Bill Santiago as seen on Comedy Central, Showtime, CNN.
BILL SANTIAGO
Comedian, Author, Actor, Television Host and Commentator “Life is too short to be monolingual." - Bill Santiago Comedy Central Bill Santiago is the first born of at least four children. He became a standup after narrowly escaping a career in journalism, facing the fact that as a comedian he was funny, but as a reporter he was a joke. It’s been said he was born to Puerto Rican immigrants, which is technically untrue, as Puerto Ricans are US citizens. Although, he’s got an uncle who was once deported to the Bronx. Currently, he is touring his show "The Immaculate Big Bang" (Religion, Science, Laughs) at Fringe Festivals around the country, to critical and audience acclaim. He served up his wit every weekend on "CNN Saturday Mornings," delivering comic relief commentary with "Santiago's Weekly Pop Wrapup." And he still appears regularly on CNN, after a good tweet. His comedy is heard regularly on SiriusXM Radio and other global digital platforms, providing critical chuckles for folks stuck in traffic around the world. Santiago hosted "Total BS," his own daily radio show, on SiriusXM, with an in-depth irreverent take on current events, culture and history, including: Isis and the apocalypse, the “Free The Nipple” movement, the Dalai Lama's decision not to reincarnate, political dynasties, Latinos on Broadway, and Marshal Bass Reeves -- the real Lone Ranger, who just happened to be black. While connecting solidly with his Latino fans, Santiago is just as as popular for his savvy mainstream material, reminiscent of George Carlin and Jerry Seinfeld, showcasing his journalistic roots, obsessions with language and keen insights on everything from family to culture , cats to politics, religion to dance and even quantum physics. With the premiere of his first television special, “Comedy Central Presents: Bill Santiago,” he won over fans nationwide with his dead-on observations about Spanglish – “twice the vocabulary, half the grammar!” and his beloved catchphrase “¡Porque Because!” Which led to his first book, "Pardon My Spanglish. ¡Porque Because!" The book is now being used at universities and high schools across the country to stimulate discussions about identity, language and multiculturalism. Santiago's second half-hour special for Showtime LOL. Television Credits Other credits include: Craig Ferguson, Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central's Premium Blend, Chelsea Lately, Good Morning America Now, ABC News, NBC TV Visiones, BBC World, CNN, CNN en Español, NPR’s Latino USA. Additionally, he was recently working with Bruce Helford (George Lopez Show, Bernie Mac Show, Drew Carey Show) to develop a television show based on his book. "Pardon My Spanglish ¡Porque Because!" Also, he had the honor of hosting the Latin Grammy's Man of the Year Award ceremonies, honoring Juan Luis Guerra (the tallest Dominican he ever met). “I Could Care Less” In his DVD, "I Could Care Less," recorded live at ACME Comedy Co., in Minneapolis (Minneapolis is one of his favorite places to perform, a testament to his mid-west appeal), Santiago displays the charming, clever, provocative style that continues to delight fans and win praise from critics and fellow comedians. In this live club performance, he takes on the news of Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett dying the same day, questions the order of the Ten Commandments, confesses his hate for Facebook and riffs obsessively on the difference between "I could care less" and "I couldn't care less," while keeping the audience laughing at every "iota" of his smart and savvy material. “Chit Chat Jedi” Bill Santiago is at his logic-twisting best from the get go on his uproariously funny CD, “Chit Chat Jedi,” also recorded live at ACME Comedy Co., in Minneapolis, his searing, gut-busting observations on politics (“Bush is not an idiot. I think of him more as an intellectual celibate”), war and religion, demonstrate clearly why the verbally nimble Santiago is so often compared to George Carlin, Jerry Seinfeld, Lewis Black, Chris Rock and Bill Hicks. Whether he’s mercilessly skewering homeland security proclamations ( “if you see anyone suspicious getting in your crop duster, call 911”) or riffing sarcastically on the coincidence of electing 43 white male presidents in a row (“that’s a hell of a lucky streak”), Santiago keeps the crowd laughing by fearlessly revealing the truths behind our insane reality. Facial Expressions Animated by his famously emphatic delivery, and facial expressions, Santiago’s material challenges the audience to keep pace with his own mental gymnastics. Only Santiago could point out that: “Statistically, you have a better chance of winning Lotto, or getting struck by lightning, than attacked by a shark. Unless, you happen to be in the water.” And that’s just the kick off to what spins out into one of his classic roller coaster bits. If you enjoy intelligent humor with bite, you’re going to love this CD. “The Funny of (Latin) Dance” “The Funny of (Latin) Dance,” Santiago’s hit dance humor show, melding standup monologue and Latin dance, has played to standing-room audiences in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco. Performed with live musicians, this interactive evening -- audience members are invited to hop up on stage with Santiago, to dance for him, with him and be interviewed about their dance experiences -- is gearing up for another run in Los Angeles this fall. Journalism Formerly an awarding-winning journalist (despite his worst efforts), he contributed regularly