This week I spoke with a comedian that claims he isn't fat, he's fluffy. Gabriel Iglesias is one of the biggest drawing comedians touring the country today. To illustrate this point he put a YouTube video last week that had 750,000 views two hours after uploading it. He has been named Comedian of the Year by Comedy Central in 2006 and his new special "2 Hot, 2 Fluffy" airs on Comedy Central on Sunday, November 8th, 2009. In this interview we discussed how he remembers the funny, how the entertainment business does in a poor economy, and his pimped out tour bus.

Andrew: Are you one of those guys that pen-and-papers a joke, or do you go on stage with a premise and just work out the punch-line?
Gabriel: I base the comedy on things that happen to me. I'll try to tag the story on stage, it's hard for me to do it off stage, I can't tell if it's funny or not, that's why I record the shows, and whatever gets the laugh, I'll just repeat for the next show.

Andrew: How are you able to stand on stage for 60 minutes and remember all those punch lines?
Gabriel: I remember it. I don't use my brain for much else during the day! [laughs] My girlfriend takes care of all the bills, my kid is older now so feeds himself, I've got the accountant that worries about the money, a manager that worries about where I am going to be, a personal assistant that takes care of where I gotta to be. All I've got to worry about is retaining the funny!

Andrew: So you do a lot of characters and voices. Was there a moment in time where you realized, " I'm good at this?"
Gabriel: I was bout 9- 10 years old was when I started messing around with voices. My friend's dad was a musician had this PA system, and we would go hang out in the garage with the PA system, and we would just mess around with the microphone and try to come up with stupid things to do in the mic, and I just started making noises while he was walking around, just trying to bring a sound effect to what he was doing, and it was funny. It's where that whole idea of being a comedian sparked from.

Andrew: How do you feel about traveling and being on the road so much, now that you have a family and all that?
Gabriel: I think it would be really hard for me if I drove everywhere, there are still a lot of old school guys out there that drive city to city, and they use Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday to get to where they need to be. I'm very fortunate that I get to fly, and I'm not gone that long. I'm home 4 days, and gone 3.

Andrew: Have you noticed a difference in audiences since the 'economic downturn?'
Gabriel: I've noticed that more people are coming out now to the shows, which is crazy. I think it's mainly just that people want to get away. They want to forget what's going on, even if it's just for a couple of hours.

Andrew: After your shows you meet every fan that wants to shake your hand. Why is that so important to you?
Gabriel: I've seen guys that get to a certain point and just lose touch with reality, and no matter how cool they were, they just turn into dicks and I don't want that to be me! You've got to keep a realistic head. You could be hot one minute, gone the next. And no matter what, the people are the ones that make that decision. Not a manager, not an agent, not a club owner, the people are the ones that decide where you're going to go. You take care of them, they take care of you.

Andrew: I read that in 2010 you're going to start the "Fluffy Shop Tour". What's that going to be all about?
Gabriel: Now that's going to get a little bit crazy, you were talking about the family and traveling part, they are giving me a tour bus for 4 months and we've got about 60- 70 cities lined up, nationwide, and you know, going out there and doing the bus tours, and it's going to be a lot of work over the course of 4 months. Comedy Central is going to promote it on TV, there is going to be a big campaign behind it to blow up this tour, so I'm really excited about it, and I'm definitely going to have to fly out the family for that one.

Andrew: Are you going to trick that bus out?
Gabriel: There is definitely going to be a nice, big TV, a Playstation, the fridge will definitely be stocked [laughs], but I'm really simple with the amenities. I just need a TV and snacks. It's basically going to be a living room on wheels. It's got like 12 beds. The king bed is in the back of the bus, which is cool. That's mine.

Andrew: Can you compare and contrast The Comedy & Magic Club to other clubs in the country?
Gabriel: I think I can relate to The Comedy & Magic Club so much more because it's very personal. It like the business part of it comes second to just making people feel comfortable. I don't even know how many clubs I'm at throughout the year, and it's all just business, business, business and of course, you are there to work and to make a living and to do the business, but when I'm at The Comedy & Magic Club I never feel like that is the priority. I feel like the priority of the club is to just make me and everybody around me feel comfortable, and make sure that everything is ok, that it's all the way I need it, people at the club go out of their way just for simple things like parking, getting something to eat, versus other clubs saying, "Don't run up the tab.", or, "If you get crazy, you're going to have to pay for it.". Little details make it that much better, and I love The Comedy & Magic Club, it's definitely my favorite club to play because everybody is so personable and nice! That's another thing, everybody is just nice. I don't see anybody at the club that has a chip on their shoulders. The club owner, Mike Lacey, he is just a sweetheart. Very big heart kind of a guy. He is almost in the wrong business! Any club owner today, it's all about the money and, 'hey let's set up these shows now' or 'we've got to do this and that'. And every time that I show up at The Comedy & Magic Club, even if it's just once in 3 months that I'll pop in, he is just happy that I am there and that everything is going ok for me. One time I showed up with a cough, and he was like, "Oh is everything ok with your cough? My wife can take a look at you, you can call her up, she is a registered nurse." and I'm like, "Who the hell else does that?!" No one else cares. It's just 'hey can do you set, great, good job, here's your check, thanks, come back in 6 months." That's not the case at The Comedy & Magic Club. Anyone that you talk to that has played the club will automatically tell you that The Comedy & Magic Club is the most down to earth club you will ever walk into. There is a reason Jay Leno is down there every week, and talks about how good the club is and how nice the people are. I could just keep going on and on, I'm sorry! [laughs]

Gabriel Iglesias will be headlining The Comedy & Magic Club on Tuesday, August 25th 2009 (he does the last Tuesday of the every month). Reservations Required. (310) 372-1193 or comedyandmagicclub.com. ER.