Felipe Esparza

Summary

Fly on the Wall with Dana Carvey and David Spade: Episode Featuring Felipe Esparza Release Date: April 9, 2025

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Introduction

In this engaging episode of Fly on the Wall with Dana Carvey and David Spade, the comedic duo welcomes Felipe Esparza, a renowned stand-up comedian with a compelling story of resilience and humor. Dana and David delve deep into Felipe's journey from his early struggles immigrating to America to his rise in the comedy world, offering listeners an intimate look behind the scenes of show business.

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Immigration and Early Life

Felipe Esparza shares his poignant immigration story, highlighting the challenges he faced when arriving in the United States as a young child.

• Felipe Esparza (04:10): "My brothers and I with my mom, we came here illegally. My father was already here living in America, and so were all my dad's relatives."

He recounts their perilous crossing and the subsequent efforts to adjust to a new life, including the fear of deportation and the strategies his family employed to secure their stay in the country.

• Dana Carvey (06:07): "You grew up in Mexico and made your way to America... How are you processing?"

• Felipe Esparza (10:12): "I had to use my brother’s passport. He had to wear a dress for a whole week just to get a character."

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Journey into Stand-Up Comedy

Transitioning from his immigration experience, Felipe discusses how financial pressures led him to pursue stand-up comedy as a full-time career.

• Felipe Esparza (42:18): "I had child support coming after me, and my paycheck was getting garnished. So I decided to quit my regular job and went straight to doing stand-up."

He details his early performances at local theaters and open mics, emphasizing the struggles and triumphs that shaped his comedic style.

• Felipe Esparza (35:50): "My first set was at the Natural Fudge Theater... I had a joke about Romeo and Juliet being shot in my neighborhood."

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Career Highlights and Achievements

Felipe highlights significant milestones in his career, including winning Last Comic Standing and embarking on an extensive 80-city tour.

• Felipe Esparza (45:57): "When I won Last Comic Standing, I got $250,000 and went on an 80-city tour across America."

He also shares anecdotes about working with other comedians, including interactions with legends like Eddie Murphy.

• Felipe Esparza (53:37): "Eddie Murphy walked in and told me I was funny. It was surreal."

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Comedy Style and Influence

Discussing his unique approach to comedy, Felipe explains how his personal experiences and cultural background influence his material.

• Felipe Esparza (56:45): "I move on stage like a boxer—backing up and then landing the punchline. It’s almost like dancing."

He admires fellow comedians who inspire him, such as Dane Cook, and reflects on the evolution of his performance techniques over the years.

• Felipe Esparza (39:16): "Dane Cook's high energy and clear jokes pushed me to refine my own style."

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Overcoming Challenges

Felipe candidly discusses the setbacks he faced, including personal struggles and industry hurdles, illustrating his resilience and dedication to his craft.

• Felipe Esparza (47:36): "We were all doing well on the tour until someone passed away. It was tough, but we kept going."

He emphasizes the importance of perseverance and maintaining a positive attitude in the face of adversity.

• Dana Carvey (60:02): "It's nice to meet you finally, and thank you for coming on. You've done so much."

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Personal Insights and Reflections

Towards the end of the episode, Felipe shares personal insights about life as a comedian and the balance between personal and professional life.

• Felipe Esparza (59:21): "I remember seeing a woman with a Ouija board tattoo and thinking about identity. It's all about who you are."

Dana and David commend Felipe for his authenticity and the depth he brings to his performances, highlighting the profound impact of his work on audiences.

• Dana Carvey (60:16): "You've done a lot. It's nice to meet you finally, and it's great."

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Conclusion

The episode wraps up with heartfelt appreciation for Felipe Esparza's contributions to comedy and his inspiring journey. Dana and David leave listeners with a deeper understanding of the dedication required to succeed in show business and the power of humor in overcoming life's challenges.

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Notable Quotes

• David Spade (00:00): "One of my best trips is when I stayed at an Airbnb. Felt like I was living like a local."

• Felipe Esparza (06:25): "We filed for green cards right there. It was a huge relief."

• Felipe Esparza (32:56): "I had a line that killed: 'This is Romeo and Juliet if it was shot in my neighborhood.'"

• Felipe Esparza (45:50): "They wanted a little slice... gave me mama standing."

• Felipe Esparza (56:45): "I move on stage like a boxer—backing up and then landing the punchline."

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This episode of Fly on the Wall offers a rich and engaging exploration of Felipe Esparza's life and career, blending heartfelt storytelling with humorous anecdotes. Whether you're a longtime fan or new to his work, Felipe's story is sure to inspire and entertain.

Transcript

[David Spade]

David, I don't know if you know this about me, but I've always been a fan of exploring new places. Not like you kind of, you know. No, no offense. And one of my best trips, Listen up. Is when I stayed at an Airbnb. Felt like I was living like a local with all the space. You know, hotels can be a hassle. Room service and then the housekeeper, it's a hassle. So then you go to Airbnb and you can get whatever you want. A little cottage, this and that. It's fantastic. You have your own separate space. So it's a great product for people who travel. David.

[Dana Carvey]

Yes, I have friends doing one of these right now. If you have a home, you can Airbnb it.

[David Spade]

It's fantastic. I mean, to monetize your home when you're not there seems like a good idea.

[Dana Carvey]

I mean, look, I'm on the road a lot. I could probably do it. It's something that people can do when they travel. They have extra space or you're at a place not full time. You come in in the winter, you leave in the summer. That's something you should think about. It's a way to get some extra money and it's a cool experience.

[David Spade]

Your home might be worth more than you think.

[Dana Carvey]

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[David Spade]

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[Dana Carvey]

I actually was quite entertained by him. He had a great story and, and you know, that was one of the ones I have to say I'm not tight with, but I think you had met him and I was introduced to him through you as far as his comedy. And then when I looked him up, I thought, oh, my God, this guy has been around doing great, and it's just one of those blind spots when you're not in the same places as people.

[David Spade]

But he has a huge career, huge, huge following. His story is so interesting because he came through the border illegally years ago with his mom and his brother. And I think his brother had to be dressed up as a girl or something. But anyway, his stories of how he got to America and how he started his career in America and how he's become so successful, it's just a great, great ride. And he's funny and charming as well. I think you're gonna really like him.

[Dana Carvey]

Yeah, I had a great time talking to him. He's a good looking dude, if that matters anyone. Does to me. Does everybody?

[David Spade]

He's very young for his age and he's a great head of hair. We couldn't get over.

[Dana Carvey]

Yeah, cool hair and a good attitude and I had a lot of fun with him. So.

[David Spade]

Yeah.

[Dana Carvey]

Hope you like it here. Here he is.

[David Spade]

Felipe. I just thought of a rich person's metric or people have a little extra money. Either you go to a salon, you go to a barber shop to get a haircut, or the haircutter person comes to you. It's the first, first sign of having a couple extra bucks in your pocket.

[Felipe Esparza]

Also depending on if, like who you're working with too. Because in company Central they'll have like a hair stylist. But when you're working with like BET or Def Jam, there's like two barbers there from the hood.

