WTF with Marc Maron Podcast - Episode 1238 - Erik Griffin

Episode Date: June 24, 2021

If he hadn't been getting laughs as a high school basketball coach, Erik Griffin may never have gone back to comedy. He tells Marc the story of his comedy beginnings, his self-imposed exile, and his stand-up revival that got him back in the game. Erik and Marc also discuss the current environment at The Comedy Store, as everyone tries to find their footing in the aftermath of the pandemic.  Sign up here for WTF+ to get the full show archives and weekly bonus material! https://plus.acast.com/s/wtf-with-marc-maron-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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When I die here, you'll never leave Japan alive. FX's Shogun, a new original series streaming February 27th, exclusively on Disney Plus. 18 plus subscription required. T's and C's apply. Hi, it's Terry O'Reilly, host of Under the Influence. Recently, we created an episode on cannabis marketing with cannabis legalization. It's a brand new challenging marketing category.

legalization. It's a brand new challenging marketing category. And I want to let you know we've produced a special bonus podcast episode where I talk to an actual cannabis producer. I wanted to know how a producer becomes licensed, how a cannabis company competes with big corporations, how a cannabis company markets its products in such a highly regulated category and what the term dignified consumption actually means. I think you'll find the answers interesting and surprising. Hear it now on Under the Influence with Terry O'Reilly. This bonus episode is brought to you by the Ontario Cannabis Store and ACAS Creative. Lock the gates! and ACAS Creative. what the fuck buddies what the fuck nicks what the fuckadelics what the fuck topians i don't know you know how it goes there's a lot of them over the years many many many many many

names people used to send me lists of names many many lists very helpful but i can only get to three or four look folks i'm just i'm just getting by like the rest of you are you getting by is everything all right it's unclear we were talking about it today uh brendan mcdonald's here in town for something maybe i'll tell you about i got a contest winner observing me i'm being observed and we were talking about uh where are we at with the rules like like some people you go into places you do you don't even know if the place, I think in California, it's up to the place,

whether you wear the mask or not. And then if it says that you do wear a mask, you go in and there's people not wearing masks, but no one seems to give a fuck. And then there's people wearing masks and then there's still people wearing masks outside, which they haven't had to do for weeks. So I'm starting to realize that like some people are having a little

detachment problem. They're having a little problem letting go of the mask. They've'm starting to realize that like some people are having a little detachment problem. They're having a little problem letting go of the mask. They've gotten used to it. They like people only seeing half their face. They like just being recognized by their terrified, sad eyes everywhere they go. So I don't know. I think we're going to have to let this stuff go. I mean, we're just going to have to tolerate people who want to wear them. I understand it. My friend Lipsight in New York, he actually said to me, he said, I don't think I'm ever going to take it off. But he took it off. But maybe we should just incorporate them into our lives because if you're like me, you've got a nice back stock.

Like in the panic, I probably got maybe 195s or different sorts. So I'm set. I'm set for the next pandemic. I'm set for fire season. I'm ready to go. I've got the kind with the little ventilator on the front that you're not supposed to wear in places because it only protects you and not other people. But it's going to be good when I need to hike and the entire state's on fire. So I'm prepared for that.

I'm prepared for fire. I'm also prepared for germs. Maybe we should just approach it like the Asian people that we see who wear them all the time, who are ahead of the curve on this. There's more of them than anybody. Instead of blaming them for the pandemic, why don't we give them credit for the solution in day-to-day life? We could all be healthier if we just wear the masks occasionally. And I think now we're all comfortable with it.

This has been an advertisement for masks, just generally speaking. Eric Griffin is on the show today. Eric Griffin, the comedian. I've seen him around a long time. We didn't start together. I don't think I was particularly nice to him necessarily. I don't think I noticed him that much. We talk about that a little bit. He's always at the store now. And he was on Workaholics. He was on I'm dying up here and he hosts his own podcast riffing with Griffin, Eric Griffin. I don't know why I I never acknowledged Eric. I think like he's a big boy. You know, he's got a big mustache. He's really the most Jewish looking black guy I know.

But for some reason, in my mind, just as an old timer at this point, I think I know everybody. And I'd see this guy around, I'm like, I don't know that guy. Is he a thing? I don't know what it was. I made the wrong assumption about him. He's a very funny guy, and it was nice to have him here. Okay, business, my business. There's a new batch of ceramic wtf cat mugs from brian jones these go very quickly i'm not sure which ones he has he's kind of changed up the design a bit but he makes them all by hand and they are unique i i give them to my guests that was the original intent of them i actually just gave one to quentin tarantino who was very excited i mean very excited he's an excitable guy anyways he's excited but he was very excited to get mean, very excited. He's an excitable guy anyways. He's excited.

