Carlos Mencia brings successful comedy act to North Charleston

Carlos Mencia knows exactly who he is, even if some of his newer fans have a hard time figuring it out.

In Los Angeles he's Mexican and down in Miami he's thought of as Cuban, but the 41-year-old comedian jokes that he had to draw the line in Chicago when he was confused with being Middle Eastern.

The truth is, Mencia was the 17th of 18 kids - no, that is not a typo - born in Honduras and raised by his aunt and uncle in East L.A. So it's not a surprise that, like most comedians, most of his material is drawn from his own first-hand experiences.

His politically influenced brand of comedy oftentimes deals with race, culture and social issues. He was majoring in electrical engineering at California State University in Los Angeles when he dropped out in the late '80s to pursue a career in comedy.

A regular at Los Angeles-based clubs, Mencia quickly landed appearances on national television shows such as "In Living Color," "Moesha," "The Shield" and "MADtv" before eventually securing his own successful venture, "Mind of Mencia," which has become one of the highest rated shows on Comedy Central.

Mencia has also had success with comedy albums, national tours and a role in the hit film "The Heartbreak Kid." He has four comedy albums and nine DVDs. The latest DVD, "Beaner Beaner Beaner," was released earlier this year.

Still, he's best known for his standup comedy and is currently in the midst of his 2008 At Close Range tour, which makes its way to the North Charleston Performing Arts Center tomorrow night.

Keith Ryan Cartwright is a Colorado-based journalist.