Comedy that doesn't play it safe By Caroline Fontein
Eddie Griffin doesn't just tell jokes, he has a message: Children are our future, God isn't religion and don't get a blow joke from a woman on speed, her chattering teeth won't do you any favors. Griffin doesn't hold anything back with his signature brand of "Comedy without a Condom."
There's more to Griffin's jokes than amusement. They reflect his opinions on topics like race, religion, politics, fatherhood and being a pimp. Audiences at his R-rated show at the Rio leave with laugh lines on their faces and a better insight to the comedy veteran.
With more than 30 years of performing on his resume, Griffin has no problem working the room. He talks to the audience while sipping a champagne drink he refers to as a "liquid blunt" and smoking cigarettes. Most of his jokes seem like prepared material, but he also demonstrates his talent for creating off-the-cuff comedy based on comments from the audience. Griffin doesn't spotlight people like insult comics do, but he does address boisterous individuals who shout things out during the show. The intimate showroom means that even the seats in the back are close to the stage.
Griffin got his start as a comedian when his cousin dared him to go on stage at a local comedy club. What was supposed to be only a three minute spot turned into a successful 45 minute on-the-spot stand-up comedy routine. Griffin realized his talent for performing in front of a live audience and purchased a one-way ticket to Los Angeles to pursue his dream.
After only a month of performing in Los Angeles he became a regular headliner at the famed Comedy Store, doing impersonations and stand-up routines. Griffin's take on Andrew Dice Clay became particularly well known and landed him the opening slot on Dice's national tour and a part in his film "Dice Rules," released in 1991. Griffin also toured with Robert Townsend and The Dells in a 1991 music and comedy revue to promote Townsend's film "The Five Heartbeats."
In 1992 Griffin appeared on "Russell Simmon's Def Comedy Jam" and the HBO special “One Night Stand.” The following year he recorded his comedy album, "Message in the Hat." He headlined his own special, "HBO Comedy Half-Hour: Eddie Griffin," in 1995. In 1999 he released another comedy album, "The Message," which featured both comedic and musical performances by Griffin along with Master P and Silkk the Shocker.
Griffin has also had success as an actor. Some of his film credits include “The Last Boy Scout" (1991), “Coneheads” (1993) and “Jason's Lyric" (1994). He went on to star in his own comedy series, "Malcolm & Eddie," one of UPN's most successful and long-running sitcoms. It ran from 1996 - 2000.
Afterwards, Griffin continued to land roles in films including: "Armageddon" (1998), "Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo" (1999), "John Q" (2002), "Undercover Brother" (2002), "Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo" (2005), "Date Movie" (2006), and "Scary Movie 3" (2003).
He most recently starred alongside Eddie Murphy in the movie "Norbit" released in 2007. That same year he also starred in, wrote and executive produced his own comedy special, "Freedom of Speech."
More than anything Griffin lets the audiences at his shows know how much he loves performing. Making people laugh is a natural talent for Griffin, and getting paid for it is an opportunity the comic doesn't take for granted.
