Iglesias' comedy hits the right notes

 Iglesias' advice in life is to enjoy the ride It doesn't matter when you get there as long as you're enjoying the journey, says the singer, songwriter, comedian, composer, writer. actor. director and father. Bursting into his favorite hangout. Toi restaurant on Sunset, Iglesias and his signature Zoro-esque hat seemed at home in the high energy eclectic,  hip environment, and it was only slightly 
surprising when he made dinner choices for all at the table.

FROM HERE TO COMEDY  
  Iglesias was born in Chihuahua. Mexico (That,s Mexican for little rat dog, he says) and raised in Los Angeles. He started his career as a musician, with the New Christy Minstrels in the 70s, and for three years toured all over the country and Europe. He looks younger than his experience would suggest, but wouldn't discuss his age. His first album was produced by Jimmy Miller, who also produced the Rolling Stones. It sold 2 million copies in Europe in the early '80s. It,s titled, "Starstruck." Henry De Goya is one of the stage names his manager recommended. "I had another manager who changed my name to Cliff Wilder. All the Latino roots of a viking! I thought."

  His comedy career started with the improv group, Improv Inferno, a staple at the Ice House in the early 90's 

   In 1992. the improv on Melrose hosted the "Funniest New Unemployed Comedian  Contest", and Henry entered. 

  "I was unemployed and funny so I gave it a try." he says.   No open mics, no comedy class, Henry went straight to the improve. Iglesias won the contest and was suddenly an employed comedian, earning a week-end paid gig at the Riviera in Las Vegas (Las Vegas is a Spanish name, Iglesias says: It means 'the Vegas'). He currently does comedy 4 or 5 times a month and is a regular at the Comedy Store. 

NO TIME TO SPARE  
  Iglesias would like to do more comedy, but this is one busy guy. He just finished the Spanish language film "Ole." He plays a hit man. 
  
  "I love playing roles that are the dark side of human nature because 1 like exploring the things that 1 am not." 
  
   He also recently completed recording a music album, "Three Billion Seconds," and is hoping to release it soon. It's a twelve song album. With an additional 2 bonus tracks in spanish. The spanish songs he co-wrote with his mother, who he says is an unbelievable poet. 

  His priority is marketing a pilot he just finished writing for television. "Oh Henry" is semi autobiographical, and features a musical comedian. What a stretch! "it incorporates all the things I've been doing over the past 10 years -- the acting, the comedy, the music -- every aspect of it. I love anything artistic." 

   "I want to be like (director Akira) Kurosawa: The guy was 75 years old, blind and in a  wheelchair and still directing and directing brilliantly". 
  
IN SEARCH OF SELF  
  Iglesias started doing characters and allowed his comedy to evolve from there. He decided to go with his strengths  and began incorporating music into his act, doing politically oriented parody songs. 

  Political humor is always a risk. Iglesias finds inspiration in Tom Lehrer. "He didn't play down to people, he always played up to people's intelligence," he says. "Needless to say, this doesn't always work in a comedy club. 

  "Sometimes I'll be doing my smart political stuff and not getting the big laughs and my brain will click in, Do the dick jokes." 

  He likes doing original songs and parodies of popular songs, such as his hilarious send-up of lover-boy Julio Iglesias "All The Girls I've Done Before." 

  "The thing about my act is that I really don't have an act, I always go with the spur of the moment." Iglesias says. 

  "For me to talk about things like death and cults and things in the news is my way of defining myself because I feel like I just a conduit of all these things, an  interpretive vehicle." 

  He uses the Lorena Bobbitt incident as an example: "Some people talk about it as a social phenomenon and other as, 'Oh look, I found a dick." Iglesias would look at it as a social phenomenon. 

MENTORS AND MOTTOS   
  Iglesias has been very involved with the Latino comedy scene "The people who go to Latino comedy nights aren't just Latino," he says. "It's (thriving) because it talks about the human experience and everyone, in some way, wants to be educated about other cultures" His worst gig was in La Jolla on the day of the O.J. Simpson criminal trial verdict. "It was an afternoon gig on a really hot day and I get there and the air conditioning wasn't working -- nor was the microphone, and my audience was alot of pissed-off  republican white people! Perfect atmosphere for comedy." 

  "You can always tell when you're dying with a crowd. It's beyond silence. It is almost a vacuum in space. ... Every second seems to last like a slow-motion 1000 years." 

  He remains dedicated to being creative and experimental. "1 have to keep myself fresh, even if it means taking the risk of not killing the audience every  night," Iglesias says. "My hit and miss ratio is about 75 percent." 

  His comedy mentor is Avery Schrieber, who has taken Iglesias under his wing. He once met Steve Martin and asked him what advice he had for comics, Martin told him to just get so good the people HAVE  to pay attention to you. The point was, work on your art and don't worry about the rest. 

  Iglesias' advice to other comics? "Develop different facets of your comedy.... Be creative and take risks. So what if you fail in front of people--that's part of the process. " 

  "You can tell when someone is a 'lifer' in the (entertainment) business. This is like prison in a sense. You can tell because they never quit, they are always there . " 

  "They aren't going anywhere -- they are lifers. The prisoners of comedy settle into it and put palm trees in their cells. " 

  Iglesias uses all of his skills and tools, making the most of what he has. He plays to his strengths, his musical skills, doing songs and comedy in both Spanish and English. His biggest asset is his positive attitude. 

  "You should always be happy. As long as you're pursuing your love, you have found your nirvana."