But he was very excited to get the mug. And aside from that, getting these mugs from Brian Jones is the only way you can get them. So you can go to, what is it? BrianRJones.com slash shop to get your mug now. And he's donating part of the profits

from the mugs to the Connecticut Food Bank. Also, it's happening. It's happening for me. I've gotten into a zone with the comedy. It's a bit of an angry zone. It's intense. I'm carving out new space for myself up there. I feel it. I've realized something about me. Back in the day when I used to be angry, it was coming completely out of insecurity and panic and just a fury about my place in the world. And now it's different. It's grounded in humility and confidence. So it's a new, more exciting, less scary anger. maybe that'll be a blurb for my new show new more exciting less scary anger funny even look he smiles in the middle of the tirade yeah that could either be looked at as

sociopathic in my case it's a little charm it's a little medicine it's a little sugar to help the medicine go down but uh the shows are going good. And I know that I'm ready to do the Dynasty typewriter shows, which are going to be longer sets because I'm craving more time. Like eventually I'm like, I need more time. I got to stop running the light. I got to stop pissing off whoever's after me by doing 19 instead of 15. So I'm ready. And those Dynasty typewriters shows that July 1st, July 8th, July 15th, July 22nd, you can go to DynastyTypewriter. No, don't. They're sold out. I'm sorry.

What does that mean? They're sold out. But here are these other ones coming up, which will be crapshoots, all of them. Maybe I'll call the tour that, the crapshoot tour. The maybe he'll pull it off tour uh the i don't know what's gonna happen after the plague tour the uh the uh i think i got an hour tour i think i have the time that's it the i think i have the time tour will be in denver at the comedy works august 5 through 7 uh ph Phoenix, one night only, August 12 at Stand Up Live. Salt Lake City at Wise Guys, August 19 through 21.

St. Louis, Missouri, if something weird doesn't happen in that state. If something, anything weirder. I don't know why I go to Missouri. I don't know. Missouri is, it's almost like a theocracy. It's like some sort of white supremacist theocracy. That's going to get some emails. But I'll be at Helium in St. Louis for all you people that like me in St. Louis, September 16th through 18th.

And, you know, I've got this weird issue with this. It happens with Texas now, too. You can go to the websites of those venues, the way to get the tickets or you can click on the tour button at wtfpod.com i know that people get offended when i make fun of their state or i trivialize it or i condescend but you know what if your state sucks fix it because i know the argument is like hey you're judging you know don't judge arkansas there's a lot of good people not enough there's clearly not enough good people if there were enough good people they'd fix their fucking state hey you know Oklahoma is really no it's not there's good people I get it but not enough so either leave or fix it what am I supposed to do

Missouri but you know there's a lot of us here like I get it you're good people but your state stinks because of your state government so fix it fix Texas, fix it. I don't know what to tell you. I mean, I'll go there and stuff, but only if I have to. Well, we don't want you here. Okay. No problem. No problem. All right.

A couple of things. Next week, Quentin Tarantino. I talked to Quentin Tarantino. It was very exciting. And he said some exciting things that I found very flattering, which I didn't expect. I never expect. We had a very engaged conversation, very personal conversation, focused a lot on he's got a book out, the Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, a novel.

And it's great. I fucking read it. Like, I don't know why I'm so proud of myself. I read a whole book. I read a whole book from the beginning to the end. I it and i'd seen the movie because you don't always read whole books do you i mean i'm a i'm a reader but i'm like i'll read you know most of something sometimes i'll read novels and i'll stop it like with 10 pages because i'm weird i'm like i don't know if i don't want it to end or i don't know what it is but i read the whole book and that excited him so

we had a good conversation that's going to be next week. Big double director week next week. We got Steven Soderbergh, Quentin Tarantino. Also, I bought, I'm going to say this like I'm promoting. I'm not. I bought a vacuum sealer for food. And I don't know if you know what fun is, but I do. It's a vacuum sealer for food. Because then I could cook a thing, like a smoked fish thing, and I'll just seal it.

I'll seal it up. And then it'll last another week or so. And just the fun of seeing the seal crinkle up. And then you're just sort of like, look what I did. I saved this food. This food's going to be better now. I bought a steak and put it in the freezer. I sealed it up.

And it's like you see it crinkle up. And you're like, that's so cool. What am I, seven? Am I eight? What am I, 12? that's so cool. What am I, seven? Am I eight? What am I, 12? 12 is too old. What am I, six?

