[INTERVIEW] Comedian Gabriel Iglesias Talks ‘Stand-Up Revolution’ Season 3: ‘Fluffy’ Dishes On His Role In ‘Magic Mike 2’ & Branding Himself Like Gene Simmons, Larry The Cable Guy & Dane Cook

Known around the world as "Fluffy," comedian Gabriel Iglesias has taken the world of stand up comedy by storm over the past couple of decades, branching well out of his original Latino market and becoming arguably one of the most well-known and successful stand ups around today. Aside from his ventures on the stage, and his recent film The Fluffy Movie, Iglesias created Gabriel Iglesias Presents Stand-Up Revolution for Comedy Central, a series now entering its third season which aims to give lesser-known and up-and-coming comedians their shot at a TV spot.

The third season of Gabriel Iglesias Presents Stand-Up Revolution kicks off this Friday, Oct 3 at midnight.

Fluffy recently spoke with MStarsNews about the series, his Latino roots, Magic Mike 2 and how he learned how to brand himself from Kiss frontman Gene Simmons and comedians Dane Cook, Jeff Foxworthy and Larry the Cable Guy.

MStarsNews: Season 3 of Gabriel Iglesias Presents Stand-Up Revolution premieres this coming Friday. Are you excited for the premiere?
Gabriel Iglesias: I'm very excited! We recorded this a little while back and I was wondering when we were finally going to release it. There was a slight conflict when my Fluffy Movie came out and the show was ready to go too. So, it was going to be like it might be too much at once, you know? So it got pushed.

MS: Do you watch the premiere?
GI: Honestly, as long as I know how it's edited, I'm cool with that. I'm there during the editing process. Usually, I'm out working though. This season starts Friday, and there's a good chance I'll be onstage the time it comes on. [laughs]

MS: What I love about this show is that it's basically like you're watching a show at a comedy club...but with a real party element. What made you want to do it from the get-go?
GI: It was always something that I wanted to do. I was a big fan of Rodney Dangerfield. He had this HBO Young Comedians Special and he'd always bring up new talent, and I loved that! With this show, I loved the idea that I would be picking the talent that goes on, not the network. It was me handpicking people who might not have gotten the chance to be on TV. So, I thought it was real cool that I was putting people up there.

MS: How do you go about choosing the up-and-coming comics?
GI: There are people that I've known through the years of touring, or some of my friends have made suggestions. It's really that simple.

MS: Going that route, do you find that has made the show harder to become "popular" –– not to say that it's not popular, of course.
GI: Not so much because I also perform on the show, and my name is on there. People get to see me and if they stick around they get to see comics that I'm endorsing. I'm basically saying these people are funny, you guys should check them out. And if the comics suck I'm definitely not going to put them on. [laughs]

MS: Is there an episode or a comic from this season that you're most excited for?
GI: One of the comedians featured on this year's show is Gina Brillon from New York. She's real, real funny! And again, we shot this a while back, so I've already shot a one-hour special for her. We did one for her, which debuted yesterday.

It's pretty cool. If these comics do the small sets, and it goes well and I think they have enough material, I'll produce a one-hour special for them.

MS: I was listening to an interview with you and you were discussing branding early on in your career. It seems from an early age you really saw it as Show Business. I think a lot of comedians may overlook that. Why do you think you realized it from an early age?
GI: Well, before going into comedy I worked in retail. Also, I'm a big fan of Kiss. Gene Simmons, he's all into marketing and branding. You name it, there's some type of product with Kiss' name on it. Studying people like that, you see guys have hooks and there are reasons people are successful. Jeff Foxworthy had that whole "You might be a redneck" thing; Larry the Cable Guy had "Git-R-Done." Some comics have that hook. Dane Cook had that super finger. So I just caught on early on. I ran with "Fluffy."

MS: Was there ever a time you didn't want to run with Fluffy?
GI: In the beginning, yes. I didn't like it because I wanted people to know me by Gabriel Iglesias, not by Fluffy. At the time, it was a really funny joke and I went back and forth with going against the joke or embrace it. I decided to embrace it and now we're talking about it, so it was a good call. [laughs]

Then once I started doing specials I always incorporated "Fluffy" into it. But with Stand-Up Revolution, I left it out because I want it to be different for people. I'm there, yes, but it's something different.

MS: I've heard you talk about the Latino circuit and how you "broke out" of it. How did you go about that?
GI: I started talking about things that everybody could relate to. And that's not to say I deserted my roots, I just found a way to talk about things in a broad way. That was the challenge. How can you tell the story here and make sure it goes the same way on the other side of the world?

MS: You've said you can be popular in the Latino circuit but if you go anywhere else no one knows you. Because of that, are there many Latino comics who stick to their market?
GI: Oh man, absolutely. But me, I want to be known as a funny comic not just a funny Latino comic. I want to be able to go everywhere and anywhere.

MS: Do you find there are a lot of Latino comedians who fall victim to sticking to that comfort zone?
GI: The majority. [laughs] Very few branch out of that safety zone, and I get it because I was in there for a long time. But after a while it becomes, "Okay, now what?"

MS: Is there a market you're still working on grabbing?
GI: South Africa. It's not too bad but I'm still trying. They have their own little issues over there. [laughs] But I get a lot of messages from South Africa. A lot of people watch my comedy online there so I hope to tap that market.

MS: Other than the show, are you working on anything new?
GI: Well right now I'm in Savannah, Georgia, filming Magic Mike 2.

MS: Now I have to ask, what is your role in Magic Mike 2?
GI: [laughs] Well, I am a club DJ and I also think I'm driving the guys around. I'm not getting naked that's where you're leading. [laughs]

Be sure to tune in for Gabriel Iglesias Presents Stand-Up Revolution this Friday, Oct. 3, at midnight on Comedy Central!