Anzzia: Yeah!
Carmen: And I'm home alive. You barely made it out of that one, you know?
Anzzia: So, if it's not too much to ask, what is your favorite joke and why?
Carmen: Of mine? Or, just like in general?
Anzzia: Either, or. That's a good question to flip back around on me. /laughs Either, or.
Carmen: One of my favorite street jokes, the one that your grandpa told you or whatever. Or, one of those old-school jokes that has always stuck in my in my mind or whatever is, "What's the difference between your penis and your bonus?" "Your wife will blow your bonus"
Anzzia: /laughs
Carmen: That tickles me every time I hear it! I just think it's the funniest thing! It's just so silly. It's so stupid! I can just see an old guy telling it, it makes me giggle, I don't know.
Anzzia: Yeah! That was a good one! What's your background? You mentioned that a little bit before we got into the interview. I think you said you were Italian?
Carmen: Yeah, I'm third generation Italian, upstate New York.
Anzzia: Okay, we're you actually born in New York?
Carmen: Yeah, in upstate New York. About six hours away from the city in Rochester New York where Carmen Vallone was a child. I had a childhood there that was awesome. Typical Italian family. They made sauce and meatballs and sausage and all kinds of amazing food growing up that was delicious! Yeah and I kind of during high school years, my Dad had moved to Florida so I would come down and visit him. I'd go to like, The Springs or Disney and all of these amazingly fun places. I was like, “Oh, I'm moving here when I get out of school!”
When I was in high school, that's all I want to do. “What do you want to do with your life?” “I'm moving to Florida!'” Like, I'm retiring. I retired at like, seventeen. I'm moving to Florida!!
Anzzia: /laughs Okay and do you stand by the decision? Do you still love it?
Carmen: I do! I love Florida! That's the other thing I see with a lot of my friends and peers and coworkers if you want to call them that. Other comedians, want to move out of here to all of these other places to pursue like, whatever. But, I'm like, "I love Florida! I don't want to leave." I just want to stay here and be warm and play in the sunshine. Do my stand up. Make YouTube videos. /laughs
Anzzia: Do you have a message that you would like to tell our readers and your fans that maybe they don't know about you yet?
Carmen: Oh! A message about me that they don't know? I guess I always tell people to have fun. I don't know, that's like my little kind of thing I say to everybody. "Hey, have fun." Just have fun. A message to your readers is to have fun. Life is too short, go have fun.
Anzzia: I love that. Before we wrap, do you have any shows coming up? If so, when, where, time, whole nine yards?
Carmen: Yeah. You can catch me on July 20th, 21st and 2nd in Milwaukee at the Festival. August 3rd and 4th I'm in Boca Raton. Then Naples the 22nd through the 26th. And find even more info on my website.
Anzzia: Well, thank you Carmen, that was amazing!