Dave Davies

So tell us what happened in Kuwait. I mean, you were there. Your dad was working in telecommunications, making a good living. You had a pretty comfortable life. What happened that forced you to leave? I mean, I know the Iraq invaded, but how did your family experience that?

So you were describing how your family left Kuwait after the invasion by Iraq in the first Gulf War in 1991. You and your mom and your siblings eventually made it to Houston. Your dad wasn't there for quite a while. He got there a couple of years later. And you got into school. And as we heard in that clip, it was a weird beginning.

So you were describing how your family left Kuwait after the invasion by Iraq in the first Gulf War in 1991. You and your mom and your siblings eventually made it to Houston. Your dad wasn't there for quite a while. He got there a couple of years later. And you got into school. And as we heard in that clip, it was a weird beginning.

So you were describing how your family left Kuwait after the invasion by Iraq in the first Gulf War in 1991. You and your mom and your siblings eventually made it to Houston. Your dad wasn't there for quite a while. He got there a couple of years later. And you got into school. And as we heard in that clip, it was a weird beginning.

You were used to wearing a bow tie to school and speaking with an English accent. And everybody assumed you were Mexican-American. And You managed. You made your way. And then your father died. You were 14. Is that right? What was the effect of that on you?

You were used to wearing a bow tie to school and speaking with an English accent. And everybody assumed you were Mexican-American. And You managed. You made your way. And then your father died. You were 14. Is that right? What was the effect of that on you?

You were used to wearing a bow tie to school and speaking with an English accent. And everybody assumed you were Mexican-American. And You managed. You made your way. And then your father died. You were 14. Is that right? What was the effect of that on you?

Let's back up a second. You said that you knew you wanted to be a stand-up comedian. How did you know that? What got you interested in comedy?

Let's back up a second. You said that you knew you wanted to be a stand-up comedian. How did you know that? What got you interested in comedy?

Let's back up a second. You said that you knew you wanted to be a stand-up comedian. How did you know that? What got you interested in comedy?

At the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo? That's great. Yeah.

At the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo? That's great. Yeah.

At the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo? That's great. Yeah.

How old were you when that happened? I was nine. Oh, wow. You were little. And how did you start doing it? You start cracking your friends up. Did you do it in front of a mirror? How did you develop stand up as a kid?

How old were you when that happened? I was nine. Oh, wow. You were little. And how did you start doing it? You start cracking your friends up. Did you do it in front of a mirror? How did you develop stand up as a kid?

How old were you when that happened? I was nine. Oh, wow. You were little. And how did you start doing it? You start cracking your friends up. Did you do it in front of a mirror? How did you develop stand up as a kid?

Well, you know, one thing I observed in the performances that I've seen of yours is the way you use your voice. Like an instrument, you can quickly get loud and kind of come up in pitch in a way that totally works. Was that something that you always did or is it something that you worked on?

Well, you know, one thing I observed in the performances that I've seen of yours is the way you use your voice. Like an instrument, you can quickly get loud and kind of come up in pitch in a way that totally works. Was that something that you always did or is it something that you worked on?

Well, you know, one thing I observed in the performances that I've seen of yours is the way you use your voice. Like an instrument, you can quickly get loud and kind of come up in pitch in a way that totally works. Was that something that you always did or is it something that you worked on?

Mo Ammer, recorded in 2022. He stars in the Netflix series called Mo. After a long hiatus, season two is now streaming. He'll be back to talk more after this short break. And later, Justin Chang reviews Black Bag, the new spy thriller directed by Steven Soderbergh and starring Cate Blanchett and Michael Fassbender. This is Fresh Air.