(The following is a reprinted article from the archives of Michigan's Funny Faces newspaper.)

Interview with Comedian…uh…Humorist, Sal Rodriguez

By Larry Steinberg

LS: When did you start doing comedy?

SR: I've always done comedy - in one form or another. I can't recall ever not doing comedy. I entertained my parents, my siblings, my classmates, my co-workers. I used to memorize Garry Shandling, Paul Rodriguez, and George Carlin routines, especially, "A Place for My Stuff." I listened to Comic Relief over and over. I think I had the whole tape memorized. My mom bought me a subscription to Mad Magazine. I had the entire book collection of Truly Tasteless Jokes and Totally Gross Jokes. I remember Mrs. Wallace, at Sepulveda Junior High, she'd let me write about whatever I wanted. I'd always come up with some goofy shit. In her class I had creative freedom. I'll never forget that.

SR: When I was about eleven, I did a routine at summer camp, with one of the counselors. Sort of an Abbot and Costello-type of thing. We juggled, also.

SR: Yeah. I'm also pretty good with a yo-yo. I've thought about doing some of it in my act, but too much could go wrong. I like a more controlled environment. I can't deal with any lawsuits.

SR: I just want to give a little more background if that's okay?

LS: Sure.

SR: I was always on stage in one form or another. I used to sing at school functions. I sang "We Are The World" at my sixth grade graduation. I was an emcee at parties. I rapped. My friend Tim and I made demo tapes. Okay, now I'm ready to answer your question: There was a place called LA Cabaret in Encino. They had something called The Funniest Person in the Valley Contest. My mom said I should enter. I was about seventeen or eighteen. I didn't know shit. I did an entire bit that I made up in the parking lot, right before the contest. It was called Day of The Animals. That's what I named the bit. It was about getting attacked by all of our beloved pets. I liked it. I don't remember if I bombed, but I got very few laughs. Carlos Mencia won that night.

SR: I might have said congratulations after the contest. I'm sure he doesn't remember me. I saw his act at The Ice House a few months ago. People always ask me if I've seen his show. They're like, "Hey, you're a Latino! Have you seen that show with that guy on Comedy Central?" I know they're not referring to Dave Chappelle. Anyway, around the same time as the LA Cabaret contest, I auditioned at The Improv for Bud Friedman himself. They were casting for some kid's comedy show. I didn't get it. I started doing open mic night at The Laugh Factory. Jaime (Masada) was very nice and encouraging. I mean, now that I think of it, I was an eighteen-year-old Latino comic, and this was about fourteen years ago. All lights were green. I was ready for fame and fortune. Then I did something very stupid. I took a break from comedy - for eleven years.

SR: I led a normal life - worked at the gym. Fell into a long depression that I'm just now pulling out of. Got engaged. I had a small Amway business for a while. Would you like to try some laundry detergent?

SR: My fiancé and I were members of a church in Burbank, they had a talent show. They asked me to be the emcee. I created a character named Tony Galaxy. He was a frustrated lounge singer, waiting for his big break to perform in Vegas. I sang a few songs, told a few jokes, introduced the performers. I wore a wig and a fake moustache. Afterwards, people kept coming up to me and asking if I did this for a living. I made the decision that night to get back into stand-up comedy. That was about three years ago.

SR: No, we broke up a couple of years ago. She said to me, "I wouldn't want to be married to a stand-up comedian." She said she wanted stability. Look at what she's missing - the obsession, the adventure, the uncertainty. She was crazy.

SR: Wow, got a few hours? Comedy is so dear to me. It's like a security blanket. I love comedy so much. I love watching it, performing it, writing it. I study comedy. I read books about it - the history of it, the structure of it. I'm interested in how different cultures vary in what they find to be funny. I like reading Dave Barry, Andy Rooney. I just read a book about Wil Rodgers. He's the reason I call myself a humorist, rather than a comedian. I like watching old comedy - Red Skelton, Jackie Gleason, Milton Berle. I'm dying to get my hands on some Redd Foxx, Freddie Prinze, Woody Allen, Albert Brooks. I'm doing some research now on the dawn of humor, going back like thousands of years. Where did it all come from? Who was the first Homo erectus to be funny? It had to start somewhere. I'm not sure I answered your question.

SR: Well, I don't just do stand-up. I write satire…and essays - all humorous. When you tell people that you're a comedian, that's all you are to them is a stand-up comic. And that's fine if that's all you do, but it's only part of a bigger picture. I'm involved in humor in many forms; I'm a humorist. I recently read a quote from George Burns; "A comedian makes you laugh. A humorist makes you think, then laugh." I like to think I do that…or maybe I'm in a fantasyland.

SR: I have to say that the funniest people are not the comedians that we all know and love, they're the people closest to me. My mom was a major influence. She is totally funny, very silly at times - sometimes downright embarrassing. In our house growing up, being witty was highly regarded. My brother David is one of the sharpest, wittiest people I know. In fact, he and my mom helped me come up with a great bit, while driving on Thanksgiving. My girlfriend Lisa is very funny. She helps me write sometimes, when I get stuck. She's much sillier than I am. My friend Mario - growing up, to this day, he always cracks me up. He's a great writer, very funny. My friend Thom is hilarious. He does characters and voices - he kills me. My friend Vanessa is pretty funny - we've performed together, in a short-lived comedy duo. Oh yeah, I don't want to forget my friends Eliott and Frank, and my brother-in-law Larry. I guess you might say that I've been surrounded by funny people - none of them are doing stand-up (except for Vanessa). Maybe that's why, when I get up on stage, I don't feel so alone; I'm not just there for me. I represent all of us. They're all up there with me.

SR: Yeah. I'm not sure where this is all going? I mean, up until now, everything I've done has led up to this - writing, performing, and now being interviewed by you. I'd like to think that all this stand-up comedy is all part of a grand plan - maybe something global, political, spiritual - I don't know. I'm still trying to figure it all out. I'm just showing up and doing the best I can, like everyone else.

SR: Thank you. And thank you to everyone who hears this, or reads this.