Coming from Orange County was a blessing because I was completely new and different to the comedy scene. When I first started, there were no Chicano comedians from Orange County, especially gangster fools. A lot of people were surprised that there were even gangsters in OC, ’cause a lot of comedians had never been to jail or juvenile hall, they just knew what they saw on TV. I started my own comedy circuits down here and brought LA comedians with me – Gabriel Iglesias, Felipe Esparza, Willie Barcena, Joey Diaz, Ralphie May, Paul Rodriguez – the list goes on.
The hard part was, of course, being the new fool on the block. I had to prove myself, even fight people. I won every battle and earned my respect.
Comedy has always been in my life, I loved to make people laugh as a kid. I even took drama my freshman year of high school, got clowned by all my homies for it… I was the only gangster in the class, but I killed it. Sometime much later, I ended up at an underground comedy show and the guy on stage was trying to mess with the crowd – he said, I’ll challenge anybody. And I went up there and destroyed him. That was my first time doing stand-up and I kept at it.
I’m not rich, but I’m rich with love. When people come to my hometown shows there’s pimps, there’s prostitutes, there’s players, gangsters, Chicanos, hardworking, punk rock, rock and roll, white, black – all of that. I just filmed my special with Estevan Oriol at the Comedy Store and all the comedians that were there asked me, How come your whole crowd looks like you? I was like, Pendleton just had a sale homie…
People ask me, Why are you still going to the hood? Why do you still hang out with gangsters and strippers? My answer is, ’cause that’s my life and that lifestyle got me here. If I stay in it, I’ll keep creating. I’m never gonna change who I am.
I want to go down as having the most jokes. After I’m gone I want some 15 to 19-year-old to find an old George Perez vinyl and recognize the level I was on, even more so now that my children are older, having witnessed how inspirations shaped them.
If you’ve noticed, ever since I became a regular at the Comedy Store, other people who look like me have been starting to show out more & more in the crowd and on stage. I wanna let everybody know that everything is possible with dedication. Look at me, dog. I went to prison, lost everything I had, got out, got it all back and more. You’re only gonna get what you put in, straight up.
That’s why I love Desmadre, they’re opening the door up for new communities. I want people to look at creatives like us and know they can do it too. You can still dress like who you are and be who you are. Just show some respect & class and work your ass off.
-GP.