[Dana Carvey]

There's a barber shop on the set.

[Felipe Esparza]

You don't even know what's going on. You sit down and go. And you, you hear the comedian go, give me a Chicago F.

[David Spade]

I've heard that.

[Felipe Esparza]

And I'm like, give me. I'm like, I have long hair. Give me a cholo number five.

[Dana Carvey]

Yeah.

[David Spade]

Any kind of food product with that, you just get hair done. There's no sense of any sort of food with that achole.

[Felipe Esparza]

First story. Stand up. My hair was really short. Like a gang member. It was really short. And then, you know, I used to get pulled over on the way home. So I just started letting it grow. I just let it grow. And then I haven't, I haven't cut it yet.

[Dana Carvey]

What length is it past gang member?

[David Spade]

Yeah. When does the length of the hair reduce being pulled over.

[Felipe Esparza]

Oh, man, you gotta be like. Like Bill Bird.

[David Spade]

Yeah, Officer, I was some speed, Neil. All right. I'm going to the Comedy Store. All right. He's aggressive, that Bill.

[Dana Carvey]

Listen, give me some pickles.

[David Spade]

Yeah. You know what drives me out of my mind? Meter mates. Get a car. I don't need a golf cart. Give me a parking ticket. You meet a middle head. Anyway, that's kind of Bill Barbara. I used to do that. I used to do this east coast stand up. But so for our audience, why don't we just quickly go.

[Dana Carvey]

Yeah, yeah. Who.

[David Spade]

Where you came from and who you are is extraordinary. So we've never had a guest quite with your story. So don't be shy.

[Dana Carvey]

But yeah, don't be shy. Don't.

[David Spade]

You grew up in Mexico and you're made your way to America and you know, you're incredibly successful. You play giant places, have a huge amount of fans. So it's just kind of an American dream, would you call it? Or Mexican dream or what is it? How are you processing?

[Felipe Esparza]

I got here when I was like 4 years old or 5. My. My brothers and I with my. With my mom, we came here illegally. My father was already here living in America, and so were all my. My dad's relatives. They were working for Warner Brothers. It's funny, they all had jobs putting the record inside of the. The cardboard. They were at the press at the record pressing company.

[David Spade]

Oh, fascinating. Dude.

[Dana Carvey]

It's not bad. I'm telling Felipe. I used to work when I moved to la. Tried stand up. Of course I wasn't doing that well because I'm in Glendale putting the A team dolls in boxes in a warehouse to send to anyone who ordered one. But it was kind of boring. But every day I'm like, did they want the B? They want the A team. Actual figure. They also want the headband. Nope, they didn't order that. So I'd have to figure out from the order what they wanted, tape it up physically. So I'm with you, dude.

[David Spade]

Jeez, I'm this. I'm just gonna say it. I pity the fool. Pity me for sure, Mr. T. I.

[Felipe Esparza]

Used to work at the back of North Broadway where the Broadway warehouse used to be. And I used to separate all the clothes hangers, the plastic ones.

[Dana Carvey]

Oh yeah, you gotta keep them separated.

[Felipe Esparza]

So I was in a room full of hangers, bro. Like the whole room with Angers. And my friend and I would just get high during lunch and start grabbing hangers all day.

[Dana Carvey]

Yeah.

[David Spade]

Okay.

[Dana Carvey]

Those type of Jobs are just mind numbing. You have to do so. We used to take Dexatrim to wake up. It was like so stupid, but anything.

[David Spade]

Did you ever grab your friend by the scruffies of his neck and say, we got to get out of here, man.

[Felipe Esparza]

I can't hang here no more. I don't know.

[David Spade]

Good night.

[Dana Carvey]

I can't do it. I can't hang.

[David Spade]

So you. When you came across the border. Okay, illegally, I'm not gonna judge, you know, Came across illegally. How hard was that? And were. How old were you? Were you scared? You had your little brother with you, right? Was it scary?

[Felipe Esparza]

I don't remember being scared. I remember being caught because we made it through the border. Like the. Right there around San Ysidro, the border. Made it through there, but there was another checkpoint. Like I guess they were. They were medic man or something or. But they were like the. The sheriff. The San Clemente Sheriff Department or somebody had a. There was an extra checkpoint that the. That city made. They were randomly stopping cars that were in a. On the five south on the five north.

[Dana Carvey]

Right, Right.

[Felipe Esparza]

I guess so they stopped us. And our driver was. He was a Mexican travel agent. You know, a wild coyote. A coyote.

[Dana Carvey]

He was a coyote. A travel agent coyote.

[Felipe Esparza]

Yeah, man. It was a Mexican travel agent. So he was American. They let him go. And my mom and my brothers and I, we got arrested and my mom was released to go back to Mexico. And then we were released like three hours later and we. We crossed the border and we put there another month figuring out plan B. Then we borrowed our bro. Our cousins passports. And it was two boys and one girl on a passport. And my mom looked at my brother, my little brother said, well, I guess you're gonna have to be party.

[David Spade]

What did you do to make him look like his passport photo?

[Felipe Esparza]

I mean, oh, man, he had to wear a dress for a whole week just to get a character.

[David Spade]

Getting character. Getting character.

[Felipe Esparza]

Yeah, yeah, man. He went all like. He went all into it, man. And when we got to a border, they had like makeup on him and a little dress and they asked him, what's your name? My name is Py. And he's gay now. But you know what? He took one for the team. That's all. That.

[Dana Carvey]

That was nice.

[David Spade]

Okay, when we'll get. That's a whole another podcast. He's gay now starring. Nothing wrong with any of that, but so was.

[Felipe Esparza]

He's a hard top. By the way.

[David Spade]

Did you. I mean, you're looking at. Your mom is the adult and she's like sinking. Are you reading her feelings at that moment? You know, like, oh, getting caught. But then really determine a month later you go back and then you do this thing and now you're in America.

[Felipe Esparza]

Yeah.

[Dana Carvey]

And yeah. When do you figure out, like you've got this gift of gab for laughter. Took a while.

[Felipe Esparza]

Like we didn't know everything we did back then was bad. Nobody like sat us down and said, hey, everything you did was bad. Don't do it again. And we didn't know we were illegal. Man. I remember calling kids illegal and I was illegal. I remember telling kids, go back to. Go back to El Salvador or go back to wherever you came from. And I should be going with them. When you come out of school, don't talk to strangers, don't talk to anybody. Just run home.

[Dana Carvey]

Jesus. No matter what you're doing in life, just run back home. And I'm after.

[Felipe Esparza]

Run back home.

[Dana Carvey]

Scary.

[David Spade]

Wow. How long did that go on? That kind of fear? When did, when did it turn for you?

[Felipe Esparza]

I mean, I don't know. I guess when we were. We were in America for a while and we went back to Mexico to take care of some paperwork and then we crossed the border and we went to. We went back. We. We crossed the border and we went to the section for illegal immigrants, but not the deported ones, I guess. And we had Mexican ID and we filed for green cards right there.

[Dana Carvey]

How scary. So you went in. It was almost like admitting it. So you're like, here we're going illegal. It's hard to get back second time. Sure.

