For
the past few weeks, Moreno has produced Latino Comedy Night at
Pasadena's
Ice House, one of the preeminent comedy showcases in Southern
California.
Every other Tuesday (see LatinoLA Calendar for dates), he hosts
two
to three other comedians, plying for hard-earned laughs from a
multi-ethnic
audience driving in from throughout the Eastside, San Gabriel
Valley
and even Orange County.
"The
venues that Latinos have access to are very minimal," says Moreno.
"There's
politics and everything else. [But the fact is] our drawing power is
huge…there's
several comics working very hard. I produce and host,
bringing
in a roster of comedians that I know can deliver…Gabriel Iglesias,
Willie
Barcena, Larry Omaha, Carlos Oscar, Gilbert Esquivel…even Ernie
G.
We'll put anybody up!"
Oooooooooooo.
But
it hasn't been easy. While other comedy clubs have succeeded in creating
and
maintaining Latino comedy nights, they've been traditionally located on
the
Westside, the established area for weeknight entertainment. "There's not
a
whole
lot of clubs on this side of town. But then again, people don't want to
go
to Hollywood or Beverly Hills for comedy," says Moreno. "We've had a
real
positive response, a lot of support, but with the recent rains, the crowds
haven't
been coming in as much. And while the Ice House has been very
receptive,
they still need to make money. What it comes down to, we need to
support
our own."
Moreno
got his start as a comedian after a career as a musician, radio
personality
and mobile DJ, opening up for various musical acts, including the
legendary
Tierra, at places like the Hop in Puente Hills and Anaheim's
Celebrity
Theatre. He's since opened for Ice Cube and Lynard Skynard.
"Boy,
that was scary, all I saw was that rebel flag…but they're good ol'
boys."
His
first break was, ironically, at the Ice House, in a Latino comedian search
contest.
"Whoever won got a week in the main room. I won that contest, and
within
a few months, I was on Latino Night at the Laugh Factory," he
remembers.
Approached by comedy empresario Jeff Valdez, producer of the
Latino
Laugh Festival and head of SiTV, he soon appeared on TV as one of
the
Comedy Compadres and on Culture Clash's show on Fox. He's done
dramatic
roles on TV and film, and recorded a comedy CD "No Looking
Back"
on the Uproar Label, released last year.
"For
me, comedy is a forum, not only to be funny but to comment on political
and
social statements," says Moreno. "Sometimes comedy is a forum to say
other
things that are on the minds of people, like the lack of Latinos in leading
roles
on TV. We see more of the dog from Taco Bell than any other Latinos
on
TV. One of the guys that makes that evident is George Lopez, who has
great
social and political insight."
So
where does Moreno go from here?
"I
am going to hell."
Ouch!
"No,
my main focus is to get involved in writing and developing a pilot. To
get
a
spot on the Tonight Show. I am focusing in own career, but anything I can
do
to assist other Latino comics, I'll do. I consider myself a comic and an
activist."
What
keeps him motivated?
"My
mortgage. I like to eat."
Yow!
"Really,
it's the high you get, the shot of adrenaline from the audience."
So
make me laugh, I demand.
"Take
Mexican funerals…when you die, your friends get together, they end
up
eating the same food that killed you…no that one didn't come out right…
the
media always gives us different names…in East LA, we're Chicanos, in
West
Covina, we're Hispanics, in Orange County, we're Italian…here's a
better
one…the Santa Claus in Montebello Town Center…he's the only one
with
a tattoo on his neck….wait, here's another on…I'm really into the 70s.
In
my bedroom I have a lava lamp, a black light and a strobe. That way,
when
I make love to my wife, it look like she's moving. Oh, she's going to
love
that one."
Anyway,
rather than taking his word for it, I asked a few of his e.mail friends
to
tell me about Rudy Moreno:
"Rudy
is a class act. Only a true comedian can make fun of himself and make
you
laugh at yourself, too, doing it .
-
Chino
"Rudy
Moreno is a gem of a comic in that his comedy always hits home. You
hear
his jokes and can completely relate to situations that have happened to
you.
He delivers and you say 'oh, yeah, that's right! You go boy!'"
-
Pablo Eduardo Rivera
"If
you've every purchased a CD, taken it home and listened to it and you
were
taken back to a time in your life when your whole world revolved
around
your family, friends & the neighborhood, then your able to understand
what
makes the comedy of Rudy Moreno so entertaining. Every time he gets
on
stage, he takes you back in time with a humorous approach that keeps
you
laughing at each story/joke that he delivers. You can't help but laugh
listening
to his jokes and seeing the expressions on his face. In a nutshell, he's
one
hell of a funny vato"
-
Roberto C.
"Rudy
Moreno makes you laugh like you do when your in a circle of
visitingfamilia
in the back yard of your house remembering funny sh*t! It's
just
down-to-earth laughter that evokes memories. Not to mention the fact
that
he is trying to carry so many other comedians along with him."
-
rafa
"Rudy
is a fun comedian. Although it really helps to be Chicano to 'get' some
of
his humor, he definitely is able to cross cultural lines.My
husband is a
'sophisticated
mulatto,' and he laughed all night when we saw Rudy a couple
of
years back at the Ice House.He talks
about things that many people can
identify
with. As a Lincoln High School graduate, it is with pride that I
vicariously
enjoy the successes of some of our alumni."
-
Delores L. Seiffert (Dodie Colon)
I've
traveled with Rudy on many occasions, and have supported him locally.
Rudy
is a conscious Chicano who has mastered comedy on daily life among
Chicanos
and other people. He is sincere about making people laugh and he
means
no harm to anyone. We all have to laugh about ourselves once in a
while.....great
for stress relief..
-
Hector J. Carlos AKA Captain Carnita
(Originally appearing as article in www.LatinoLA.Com)