By Chris Sabanty
It’s rare for a comedian to follow a routine about “whacking it” with lessons about broadening horizons. Then again, most comedians aren’t like Eddie Griffin.
Those who attended the one-hour show Saturday night in Blackman Auditorium saw the full spectrum of the actor/comedian/dancer’s comedic talent.
He incorporated bits about classes at Northeastern into his performance. Griffin talked about the pitfalls of being a sperm and mused about historical topics like how “the Indians got the munchies and called it Thanksgiving.”
There was also some politically commentary. He made his feelings clear about President George W. Bush when he said, “This mother [expletive] is retarded.”
The most popular part of the show seemed to be the series of impersonations near the end. Instead of just playing characters, Griffin created scenarios featuring Bill Cosby as a drug dealer and Martin Luther King Jr. as a pimp.
He didn’t stop there, though. Griffin showed comic dexterity by asking the audience to come up with a profession for an improvisation of Prince. Griffin responded to the audience’s request with a Prince-gone-gangster improv.
Not one to follow the rules of convention, Griffin smoked cigarettes on stage until an official backstage forced him to stop. He said with all the pollution in the air, “you might as well choose your brand.”
When asked pre-show about the women of Northeastern, he replied without a moment’s hesitation.
“They got it goin’ on. There must be a lot of happy dicks here,” he said.
He also had no problem describing what it’s like to hang out with Dr. Dre. In the 1980s, before they were famous, Griffin used to live in Compton, Calif. with 2Pac and Dre. He said they used to hang out by the pool talking about how “they were gonna blow up.” This friendship led to Griffin being included on two tracks for Dre’s album “2001.”
He also confirmed what many people have heard about Dre’s studio.
“It’s a cloud,” he said. “It’s like being in Amsterdam.”
Most of Griffin’s fame comes from appearances in the “Deuce Bigalow” movies or “Undercover Brother.” However, he got his start on Def Comedy Jam, which was a “who’s who” of black comedians in the early 1990s. Some of the people he worked with included Chris Rock, Bernie Mac, Paul Mooney and Dave Chappelle. Griffin also offered some insight on the cancellation of Chappelle’s third season.
“The suits probably came in, wanted to water it down,” Griffin said. “Dave didn’t want that. Dave’s smart. People talked about him going crazy, but I don’t believe that.”
It’s easy to understand how Griffin is still active in comedy after 15 years. His comedy can go beyond the “Deuce Bigalow”-esque crassness.
When asked about his biggest comedic influences, the first he mentioned was Richard Pryor, which he keeps no secret in his act. But his second choice was George Carlin. The similarity? Both say what’s on their minds.
Griffin has an upcoming film called “Date Movie,” in which he plays a father character similar to Robert Deniro in Meet the Fockers. Notable co-stars include Alyson Hannigan and Carmen Electra. “Date Movie” is currently in post-production and slated for release in 2006.
Nevertheless, despite becoming increasingly popular in Hollywood, Griffin still prefers standup. As he said during his set, “There’s something about seeing the people, smelling the people, that beats filming a movie.”
