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Written by Ebby Agu

Whose Laughing Now?

It was the evening before his last show when I heard that comedian Mark Viera would be taking a break from performing at the Salud Bar and a comedy club in Yonkers NY. But this is not the last you’ll see of him. Mark Viera will be starring in his own sitcom slated to be called Ordinary People, based on his life and stand up comedy. I was able to get a few moments with the Bronx comedian just after performing a solo set to a full house; all their to see his farewell performance. We chatted about life and family, and you may be surprised to know who his favorite comedians are.
Read on.

5point MAGAZINE: Tell me, how long have you been doing comedy?

Mark Viera: I’ve been doing comedy about 9 years, steady- no breaks.

5pt: Off the top of your head, who are your top 5 favorite comedians?

Mark Viera: That’s that question man, alright- top 5...

1. Eddie Murphy- he was the comedian that I was watching when I was younger - he was on everything. My parents let me watch Saturday Night Live every week and they also let me watch Delirious. I feel like I found my humor in watching him. So my top comedian would have to be Eddie Murphy.
2. George Carlin- George Carlin became a favorite of mine as I got older. I was 17 or 18 when I realized that he was genius.
3. Richard Pryor. Aahh Pryor.!. Again, I found Richard when I was older- and I realized that Eddie was really mimicking Richard, and that amazed me.
4. Robin Williams - a young Robin Williams. Dude was no holds barred comedy, and the other thing was, he brought his own style- he broke the rules.
5. (Lastly) Jerry Seinfeld-

   (5pt: you can’t sleep on him)

   my thing is “pure”, you know if you’re talkin’ pure
6. Honorable Mention- George Lopez- funny for the reasons of being funny, you know?

5pt: Tell me about your first gig ever:

MV: My first gig ever, was a show at a club in NYC called Stand Up New York, right on Broadway. I had to complete a funny writing course before I could get on stage. They didn’t want you to just come up on stage and make a fool of yourself. They wanted to see if you had something funny in you, so they made you write. You had to take a 3-6 week course and then they gave us 5-6 minutes to work that material in front of a real audience. So that was my first.

5pt: What year was this?

MV: This was early 2001- before 9/11- that was when I really kinda started…and then after 9/11 I kicked it into high gear.

5pt: What would you say makes a great comedian?

MV: I’m going to say the biggest ingredient in making a great comic, is evolution.

"You are going to have to find your way through this business and it takes time- just like evolution."

It takes time for you to find out who you are and to find out what’s funny. You know, some people get on stage and believe they’re funny the first time, or they believe they are the funniest but it really takes so much to become a great comedian. I’m on the road, my journey is still new to me but I feel like I’ve hit certain plateaus in the last 9 years.

5pt: What words of advice would you have for aspiring comedians?

MV: My words of advice is to write, stay the course, find stages to get on, don’t worry about money- worry about getting on stage, and do not turn your back at the first hump because there are several and they come in different forms. But, you know, this is about grit, show business on any level- modeling, singing – it’s about grit, it’s not about the most talented, it’s about who has the stomach to maintain and continue, even when it looks dark outside, you know. You gotta find light.

5pt: How do you think things have changed for Hispanic comedians, since comedians such as Ricky Ricardo, Lucille Ball and things like that?

MV: I think that Latinos haven’t truly broken in. We haven’t really broken in and made our statement yet, but I feel like it’s happening. I really do. I feel like its happening. Desi Arnaz/Ricky Ricardo, I feel like he very playful and it was accepted, but it was really Lucy who carried it. She was the proverbial red haired white woman. She carried the show and I feel that Desi broke a milestone- but I think that we still have a far ways to go.

5pt: Who is your favorite Hispanic comedian?

MV: Hispanic- would be George Lopez.

5pt: Were you upset to see the George Lopez show taken off the air?

