eddie griffin

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CULTURE 78_What’s On_04.2013 April 12 Dubai World Trade Centre, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, 8pm, Dhs350. Tel: (04) 3237445. Metro: World Trade Centre. yakevents.com I t’s early 2013 and the crowd at Tommy T’s comedy club in California bubbles with anticipation as the evening’s compere finishes the last of his three-minute warm-up sets of the night. The headline act – the man they came to see – stands just ten feet away waiting in the wings. He closes his eyes, draws a breath and says a quick prayer before strutting out into the blaring spotlight to rapturous applause. It is all a far cry from his first night on stage in 1990 at a smoky comedy club in his hometown of Kansas City, Missouri – a night that would prove to be one of the most significant in his life. That night there was no behind- the-curtain moment, instead Griffin’s cousin had dared him that he couldn’t step up to the mic and fill a vacant three-minute slot. He did. In fact, something triggered inside him and he carried on for an entire 45 minutes – unheard of for an untrained comedian – leaving to a standing ovation. “That night everything changed. After receiving a standing ovation on my first night, I knew that I could do something with it,” says Griffin, who plays a huge stand-up gig in Dubai this month. Never one to do anything by halves, shortly His career in comedy started with a dare back in 1990, but over the last 20 years Eddie Griffin has conquered Hollywood, starred in his own sitcom and secured a spot on Comedy Central’s list of the top 100 comedians of all time. So where will his bold, brash and brilliant comedy stylings take him next? UNFAZED EDDIE after, he purchased a one-way ticket to Los Angeles where, thanks to his unadulterated quips and string of impersonations, he quickly became a regular headliner at the city’s legendary comedy venue, the Comedy Store – even earning comparisons to his hero, and comedy deity, Richard Pryor. With his stock on the rise and with a lack of self- confidence seemingly never an issue, Griffin was soon touring with well-known comedians Andrew Dice Clay and Robert Townsend and was even invited to appear on the HBO comedy specials One Night Stand and Def Comedy Jam. His infectious fast-talking style soon brought Hollywood a-knocking and parts in The Meteor Man and Jason’s Lyric eventually helping him land title roles in the sitcom Malcolm and Eddie and the film Undercover Brother. “I loved filming Undercover Brother. That, and working with Denzel Washington in John Q have got to be my favourite films that I’ve been in,” says Griffin, although when pressed on the worst film he’s been in – and there are some right stinkers, most notably Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo and Norbit – he answers quite diplomatically: “There are no worst films, just different experiences.” We’ll politely agree to disagree. Often cited as being controversial – “people always think that I am difficult to work with” – Griffin very much belongs to the school that preaches either everything is OK to joke about or nothing is. Testament to his relentless and blunt style of comedy is that his upcoming UAE gig will be an over-21 show. “I speak the truth and I educate people, while making them laugh. What’s better than that?” he explains. And any doubt that he has outgrown his fiery early years were dispelled with the release of his 2011 live DVD You Can Tell ‘em I Said It where true to form he unapologetically rips into everything from racial stereotypes to Viagra. Although he does admit there may be a few topics he’ll avoid at his first Dubai gig. “I never pull any punches as a performer, but as a person I will respect the culture, so there are some things that I won’t be talking about,” he says. So what’s next for a man who has bested Hollywood, been enshrined in comedy folklore and even featured on two tracks of childhood friend Dr Dre’s landmark album 2001? We can’t help but think of the wise words spoken by his hero Pryor who claimed that “when you stop getting nervous, it’s time to quit”. Is he ready to call it time? “I still enjoy doing what I’m doing, and I won’t stop until I stop enjoying it,” he says confrontationally “and you can tell ‘em I said that.” We expected nothing else. EDDIE GRIFFIN 78-79 C_Comedy.indd 78 3/27/13 6:50 PM

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What's On – April 2013

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Page 1: Eddie Griffin

CULTURE

78_What’s On_04.2013

April 12 Dubai World

Trade Centre, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, 8pm, Dhs350. Tel: (04) 3237445. Metro: World Trade Centre. yakevents.com

It’s early 2013 and the crowd at Tommy T’s comedy club in California bubbles

with anticipation as the evening’s compere finishes the last of his three-minute warm-up sets of the night. The headline act – the man they came to see – stands just ten feet away waiting in the wings. He closes his eyes, draws a breath and says a quick prayer before strutting out into the blaring spotlight to rapturous applause.

It is all a far cry from his first night on stage in 1990 at a smoky comedy club in his hometown of Kansas City, Missouri – a night that would prove to be one of the most

significant in his life. That night there was no behind-the-curtain moment, instead Gri�n’s cousin had dared him that he couldn’t step up to the mic and fill a vacant three-minute slot. He did. In fact, something triggered inside him and he carried on for an entire 45 minutes – unheard of for an untrained comedian – leaving to a standing ovation.

“That night everything changed. After receiving a standing ovation on my first night, I knew that I could do something with it,” says Gri�n, who plays a huge stand-up gig in Dubai this month. Never one to do anything by halves, shortly

His career in comedy started with a dare back in 1990, but over the last 20 years Eddie Griffin has conquered Hollywood, starred in his own sitcom and secured a spot on Comedy Central’s list of the top 100 comedians of all time. So where will his bold, brash and brilliant comedy stylings take him next?

UNFAZED EDDIEafter, he purchased a one-way ticket to Los Angeles where, thanks to his unadulterated quips and string of impersonations, he quickly became a regular headliner at the city’s legendary comedy venue, the Comedy Store – even earning comparisons to his hero, and comedy deity, Richard Pryor.

With his stock on the rise and with a lack of self-confidence seemingly never an issue, Gri�n was soon touring with well-known comedians Andrew Dice Clay and Robert Townsend and was even invited to appear on the HBO comedy specials One Night Stand and Def Comedy Jam. His infectious fast-talking style soon brought Hollywood a-knocking and parts in The Meteor Man and Jason’s Lyric eventually helping him land title roles in the sitcom Malcolm and Eddie and the film Undercover Brother.

“I loved filming Undercover Brother. That, and working with Denzel Washington in John Q have got to be my favourite films that I’ve been in,” says Gri�n, although when pressed on the worst film he’s been in – and there are some right stinkers, most notably Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo and Norbit – he answers quite diplomatically: “There are no worst films, just di�erent experiences.” We’ll politely agree to disagree.

Often cited as being controversial – “people always think that I am di�cult to work with” – Gri�n very much belongs to the school that preaches either everything is OK to

joke about or nothing is. Testament to his relentless and blunt style of comedy is that his upcoming UAE gig will be an over-21 show. “I speak the truth and I educate people, while making them laugh. What’s better than that?” he explains.

And any doubt that he has outgrown his fiery early years were dispelled with the release of his 2011 live DVD You Can Tell ‘em I Said It where true to form he unapologetically rips into everything from racial stereotypes to Viagra. Although he does admit there may be a few topics he’ll avoid at his first Dubai gig. “I never pull any punches as a performer, but as a person I will respect the culture, so there are some things that I won’t be talking about,” he says.

So what’s next for a man who has bested Hollywood, been enshrined in comedy folklore and even featured on two tracks of childhood friend Dr Dre’s landmark album 2001? We can’t help but think of the wise words spoken by his hero Pryor who claimed that “when you stop getting nervous, it’s time to quit”. Is he ready to call it time?

“I still enjoy doing what I’m doing, and I won’t stop until I stop enjoying it,” he says confrontationally “and you can tell ‘em I said that.” We expected nothing else.

EDDIE GRIFFIN

78-79 C_Comedy.indd 78 3/27/13 6:50 PM