SNLs otherworldly secret weapon is about to take over HBO.
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Shiny, sage-green shards of porcelain peek out from beneath a potted philodendron.
He tells me hes still in mourning.
This vase was the other ones little friend, he says.
It is intact and beautifully sculpted, resembling a shell that a sea god might use as a horn.
I love this implied murder scene, he says, apparently utterly sincere.
It just tells such a story that I was like, Its part of the decor now.
You see a mess.
Torres sees a vase-on-vase crime of passion.
But the telenovela version is so much more fun.
And in a way, its true.
Torres, now 32, immigrated to New York from El Salvador a decade ago.
His furnishings are generally clear or shiny, which he often says are his two favorite colors.
Im visiting on Clothes Organizing Day, and the contents of Torress closet and drawers are on his bed.
He cant help himself when it comes to beautiful things.
And it comes with wheels?
Torres is an aesthete, and his comedy is born in part from his highly attuned sensitivities.
Blond Julio is for when hes having success and feeling playful.
Hes having more fun!
Torres cast it from his apartmentscape; people often hand him objects at his live shows.
Thats her thing), and a glass unicorn figurine that also met with a horrible accident.
Torres keeps it because theres something beautiful about a decapitated mythical beast.
So many little murders, he says, smiling.
A lot of death in this apartment.
A lot of death.
There was a switch, he says.
She started talking, and it was like, Oh yeah, youre not captive.
His story is amazing.
Who immigrates and becomes a comedian and a successful one?
asks Armisen, whos collaborating on both of Torress HBO shows.
Its not like hes a regular stand-up comedian, either; hes not mainstream.
Fred Armisen in particular was paying attention.
Torres plays Andres, a blue-haired count and the heir to a chocolate fortune.
Andres had to have blue hair, Torres insists.
He even stained his entire Airbnb blue.
I want people to think Im acting, he says.
And Im not a very good actor, so Ive got to make that happen some other way.
Its the same reason I wear a hat the whole show, his co-star Fabrega tries to explain.
Its like, Thats not me.
Im wearing a hat.
Los Espookysbegan as a kind of fever dream Armisen had after visiting Mexico City.
Hed been fascinated by the strength and prevalence of Goth culture and imagined setting a show there.
I thought,Theres a lot of monster stuff here.
1 rap hit in a foreign language with Gangnam Style.
We were typing in English but thinking in Spanish, or at least I was, says Torres.
Things just happen and you dont question them, he says.
Not only that, its also a gay couple with rich people problems, though viewed through anEspookyslens.
They both despise each other with every fiber of their being.
Im constantly revisiting childhood through what I do.
Coming up with stories, playing pretend, dressing up, projecting narratives onto objects or toys.
Growing up, he lived in a bubble of his own creation.
Not until he became Bushwick roommates with the nonbinary performer Spike Einbinder did Torres start toying with comedy.
They made a series of YouTube videos together starring Einbinder.
Torres didnt think he was going to do stand-up until the moment before he tried it.
Stand-up was just an easy, free, independent way of showcasing my writing.
Also it allowed him an outlet for his creativity when Einbinder was too busy to make a video.
I literally Googled New York comedy open mic, he says.
His first set was about his job working in the coat-check room at the Neue Galerie.
It was almost like they were discovering the benefits of standing up.
In front of someone whose job was standing up all day.
It was so stressful he restricted himself to wearing only black and white because he couldnt afford distractions.
Finally, he landed a job as an art archivist, transcribing handwritten letters.
In the middle of all this, he heard of a stand-up industry showcase NBC has for young comics.
He gradually realized she actually wanted to be his talent rep.
The first thing he told her was that he needed a visa.
She helped him stay on as an artist.
Money, though, remained an issue.
I didnt start making okay money until comedy started taking off, he says.
Before that it was truly, yeah, just trying to figure it out day by day.
Not only has his family had trouble with loans, he also doesnt believe in the credit system.
I hate that, he says.
Its called Tiny Little Stairs, he says.
All things considered, life seems to be good.
Blond Julio is winning, though Torres is never quite sure for how long.
