Comedian Joey Medina is calling his show at Desert Diamond Casino Saturday one of the biggest of his career.
He's played casinos before, but this one has the feel of big time.
"It's a bigger show. People dress up. It's like watching an athlete in a small match versus a big match. It's the same athlete, but the energy is different," he explained.
"I'm always going to be loyal to Laffs Comedy Caffé," the 46-year-old former boxer added in a nod to the Tucson comedy club that gave him his first shot 16 years ago at an open mic night.
"That's where I started. That's the first stage I played on, and I'm sure I will play it again. But when you get a chance to play a bigger venue and a bigger show, you grab it."
We chatted with Medina during a phone call from his Los Angeles home about the show and his upcoming podcast, which he plans to roll out this summer.
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"The podcasts are huge. They are amazing. I'm already ready to go; I've got all the equipment and the studio."
Where will it air?
"It's all online. And the beautiful thing about podcasts and why they are so popular is that people listen to it on demand. They listen to it when they want. It's not like a radio show that's on at a certain time. You can listen to a podcast at the gym, on your way to work. ... And the good thing about the podcast is that they're uncensored. The comics that are on it are very open."
It's sort of like having a conversation with your fans. How do you prep for that?
"You don't. You just get up there and do it. And you have to be ready to change the vibe and go with it. I used to have my own morning radio show in Tucson and in Los Angeles ... so I know the beats of a conversation and the beats of an interview. I'm really good at that. ... When you listen to a podcast, it's not radio-ish. It's talk-show-ish."
You've been on the road quite a bit lately.
"Since the last time I was in Tucson I've been to Australia, New Zealand, England. Bakersfield (Calif.)."
So how can audiences in Europe relate to a Mexican-American comedian from Los Angeles?
"The same problems we have in the U.S. they have over there. You have to use the analogies that they know."
Such as?
"For instance, in England they don't have potlucks. So if you're talking about potlucks you have to explain what it is. 'In America we have parties called potlucks, and potlucks are where everybody brings food.'"
When you were over there, what did you do for fun?
"When I was in England, I did all the touristy stuff. ... England is beautiful. The majority of the buildings there are older than our country. So when you're looking at all these buildings that are older than the country where you're from, it's really mind-boggling.
"The people are really nice. They're really pale. It's kind of like being on the set of 'Twilight,' but they are very nice."
So what's the first thing you're going to do when you get back to Tucson?
"There are two things I always do: I go get me some Mexican food at Micha's, and I get me some Eegees."
If you go
• What: Joey Medina and Friends in concert.
• When: 8 p.m. Saturday.
• Where: Desert Diamond Casino, 1100 W. Pima Mine Road.
• Tickets: $15-$25 in advance through www.ticketmaster.com; $5 more day of show.
