He’s not fat; he’s fluffy.
      This endearing description is recognized by many as the calling card of comedian Gabriel Iglesias. Originally starting out in California, Iglesias has since taken the world by storm, performing in sold out shows all over the country, as well as in Canada, the Middle East and a European tour in the works.
     With his blend of impressions, funny voices, topical humor and, of course, fun at his own expense, Iglesias’ down to Earth brand of humor has won over fans everywhere. Iglesias is a frequent visitor to our own San Antonio, where he will be this coming Valentine’s Day. The Paisano recently spoke with Iglesias to get some more information about him as well as his upcoming show.

What brought you to comedy originally? How did you start out, and who were some of your comedic influences?

Late one night watching Eddie Murphy RAW. Saw 1987 on a VHS - remember those? Saw that, and that was it. That was it man, that’s what set it off. One of the biggest influences, definitely him (Murphy), Paul Rodriguez, Robin Williams.


Did you find yourself having a hard time getting your comedy career off the ground? Did you run into any obstacles? What are some that you had to overcome?

There’s always obstacles in everything you want to do. Most of the obstacles happened early on, a lot of it moreso was trying to find work. And then once you find work, trying to get money out of that work. I got evicted from my apartment, I had almost lost my car, I lived on my sister’s couch for a while. There were a lot of different things before I got the ball rolling.

What were your first shows like, once you started to find work? Did you feel comfortable on stage instantly or was it more of a process?

First couple of shows were real independent, it would be more of a one-nighter, bar-and-grill type of place. They would have to put together a show and give me 20 bucks to get on stage. I started getting money by the third time I was on stage. It took years before I got comfortable. Every time I would get onstage I was a nervous wreck, and it kind of showed in the act where I was just this nervous ball of energy.

San Antonio is a frequent stop on your tours. How is San Antonio different from other cities you usually go to? What do you think of the city?

It’s definitely one of my favorite cities, that’s for sure. I have a lot of history in San Antonio, I used to go over there for the Laugh Festival years ago, when it was a yearly event. I was always doing a couple shows a year at the River Center Comedy Club. Once I started touring when I was doing the “Que Locos” TV show, we were always in San Antonio, so I’ve been to San Antonio many, many times. It’s definitely one of the friendliest cities for me.  The people have always been great, and finding delicious food is no problem there! Tex-Mex is my favorite food, so you cannot go wrong.

Would you say you have a target audience, or any group in particular who really appreciates your style of comedy?

You know what I think is cool? I’ve managed to get myself in a position where I can pretty much go anywhere and get the same result. Originally, it was more-so Southwest, but now it’s getting to a point where pretty much anywhere I go is turning out pretty good. I just did a show a while ago in Missoula, Montana, and the only Mexicans there were me and my guys. And that theater was packed! I haven’t lost my roots, I’m still playing to my core, original fan base, but now I can pretty much go anywhere. I think that should be the biggest goal for anyone.

Family friendly?

Definitely! I mean, I’m not gonna say I’m squeaky, but you can count the curse words on one hand on stage. I’m not G-rated, that’s for sure, but I wouldn’t consider myself X-rated either. There’s always a diverse group, with elderly and children there. It’s a show for everybody basically. When I do the shows and see kids in the audience, I always tell the parents that I hope they know there would be adult content, but they yell back, “It’s cool; its nothing they haven’t heard already!”

What was the first time you considered yourself famous?

The first time was in 1997 in Tucson, Arizona. I had been there doing a show on a TV station and was eating at a restaurant after the third show or so. I noticed that a guy was just staring at me the whole time, before finally coming up and asking if he had seen me on the show. It was funny because I was with some other comedians that had been around longer than me, but I was the one he recognized.

Your San Antonio show falls on Valentine’s Day. Do you plan on using that in your act?

Oh, I’ll talk about it definitely. It won’t be the whole show, but yeah. I’m not gonna rip on anyone - I’m in a relationship, too. I’ve got no plans myself, just passing through town. I’ll be on the bus, eating downtown at one in the morning.

Your career has been going very well recently, but what are some other goals you’re hoping to accomplish soon?

Well, I’ll be doing my next special hopefully around the end of 2011, so I have that to look forward to. I’ve also got a European tour coming up, which is my first tour of Europe. I’ve been overseas, but it’s my first time going over there. It’s cool that I can go to so many places and be recognized now. It’s all going really well.

Gabriel Iglesias will be performing on Sunday, Feb. 14 at the Majestic Theater at 9:30 p.m.. Information on tickets can be found at Ticketmaster.com.
To find out more about Gabriel, visit his official Web site at fluffyguy.com.