn’t governed by the FCC, so they can say whatever they want, if they wanted to. They would go for somebody like Chapelle doing a sketch about a family called the ‘Niggars’, but if somebody else wanted to do that same sketch they’d be like…uh you can’t do that. So it’s much more difficult because it’s random. And then all the sudden you’re following South Park, which is so edgy, but it’s a cartoon and you’re not….
N: Give me an example of what you mean. What is a sketch that you came up with that never made it onto the show?
M: I wanted to do a sketch about religion. See, we are all dying for religions, but it’s THE GODS that should kill themselves. So let’s just get a representative of every religion to have a Religious Royal Rumble and have it out. And they were like, “sounds great but you can’t show Mohammed.’ They wanted to respect the Muslim faith, but I’m not Muslim. They wouldn’t even let someone PLAY the part, even though someone is playing Moses, and Jesus, and South Park just did an episode where the show the Devil shitting all on a Crucifix of Jesus Christ. It’s stuff like that where you just kinda left going, I don’t understand.
N: Is it hypocritical of the network, or is it just in their own best interests? Are they just afraid of the backlash?
M: You see, the problem with doing jokes about Middle Eastern people is that it comes with ‘they might blow your shit up’. That’s the fear, ya know what I mean? Black people are gonna march, White people are gonna march, Latino’s are gonna march. The crazy Middle Eastern guy is gonna blow you up. That’s where it comes from, and so they fear that, I think more than anything else. Which is stupid, but whatever.
N: I’ve seen your act, so I already know the answer to this question. Where did ‘Dee Dee Dee’ come from?
M: I was on stage at the Comedy Store, and I was making fun of stupid people. And someone yelled out ‘you’re being mean!’ and I was like ‘no I’m not’. You see a couple that you’ve never met in your entire life, and you make eye contact. And without even consciously thinking it, your entire body cringed because you thought ‘oh my God I hope those two never have kids’. Because you know that that kid is gonna be a MORON. Cause the Mom is obviously a ‘DUH’ and the Dad is obviously a ‘DUH’ so what’s the kid gonna be? At that moment is was like ‘duh duh duh’ which morphed itself into ‘DEE DEE DEE’! It’s really just Duh to the Third Power.
N: I hope this isn’t uncomfortable, but I want to talk about controversy. You’ve been called a joke thief a time or two by Joe Rogan. Here’s how I heard it: You’re doing a set at the Comedy Store, and he busts in on you on stage…
M: No no no, that’s not how it happened. He was on stage talking about me negatively, and then I went on stage and was like ‘why are you doing this, what is your problem?’ That’s how all that got started.
N: Do you guys have beef, or is it just jealousy?
M: I won’t speak for other people. I really don’t. What I can tell you is that anybody who has put out as many albums and as much materials as I have is gonna end up talkin about things that have been talked about before.
N: Oh man, I feel ya. Even with that I do on the radio, it tough to stay fresh all the time. You definitely have a unique perspective
M: Well that’s what I have. A different perspective. I’ve had people come up to me and say ‘Hey! Carrot Top and Carlos Menica are my two favorite comics!’ And I’m like, awesome! I’m not offended by that…
N: Maybe a little creeped out?
M: (with a laugh) No! I get it, we’re completely different. It’s ok…
N: You know what I’d like? I’d like for you and Joe Rogan to throw down inside the UFC octagon…that’s what I’M talkin about!
M: Ya but see, I’m a comedian. Ya know what I mean? It’s not cause I’m a bitch or a punk, otherwise I’d have never stepped foot on that stage with him in the first place…
N: Fo Sho! Well that’s definitely true. But what if we gave you guys some big ass cartoon style gloves?
M: Ya I get it. But see for me I don’t hate. That’s just not where I live. Dude I from another country, I’m an immigrant. I know how beautiful this country is and what it gives to people like me. My job is to make people laugh. I don’t even think of stuff like getting into a ring and fighting someone. I would never do it! I try to make people laugh, I try to bring passion, I try to bring love. That’s what I do. I haven’t thrown a punch since I was in the ghetto bro, I’m not about to do it now that I have money…
N: Eh, the controversy doesn’t bother me much in all honesty. I know how it goes, and if someone would hold what Joe Rogan says against you, then they don’t understand what you do in the first place.
M: We live in a world that breeds a lot of hate right now. Ya know what I mean? We live in a world filled with negativity. How often on the internet have you gotten something saying, hey go to this website and send a letter to a Marine or a Soldier. How often does stuff like that go viral on the internet? It doesn’t. What gets viraled is ‘hey David Letterman just admitted to screwing half his staff…’ Very negative, very negative society. I won’t feed into that, that will never be me.
N: So what are you up to after the show?
M: We’ll the people in Redding are awesome. Intelligent and awesome. One of the big surprises when we did The Punisher tour in ’06. So me and some buds and some family members are gonna rent a houseboat and hang out on Shasta for a week or a few days. We’re gonna get hammered bro! Hopefully nobody falls off the boat. With my career and my life right now, that the last thing I need man. I can just see the headline: ‘Carlos Mencia. Houseboat and a drowning. And he STOLE HIS JOKE before he drowned!’
N: Alright man, I can hear the crowd calling your name, I’m gonna scoot out and take my seat. Thanks for hanging with me for a bit man.M: You’re very welcome big man. Keep in touch; we’ll do it again sometime.
I want to thank Carlos Mencia and his manager Joey for hooking me up with so much time this trip through. The show at the Redding Convention Center was phenomenal. Mencia has such good energy live and he performed for a little over two hours.
Rumors of his death have been circulating around the internet for several years now, but on Tuesday, at the age of 41, West Coast Singer/Rapper Nathaniel “Nate Dogg” Hale was pronounced dead, after suffering a multiple stroke episode. Nate Dogg had experienced other stroke events in 2007, and again in 2008 (which may have had something to do with all those death rumors), but was said to be on the road to recovery before his passing on Tuesday. While 41 is shockingly young, it is important to remember that 41 is 287 in dog years…