Vacuum sealer. What am I, nine? Okay, so maybe this is going to be a good year for me, whatever's left of it. Primarily, not because I'm feeling better or not you know i've you know obviously the plague was hard for everybody i've been through some sadness but um but maybe maybe like i'm pitching a show uh with sam lipsight a show that i had i've had in my head for many years and we fleshed it out and now we're trying to sell it to a an outlet maybe something will happen and the reason i'm saying that is it's, I don't know when this bird did this, but a bird built a nest literally in the point of my roof, the point of the roof where it goes up. The top of the angle is right over the steps onto my porch

into my house. There's a nest right up in there, right up in the point that is filled with baby birds now. And there is shit, bird shit all over the front, right in the center of the steps going into my house. I have to spray it off like three or four times a day. There's so much bird shit. And now I'm not a monster. I'm not going to remove the nest. They'll be gone eventually, right? That's where that comes from, right? They leave the nest, right? But the reason why I think this has significance in my life is that if you believe the old wise tale or whatever it is, the adage that if a bird shits on you, it's good luck.

So given that, my odds are very good. Like I could probably have, if I timed it right, I could have good luck every day. I could be covered in shit, in bird shit, two or three times a day if I just wait for it. But I'm not going to do that because I think that would be cheating and it probably wouldn't count. But I'm just saying that this might be a good year for me because the odds of me getting shit on by birds, very high right now. Very high. So I'll let you know if that happens. Eric Griffin. I enjoy talking to him. let you know if that happens. Eric Griffin.

I enjoy talking to him. His podcast is Riffin' with Griffin. And this is like, you know, your standard WTF comic style. This is me and Eric talking. You can get anything you need with Uber Eats. Well, almost, almost anything. So no, you can't get an ice rink on Uber Eats. But iced tea and ice cream? Yes. We can deliver that. Uber Eats. Get almost, almost anything. So no, you can't get an ice rink on Uber Eats. But iced tea and ice cream?

Yes, we can deliver that. Uber Eats. Get almost, almost anything. Order now. Product availability may vary by region. See app for details. Hi, it's Terry O'Reilly, host of Under the Influence. Recently, we created an episode on cannabis marketing.

With cannabis legalization, it's a brand new challenging marketing category. And I want to let you know we've produced a special bonus podcast episode where I talk to an actual cannabis producer. I wanted to know how a producer becomes licensed, how a cannabis company competes with big corporations, how a cannabis company markets its products in such a highly regulated category, and what the term dignified consumption actually means. I think you'll find the answers interesting and surprising. Hear it now on Under the Influence with Terry O'Reilly. This bonus episode is brought to you by the Ontario Cannabis Store and ACAS Creative. I need comfortable shoes now.

You do? Yeah, they have to be comfortable. I like New Balance, you know, Adidas. They have to be comfortable. I like New Balance, Adidas. They got to be comfortable. My feet will start hurting, man. My feet are fucked up. Yeah, I can't. We don't even know.

My toes are fucked up. You know, it's like when we're on stage, we're numb. You don't have to go to the bathroom. You're not feeling your sinuses. Apparently, I need to drink a lot of water. I got to bring my water up there. I can't get through 15 minutes. Oh, you're at that point right now?

No, I can, but I always bring the club soda. I set it on stage and I leave it there. I don't drink it sometimes. Dude, I was in the main room last week at the comedy store, and I was in the green room yip-yapping with whoever was there, and I needed to go to the bathroom. Oh, you had to decide. And I didn't, and I was on stage, and bro, this is the first time.

The first time I was like, I'm going to I was on stage And bro This is the first time The first time I was like I'm gonna pee myself On stage You had to go that bad? I had to go that bad And so I'm doing my act now I'm just I'm pacing back and forth And trying to

I was like wow And I thought man This is a sign of like Getting older Yeah You know Cause like your body Locks up when you're younger

I always have to pee Like right before I'm like the next guy up. You know, like last night it happened. And I'm wearing khakis. So I'm like, this is double. This is risky. That little bit of pee comes out when you're over 40.

So Maz is on. Maz is on. And like he's like at 13 minutes. I'm like, I got to fucking do it. Yeah, you got to go. Yeah, and I'm back there in that room in the main room. And I'm hoping it doesn't happen. Timed out all right, though.

So I got to admit, I enjoyed the text exchange yesterday. It was very exciting. I just want to ask you a couple questions. I felt so, it was a whole thing with my change. I just want to ask you one question. All right, so there was a nice jump in logic. You're like, man, I'm running so late. I'm sorry.

Traffic is terrible. Really? You're going to do this? Traffic was bad. No, no, okay. Really, I'm going to do this. But I wasn't in the car yet. That was my question.

