New and improved Carlos Mencia drops in on Phoenix

Carlos Mencia is a new man. He looks different, feels different and has a brand new outlook on life.

Mencia lost 70 lbs, but perhaps more notably lost a lot of his aggression. The loud and brassy comedian has been busy working on his new Comedy Central Special, "New Territory," coming out later this year, and will be giving Phoenix fans a preview at Stand Up Live on September 30.

College Times: Supposedly, stand-up is one of the hardest professions there is, yet you keep going back to it.

Mencia: First of all, I really don't believe that it's a hard profession. I'm able to tell a joke; that's what I'm good at. There's somebody potentially really busting their ass right now to get a good GPA to get a great job. There's somebody that's working in Palm Springs where it's 110 degrees today and they're outside on a roof putting tar on and really killing themselves. I don't want to be like, "I work really hard."

Especially when it's something you love.

I worked before I did stand up – real work. Ever since I did stand-up I never worked another day in my life. I love what I do for a living and I cannot believe that I actually get paid to do this. Every time I put a check in the bank, I'm like, "It's gonna bounce. There's no way this is real."

What do you have planned for this tour and what are you looking forward to?

I normally go out, work really hard creating a special, shoot the special, wait for the special to air and once the special airs I go out and do a tour. This is the first time that I did the special, shot it, and I'm kind of doing a tour in between. I wanted to create a situation where the real fans can come and see me in a small venue doing the special before it airs. Once the special airs, all the material will be purged and I'll come up with a completely different act. You know what this is? Especially to all the women and to the guys too, this is foreplay.

How would you describe the audience in Phoenix?

Phoenix is an awesome city because it's so young and so diverse that I can do anything but I also feel like I'm performing in front of my family and friends. It's a place that I know very, very well and I love performing there. I can do a joke in English and then make a Spanish reference and everybody gets it.

Is there a tactful way to handle hecklers in an audience?

It's funny, I don't mind when people heckle and incorporate themselves into the show. I just want hecklers to know that they're not necessary. For anybody out there that thinks they can challenge me, I have a microphone. I have fans. I know what I'm doing. Don't come to my job and think that you can do it better than me. No matter what you say, I will have an answer. I'm not an aggressive comic anymore. I don't have anything to prove. The way I use to deal with them before is to shut them up and immediately get the crowd on my side and totally decimate them. I'm not that person anymore. If someone heckles, I don't take it personally. I look at them and think, "Aw man, they're just having fun. They just had a little too much to drink."

What makes you laugh?

Everything makes me laugh. I wake up every day wanting the day to be a good day. I understand that it's about how I look at things. For me, it's not easy to be happy but I chose to be happy every day and I love laughing and hanging out with fun people that make me laugh.

Is there any subject matter that you think is off-limits?

Not if it's funny. Not just that it's funny, but that it's intended to be funny. I think what happened in comedy is that racist people did racist things disguised as jokes, but that's not comedy. I don't believe in that. If you're trying to be funny and that's your job, I don't think there's any subject matter that, done by the right person, is off-limits. If you come out to watch me perform, understand everything I say is a joke and intended to make you laugh.

Carlos Mencia, Stand Up Live, 50 W. Jefferson Street, Phoenix, 480.719.6100, Friday, September 30, 7:30 p.m. and 9:45 p.m., $30