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Interviewed
by LatinoStandup.com
November 22, 2002
How many
times have you been on the Tonight Show and are you scheduled
back any time soon?
I've done
the show a total of 8 times with Jay. That's more than any other
comedian, and I'm gonna go back hopefully for my 9th time sometime
in December or January. Tio Jay takes care of me bro.
Do you
keep in regular contact wth Jay Leno?
I haven't
lately, it's been a couple of months, but for a while there we
were talking all the time. Jay's such a nice guy that I can pretty
much call him anytime and ask him anything. He's sort of like
a mentor to me since our backgrounds kind of run parallel. You
see Jay's Italian but his material doesn't really reflect that
he's Italian. It's the same with me, even though I'm Mexican I
don't focus on that in my act. So I guess Jay saw a little bit
of him in me the first time he saw me perform.
What type
of shows do you enjoy watching on TV?
When I watch
TV, I'm like an 80 year old person. I love watching the Discovery
Channel, the History Channel, A&E, E! True Hollywood Stories,
things that are real. I think I love watching those shows so much
because I learn. I'm making up for those lost lessons while I
was in high school. Now I'll watch those shows and say, Napoleon
did that, WOW!
What inspired
Wille Barcena to get into comedy?
I guess I
got started when I was a little kid because I enjoyed listening
to Cheech and Chong and Richard Pryor. I remember making people
laugh when I was in 3rd grade and it was like a high. Other kids
had muscles, or were good at sports, but if I could say something
funny and make other kids laugh I felt like I had power. It gives
you a real sense of power to be able to make other people laugh.
When you're on stage and you have the whole room looking at you
holding the microphone and your voice is louder than anyone else
in there, you're the man. For that moment that you're on stage,
YOU ARE THE MAN! I don't care if you're the opener the feature
or the headliner.
Are you
still hungry after achieving so much success in your career?
Sure, I'm
still hungry because I always want more. When I started opening
I wanted the feature. When I started featuring I wanted to be
a headliner. When I started headlining I wanted to do theatres.
Now that I've done several theatres I want to create and write
a project. I think everything evolves and I think that after 12
years I now know what I want and I really know me. They say actors
learn to play other people but comics we have to learn how to
play ourselves. I really feel that after 12 years and thousands
of shows I really know who I am.
What was
it like to perform in front of 22 thousand people at the Shoreline
Ampitheater?
It was awesome
man, when you can make that many people laugh, the roar of the
laughter kind of makes you float. It's a high, a natural high.
In that show I performed with Eddie Griffen and Dave Chapelle,
and when I did that show with those guys, I felt like I was validated
as a comic. Sometimes you feel like you're trying to be a comic
or you're striving to be a comic. And then there's times when
you say, MAN I AM A COMIC! This show was definitely one of those
times.
What venue
did you least like playing?
I never want
to do a college at noon ever again. When you're doing your routine
and you hear "there's a special on pizza today for $3.99"
over the loud speaker, your timing is gone baby.
How do
you prepare for your shows?
I'm always
going over my notes. I'm always trying to change a word here and
there. I'm always trying to create something unique. What happens
is that I get bored with my material, and if I'm bored with it
I'm sure that people that see me again get bored with it as well,
so I try to create new things to keep me excited.
Do you
think your style of comedy, which is a little darker than some,
hinders you from picking up a sitcom on prime time TV?
Yeah in a
way it does. I mean look at the sitcoms. Everybody acts corny
and you got that fake laugh going on in the background from the
audience that probably died in the 50's. To me it's just real
corny. If I get what I want, I'll get to produce my own show for
HBO. Because the kind of show I want to do would only be allowed
on HBO. I want to have a guy dating a hooker. I want a guy at
a titty bar. I want a guy who's gay but hides it because he's
married. That's the kind of real shit I want to do!
You're
a pretty athletic guy and competitive too. What sports do you
enjoy the most?
I really don't
consider it a sport, but I enjoy the martial art Tae Kwon Do.
It's something I've been practicing for quite a while and my two
sons are training in it as well. It gives the three of us the
chance to have some quality time together and keeps us physically
and mentally sharp. I've also been playing some tennis with my
wife and I hit the batting cages in every city I visit when I'm
on the road.
So did
your love of the martial arts start as a young boy watching those
chop socky ficks?
Yeah, I'm
a big Bruce Lee and Billy Jack fan from way back. I loved watching
those guys kick some ass. I have all of Bruce's movies and my
boys are really into him too. We collect posters, books, action
figures, all kinds of Bruce Lee stuff.
What's
on Willie Barcena's Christmas wish list?
To get more
bits and for god to help me write more comedy. And I know it sounds
corny but, to keep my friends and family healthy and to keep me
healthy so I can continue to perform. That's it!
 
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