That was my question. No, no. I go, okay, when do you think you'll get here? And then all of a sudden, sorry, my girl's driving me crazy driving me crazy so i'm like oh he's not in the car no i what i i i i meant what i meant to say was i had checked the the map came up and it said it's gonna take 45 minutes to get there and i was like oh my god and i was already running late yeah then i'm dealing with stuff with her then i was like oh no this, no, this is a nightmare. You know what I mean? I felt I hate being that guy. But I'm glad you reflected on it.

I appreciate it. And then, you know, it looks like you just, like, ass-dialed me at some point. Like, there's like. No, because when I go into my garage, I lose service. But there's a text here that says GPS SYZ 1244. Oh, I don't know what that was. Yeah, I know. I don't either.

I don't know. Wow, that's weird. It's just one of those things, man. You'd like to be dependable, but you want to be dependable. Right. You know, so when people say, hey, come here at a certain time, you're there. How much drama are you dealing with? No, it was just like someone like not having the alarm set right

and I was supposed to do something for her that I didn't do and, you know, I said I was going to do it. You know what I mean? It was just one of those things that I'm like, and then you feel like everything you're doing is the most important thing in the world. Yeah. But when you have a partner, it's like they think that too.

And they're waiting. You know what I mean? So it's just like one of those things. I asked you to do something. You just get to an age, man, where I'm at this point now. How old are you? I'm almost 50, man. 50's coming up.

Yeah. What are you thinking I'm almost 50, man. 50's coming up. Yeah. So- What are you thinking? Nothing, actually. I'm just kind of like, wow. Health is good? I'm working on my health now. Oh.

Like, just to make sure. Yeah. It's a lot of things. My mom has dementia. Does she? Yeah. So when that happened, it really made me go, okay, what are some of the causes of this? And I started to look these things up.

With the inflammation? And it's like high cholesterol, inflammation, and all these kinds of things. So I went to like Next Health. High cholesterol, huh? I went to Next Health. Yeah, high cholesterol is one of them. What if it's genetic? You know, I don't know.

It's iffy on the science if that's something that is, yeah, you know, genetic. I don't know. Some people say it is, and sometimes I've read so many things because now I'm concerned about it Yeah, you know what? What'd you find out? Well the doc I I went to the one of these like Preventative medicine places Oh to like get a blood test get a baseline test find out what my vital So I find out my vitamin D levels are low. My b12 is low. My cholesterol was rising, you know Diabetes is around the corner if I don't work on my blood sugar. Really? So I found out all these things about myself.

And I was like, oh, you know what? I got to take care of this. And then I'm engaged, okay? And she wants to have kids. And I'm thinking to myself, damn, I'm going to be an old dad. So let me make sure that I'm okay. So now all these things kind of just flooded into my head. And I said, you know what?

I got to work on my health. I got to take care of myself. So I started doing it. I'm down 40 pounds. Body fat is down. And I'm just working on making sure these numbers stay level. And it's just about, you know, it's like, you don't have to, you don't know you need to take care of yourself until you need to take care of yourself. Well, you kind of know, but you're like, fuck it. But when you're, you know, when you're young, you're in your thirties. I know. But even now though, like, you know, I know I got to take care of myself. I've been on

a sugar detox for three weeks now. Right. I go up and down. My cholesterol is always a little, it's not high, but it's borderline. No matter what I fucking eat. Yeah. My blood pressure is fine. You know, I've had sort of like borderline blood sugar before, but usually it's because I'm eating pineapple every day or something.

Whatever. Yeah, exactly. And like, you know, I know I got to watch it, but like you start eating cake you're in for you could be done it could be weeks before you get out of the cake hole dude i remember i was i was doing this movie in boston and movie sets are the worst because they're all eating dessert every meal well they had us up at this like fancy hotel so in the room they had a mini bar in boston in boston yeah and they had a mini bar and In Boston. In Boston. Yeah. And they had a mini bar, and it was like they had Oreos in there. Yeah. Four Oreos.

In the package. I think I spent, at the three weeks I was there, like $150 on Oreos. Okay. Now, I tell the other- Wait, did you get a per diem? Yeah. But I spent the whole- The place was so expensive, the per diem.

I got room service the first night. Yeah. Hamburger, iced tea. Yeah. $60. Sure, of course. The per diem. I got room service the first night. Hamburger, iced tea, $60. Sure, of course. The per diem was $60. I was like, I can't survive on this. So I spent $150 on Oreos, and I tell the other actors, we're in the van headed to set, and they're like,

Eric, there's a CVS down the street. Just go buy Oreos. I said, listen, if I go buy those Oreos, I'm going to eat all of those Oreos. But now I'm just eating four. Yeah, you're doing the right thing. Yeah, I'm actually looking out for myself, which goes to show it costs money to be healthy.