[Felipe Esparza]

So we had a bunch of. I don't know what we did to. I know that we had to leave. We had to. We self deported. I guess what we did first we went back to Mexico on our, on our own. When we went, when we went back. And then I guess a week later we all came in legally.

[Dana Carvey]

How scary though to go back and go. I. We know once we go back it could, that could be it.

[Felipe Esparza]

Yeah, I forgot that part. I never mentioned that part about the, our voyage that we actually self reported ourselves.

[David Spade]

Yeah.

[Felipe Esparza]

And then we decided to come back.

[David Spade]

In the legal way and what growing up in Mexico to that age and then what was your vibe of America? And I kind of want to know when did you go to Disneyland? I mean, what did you. What was it like? Was.

[Felipe Esparza]

Oh, man. First of all, when we got here, the coolest thing was that the bathroom was inside the house because we, our bathroom was an outhouse and you were.

[Dana Carvey]

That was.

[David Spade]

Okay, so an inside Bathroom blew your mind? Okay.

[Felipe Esparza]

Yeah, man. And we could flush the toilet.

[David Spade]

Do you ever miss an outhouse?

[Felipe Esparza]

Toilet paper instead of the toilet. We couldn't do that at. Well, and some houses in Mexico, they will. They'll tell you, hey, don't. Don't flush anything down the toilet.

[Dana Carvey]

Literally anything. Not even poop. Nothing.

[Felipe Esparza]

Anything, bro. Put in a little pocket.

[Dana Carvey]

Did you have. Yeah. That's funny because. Yeah.

[David Spade]

Did you. When did you kind of sort of big feel American or, you know, what was that?

[Felipe Esparza]

When we were in kindergarten, we went to. We went to. We went to elementary school. Kindergarten. And all the kids were speaking English and I was the only one who didn't speak English well. But, like, I cut on fast. I started watching American shows. That's all we watched. And we didn't know how to pronounce a lot of words with like, they had like a K in the middle for some reason. Like, we don't know how to say bionic or binoculars or any. Any word with a C in the middle like that. Yeah, it was hard for us to pronounce because we were. My brother would call bionic woman. Bion Woman.

[David Spade]

So what were you. What were you watching? I'm sorry, what shows we watch.

[Felipe Esparza]

We will watch. We will watch all those shows that were on CBS for some reason, man, that channel would come in looking good.

[Dana Carvey]

With no antenna, crispy.

[Felipe Esparza]

So we have no antenna. So whatever. Channels look good because it was channel nine. Telemundo. Of course, Telemundo. You could break your television, unplug it, and Telemundo will still come off.

[Dana Carvey]

What about what people say they learn from watching tv? I don't. I've been overseas. I don't learn anything from watching a foreign language. But it must be easy, I guess, to pick up phrases or. How do you do that?

[Felipe Esparza]

Yeah, we watch a lot of movies. My dad, he liked watching movies, so we would go to drive ins a lot. And he likes Lee Nice wood and Steve McQueen and Charles Bronson. Yeah, Charles Bronson. But that was the beanie just like him. Even though he was not a vigilante.

[David Spade]

I saw it. Yeah.

[Dana Carvey]

Yeah.

[David Spade]

Charles Bronson used to be a big impression to do in the clubs in the 70s. I never. There were some good ones.

[Dana Carvey]

You couldn't do it, of all people.

[David Spade]

Well, I didn't get excited about it. I just. I took. By the way, I took basically Spanish for like eight years. And all I know is donala biblioteca como e2m. Gracias.

[Dana Carvey]

That's a lot.

[David Spade]

Mucho tahoe that's mucho. Because we. We work with a lot of people from south of the border. They were. They. We have skilled gardeners, all kinds of people. So.

[Felipe Esparza]

Yeah, but I wouldn't take their. Their Spanish for granted because my dad, he dropped out of. He dropped out of school in the sixth grade. So his Spanish is pretty much basically as good as any American speaking Spanish.

[Dana Carvey]

Is it Spanglish? Is that a real thing where it's.

[Felipe Esparza]

Like, I don't know, man. And. And where I grew up, they call it chiconics of Chicano in English.

[Dana Carvey]

Ebonics to chiconics.

[Felipe Esparza]

Hey, man. Like, hey, man, hire the radio.

[Dana Carvey]

Hire the radio.

[Felipe Esparza]

Yeah, it makes English and Spanish. Oh, right now I have grand headache. You know what I mean?

[Dana Carvey]

Grande. Yeah, I know some. Look at that.

[David Spade]

Being bilingual and. And working in both languages, which we get to it first one to do a special in both languages. What can you tell us about English and Spanish? I mean, is one more romantic? Is one easier lands harder laughs for you when you do your set in Spanish? Or is it just. It's just.

[Dana Carvey]

Oh, yeah, something. We have no experience in one language and it kills the other language.

[David Spade]

The phrasing and the timing in English and Spanish is different, right?

[Felipe Esparza]

I mean, well, what happens with me was that a lot of the words that I was speaking in Spanish were chiconics, you know, like words that along Mexican Americans in the Southwest have used a Spanish. But when I went to Mexico, those words don't even exist in a Spanish language. Like when I was saying. I was saying fix my breaks in span in English. And in English in Spanish, I would say. I would add an as. Not even a. A Spanish word.

[Dana Carvey]

Oh, it's a fake word for breaks.

[Felipe Esparza]

I don't know how to say bricks in Spanish. Apparently. I was just saying, like, because I know that white people, they had an O after every English word when they can't. Don't know what to say. Like, your sono is not doing his homework. All.

[David Spade]

Yeah, I did. I did that in Italy.

[Dana Carvey]

Yeah, people do that.

[Felipe Esparza]

We had, as in the beginning when we don't know English, we're like, esprite, you know, or excuse me.

[David Spade]

So then.

[Felipe Esparza]

So I had to go to Mexico and. And I started. I actually started off open micing in Spanish first. And I started building up a set. So I got to one hour when I was comfortable in Mexico.

[Dana Carvey]

Wait, so in Mexico you're doing a Spanish set basically of things everyone can relate to there, and then you come over after you got it as an hour's A lot.

[Felipe Esparza]

Yeah. I, I, I translated my jokes first of the, of the hour in English into like in their language they could understand.

[Dana Carvey]

Okay.

[Felipe Esparza]

Except some words were play on words so I had to get rid of the whole joke.

[Dana Carvey]

Yeah, for sure.

[David Spade]

And by the way, this is on Netflix right now. It was done 2020 bad decisions English Spanish versions.

[Felipe Esparza]

Pretty translate this. And when I was in Tijuana, Mexico, a lot of the audience were people that were deported by, by all the previous presidents because there's people there that were deported by President Obama. There were people that deported from Bush, people deported from, from, I don't know, a lot of Clinton gang members.

[David Spade]

Was that like a thing? Hey, I'm a Clinton man. I'm a Clinton deported me.

[Dana Carvey]

Yeah.

[David Spade]

Did you hang out with the people that were deported by your president?

