Adam Carolla is the world's most successful podcaster.
Officially recognized by the Guiness Book of World Records as the most downloaded podcast in history, "The Adam Carolla Show" has not missed a weekday broadcast in its three-and-a-half year history.
It's baffling to Carolla, who performs Friday night at The Sunset Center in Carmel. Carolla is also in town to race in the Rolex Monterey MotorSports Reunion at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca Friday through Sunday.
"(When I started), I didn't anticipate anything good or bad," said Carolla during a phone interview. "That's how I work. I just do it. I try not to anticipate. I just know that if you deliver the product and you do a good job with it, it will most likely work out."
He continued "I don't know what work out means and I'm not sure exactly how it works and I don't claim to. So if anyone says they do they're probably lying or nuts."
Carolla got his start in show business studying with the Los Angeles improv comedy troupe The Groundlings. He met Jimmy Kimmel in 1994, which led to a working relationship and business partnership.
Carolla co-hosted the radio call-in show "Loveline" with Dr. Drew Pinsky, which gained popularity as a late-night television program on MTV. The radio show ran from 1995 to 2005.
Carolla and Kimmel debuted "The Man Show" on Comedy Central in 1999, to widespread popularity. The show ran through 2003. Carolla has contributed to Kimmel's late night talk
Carolla admitted he knew nothing of how podcasts worked when his launched in February 2009. He had just wrapped a three-year run of his syndicated radio show and immediately started the podcast.
His first podcast was downloaded more than 250,000 times in its first day of existence, and eclipsed 1.6million downloads after its first week. When it was recognized by the Guinness Book in May 2011, it had reached more than 59million downloads in two years.
The podcast's popularity propelled his live shows. He's taken the format on the road to wild success.
He's also done well as an author. His 2010 title "In Fifty Years We'll All Be Chicks ..." debuted at No. 8 on the New York Times Best-Seller list for hardcover nonfiction. His recent book "Not Taco Bell Material," was released in June.
Carolla managed to crossover his podcast success with his passion for cars. "Carcast" is his weekly podcast covering hot rods, super cars and more.
Earlier this year, he podcast a preview of a Laguna Seca roadtrip.
At the 2011 reunion, he placed seventh in his group. He also took home a Rolex Cup trophy for his driving performance.
"I did pretty good, considering they lumped a bunch of cars together that weren't all the same class," Carolla said. "The Rolex Cup they give you partly on how you drive and partly on your car. So they gotta like your car and then they gotta like your driving. I don't know which one they weight more. But that was nice."
Carolla said he's driving a 1970 Datsun BRE 510, and a 1972 BMW 3.0 CSL at the track.
"I like the cars really, first and foremost. It's more of a situation where I really dig the cars," he said of his experience at past Rolex races. "I guess if you just get the cars and never drive them, eventually you become kind of a poser, or something? I guess you have to drive them every now and then. "
He continued "It's exciting, fun, enjoyable to race. It's thrilling and the tracks are different, fun and challenging. What's not to like, I guess."
He'll hit Laguna Seca for the qualifying rounds on Friday. Depending on the outcome, the Sunset Center audience could catch a glimpse of his early results.
"I'll probably have some in car footage and stuff like that. Something I can show people," he said. "Maybe take a lap around Laguna Seca in the race car. Who knows. Get into a crash. Something funny can happen."
Carolla is also looking forward to schmoozing with his fellow car enthusiasts.
"It's fun when you got some Japanese guy, he's speaking broken English, and he's telling me he came from Japan and he pulls a picture of his Datsun roadster and he starts crying almost when he's showing it to me, standing next to my car," Carolla said. "These people are nuts. There's people that come to that race from all over the world. Guys bring their cars from Brazil, Germany and stuff to race in this race."
Fortunately, Carolla only has to cart his cars up from Los Angeles to take part in the fun.
Marc Cabrera can be reached at mcabrera@montereyherald.com. GO!
PERFORMANCE
What: Comedian Adam Carolla performs live
Where: The Sunset Center, Ninth Avenue and San Carlos Street, Carmel
When: 8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 17
Tickets: $75.50, available at www.sunsetcenter.com
Information: www.sunsetcenter.com
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