You know what I mean? Yeah. So I do go down the rabbit hole, too, in terms of sweets. It's like if I get in and it's just like I can't. That's why I don't even want it in my place. But, dude, I just got it. Talking to the influencer, I just got i can't that's why i don't even want it in my place but dude i just got it like talking to the influencing i just got a uh dm from jenny's ice cream best fucking ice cream in the world like and you know some people pat and oswald set me up on it like a quarterly

delivery you know when i was you know during the last year because i was sad and uh but they started i started taking pictures of it because i was getting mad. Not at Patton or anything else, just at having ice cream in my house that I had no control over. So it would come and I'd do an Instagram of it and I'd be like, fuck this. What the fuck is this about? I just got sent yogurt. This company. Seems better. Yeah, but it's still sugary.

It's like. And it's full of dairy too. They sent me like a box full of like, you know, mint chocolate chip. Yogurt, frozen yogurt? Frozen dairy, too. They sent me a box full of mint chocolate chip. Yogurt? Frozen yogurt? Frozen yogurt on sticks. On sticks. And it's delicious stuff.

My fridge is full of it. It's delicious. So now I'm sitting here like, I hate even knowing it's there. Yeah, I know. I have no self-control. And then you just plow through it. Yeah, you have an impulse control problem when it comes to this kind of thing. Everything, if it's right there.

I think it's a comic thing, too. I think it's a certain type of human thing. Yeah, true enough. Hey, do you think there's more comic alcoholics? I'm like, no. No, yeah. There's plenty of plumber alcoholics. Yeah, it's not about moderation and we have an issue with it. Maybe more compulsive people

are attracted to comedy, but I don't think proportionately there's more compulsive idiots. But there is a compulsory element to saying the same thing over and over again. At the same energy, at the same level. Hey, Eric, if you need to write some shit... Ha ha! Hey, we all

can't sit on a stool and have whatever is going on in the world just come to our head. But you got to act too. Don't sit here and act like... I know, I know. You know what I mean? But that's the beauty of actually being a comic is being able to bitch about things at the same level every single night. Like there's something magical about that.

Yeah, sometimes things wear out though, you know. You know what I mean? But for me, I always try to find one little thing different. Yeah, yeah, of course. And now we're working on new shit. So, you know, something pops in, little thing. Yeah. Then you're just sort of like, I got to remember that. But then it becomes a compulsory thing different. Yeah, yeah, of course. And now we're working on new shit. So, you know, something pops in, little thing. Yeah. Then you're just sort of like, I've got to remember that.

But then it becomes a compulsory thing, too. You're like, ooh, I've got to do that again. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Ooh, I've got to say that again. I guess so. I never thought about it that way. Because most people talk about, like, the laugh is addictive. It's like, hasn't been for me in a long time.

Like, for me, the more addictive part is, like, when something new happens. Boom. You know what I mean? Or it's something like you have this idea and it's connecting yes right the laughter is just a result of them you know it's happening with you right you know it's happening but the thrill is like it's the new thing yeah it's not just the laugh like you know like that's that is the difference between just going up there and doing the same thing over and over again and you know it works and that's enough it's not the same as like going up there and

getting that new laugh yeah let me try this I got a new laugh last night I open with it I like to break it up to like sometimes I like to go like this is what I close with yeah and I'll go I'm gonna start with yeah and see if I can follow see if I follow this thing I think it's okay to do that and you well you can do that at the comedy store you only got 15 minute right right right right right it's so funny sometimes when I'm at the comedy store and I'm like, these people have 15 minutes and they're choosing to talk about this? You know, like how do you get like, you know, my dick, you know,

seven minutes in? How do you like? Is it like out of all the things? Hey, listen to the comedy sheriff over here. No, no, no. But you know what I'm saying. I know what you mean. I mean, I've talked about my dick plenty.

But it's like it's interesting how people will craft a 13-minute. No, there's no purpose. But it's like, you've got 13 minutes. And you never look at it like that. Like, okay, so I've got this 12 to 15-minute thing where I get to say whatever I want. And the party is like, that's what I chose? You know what? You know when I felt like that is when I was working on, we're taping I'm Dying Up Here.

Yeah. And I got to do a Showtime special. Yeah. But they wouldn't let me go on the road. What? Yeah, they wouldn't let me like, Oh, you didn't go work it out? Go work it out like out of town.

Yeah. So I had to do everything in town, and I was doing these sets. And it was like, I really realized, oh, you can really take advantage of these 15 minute sets at the comedy store. Yeah, if you break it up.

