Carlos Mencia may not be the most-liked man in the comedy biz. From allegations of stealing bits from fellow comedian and former host of Fear Factor Joe Rogan to George Lopez, Mencia is known for this as much as he is for his comedy.

Mencia quickly addressed claims of joke-stealing by saying, "That's not cool to steal other people's s**t. I don't want your defense of me to be, ‘well he tells it better.' It should be, ‘He's not that kind of person.'"

But in a recent phone interview with REVUE, Mencia comes across as a humble man who is very grateful for the opportunity to make ends meet. He recently returned from a USO tour with Detroit rocker, Kid Rock. He says he had a blast overseas entertaining the troops, and enjoys every chance he is able to do so.

"Performing for the troops is an experience," Mencia said. "You go out there, you put it all on the line. You put your feelings aside. You go out there and you just give ‘em a show. You come home and you say, ‘holy s**t, I didn't die!' I would do pretty much anything my country would ask me to. Going over there and telling jokes isn't a very big sacrifice."

Mencia has made his way up from the comedy clubs to the level of performing in theatres and casinos across the country. He, of course, made his mark in 2005 by hosting his own half-hour show on Comedy Central called Mind of Mencia.

"I remember a long time ago, Sam Kinnison saw me perform. I had a really great set. He said, ‘you think you're funny, come back tomorrow 12:30, one o'clock when they're all drunk. If you can make them laugh, then I'll really believe you're funny. I was like, ‘I can do it.' I came back the next night and had the worst set of my life. I remember thinking, ‘oh s**t, I have more to learn.' I never stop learning."

Since then, Mencia has worked to hone his comedic craft, and every once in a while, he'll go back to his beginnings.

"I still go back and raid comedy clubs all the time," said Mencia. "It's like the essence of real. There's nothing more I enjoy than going to the comedy store at 12:30 [a.m.], when there's only 12 drunk people left. Just going up there and throwing stuff to the wall to see what sticks. See if I've still got it. See if I'm still crazy enough to go up there and make those guys laugh."

Carlos Mencia
Soaring Eagle Casino and Resort
Jan. 23, 8 p.m.
$35-60
soaringeaglecasino.com, (989) 775-7777