Catch Dustin Ybarra at “Laugh Boston” this Thursday, Friday and Saturday
BY TIM ESTILOZ
Comedian Dustin Ybarra is one of comedy’s rising stars whose show business career straddles both appearances in TV and movies; but his roots and his passion lie in his on-stage stand-up comedy routines in front of a live audience.
Catch his live performance this weekend at Laugh Boston.
How did you get started doing comedy?
I started doing stand up comedy in Texas at the age of 16. I was the fat kid and was picked on in school, so I found comedy was my way of defending myself. I didn’t have many friends so I’d tell a couple of fat jokes to fit in. I couldn’t get into the comedy clubs so I would pretty much go into Wal-Mart and follow people around and telling them jokes.
How do you manage working in comedy and films?
It’s competitive, sure, but it’s not like it’s “the end of the world” competitive. Some people believe in the mentality that you’ve only got one shot at success, but I don’t believe in that. You’ve got a lot of shots and you get better with every shot you take.
Where do you draw your humor from?
I talk a lot about not knowing my dad when I was growing up. It’s easy to laugh about now, but I’m sure when I was a kid it really sucked. Right now, I talk a lot about this whole immigration and Mexican thing. I’m not quite sure if it’s deeply important to me personally but I think it’s something that needs to be talked about. I have this one joke in my act where I say in California, “weed is legal and Mexicans aren’t”…
What influences your comedy ?
I was definitely influenced by Gabriel Iglesias and Pablo Francisco. Comedian Jimmie Walker was great because he was the first guy to take me on the road. I try to make everyone an influence. Take George Lopez… he had the Mexican thing on lockdown. I feel like no other Latino comic can come in and do the Mexican thing on stage as good as George Lopez.
Do you have to tweak or change your comedy routine depending on the part of the country you’re performing ?
Yeah, absolutely. I was in Minnesota two months ago. I was doing my Latino themed jokes and it wasn’t as hard hitting as it was in L.A. Maybe they didn’t have immigration issues in Minnesota or they didn’t know a lot of Mexican people. I think there was maybe one Mexican dude in the audience that whole week. I’ve been doing this a long time so I’ve got plenty of material where I can go for 45-minutes talking about anything.
This Mexican-American talent began his comedy career at the age of 16 in Bedford, Texas before making the hard journey paying his dues as a comic first in New York and later Los Angeles. His acting credits include a recurring role on the ABC series “The Goldbergs” and HBO’s “Californication”. He was a recurring panelist on the hugely successful “Chelsea Lately” and his film credits include “We Bought A Zoo” starring Matt Damon.
Where?
Laugh Boston
425 Summer St • Boston, MA
(617) 725-2844
www.laughboston.com
Thurs, May 7 at 8 pm
Fri, May 8 at 8 pm and 10:15 pm
Sat, May 9 at 8 pm and 10:15 pm
Promo code: EM2FOR1
