"We're going to forget about everything, all your problems will stay outside those doors, your problems at work, we're gonna have some fun and we're going to talk about everything and everybody, so don't get offended!"
The 48 year-old stand up specialist who was born in San Pedro Sula, Honduras and grew up in East Los Angeles before his mother, the mother of seventeen brothers and sisters, that's right eighteen, as he is the seventeenth of eighteen children, moved him back to Honduras to get him away from the gang scene in East L.A.
"That's a huge number Bro'. To us it was normal. It really didn't phase me I mean we're so far apart in age that we never really lived under the same roof. I don't even think about it until we all come together for Christmas or at gatherings every two years and then I say Holy s*** that's a lot of people! This is a big family, I mean I've lost count. I think I have between 72 and 78 nieces and nephews!"
Aside from his latest tour which began last year, the C4Yourself Tour, he paid a much welcomed visit to Afghanistan to perform for our troops who were so appreciative that he would take the time to bring a sense of normalcy to a region of the earth that is so tumultuous, especially to Americans who may not be wanted there.
"When I perform for the troops, it's such a beautiful place mentally and physically. You've got a different mindset when you go perform for the troops, especially when you perform somewhere where we're having an active war. Rarely do they let you go anywhere really dangerous, but nonetheless, you're there with people who are laying their lives on the line. And to see their attitudes, they tell you this is our job, we're out here to complete a mission."
"This past weekend on Sunday, a man came up to me after a show who told me his brother who if I'm not mistaken was born in Mexico and had a green card, jumped on a grenade and gave his life to save his platoon and a bunch of people. They're naming a battleship after him, the USS Peralta. He thanked me for performing for his brother who told him he had seen me and that he had really enjoyed my show. He said I kept them laughing during all the crazy things that are happening out there. These are the kinds of people who are out there fighting for our freedom."
He said he was just glad he could help in some way, shape or form.
We changed the subject in order to get some fun questions in before our time was up like if someone were to write a book about him, what would the title be.
"Probably 'Carlos Who?' I just think think that if someone wrote book about me, about all of me, about the human being that I am, the father that I am, the husband that I am, the American that I am, I think a lot of people would be really shocked about a lot of things they don't know about me. and they would be 'who?', 'what?' 'He did what?' 'He went to WHAT college?' I think it would be shocking to them. I won Star Search in Spanish. I did an album part Spanish and part English...And the charity work that I do. People would be shocked, but then again I don't do that type of work for the publicity."
Next we asked him what is on his iPod.
"I have Howard Stern, CNN, politics of the United States of America, The Comedy Channel, the Soccer Channel, BPN, the 90's, Pop 2K and believe it or not, I like Ozzy's Boneyard on Sirius XM."
If someone made a movie about you, who would play you?
"I would want to play myself as my old self, but man, let me think about this, probably Michael Peña."
"Para toda la gente Hispana particularmente para todos ustedes que hablan Español, yo hago la comedia sumamente en Ingles, pero de vez en cuando, cuando estoy en ciertas partes de Texas, hago la comedia en mucha parte en Español. Así que toda la gente que habla Español, que me digan, ‘Oye Carlos, ¡Dinos un chiste en Español!’ Quiero que se sientan bien y que no se sientan ignorados. Para mi hablar el Español o hablar el Ingles es la misma cosa. El show es para ustedes. Vengan a divertirse conmigo. Y como músico bien pagado, voy a tocar la música que ustedes quieran!"
To close I had to make him tell US a joke, and because it was late and this reporter had to get to the news, I asked him to close with a comment on Donald Trump.
"You know I'll be honest with you, when Donald Trump said what he said, the very first thing I thought, I swear to God, the first thing that came to my mind, I'm not even joking, when he said that all that came over were rapists, somewhere Bill Cosby was saying, 'I told you it wasn't me!' "
Mencia performs live at the Kickapoo Lucky Eagle Casino on October 13th.