If you break it up, and you're working on a thing. So it was like I felt like, oh, man, I'm really working on this. And so then I felt like that when you see people and you go, why are you doing that? Yeah, yeah. Like why are you taking this time of all the times? Or it's like remember when you were doing different club shows

and like a local opener. You might want to say to them like, you got 10 minutes, man. Why are you – Keep doing it. Like why are you – work it yeah like why you work on some shit yeah they're not here to see you anyway yeah so don't even matter you know yeah it's a weird thing and it's hard though you get stuck at the store because it's like you do want to do well so if you're going to go up there like i'm not going to do that 15 minutes i'm going to do this

whole other chunk and then you're sort of like i'm scared well you know what's funny now we're back to it being a workout right it's the best i know because for the last five years it was just like oh this is a fucking show i gotta do my a material because i gotta go up after here's rogan here's marin here's like you know what i mean no it's the truth man you know it's like you know all the people that line up was like a show and people were there for like on a tuesday yeah you know what i mean nice now man it's all there's all these people i've never seen before sort of in the shadows yeah it's almost like people are like can we come out now yeah yeah come on man this is a nice little like let me work on my material room again i love it i love it it's such it's so it's like it's so good now you were telling me like now what do you have a problem with me are we all right oh yeah we're

good what are you talking about no you know it's funny This is actually hilarious because back my first time, I had a first Showtime special. I don't know. Maybe my representation or somebody hit you up and asked me to be on the podcast and you said no. You were like, I don't know that guy or whatever. That's probably what I said. No, no, but it's fine. Cut to, I always tell people you have to wait for things in the business. You can't always, you know.

Cut to like you just walk up to me. Hey, man, I want you to be on a podcast. Give me your number. And you just go, all right, I waited for that, and here it is. You know what I mean? I don't know why. I just didn't know you. I get it.

But it doesn't matter because there's plenty of people I don't know. So I was trying to figure out, like, well, why did I do that to Eric? I don't, man. Because, like, there's some part of my dumb brain where it's sort of like I've been doing this forever, right? Yeah. So there's still some part of my brain that's like, I know all the guys. And in my mind, it's sort of like, I don't know that guy. I've never seen him before.

Yeah. And I didn't see you around that much. You know what it is? It's like we hang with our peers. We hang with certain groups of people. Also, I go in and out. I'm old. I don't hang around.

It is what it is. No, no, I know. You know, I don't take offense. I'm old. I don't hang around. It is what it is. No, no, I know. I don't take offense. I always... But you said it the other night that I would literally not acknowledge you. Oh, you did do that. You walked out of the OR. Here I am standing there with... It was like Neil Brennan, like Whitney Cummings.

It was like these types of people. Yeah, yeah. And you walked up and you were like, hey, how you doing? Shook that person's hand. How you doing? And literally nothing from me. And you were like, hey, how you doing? Shook that person's hand. How you doing? And literally nothing for me. And I was like, okay, nothing? I even said that.

You walked away and I went to everybody, nothing, huh? I'm not even here? Sorry, buddy. I don't know what that was. You know what? But there's a certain like, there's a certain like. I don't like to be that guy, but I know I'm that guy. You're that guy, though.

No, but I don't notice it. It's just me being selfish. It's rude and I'm not acknowledging. I try, I have I know I'm that guy. You're that guy, though. No, but I don't notice it. It's just me being selfish. It's rude, and I'm not acknowledging. I have to be aware of that stuff. Again, I'm sort of like, oh, there's that guy that I've never seen really work. Okay. Or another thing we do, too. You know what's another thing that we realize?

We don't really watch each other. I do. No, but. Okay. In general. In general. I don't make a point of it, but a lot of times. Sometimes you might, if you're going up next, you might be sitting and watching.

Or if I'm there a half hour earlier. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But a lot of times, even if we know each other, there's a lot of people that you hang out with at the comedy store and talk to that you are not sure if they're funny or not. Yeah. You know what I mean? You're not sure. No, I know. And sometimes I watch them and I'm not sure.

Sometimes I'm like, I don't know what's happening. I mean, they seem to be doing the job, but I don't know how it's working. Or it's not your cup of tea. I guess. I'm honest. I can say that right out. There's many people at the comedy store that I watched their set and I go, this ain't for me.

And I think that's okay. I believe you've gotten better. I think you're doing your best work now. Well, I appreciate it. I think you've gotten more angry. Is that right? I just think I'm more in touch with who I am. You know what I mean?

You know, sometimes I'm angry about that, but that's my brand. Oh, is it? You got a brand? I just think I'm more in touch with who I am. You know what I mean? Sometimes I'm angry about that. But that's my brand. Oh, is it? You got a brand? I bitch about things. Did you design it? I bring things up and then people are like, oh, they like that about me. I knew this from before I used to coach basketball and I would be like yelling at the kids because I'm like, what they're doing? I'd be like,

what are you doing? But the way I was doing it, the crowd is laughing. Like I'm putting on a show. Really? It was one of the first times I realized I actually should be a comic. So wait, where'd you grow up? I grew up in LA. Where?