[Felipe Esparza]

Yes. And I went hung out with a bunch of military marines that were deported during the last administration that there's a whole neighborhood with nothing but deportee military people. Like people from their fought in Korea, people who fought in and the Gulf War, people who fought in Afghanistan, Iraq, but somehow they got deported and then.

[Dana Carvey]

Get deported after they do that. That's horrible.

[Felipe Esparza]

Well, some of these guys have ptsd so they never really fixed their papers and some of them are not with it. But they're all, they were all, they were not born in America, but they were promised citizenship.

[Dana Carvey]

Sure.

[Felipe Esparza]

And some of them didn't, they didn't go file. I know there's one, one guy that I spoke to, he's 74. He got pulled over in Echo park because there was a shooting in Echo park and he was coming out of the grocery store where they're getting a milk and the police, they, they held, they pulled everybody to the side in that area and they were checking everybody's IDs. And he had a, he didn't even know he hit a, he had a deport on site on his id. So he went straight to Mexico. He didn't call his family.

[David Spade]

Oh man.

[Dana Carvey]

He was 74.

[David Spade]

Yeah, 74. And he thinks he's just, he's, he's done with all that. And then they just deported.

[Dana Carvey]

Seemed like the danger is still there.

[David Spade]

What's your advice for people in south for border now with Trump in there? Stay away, come in, try to come legally. I mean, what do you, oh man.

[Felipe Esparza]

If you're going to be here in America illegally, first of all, don't hang around with no gang members. Don't hang around with anybody with a bald head, anybody with a low rider for work and Come straight home. Great. Home. Tell your kids, dude, don't hang around with bad people. Just do your job and just live like a normal citizen. And you know, if you ever you're gonna be driving no driver license, man, I will stop at every red light and look both ways, even the green light.

[David Spade]

So just be boring. Be boring and be simple.

[Felipe Esparza]

They won't get deported. They won't deport you.

[Dana Carvey]

Right. I mean, ideally, the idea is to get really horrible trouble makers out.

[Felipe Esparza]

Yeah.

[Dana Carvey]

Yeah. I could see getting caught in a.

[David Spade]

Crossfire of Just say again.

[Felipe Esparza]

I became a US citizen in October.

[David Spade]

Really?

[Dana Carvey]

Oh, good. Good job.

[David Spade]

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[Dana Carvey]

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[David Spade]

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[Dana Carvey]

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[David Spade]

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[Dana Carvey]

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[Dana Carvey]

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[Dana Carvey]

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[Dana Carvey]

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[David Spade]

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[Dana Carvey]

Sure I would.

[David Spade]

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[Dana Carvey]

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[David Spade]

One thing I was kind of interesting. I don't know if you want to go in this direction, but at some point you were kind of seduced by gang life or went in a gang and went through all that. So what was that like? Was it hilarious?

[Felipe Esparza]

Oh, when I was a kid, I hung out with a bunch of kids that were into breakdancing at the time. And they were. We go to bed, we would go to Venice beach and compete with other kids. But I was never good at breakdancing. But I was good at shoplifting, you know, Me too. I was. I was like, in charge of merch. So I was in charge of stealing all the white gloves for people. And I was telling them to them.

[Dana Carvey]

Did you carry the cardboard in my break?

[Felipe Esparza]

Yeah, man Group. So after break dancing died out, and then crack cocaine moved into our neighborhood. Yeah, all my friends got into the same gang except me. And then they were all like 16 years old. 17. And I avoided them forever till I turned 19. I was 20 years old. I was too old to be in a gang, but they still jumped me in.

[Dana Carvey]

Oh, you know, Shane, it's funny because in this movie, Busboys, when we join to be a busboy, we get jumped in. And then one time I quit for an hour and I had to get jumped in again. I'm like, I quit for one hour. And they're like, that's, you know the rules.

[David Spade]

Spade's doing a movie.

[Felipe Esparza]

I had a joke about that when people were leaving California somewhere else. I said, you leaving California, you should get jumped out first.

[Dana Carvey]

Yeah, see, Dana, we know all the lingo.

[David Spade]

I don't know. His movie with Theo Vaughn is you. You guys flee to Mexico or something, right?

[Dana Carvey]

No, we go. We get stuck at the border on the way to Mexico. We try to go to Mexico, but we can't get across. So we work at a little restaurant on the border, border America. And we. We want to be waiters. So we get job as busboys. First to move up in three days. But it takes years because we're not any good. But, yeah, everyone there is Spanish. I mean, most of the cast, because we're right there.

[David Spade]

Should have Felipe in that movie, man.

[Dana Carvey]

We should have. Actually, I didn't even know.

[David Spade]

He's too busy.

[Dana Carvey]

So you could have turned it down. It would have been great.

[David Spade]

So wherever you want to go. But I mean, you're in gang stuff, you get to America. I mean, I just like. When did you do your first. First set in America? Where was it?

[Felipe Esparza]

Oh, it was. It was in 1993, probably, or 94 at the Natural Fudge Theater. And it's on Fountain Avenue and Silver Lake from that church that Tom Cruise goes to.

[Dana Carvey]

Oh, yeah, Science.

[David Spade]

Scientology. I know it well.

[Felipe Esparza]

Yeah, yeah.

[Dana Carvey]

That shirt, that huge building. You mean that monstrosity.

[Felipe Esparza]

Huge monster right across the street from that. It's a theater. It's called the Fountain Theater now, but it was called before it was called the. The Natural Fudge.

[Dana Carvey]

It was a studio.

[Felipe Esparza]

It was a vegan vegetarian coffee shop. I have no idea that it was vegan until after I left. So we were. It was an open mic on Monday nights with punk rock music. So they have a. Two comedians go up, and then where the comedians are performing, the punk band is behind them setting up their band.

[Dana Carvey]

Oh, my God.

[Felipe Esparza]

So then, like, two bands will perform punk music, and then while they're taking their down, three more comedians who are.

[Dana Carvey]

Performing for the punk audience, which is probably not the best.

[Felipe Esparza]

Yeah. Hollywood Runaways. Like kids. I think it was 18 and over.

[Dana Carvey]

It seems like a row.

[David Spade]

Jamie Kennedy. Yeah, great comment.

[Felipe Esparza]

Jamie Kenny did there. Alonzo Bowden, Brian Holtzman. A lot of. A lot of people there.

[David Spade]

Do you remember that first set? Do you remember what line killed? Did you have a bit that worked or were you humiliated or what was it like?

[Felipe Esparza]

I had a line that killed, but it was. It was. Oh, I said that this is Romeo and Juliet if it was shot in my neighborhood. And then I pretended that. I pretended Romeo was like a crackhead. Like, I was shaking, you know, with my elbows. I was acting like a crackhead, you know. Right. And I was biting my fingers, and I was looking at the floor like a crackhead. Does taking rocks give the real. And then I would say. And I said I was yellow. Julia, you.

[David Spade]

That one sounds like it would get a big laugh in a. A rowdy club. It's high energy.

