Carlos Mencia will make his Milwaukee comedy debut with a pair of shows Saturday night at the Riverside Theater.

It will not, however, be his Milwaukee performing debut.

"I was in Milwaukee once, but not for comedy," Mencia said from a tour stop in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. "I actually did an in-house video for Miller Brewing Company on how to pour pilsner beer.

"It paid really well, but it was weird because I didn't get to be a comedian. I was informative."

As he explained the pouring engagement, Mencia revealed some of the elements that have made his standup act -- not to mention his Comedy Central show "Mind of Mencia" -- hugely popular.

In short, he's not afraid to say anything or offend anybody.

"It was one of those minority things," he said. "They needed a minority to do something for them. Every once in awhile (that happens). That's why, if you're white in this country, those are a couple words you're never going to hear: 'You are so lucky, we have to hire white people.'"

Mencia, who turned 39 on Sunday, was the 17th of 18 children born to Roberto Holness and Magdelana Mencia in San Pedro Sula, Honduras. He was raised by an aunt and uncle in East Los Angeles, where he admittedly had difficulty staying out of trouble. He ended up going to Cal State- Los Angeles and stumbling into comedy on open mic night at The Laugh Factory.

Success on the L.A. club circuit in the 1990s led to several TV guest hits and a hosting job on "Loco Slam," a HBO show that featured Latino comedy. That led to a pair of well-received HBO specials and a gig with Comedy Central for "Mind of Mencia."

"My show is not a show you can watch one time, really, and get a good feel for what it is," Mencia said. "I make fun of so many things. Even if you're a fan, inevitably I'm going to say one thing that's going to piss you off.

"We live in a society that doesn't want to accept any truths."

While touring the country in a giant bus that features his face on the side, Mencia discovered that he is more recognizable than he realized. The fact that the Riverside virtually sold out his 7 p.m. show and had to add a second show at 10:30 p.m. is an indication of his popularity.

"I'll wake up to honks of horns," he said, referring to life on the bus. "The only cool thing is that the chicks flash us once in awhile."

That sounds like a nice perk, but...

"You've got to see the chicks," Mencia said, laughing. "They ain't like rock and roll groupies, bro."

When the bus from "The Punisher Tour" rolls into a venue, Mencia is regularly flabbergasted by the composition of his audience.

"What I'm surprised about is the age range and different types of people that watch the show," said Mencia, who has been accused of stealing material from George Lopez and other comics but deflects the charges as jealousy. "I have grandparents with their kids and their grandkids all coming to see the show.

"I do jokes about the TSA (Transportation Security Authority) and how goofy that whole thing is, then I'll go to an airport and go through security and spend 20 minutes signing autographs for the TSA people. It's wild."

If the TV specials are any indication, fans at the show on Saturday can expect a pretty wild time.

So, how does one pour a perfect pilsner beer?

"It's all about the temperature (of the beer) and the temperature of the glass," he said. "You have to actually not pour it straight in, because it gets too much head with the foam. it's all about tilting it at a 30-degree angle onto a 40-something degree angle. You have to kind of go slowly..."

At this point, Mencia stops himself.

"Whatever," he said. "It was one of those videos where they were treating beer drinkers as if they were wine connoisseurs. It was one of those things, 'For the true beer fanatic...' Yeah, the true beer fanatic just chugs. The true beer fanatic has a funnel and a giant thing on the top."

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