MV: No- I’ll tell you why. I believe that George did what he could do with that show. Even though it was Mexican, he made it kind of for white viewer because he didn’t want to get shot down. The Executive Producer was Sandra Bulloch so there was a lot in there that people didn’t realize or see why the show was kind of geared towards whites. I’m sure he was glad that it was off too, but I believe that he took it to level 3 and someone else has to take it from 3-7 and someone else has to take it from 7-10 and break it. And then we’ll all be, you know, really accepted.

5pt: What challenges do you think you face as a Hispanic comedian?

MV: I think acceptance, you know- because you’re not white, you’re not black. Acceptance by mainstream people, understanding our background and understanding where we came from, That to me is our biggest challenge. You pretty much have to make people believe in you, by you believing in yourself first. And so that’s always been my thing, it’s the reason why I always feel I’ve had a certain level of success- is because I believe in what I talk about.

5pt: How has your life really changed from doing the Starz Martin Lawrence First Amendment Show?

MV: It didn’t change much. It gave me a great credit and it gave me a relationship with Martin Lawrence. People don’t realize that, if Martin Lawrence likes you, he’s going to make sure he finds you. And, he found me. So we forged a relationship where he wants to work on some projects with me. So, I can’t say enough about that. The other thing is, it gave me a great plateau to scream to the nation that I’m funny. I’m getting a lot of Facebook and MySpace messages from people saying, “I saw you- I’m from Cleveland, I’m from Missouri- I saw you on Martin Lawrence”, and you know- that’s what it’s for.

5pt: What’s next for Mark Viera?

MV: The biggest thing for Mark Viera that’s coming up next is I’m working on a sitcom for Fox that’s based on my stand up comedy.

"It’s a big deal too because it’s not just a TV show, it’s a TV show about me."

Again, there goes that acceptance thing . Roseanne did it with that- kinda white trashy type point of view. So, I need to come with a fresh point of view. We’re going to get an opportunity to say something from a very clear, a very strong point of view – and so it’s my turn to make that statement.

5pt: Where can we catch you?

MV: The show will be on Fox and it will be, with all things going just perfect, airing in the Summer of 2010.

5pt: As your fan base increases, what would you say to your real and true fans out there, because as you know, when you get out there, you are going to have a lot of bandwagon jumpers- what are you gonna say to your fans at Salud and places where you first started at?

MV: You know that there is absolutely no reason to worry about whether I am gonna change or whether or not I have the ability to change. I know where I come from and I have dug my roots very very deep and I have no want or will to change the person that I am, from them. There are hardcore fans of Mark Viera and I want to keep them. I want to keep them for as long as I’m standing on a stage and doing comedy. I want those people to be there. And I want them to feel comfortable, that they have been there from the beginning. Just stay with me, that’s what it is.

5pt: Rapid Fire: What makes you laugh, what makes you crack-up/die laughing?

MV: What makes me laugh is old school comedy. You know I am a Carol Burnett junkie. I’m a SNL junkie. I’m just that dude that loves creativity at it’s best. You know so- old school sitcoms and things like that, Three’s Company, you know- I’m a TV Land dude.

5pt: What makes you cry, be honest?

MV: I have kids, so anything that has to do with kids- things happening to them. Even movies that are real raw when it comes to children, those hit home. I’m a dad…and you know dad is my number one title. I adore that title even more than comedian.

If Mark Viera was not doing comedy, what would he be doing right now?

MV: Maybe a fireman somewhere.

5pt: Last Question- what is your biggest inspiration- as a man/ as a comedian?

MV: My biggest inspiration is my grandparents. They came to the United States with the clothes on their backs and they didn’t have much- but what they had through everything, even through the ups and downs, of finances and all that, they had a sense of humor. They always knew that a family that laughed together, stayed together. And, as I go through my life, I understand that they made it okay for me to laugh, they made it okay for me to have a funny bone- so without them, I don’t even feel like I would have been this kind of human being that just enjoys life so much that I’m willing to sacrifice whatever it is, you know, to make other people enjoy it. Those two people will inspire me for a lifetime- without a doubt, my biggest inspiration.

Credits:
Editor: Anjela Childs
Photography: Ebby Agu

Special Thanks:
Myrna Viera
Salud Bar