to newspapers including the New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Miami Herald, Boston Globe and Philadelphia Inquirer. While living in Puerto Rico, he worked as a staff writer for the San Juan Star. He was also a humor columnist for Mother Jones magazine online, and has blogged for the Huffington Post. When not on stage, he enjoys curling up with a good book or a well-read, Spanglish-speaking woman. He lives in New York City. LANGUAGE AND LOGIC Equal parts linguist, journalist and wise ass, Comedy Central stand-up Bill Santiago is the master of delivering laughs that tickle your brain as well as your funny bone. Which prompted the San Francisco Examiner to declare, “Like George Carlin in his prime, Santiago is expert at honing in on the way language reveals society’s bizarre fixations.” Masterfully blending hilariously acrobatic logic loops and surgical knockout punchlines, Bill Santiago revels in taking audiences down the rabbit hole of his own curiosity. Which seems only limited by the depth of Wikipedia itself. His verbally nimble riffs on everything from the trivial to the cosmic are guaranteed to crack you up. LATINO Not to mention that he can switch on his Latino DNA at will for some bilingual comedic blows. Smart, relevant, personal and on point, the multicultural and multi-talented performer might even dance some salsa, bachata or tango for you, while he’s tickling your funny bone. (Check out his hit show, “Funny of Latin Dance.”) Born in New York, “like most Puerto Ricans,” and now the father of two Mexi-Rican daughters, “half orale, half chevere,” no other comedian today is better at expressing the Latino experience in the United States than Bill Santiago. AUTHOR In fact, he wrote the book on it. His acclaimed best-seller, “Pardon My Spanglish,” celebrates his bilingual upbringing and Latino identity, straddling the worlds of English and Spanish. Or as he puts it, “Life is too short to be monolingual.” Bill Santiago is the first born of at least four children. He became a stand-up after narrowly escaping a career in journalism, facing the fact that as a comedian he was funny, but as a reporter he was a joke. It’s been said he was born to Puerto Rican immigrants, which is technically untrue, as Puerto Ricans are US citizens. Although, he’s got an uncle who was once deported to the Bronx. TELEVISION: COMEDY CENTRAL - SHOWTIME - CNN With the premiere of his first television special, “Comedy Central Presents Bill Santiago,” he won over fans nationwide with his dead-on observations about Spanglish – “twice the vocabulary, half the grammar!” -- and his beloved catchphrase “¡Porque Because!” Which led to his first book, "Pardon My Spanglish" (available on Amazon). Santiago's second half-hour special appeared on Showtime. While connecting solidly with his Latino fans, Santiago is just as popular for his savvy mainstream material, reminiscent of George Carlin and Jerry Seinfeld, showcasing his journalistic roots (he’s written for the New York Times, Washington Post, Miami Herald, Boston Globe, Mother Jones and Huffington Post), obsessions with language, and keen insights on everything from pop culture to quantum physics, politics to religion, relationships to social media, fatherhood to Star Trek, sex to salsa dancing, scuba diving to life on Harlem, breastfeeding to Komodo dragons, artificial intelligence to human stupidity. Recently, he shared his sharp wit every weekend on "CNN Saturday Mornings," providing comic relief commentary with "Santiago's Weekly Pop Wrapup." And he still appears regularly on CNN, after a good tweet. Currently, he’s touring his latest solo show “The Immaculate Big Bang” (Religion, Science, Laughs) around the country to critical and audience acclaim. READ THE REVIEW HERE SPOTIFY - ITUNES - SIRIUS Meanwhile his signature comedy bits can be heard regularly on SiriusXM and other digital platforms around the world. And the following Bill Santiago CD’s are available for streaming and downloads on Itunes, Spotify, Pandora, CD Baby: “Turtles All The Way Down,” “Cage Free,” “Shark Attacks and Lightning Strikes,” “Spanglish - Porque Because,” and “I Could Care Less.” Listen to Bill Santiago on Apple Music. And Spotify. When not working, Bill Santiago is working. CRITICS What the critics say: "No cosmic question is too challenging to escape the laser wit of Bill Santiago." -- MetroWeekly, Washington DC "Playfully explores the subject of biculturalism" -- New York Post “Like George Carlin in his prime, Santiago is expert at honing in on the way language reveals society’s bizarre fixations.” -- The San Francisco Examiner “He gets the audience roaring” -- New York Press “Santiago proved political satire is alive in America” -- San Francisco Chronicle “A reporter’s curiosity about culture and a writerly lover of words” --East Bay Express “With his lean, rubbery frame, cartoony facial expressions and Groucho Marx eyebrows, Bill Santiago has no trouble impersonating the histrionic gyrations of Colombian superstar Shakira” -- East Bay Express “Santiago is both a keen observer of human relationships and a quick-eared dissector of 20th-century euphemism” -- Contra Costa Times "From the philosophical to the personal, Santiago’s authentic performance and energetic, cross-topical script that bangs on many doors, is guaranteed to crack you up." -- The Vancouver Arts Review "Bill Santiago’s comic monologue is so much better than the rest of the stand-up I’ve seen at this year’s Fringe that he makes the other guys look like they’re sitting down." -- Colin Thomas - Vancouver Fringe Festival Review |
|
|
