Crack–up
Crack–up
A bad case of “cellphone addiction” is actually a laughing matter for comedian Gabriel Iglesias.
As seen in the 2006 hit NBC reality TV series “Last Comic Standing,” Iglesias was — much to the dismay of his family and friends who were cheering him on — kicked off for using his BlackBerry wireless phone to call his girlfriend.
“They weren’t thrilled,” said Iglesias, 30, of his family’s response to the incident during a phone interview with MÁS. “They don’t think that anyone could have beat me, but they think that I was the one who did it to myself, and still feel that way.”
According to NBC show’s rules, all contestants signed a contract forbidding the use of any communication devices to the outside world other than the “Last Comic Standing” house phone where contestants lived for the duration of the competition.
Iglesias knew he’d been caught, but assumed everything was OK when nothing happened right away.
“They didn’t kick me off for having the phone, which is weird,” he explained to MÁS while — ironically — using his infamous BlackBerry from his home in Southern California, where he was a bit under the weather and fighting the flu after a performance in El Paso, Tx. “They waited a couple of days after I was caught. You would think that if you get busted for something, you’d get booted right then and there. NBC waited three days, let me play three more days, then threw me off one day before everybody was supposed to go to the next round.”
Suddenly ousted from a show many critics and fans assumed he would win, the popular stand-up comedian now looks to spin an embarrassing moment into comedy gold with a special Comedy Central taping of two shows Jan. 13 at the Fox Theater in Bakersfield.
Appropriately titled, “Still Standing,” the show will first air on cable, and later in the year, will be released as a special edition DVD.
“I chose Bakersfield to do the show because it was the first theater I ever got to perform at in 1997,” Iglesias said. “I went up there and did a show with comedian Willie Barcena, and (Latin-soul group) Tierra. I remember dancing with Willie onstage during ‘Together, Baby!’”
From his early beginnings performing as an amateur at Harlem’s legendary Apollo Theater in New York — where his mother once warned him that “Te van hacer Booooo!” — to being a regular guest on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” comedy’s fluffy funny man continues carving his own niche in a crowded, and often controversial, profession.
“Venting my issues into a funny story is my style,” Iglesias said. “I paint pictures with characters and sound effects. Ninety-percent of my act is about me and things that I’m going through.”
And lucky for Iglesias, going through the controversy on “Last Comic Standing” hasn’t seemed to hurt his career.
“I’m still very fortunate because I’m not suffering careerwise. Everything is still happening, and opportunities keep presenting themselves,” he said. “I’ve had some ups and downs, but I think it’s the time when you’re down that helps you to get back up on your feet.”
Quick on the draw, the buoyant comic also commented on current affairs casting dark shadows on his profession.
Actor Michael Richards (“Kramer” on TV’s Seinfeld) made recent headlines for lashing out at audience hecklers with a barrage of racial epithets, including the “N” word, caught on tape.
“He’s not a comedian,” said Iglesias of Richards. “He’s an actor that took a chance, and it didn’t work. I’m just afraid that people are getting sensitive now. Every time you mention the thing about Kramer, the whole audience goes, ‘Ooohhh.’”
Iglesias acknowledges that the use of the “N” word is not uncommon in stand-up comedy.
“It’s just the way that he (Richards,) said it,” Iglesias said.
For Iglesias, who manages to stay out of the tabloids for outlandish behavior in his personal and stage life, it’s still comforting to know there’s always room back home if he should slip.
“If I wasn’t a comedian, I’d probably be living with my mom,” he laughed. “I tried to move my mom into a new house, but she didn’t wanna move to Arizona. She’s like (imitating his mom), ‘No, I’m not going.’”
“I was like, ‘Fine, don’t go,’ so I let my sister live in it.”
Born in San Diego, Iglesias recently moved back to Long Beach, Ca., just a few blocks from the old apartment he called home as a struggling comedian.
“I’ve been living here for the last couple of months now,” he said. “When my brother sees the old apartment, he says, ‘Hey, that’s the place you got evicted from, huh? You should buy it, and kick everybody out.’”
One of Iglesias’ most cherished memories growing up involved picturing himself onstage at the Apollo, testing his comedic chops on a tough audience.
So does he still watch the late night variety show after successfully reaching his goal?
“Absolutely,” Iglesias said. “I caught it a couple weeks ago. I think Whoopi Goldberg’s hosting it now. I don’t watch the entire show. I catch a little bit of it, and go, ‘Wow!’”
Iglesias added that he looks forward to his upcoming appearance in Bakersfield and wants his fans to understand the magnitude of the upcoming Comedy Central taping at the Fox, which will include a montage of Bakersfield scenes when it airs.
“Every time I come back to Bakersfield, it’s been a great response,” said Iglesias. “It’ll be pretty big for both of us.”
After the taping, touring will take up most of the year for Iglesias as he promotes the comedy special and its DVD release.
“I’ll be touring throughout the year, so look for the big bus, it’s a ‘beater,’” he said jokingly. “They’re renting me the old Tigres del Norte bus with tiger patterns.”
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A LITTLE WORD ASSOCIATION WITH GABRIEL IGLESIAS:
Immigration: “Stupid ... sorry.”
Iraq: “Stupid.”
George Bush: “Hello!!?”
LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa: “Sharp.”
Diet: “In the future.”
MY NAME IS GABRIEL AND I’M A CRACKBERRY ADDICT
MÁS: You used a BlackBerry phone on “Last Comic Standing.” Did you know the word “CrackBerry” has been officially added to the dictionary?
GI: (giggling) Yeah.
MÁS: Do you consider yourself a “crackberry addict?”
GI: Absolutely, I’m on that phone right now.
“STILL STANDING” GABRIEL IGLESIAS LIVE
Two shows
Jan. 13
7 p.m., doors open at 6
10:30 p.m., doors open at 9:30
Fox Theater on H Street
Tickets: $25, $30
Available at the Fox Theater box office, all Vallitix locations, or by phone 1-661-322-5200 or online at Vallitix.com
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