Like mid Wilshire area. Really? Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm from LA. Are you from LA? No. Oh. I mean, I grew up in New Mexico.

Oh, wow. Okay, well that explains. I was born in New Jersey. No, I'm tied in with the East Coast. Okay. I'm a West Coast guy. Yeah, yeah. So both of your folks are from here?

I'm an only child single parent for my whole life. Yeah, I never met my dad before. What happened? Where'd he go? It's just one of those things. Did you ask your mom? You know what? I asked her about it when I was in my teens.

Yeah. And she got like really, there was something, you know, and I was like, ooh. Women got secrets. They got their secrets. Right. And I'm... Because I'm a comic, I'm analytical. But it seems like you're entitled to know a little bit about that one. I asked. But it was like one of these things where, you know,

I raised you! Yeah, but you don't want him to have no credit. You know what I mean? So it's like, I go, that's fine, and maybe... Because even if my father has been trying to reach out to me and my mom stopped it, she has her reasons. I don't have any resentment towards that. Right. But I myself thought about it and I was like, well, do I want to find out? She told me his name. Yeah.

And I was like, okay. And I said, I took that information. And two or three weeks later, I completely forgot about it. And it let me know it didn't matter. Right. It'd be one thing if I, you knew your dad up to seven years old and he vanished, but I've never had a dad in my life. So it wasn't something that I felt like I was missing until I was like around other people. Right. So there's, you don't think that, you know, you, you forgot about it out of like, you know, like there was no fuck that guy at all?

No. No, there wasn't really. I always felt like there was a story here that I wasn't privy to. Yeah. I wasn't a part of. The Jewish guy is probably a Jewish guy. I swear, you're like the most Jewish looking black guy I know. There's so many mix.

The mix is like, who knows? But like I say, I didn't. And then now my mom has dementia. So now I'm not going to really get any real information. It's lost. It's gone. You know what I mean? It's like the locket that she threw off the Titanic.

Exactly. That sucker's in the ocean. Or maybe she kept it and I don't know. Yeah. But it's just like a, I don't know. Some people, it's a big deal to them. And I understand that need or whatever it is, and I can understand the feeling of being like, as a man, why didn't you want to find out?

But from what I understand now is that, you know, he probably had a family. This probably wasn't, I was an affair baby. Oh, yeah, maybe. So he probably has like, you know. Maybe, interesting. I probably have brothers and sisters that, you know, don't? Yeah. Maybe. So he probably has like, maybe he got, I probably have brothers and sisters that, you know,

don't know. And maybe, maybe that's the more curious thing to me. I'd be curious about that. That's what that, you know why I wanted to know. Yeah. I wanted to know,

well, what do you got cancer? Yeah. Is there things that I should be worried about? Sure. Sure. Those are the kinds of things that I'm thinking about. Like having a relationship.

What's my genealogy? You know what I mean? All that stuff. Cause I know like, there's a lot of people that like, uh, that are adopted they're just they're not they're not going to do it you know why why go find them yeah you know what i mean you're my parents that's enough or yeah exactly or or but it just depends on whatever feeling of rejection you might feel or no matter what. Why did you throw me away? These are natural feelings. What'd your mom do?

My mom, she did a bunch of things. She was a medical transcriber when I was a kid. Yeah. Imagine they don't even do that anymore. Yeah, what is that?

That would be like the doctor would be talking into a thing. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. The dictaphone. Yeah, so she was doing that and then she became a health and safety specialist

because people were suing companies. They were getting those workers' compensation claims. Sure. Yeah, yeah. So they had to form a new profession of a safety specialist to be at locations to make sure to cut down on these lawsuits. Right, right, right. Just make sure there's fire extinguishers.

Right. Just make sure that they'll, you know. So she became that until she retired. Oh. Wow. So how old is she? My. So she became that until she retired. Oh, wow. So how old is she? My mom's 78. And she's 79. Man, it's so, my dad's getting old too.

It's tough though. It is. It's tough. My dad's starting that sort of dementia thing, I think. It's a really. Something's going on. It's a really tough. And I knew, we knew, my stepfather and I knew for a while.

Oh, so you got a stepfather? Yeah, I got my stepdad, yeah. They got married when I was like 19. Oh, okay. Yeah, so they've been together for a long time. He's a great salt of the earth. Love him. And he's taking care of my mom right now.

