FGA: Who was your biggest influence growing up as a kid? Did you have any role models in particular?
Carlos: My father was my biggest influence and role model. He exemplifies the “Carlos” stage persona but in real life. My father always said what was on his mind, regardless of it’s political correctness. As far as comedians, I have always admired Richard Pryor and Paul Mooney.

FGA: Walk me through a normal day in your life.
Carlos: It depends if I am on the road or not. On the road, I typically wake as early as 5 am to do a few hours of morning radio. I will then get something to eat and answer fan mail. I will do some afternoon press and try to squeeze in a nap. Then it’s off to the shows for the rest of the night. If I am at home, I will generally sleep in (unless I am doing morning press in town or over the phone). Then my wife and I will go to one of our favorite local restaurants for lunch. We may go catch a movie or run errands. After that I will play video games with friends or go for a ride on one of my motorcycles. Following that, I will take my wife out for a nice dinner then drop by the Comedy Store for awhile.

FGA: How often do you usually perform each week?
Carlos: Again it depends if I am in show production or not. On the road I could perform as many as 10 shows a weekend. If I am touring the larger venues I will perform around 3-5 shows. If I am in show production then I will perform in rehearsal and on tape nights with occasional stops at the comedy store.

FGA: In your mind, what’s the best aspect of the comedian/celebrity lifestyle?
Carlos: I just love making people laugh. That’s why I have been doing this as long as I have. I just get so much joy out of it. And if you can make people think on top of that, even better.

FGA: Who is your favorite comic and who do you love to listen to or watch now?
Carlos: There is nothing I enjoy more than discovering young talent. It’s really cool to see someone new to comedy develop a stage presence and have a great set.

FGA: Do you have any advice to your fans out there who are aspiring comics?
Carlos: There’s nothing I can tell anyone about comedy. You have to learn everything through experience. The only advice I can give is to just keep getting on stage as much as you can.

FGA: What is it like having a nationally broadcasted TV show on Comedy Central?
Carlos: It’s great. The network has pretty much let me do whatever I wanted to. The show has really become a great representation of my comedy and has let me reach so many more people than I could on the road.

FGA: At what point did you realize you have finally made it and achieved success?
Carlos: I don’t look at it like that. You just perform for the sake of the art, the rest is all a secondary result.

FGA: Do you think success has changed you? If so, in a good way or a bad way?
Carlos: I think that the success of the show is great. I don’t think it has changed me much other than my schedule has been drastically different. I have no complaints, I am really excited about the potential.

FGA: Do you ever plan on pursuing a career in film?
Carlos: I am already looking at some scripts and entertaining some offers. I have had some roles in films prior to the show and am ready to advance that aspect of my career.

FGA: What do you do for fun?
Carlos: There are so many things that I get into when I am not working. I have a passion for motorcycles, I currently own 7. I can play video games for hours. I have always played sports and still play golf and soccer. I have even gotten into bowling.

FGA: What is on your MP3 play list right now?
Carlos: I listen to EVERYTHING!! I mean I literally listen to everything!!

FGA: What was it like having such a big family growing up and did it have any influence on you as a comedian?
Carlos: It was great to have such a big family. There was always some kind of drama going on which translates to great comedic material. I was raised by my aunt and uncle who lived right next door to the rest of my family so I was an only child in one house and one of 18 in the other...it was the best of both worlds.

FGA: I heard that you dropped out of college one credit shy of a degree in engineering; do you ever plan on going back to school to finish your degree?
Carlos: That is an exaggeration, I was not one credit shy. I was just studying to be an engineer and ended up discovering comedy. I knew from the moment I first went on stage that comedy was my calling and I never went back to school. I feel the same way to this day. I love what I do and don’t feel the need to do anything else so I guess that means I don’t plan on returning to college anytime in the future.

FGA: You have performed all over the country what is the one place that you have performed that stands out and why?
Carlos: Every show is so different that I could never compare them. I always feel like the last show was the best show.

FGA: I noticed that the word punisher is all over your clothing line, does this have any significance and why?
Carlos: This was a nickname that was given to me by some comedians at the comedy store. I went on stage and had an amazing set right after another famous comic had finished his set. I had left immediately after my set, but a friend called me the next day to tell me that all the comics started calling me the punisher after that.

Thank you Carlos for taking the time out of your hectic schedule to give our readers a look into the real Mind of Mencia! FGA