[Felipe Esparza]

Yeah. It got. Got a laugh there from the people that were homeless and. And then the owner of the place, his name was Johnny Roberts, he had a local access show at Tuesdays at 10pm on Channel 3. On. On cable. Some cable network. Yeah. It was just a free public access show. And I didn't know what public access was. I didn't have cable. He st to me, go, kid, that was amazing. I want you to be in my. My show. We tape every. Every Wednesday morning. It was. It's a t. It's a big comedy show. I thought I made it right. I thought it be like one of those.

[Dana Carvey]

Yeah, you thought it was Evening at.

[Felipe Esparza]

The Apollo, but it was local actor and. And I looked at the way other comedian were dressed and I. And I went to a thrift store and I bought like a 80s a coat, a jacket, and I'm trying to find a tie to wear, like an 80s comic, but I couldn't find anything. And then the guy at the thrift store, he said, I don't have a tie, but try this on. And I didn't know what it was. I remember it was. Somebody told me it's called, I don't know, bobo tie. Yeah, yeah, it was. It was like a metal thing. I look like Fosse Bear. If you're a native American.

[Dana Carvey]

That'S a good look.

[David Spade]

So. So.

[Dana Carvey]

But that sounds like a big deal, though. You're on a TV show, so it's not a big deal, but in your head it's a compliment. Like, hey, I did a set. They're asking me to come on this show.

[David Spade]

We all, we all did that. That era. I mean, you should have a.

[Dana Carvey]

You should have a show called Loco Access.

[Felipe Esparza]

Local accident.

[Dana Carvey]

Yeah, it's not bad.

[Felipe Esparza]

So I met these guys there, and then they told me to go to another place that. That does comedy on Saturday nights called Waldo's Comedy Station. And then that was on right on Highland. On Highland. The. Back then it was called a Hollywood hotel. So we did comedy there. And then I finally made it to the Comedy Store.

[David Spade]

How. How many. How much longer? Oh, to do audition for Mitzi. How'd that go?

[Dana Carvey]

The original room back then?

[Felipe Esparza]

Yeah, it was five years later. It was like 90.

[Dana Carvey]

Oh.

[David Spade]

Or something. Mitzi's still there in her booth. This comedy store is huge. What happened?

[Felipe Esparza]

Not that many people are going to the Comedy Store back then.

[David Spade]

Not like now, in a way like now.

[Felipe Esparza]

Oh, dead. Those comedians that they used to bring their dogs on stage. I mean, you were back then, man, it was like if you. If you wanted to be a comedian, like if you stuck around those days, you're probably doing well right now. Because I remember it was like so many people were getting bumped when I First started off like, really bumped. Like, I remember there was a, a big showcase and a bunch of comedians. They were supposed to be seen by Mitzy Shore and she didn't show up. So the, the showcase was canceled. But there was a lot of people who actually made that trip from other parts of the country. Los Angeles, man, I only took one bus cuz nobody know what I was doing. But those people are from Jersey, they call their parents and. And then the Dice Match shows up and those five hours on the stage, they didn't even get to go up.

[David Spade]

Andrew Dice Clay.

[Dana Carvey]

Oh my God.

[David Spade]

On the rise. Yay. Oh yeah.

[Felipe Esparza]

And then like five hours, I was waiting. I didn't leave right.

[Dana Carvey]

After four.

[Felipe Esparza]

He does four hours.

[David Spade]

Who?

[Felipe Esparza]

Eddie Griffin.

[David Spade]

Oh, Eddie Griffin.

[Dana Carvey]

It's a marathon.

[David Spade]

So it's a nine hour show. You've seen two comics. Okay, who's next?

[Felipe Esparza]

Yeah, and then 1:45 in the morning, bro. I go up at 1:45 right before Robert William of Pattaya.

[Dana Carvey]

Oh, did you say I only have two and a half hours of material because I'm new?

[Felipe Esparza]

Yeah.

[David Spade]

Did you?

[Dana Carvey]

Dude, I. Let's do a side note, Dana, for the people listening. It's not crazy to think because I was from Arizona and if someone said, mitzi will see you this Monday, I would fly out. It's too important to have someone in the business. See you at Bud Friedman at the Improv. So that's a really, really big deal. I understand why everyone came. And if she casually didn't show up, what a heartbreaker.

[David Spade]

And also we all got bumped up in San Francisco, where I started. You know, they'd say, robin's here. The great Robin Williams. And I thought I was gonna maybe have a 9:30 spot. And then Robin would do three hours. Oh, I can't believe it.

[Dana Carvey]

Oh, her.

[David Spade]

Someone's on Essence. Oh, look of her. Oh, spaceship, look.

[Dana Carvey]

Oh, it's a Frisbee.

[David Spade]

But anyway, he was brilliant and he would, he would, I call it, levitate the room. He would kill so hard that you're like, I gotta work harder. Did you see someone early in that time and went, damn, that guy or woman is at another level. Do you have somebody who kind of blew you away and made you want to get better? Right.

[Felipe Esparza]

I saw what's his name? Dane Cook.

[David Spade]

Dane Cook and Dane Cook World. When he, when he became kind of at his height.

[Dana Carvey]

Okay, whatever.

[Felipe Esparza]

It was five.

[David Spade]

What was it? I don't know the bit, but I.

[Dana Carvey]

Don'T know the bit.

[David Spade]

It looks funny.

[Dana Carvey]

I like it.

[David Spade]

He's flipping you off.

[Felipe Esparza]

You know, I don't know how to do him, but he'll be like, you know how people. They could. They. They flip you off.

[David Spade]

Oh, I see.

[Felipe Esparza]

They go, you.

[David Spade]

That's right.

[Felipe Esparza]

But that it should be a super. You call su.

[Dana Carvey]

Oh, yeah, he think he told us about this, Dana.

[David Spade]

Yeah, I think.

[Felipe Esparza]

Right?

[David Spade]

Yeah, yeah, he did that. And he would storm around the stage. He was super phys, hyper, confident, really clear with his jokes. And yeah, he's that highly skilled to follow that, you know?

[Felipe Esparza]

Yeah. And I remember people would have a tattooed Women will have a tattooed under. On the back of their butt, like a. Like a stamp. The SU5.

[Dana Carvey]

Oh, boy.

[David Spade]

Oh, interesting.

[Dana Carvey]

I didn't run into any of those. Thank you.

[David Spade]

When did you have women trying to hit on you or what? I know you're happily married now. We don't want to go into it, but okay. Some women love funny, funny men.

[Felipe Esparza]

Hell yeah, man. I had that. I have people tattooed my name on their back. I'm not even famous.

[David Spade]

You had a young lady.

[Dana Carvey]

You look.

[David Spade]

Yeah.

[Dana Carvey]

By the way, he looks young. I thought you were like 28 or something.

[Felipe Esparza]

I had a woman in Las Vegas, she told me to autograph her arm and she was like 21 and I was like 40. And I wrote my name sloppy on her arm. Right. She had a little chubby arm. You know, it was against my pen. Was getting.

[Dana Carvey]

Sure. It's hard to do.

[Felipe Esparza]

Yeah. I wrote Felipe on it. And then later on, she sent me a photo of her in a thong with not showing her boobs, but showing her ass and then her arm. And she had tattooed right there. Felipe.

