Note: Carlos Mencia was one of the best interviews I've ever had. Although I don't think his show is the greatest, he is a very intelligent guy with a lot more on his mind than race jokes. - S.L.



On Carlos Mencia’s television show, Comedy Central’s “Mind of Mencia,” he frequently heads to the streets looking for answers to serious questions about race relations and society. One piece has Mencia asking the public about “racist” road signs. Another has him asking people in coffee shops why they don’t have jobs.

On the other end of the spectrum, Mencia uses his comedy to be purposefully outrageous. One episode includes Mencia dressed up as a dinosaur singing a cute song that encourages young girls to drop out of school so they can be strippers.

Regardless of whether you love or hate his routines, you can’t deny that Mencia’s topicality and somewhat extreme approach to comedy captures audiences’ attention. Mencia knows the varied reactions people have to his comedy, but all he wants is people not to take his bits seriously.

“If you don’t know that what I’m saying is a joke, and you take it seriously, you’re the fucking idiot, not me,” Mencia says. “My intent is to make you laugh. I am a glorified court jester.”

The success of his TV show has propelled Mencia from the realm of normal stand-up comics to something closer to a bona fide celebrity, much like what happened to Dave Chappelle two years ago with “Chappelle’s Show.” Despite the new status Mencia has obtained, he is a much more complex individual than one might expect.

Originally named Ned Holness, Mencia was born in Honduras in 1967. As an infant, he traveled with his family to East Los Angeles and was raised by his aunt and uncle.

“I happen to be edgy to other people, but that’s because I grew up in an extreme environment,” Mencia says. “The more extreme your upbringing, the less edgy you think things are.”

During his youth, Mencia dealt drugs. He says the decision to stop dealing was the most important event in his life.

“There have been hundreds of small moments, but without that, I wouldn’t be here,” Mencia says.

Mencia pursued an electrical engineering degree at California State University, Los Angeles and dropped out one credit short of graduating so he could pursue a career in comedy.

“My mom was like, ‘What the fuck?’” Mencia says while laughing. “My dad was like, ‘Hey, if you want to be a clown, just juggle.’ When I won Star Search, then my mom was like ‘Oh, I knew you were going to be a star.’”

Mencia says his racial comedy is different from that of other comedians.

“Normally, comedians say things like, ‘Are there any black people here? No? Good. Let’s talk shit about ’em.’ With my comedy, it’s the opposite,” Mencia says. “The more black people there are, the more comfortable we feel laughing at each other. There’s no sense of us talking behind their back. This inhibition is lifted once we’re all put in the same place, and there’s enough of a representation of those different ethnicities.”

Because race and ethnicity are essential to America’s mentality, Mencia says the topics always will be perfect for poking fun.

“Ethnicity will never go out of style,” Mencia says. “Especially at the university level, we’re being fed two different things at the same time. We’re being told to ignore someone’s ethnicity and treat them just like a person while at the same time knowing every single thing about their ethnicity. You’re supposed to treat a Muslim like he’s a regular person, but you’re supposed to also know that you better not give him pork.”

As of late, Mencia has been part of a media blitz, including an appearance on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” a comedy tour, the first season of “Mind of Mencia” being released on DVD on March 21 and the second season of “Mind of Mencia” having its premiere March 22.

Although Mencia’s steadily growing popularity has heightened his profile, it has not kept him from staying grounded in reality. Every few years, Mencia travels to Honduras to visit family and grasp a better sense of the world.

“It brings me down to earth because I realize that all the petty bullshit that I think about is so irrelevant,” Mencia says. “I go to Honduras, and I see these utterly happy people content with their life. I’m almost shamed, and I come back with a new perspective and a humility I need as a human being.”