Diversity has always been a sensitive topic within the entertainment industry and Latinx representation has struggled specifically in the comedy industry. We sat down with long time friend of Corriente Latina Luis Galilei. Luis is a up and coming stand up comedian that wears his culture like a badge of honor and does not hesitate to bring his most authentic self to any environment. Check out our quick interview with Luis Galilei and a video from one of his recent performances:
CL: What’s up Luis? So how did you decide to pursue standup comedy?
LG: What’s good homie! Well, it has just always been in my blood. I used to stop my family parties to read Comedy Central jokes I printed from the website and found so much joy in making people laugh even though I had no idea what I was talking about at 7 years old, I was reading lawyer and step mother jokes like I was adult!
CL: Seems like now you must be an even bigger hit at parties! Tell me, do you infuse your Latinx culture into your material on stage?
LG: Ya tu sabe! I have an interesting upbringing. So, I am Peruvian/Italian, but I grew up only with the Peruvian side of my family because my parents got divorced before I was born. Spanish is my first language, so I grew up very Latino. Then the first relatable male figure I had in my family was my tia’s husband who is Uruguayan, I developed such a close relationship with him not only did I see him as my blood Uncle but I started to speak like him with the dramatic “sho” accent. Throughout my teenage years I had a lot of very close Dominican friends, so I adapted a bit of their dialect too so when people hear me speak Spanish they are like “what are you?!” All of this goes into my comedy.
CL: That is a unique way of growing up Latino, do most crowds understand where your material is coming from?
LG: Well that is the challenge. A good comedian will kill in any room no matter what. I would say 80%, maybe even more, of comedy is white males but I relate to them too. I have a wide view on people in the US because I grew up in a very diverse urban setting but then went out to college at The Ohio State University, that is actually where I got the nickname “Papi” because as a New Yorker I used to say the word “son” a lot so they started to call me Papi since I was always “soning” them. My goal is teach everyone about our rich culture through laughter so I try and relate it to the crowds in a way they will understand the joke without necessarily being Latino.
CL: Wow seems difficult to do
LG: Well it is and it isn’t. I am getting so comfortable with my material and my process that I write parts that I will use in a more diverse crowd and parts that will hit in a less diverse crowd.
CL: We are rooting for you Papi! When is the Netflix special coming?
LG: Oh man haha I don’t know but I am just trying to craft my art to the point where I feel I will be ready for any opportunity. Netflix holla at me though 😊 I am planning to record my 30 or 45min set at the end of the summer so I’ll need the whole block to come out for that one!
CL: We will be there! Thanks for your time Luis and good luck with everything.
LG: Thank you so much for even taking the time to talk to me, will always appreciate you guys.