[David Spade]

She tattooed over your autograph?

[Dana Carvey]

Yeah.

[David Spade]

Okay.

[Felipe Esparza]

Yeah, that's.

[Dana Carvey]

That's something people do. I like that.

[David Spade]

You want to bring her home to mom. That's somebody you know.

[Felipe Esparza]

Hell yeah.

[Dana Carvey]

Especially with her next boyfriend.

[David Spade]

So also.

[Dana Carvey]

So then you're at least 40. So you're.

[David Spade]

You're 45. You look. You look 27 now.

[Dana Carvey]

Yeah, you do.

[Felipe Esparza]

Look, I'm not 45. I'm 55.

[David Spade]

Get out of town.

[Dana Carvey]

I just told Dana you look so young. I don't know.

[David Spade]

Black don't crack, beig don't age. And why it ain't right.

[Felipe Esparza]

Also, I don't drink, so that helped too.

[David Spade]

Yeah, that. Yeah. The blues face, it can really age you, you know? So. So now, I mean, just because we. We have limited time. You really. You're doing. You're doing the clubs. Once I just curious. When's the first time it became your job? Like, okay, I'm I'm a standup and that's how I earn money. I don't, I don't need any side hustle. How long?

[Felipe Esparza]

Well, I had child support. They were, they were coming after me and they were garnishing my paycheck. So I was making half. So that kind of helped me decide to quit my regular job since I wasn't making no money anymore at my regular job. So I just went straight to doing stand up. And then like in 96, they were doing this big stand up show in San Antonio, Texas. Some guy named Jeff Valdez and the owner of the, the River Center Comedy Club, Kylie and, and Jeff Orsha. I don't know their names, but they, they produced a show for Showtime called the Latino Laugh Festival, hosted by Daisy Fuentes and Paul Rodriguez.

[Dana Carvey]

Yeah.

[Felipe Esparza]

Oh yeah. They try to grab all the Latino comedian they can find. And I was one of the younger ones that actually auditioned for the show and got it. I met comedians there. Well, they didn't know we're Latino like Greg Geraldo and John Mendoza was Geraldo.

[David Spade]

I didn't know those guys.

[Felipe Esparza]

Yeah, yeah, I didn't know. I was very shocked to see John Mendoza because I always thought he was Irish, but I guess he's Puerto Rican and Irish and he was one of my favorite comics.

[David Spade]

And Paul Rodriguez was the original Latino comic. At least at the Improv, you know.

[Dana Carvey]

He was part of the story.

[Felipe Esparza]

It was.

[Dana Carvey]

The American Express card. What, did he bring a knife with him?

[Felipe Esparza]

Always starts off his sentences with a big word. So you gotta be like, consequently.

[David Spade]

Consequently over their head. You can. When I heard say stuff like that. You can laugh now, but my cousin Julio is stealing your hubcaps. Yeah, that brought down the house at the Improv in 1985.

[Felipe Esparza]

Yeah, man. I remember the first time I saw him was on a glimpse of television. Before I wanted to be a comedian. I was, My dad was like. He would change the channels from CBS, Lucy Hazard all the way back to the, the UHF channel 34. But he'll, you know, he could, he could go left, you know, just go left and boom, he's there. Right, he's there. Boom, he'll be a channel 34. Yeah, he likes to mess with us. And he'll turn the knob off to see all the channels so he could see all the, all, everything we're missing. So, so what? What? I was like Leonardo DiCaprio in that movie, pointing like this. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Wait, wait, wait.

[David Spade]

Mexican on tv.

[Felipe Esparza]

And Rodriguez, he was doing his set on that show AKA Pablo, he said the bit was because I remember when my family came over from Mexico, it was 17 of us in an inner tube and we were singing. Ain't no stopping us now. We're on the move.

[David Spade]

Yeah, he always killed. So. So last comic standing. You make your way, you're going through the clubs, you're doing well, and then something happens. It's a big move. Big moment, right? Winning.

[Felipe Esparza]

Oh, yeah, man. When I won that comment standing, it was $250,000. And my son's mom fought for child support the next day.

[Dana Carvey]

Oh, they wanted a little slice.

[Felipe Esparza]

Gave me mama standing.

[Dana Carvey]

Dude. She's like, we won.

[Felipe Esparza]

Yeah, man.

[David Spade]

Yeah, Daddy's funny. We're gonna get a swimming pool.

[Felipe Esparza]

Finally, he's responsible.

[Dana Carvey]

Yeah, well, that's a big one to win that. And then last comic standing. Is that the one? I think Todd Glass. You don't remember this, but yeah.

[Felipe Esparza]

Shout out to Peter Ingalls, the producer of the Last Comment Standing and saved by the bell. He passed away, I think a week ago.

[David Spade]

Oh, okay.

[Dana Carvey]

Well, yeah, shout out to him somehow. And also. So you get that now what are you. Are you immediately a headliner or were you already ahead?

[Felipe Esparza]

Yes, as soon as I win Last Comment standing, we go on a 80 city tour all over America.

[Dana Carvey]

Wow. Yeah, so that's tough. We're hitting a new headline.

[Felipe Esparza]

Inglewood, Pennsylvania, bro. Places I only hear in songs.

[Dana Carvey]

Yeah. Traffic reports. So you wait. Yeah. How do you do it? Do you go with some other, like, runners up and you're like the headliner?

[Felipe Esparza]

Yeah, all the way. All the other people that were on the show, I think it was Mike Destefano, Roy was junior, Mike Kaplan, and the other guy who was second place, Tommy John. Again, we all went on tour. We all were doing 20 minutes on stage for 80s, 80 cities on a tour bus.

[David Spade]

Was it a bus? Okay, a bus. Wow.

[Dana Carvey]

Those guys are good too. Does anyone start getting too good on the trip, like. Or do they rotate you or you always.

[Felipe Esparza]

Everybody. It was the order how. How we won. So I last.

[Dana Carvey]

That's tough.

[David Spade]

Literally the last comic standing.

[Felipe Esparza]

Yep.

[Dana Carvey]

Yeah.

[David Spade]

Did anyone kill before you? And as you're crossing on onto the mic to close the show, they just kind of say to you follow that. Did that ever happen?

[Felipe Esparza]

Yes. You know what? What was saving me from that was. It was an intermission.

[David Spade]

Oh, okay.

[Felipe Esparza]

He was murdering. He. He passed away also.

[David Spade]

God bless.

[Felipe Esparza]

He had hiv. And on the show he had HIV also. And he was an ex heroin addict. So he was all messed up, but he. He ended up I thought he was my biggest competition because he was likable on stage and his type of comedy is very popular now. So he was doing a lot of dark comedy back then. Yeah, that's kind of. It's like acceptable now. And he was likable and I really thought he was gonna win, but this guy was murdering bro, like he will. When we did San Francisco, we did the Fillmore, I remember him saying, I knew there's a lot of gays in San Francisco, but God damn, I tripped over a dick on the way in here, you know? Yeah, he was saying stuff like. He would say stuff like. Stuff like, oh, man, I got into a fight with watermelon guy. And he said, you. I'm not one of my in. He goes, I'm Puerto Rican. Listen, I'm not. I'm not anthropology. I don't know what the he's saying.

