"Breaking Bad" actor Steven Michael Quezada posted a photo of President Obama and his family on his Facebook page Wednesday.
He captioned it: "This is the way I'm going. No back to the future for me."
"My Facebook blew up," he said. By early afternoon, 58 people had commented, 161 people had liked it.
"I had to post a video and say it's my opinion and I have a right to vote for who I want," said Quezada, a longtime New Mexico standup comedian. "Hey, I made my choice. I didn't really have to explain myself. That's the beauty of being an American: We have the right to speech and the right to no speech. Oh wait a minute: That's the Miranda Rights - we have the right to remain silent."
And sometimes he wishes people would take that advice.
Expect to hear him pepper his standup with a little political banter when he plays four shows at Laffs Comedy Caffe tonight and Saturday.
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This is the first time the New Mexico native will swing into Tucson. He's done standup in Phoenix and at clubs throughout the country in a career that started by accident more than two decades ago.
Quezada, who studied theater and acting in college, took to comedy to make money. He was acting locally, often in plays that he wrote, but he wasn't able to make ends meet.
"I didn't initially want to be a comic but I needed to feed myself and feed my family," said the 49-year-old father of four kids, ages 12 to 18. "I felt that comedy was the closest thing to acting that I could possibly do."
So he set out for comedy clubs around the country, talking to audiences about growing up Latino, his life and his family.
He struck a nerve with his audiences. Despite their racial and cultural differences, he could see they could relate to him.
"No matter how close we really are and how not far apart we are, no matter what culture you are or race you are, we are all on the same planet dealing with the same thing: Craziness," he said.
As he got older and tired of the road, Quezada returned to acting. He landed a role in AMC's "Breaking Bad" as Agent Gomez. The show, filmed in Albuquerque, is in its final season; filming begins in November for the last four episodes, to be broadcast next summer.
During the hiatus, Quezada, who hosts a popular nighttime TV talk show in Albuquerque, returned to standup, picking up a handful of concerts.
"I'm going back to my comedy roots and having a little fun. I love it," he said. "To go back and do comedy and make people laugh, I love that more than anything."
If you go
• What: Steven Michael Quezada in concert.
• When: 8 and 10:30 p.m. today and Saturday.
• Where: Laffs Comedy Caffe, 2900 E. Broadway.
• Tickets: $20 preferred seating, $15 general by calling Tucson 323-8669.
Contact reporter Cathalena E. Burch at cburch@azstarnet.com or 573-4642.