[Dana Carvey]

When you go on these tours. So you get 250 to win and do you get a set fee every night as part of your deal to tour or is it partier? 250. Because you guys should make some money.

[Felipe Esparza]

We had. It was 250,000 for the winning the show, plus whatever they were giving us to headline was. Was 3,000 for me. Some show. 3,000 for one show.

[Dana Carvey]

3,000 a night.

[David Spade]

So you're playing pretty big. You're playing theaters.

[Felipe Esparza]

2000.

[Dana Carvey]

Okay.

[Felipe Esparza]

Places that are normal. Comic headlining by himself will probably make 50. 2,000 maybe. Oh, yeah, because only places were 3,000 seaters, 4,000 seaters. They're all sold out.

[Dana Carvey]

And you're only getting three.

[Felipe Esparza]

But.

[Dana Carvey]

So they're gonna make some money too. Yeah, normally you'd make a lot.

[David Spade]

That's another 240,000 on top of the 250 pre tax. You're looking just south of 500k.

[Felipe Esparza]

Yeah. And also we had a. I had a development deal with NBC that went nowhere.

[Dana Carvey]

Oh, but you get paid up front for that, right?

[Felipe Esparza]

Yeah.

[Dana Carvey]

That's nice. It's nicer if they find a show for you, but. Yeah, that. That's for the people at home. They give you money up front to hold you for a year to maybe find a show for you. Something like that.

[Felipe Esparza]

Yeah, I got. I had a TV deal with a comedian named Dustin Ibarra with abc and they made us money. Not funny. I never thought that they'll pay your money not to work and pay your money for saying no.

[David Spade]

Yes. They call it a holding deal. They take you off the field.

[Dana Carvey]

Someone I know just got engaged in. And it's a big One.

[David Spade]

It's a big one. It's the next step in a relationship. And that's why they have, you know, a thing called an engagement ring. What was the Beyonce song? You should have put a ring on it. Oh, yeah, pay attention to that. And we know how you can get a nice ring, right?

[Dana Carvey]

You go to Blue Nile. Blue Nile, your engagement ring shopping spot. You got the shape, they got the size, setting, cut, color. It's all very confusing, but you need someone to help walk you through it. That's the place to go. There's one.

[David Spade]

It is confusing, but they make it simple is what I'm gonna say.

[Dana Carvey]

Yeah, you go there and they clear it up because I don't know what I'm doing, like most guys don't understand. So that's why going to bluenile.com starts your engagement ring journey. They'll create a bigger, more brilliant engagement ring than you can imagine at a price you'll never find at a traditional jeweler. Since 1999, Blue Nile has been the original online jeweler, and they've always been committed to ensuring the highest ethical standards.

[David Spade]

That's right. Their diamond price guarantee means that in most cases, they'll meet, wait for it, or beat a competitor's price on a comparable diamond.

[Dana Carvey]

David, your gift will say safe because, you know, most people don't want that coming to their house where it gives it away. So the Blue Nile order is insured and arrives in packaging that won't give that away.

[David Spade]

Yeah.

[Dana Carvey]

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[David Spade]

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[Dana Carvey]

I've been counted out, dismissed, passed over, told I'd never be a golfer with just one arm.

[David Spade]

But the only thing that feels better.

[Dana Carvey]

Than proving people wrong is out driving them. I'm 14 year old golfer Tommy Morrissey.

[David Spade]

And I want to be remembered for.

[Tommy Morrissey]

My ability as a champion partner of the Masters. Bank of America supports everyone determined to find out what's possible in golf and in life. What would you like the power to do? Bank of America. Bank of America NA Member FDIC Copyright 2025 bank of America Corporation. All rights reserved.

[David Spade]

Now by the way, some. A little birdie told me a gentleman told me that you had a run in with Eddie Murphy. What was that? What was that about?

[Felipe Esparza]

Oh man, I was in a set of you people. Jonah Hill movie.

[David Spade]

Jonah Hill?

[Felipe Esparza]

Yeah, and Eddie Murphy. We're like, like in a stripper scene in Hollywood. A bunch of strippers and man, one of those strippers on the. One of those strippers on the, in the movie that an actual stripper. She ended up giving somebody a laptop for, for two grand on a set. Nobody was around.

[David Spade]

Horny ass. That's a special name. That's your next special.

[Felipe Esparza]

Eddie Murphy walks in and he looks right at me, he goes, man, you're a funny man. Oh man, just myself. And I forgot I had one line in the movie and I forgot it when he told me that, so.

[Dana Carvey]

Oh, so he knew you. That's great.

[David Spade]

Yeah, yeah, he's cool.

[Felipe Esparza]

And then the next day, Jordan Hill comes up to me, hey, man, wasn't that rad the way Eddie Murphy told you were funny in front of everybody and then. Yeah, that was cool.

[Dana Carvey]

Wasn't that right?

[Felipe Esparza]

And then Andrew Schultz, he mentioned on his podcast that that was cool. And the director of the movie came up to me said that was cool. Then the next day comes back to do the same scene and he tells me hello. Only not everybody. Just, just telling me hello. Whoa. And then the next day the same thing. Then I'm getting paranoid, you know, I'm like, okay, man, you're trying to get everybody in this set to hate me now.

[Dana Carvey]

Yeah, I'm not liking you already because of this.

[David Spade]

Hey Eddie, could I get a. You're a funny. Just to start today. You don't have to do it. But if I could get a. Hey, you're a funny.

[Dana Carvey]

No, you go tell this guy he's okay too.

[Felipe Esparza]

He has like three people that look like him on the set. I don't know, like you gotta be nice to him.

[David Spade]

Really? Because of a fear of being shot or something. He's got look alikes.

[Dana Carvey]

Yeah, he has like stand ins and he has a shot.

[Felipe Esparza]

Guys, when you Read the lines to Eddie Murphy. Like you, you're. He's. He's reading lines to you, but when it's your turn to get the camera, he leaves. And then you get a stuntman.

[Dana Carvey]

Oh, they get the other guy.

[David Spade]

Oh, really? That's. That's kind of a movie star move. Catch you all later.

[Dana Carvey]

So he gets to do that.

[David Spade]

So now we're at a point where this is pretty. You've done a lot since 2017. These four specials in seven years. The current one on Netflix right now, Raging, Raging Fool. And by the way, I just want to ask you something stylistically, when it started, because I really like the way you move on stage. Like you're, you're telling jokes and you're moving forward and then you're moving backward, and then you're. A lot of guys go side to side or just stick to the mic, but there's this little kind of physical thing you do, almost like a boxer. You kind of back up, you come in, you land it, and then do this move back. It's. It's. It's pretty cool to watch. It's a little bit like you're dancing up there. So when did that come in? Was it just someone pointed it out to you or you just do it organically?

[Felipe Esparza]

That nervous before, when I was the last comment standing, I had a. I had a coat with a little tiny tie and I had a pocket, and I used to always hold on to the pocket and move it like this, you know, the way Rodney. Then you go, hey, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[David Spade]

I was an ugly baby. I tell you, when I was born, the doctor slapped my mother. Hey, we love him. So, so from nervousness, you did that, and now that you're confident, you just sort of kept it as a, as, as a signature in a way, you know?

[Felipe Esparza]

Yeah, so much. Because I feel like if I know the joke is funny, I start moving fast. Like I'm like a picture giving away his knuckle ball.

[Dana Carvey]

Yeah, yeah.

[David Spade]

We all have our way. David.

[Dana Carvey]

It's funny when you got a bit in your act that you know is going to kill or you think it is, you give a big wind up. Doesn't work. You go, what the.

[Felipe Esparza]

I think you stay quiet. You slow down. When David, when your punchline is going to come, I feel like when you, when the big punchline is going to come, maybe, maybe your perfect timing, you do your stand up timing, but I noticed that you start to get a little quiet and then there's like a big explosion.

[David Spade]

David will modulate that Way. And he's never thirsty up there, as the people would say.

[Felipe Esparza]

No, he's very like. I remember watching your young comic show when you're doing the special. You saw you too, and you had little seats right here, but you were way over there. And there you go. You didn't know what the. They were saying.

[Dana Carvey]

Oh, he was yelling, no war. And I was yelling. I didn't know what he meant.

[Felipe Esparza]

There's so many, like, oh, man. Not as the comic, like me. Like, there's so many tags left. There's more to the truck you could have done.

[Dana Carvey]

Oh, yeah. I kept going.

[David Spade]

He takes the out.

[Felipe Esparza]

Oh, man. A woman who has a sharp pain in her head while she's doing dishes six miles away, her daughter is giving somebody a hand job.

[Dana Carvey]

A hand job. Oh, my God. That was time. Life books. Doing the dishes. Feels like cramp in her hand.

[David Spade]

I feel like you may have been.

[Dana Carvey]

That's great. That's a great memory.

[David Spade]

I mean, you're kind of maybe influenced by Dave in the sense that you have a high ratio of laugh points and punch lines in your stories. Like, boom, boom. Consistently, you know, And David does tell a story, but just subtly starts building all the. All the punchlines. The masseuse bit you're doing.

[Dana Carvey]

You can have little tent poles in it before you get to, like, the big ending. It keeps them around. That's the hard part, though.

[Felipe Esparza]

Like, I have a. I'm one of my specials because I remember I saw a woman with a tattoo, and she had a Ouija board tattoo. Like a Ouija board tattooing her. And I could just. I was like, oh, man. Imagine being. Well, who am I? What's my name? You gotta hold her back. Like, all right, let me. Let's find out who the you are.

[David Spade]

Why does it have to be who the you are? Hi. Hi, ma'am. Let's check this out. But yeah, that was so good. Lord, I don't know.

[Dana Carvey]

Look at this. I'm looking at me. Well, you did a lot. It's nice to meet you finally, and it's great. And thank you for coming on. Look at. You got so much. Four specials is a lot.

[Felipe Esparza]

When. When. When I. I remember, like, when I was bummed out about, oh, man, they're not headlining me. Oh, you know when you get. When you go to the. The 12 year mark, when you see all your friends making it, you're not headlining.

[David Spade]

Oh, yeah.

[Felipe Esparza]

Can I remember you said, David, that you had to leave the Tempe improv and go make it so Dan Muir could Headline you.

[Dana Carvey]

Ah, God, the old. Because I'm from Tempe. It was even more embarrassing. Yeah, yeah. Sometimes you just don't. But sometimes, you know, you think you have longer material and it's not as good. You know, it's. You think you've got an hour and other people, like, I don't think you do. And so. Or you have to be pretty. You have to be a little harder on your material. So you go, I got a good. Because you can do a great hour. And the next time you can do your set. And it's like 46. Because you didn't get as many laughs. You're like, oh, shit, I don't think I have. And the waitresses are putting down the checks.

[David Spade]

Oh.

[Dana Carvey]

And you're like, oh, I got one minute left. Wait a second.

[David Spade]

They're doing math during your closer checks. 20%. Give it to me, I'll do the math.

[Dana Carvey]

Checks go out right toward the end of your act. And then you gotta. You get like a L. A built in lull while they try to figure out who's paying for the potato skins. That's a hard one. You got to get past that. When you're headline, you're like, I got to stay alive during this.

[Felipe Esparza]

Or the comedian before you. You being an opener, that's a killer.

[Dana Carvey]

Oh, yeah. They give you opener in a middle. That kills. I. When you do good as a middle. That was my problem is I was doing good as a middle going, I could headline. And you get. And then I'm following a good middle, which is hard. And also you've got the checks to deal with. And you're like, oh, I don't think I'm ready for that.

[Felipe Esparza]

You realize you picked up on more chick as a middle hanging out by the bathroom than a headliner.

[Dana Carvey]

Oh, that's true. You just gotta hang out. You stand by the door when everyone leaves. Hey, did you like the middle? All right, thank you, Philippe.

[David Spade]

Well, just for one minute because he'll be listening to this. I just. We have a mutual friend. So Larry Bubbles Brown, who's the famous San Francisco comedian who I've known for years, really good friends tours with Felipe offered him a lot of opening spots. And he's someone with a. He sort of plays a sad sack character. And after each line, you know, I lost my identity or someone stole my identity. Now they can't get laid. So let me give you your. What's your. How do you do it? How do you do his man.

[Felipe Esparza]

Another one. I forgot how he says that. I don't know. I can't remember his jokes right now. There's another guy that, that's friends with him. He's from Minnesota. And the other kind of like st. He's more darker.

[David Spade]

His name is Chuck Bartel and he's dark.

[Felipe Esparza]

Opens up for Tom Papa sometimes.

[David Spade]

Oh, Tom.

[Felipe Esparza]

Yeah. But this guy, Chuck Bartel, he has no social media. Like, you can't even find him. But he has very dark humor. He has a truck where he says that. What did he say? Oh, I got kicked out of a Chinese restaurant for. Oh, I forgot my. I forgot my reading glasses and I went to a Chinese restaurant. They kicked me out for Squinty.

[David Spade]

Chuckbartel.com Check him out.

[Dana Carvey]

Find him.

[Felipe Esparza]

So anyway, about Mer. I took him with him to. I took me with. With me to. To open up in Hawaii at the Blue Note. And the whole time we were there, he had a hernia.

[David Spade]

Well, he still has the hernia. He's afraid to get surgery. Right.

[Felipe Esparza]

But I'll be with a hooker anytime.

[Dana Carvey]

I. I got a Myrnia. All right. Thanks, Felipe.

[Felipe Esparza]

Thanks for having me.

[Dana Carvey]

This has been a presentation of of Odyssey. Please follow subscribe Leave a Like a review all this stuff. Smash that button, whatever it is, wherever you get your podcasts. Fly on the Wall is executive produced by Dana Carvey and David Spade, Jenna Weiss Berman of Odyssey, and Heather Santoro. The show's lead producer is Greg Holtzman.