So it's like, in my mind, I know whatever happens, I'm going to make sure he's okay too. Oh, yeah. Oh, hell yeah. I mean, both of my parents have got people. And I'm like, hang in there. Yeah. I know exactly what you're saying, dude. I'm like, please don't have to.

I call him to be like, how are you doing? Exactly. Are you okay? Yeah, I'm always telling him like, yo, dude, stop eating those cookies because you've got to take care of my mom. So I'm going to stop fucking around. Get your health in gear, you know? It's that kind of thing. Like I say, dementia is a tough one because of how

it affects loved ones. Yeah, and I've been doing this bit about it and it's not landing that well. I do a whole thing about it. That's how I deal with things. I talk about my mom's dementia on stage. What's your angle? Well, I just talk about how I didn't know at first that you're not supposed to argue or try to reason with them.

Oh. So I was having knockout fights with my mom because my mom thinks her grandmother's alive. Oh. You know? Yeah. So I'm having a conversation with her. I'm like, Mom, you're 78.

Yeah. Yeah. Your grandma would be 135 years old. And she's like, well, she's doing good. So I just talk about it. And I find that when I talk about it, I really enjoy when people come up to me afterwards and they go like, hey, man, I'm dealing with that too. And I've never laughed about it. Thank you.

Oh, that's nice. thank you oh that's nice because i'm like i just started talking about it in that i i said uh i like to like i'm i'm seeing this as my father's beginning the alzheimer's journey i don't want to give it a negative spin because to be honest with you like it's just a countdown it's just the beginning right and now like he still knows me he still knows what's up he's having a little hard time following through but you know he used to be kind of a difficult dude and kind of an asshole and never shut up he had an edge to him and now he's a that explains yeah and now like you know he's all soft and nice and listen i'm like make sure you take time to appreciate the sweet spot of dimension yeah right at the beginning yeah and it's not really landing that good and then i say

like and i know in a couple months he probably won't know who he is and and then i'll be truly free oh that's dark yeah i see why that's uh not landing yeah well i mean it's um you know it it hits differently for different sure it's not all yeah you're kind of like you know uh approaching it with some empathy and it's kind of funny and frustrating but your mom's got the good tag yeah it is really frustrating though it is a frustrating thing because I just think- She still know you? Yes. Yeah.

It's not like that yet, but it could start. Dementia turns into Alzheimer's, and then there's a countdown to them. Their brain just deteriorating. Right. The thing that was hard was we took her to the doctor for the first time. Yeah. Because they moved to Spain for like four years. Really?

Yeah, they moved. She wanted to go to Spain. Why? They just wanted to do it. They retired. Why Spain of all places? Spain is actually a great cost of living in Spain. Oh, okay.

Yeah, it's like beautiful. And then you can get places. If you want to travel, you're in Spain, you can get to Germany. Right, right, right. You can get to like, you know. Sure, Europe. But she was, every time I would visit, I could tell she was repeating herself a lot. She was like, and then, you know, last time I saw her when I really felt like she was

more herself, she was like talking about, um, talking about things that I was like, oh, she doesn't know what's going on. Right. She said to her, said to me too, I'm depressed cause I'm feeling, I'm confused. Yeah. So I knew she knew something was up. And then what happened was she went for a walk and fell down yeah and it fast-tracked it yeah my dad's terrified of falling down well that's what happened when my mom she fell down she was out of someplace in this

where she wasn't supposed to be luckily the people are very nice they helped her yeah and then then it was like my stepdad called me we got to come home you know yeah so then when we came here so now she's here in the states, and we go to the doctor. And she's sitting there, and I go, how do we talk about this? He goes, listen, we got to just talk about it. So I say, okay, well, my mom thinks her grandmother's alive. And then my mom was like, what are you talking about? So they did this cognitive test, and it was hard to watch.

Because it was like, that's when you really saw that there's something up. Simple shit. Yeah. Right, right. Yeah, it was like draw a clock and make the time 1145. Oh, really? So it was funny. She drew the clock and she wrote 1145.

And I was like, well, you know, that's a digital clock. I mean, I get it. You know what I mean? And it was like say as many animals that start with the letter F or what does a train and a bike have in common? Like those type of things. And then I saw it for the first time where I was like, oh, man.

Because her personality is intense. It's so funny. Everyone knows that you just asked. I'm like, okay, I can still do that. Yeah, yeah, I know. Bro, I'm sitting in there doing the same thing. I'm like, okay, well, these are kind of hard. And they're like, let me see, make sure I can.

What's the right answer? And it was tough to see. It was tough to like really witness. Yeah. You know? Yeah. Yeah. I think I got to, I'm going to have to figure out how to be a little more sympathetic in

my approach. Yeah. Why wouldn't spend time with him? You know, you got, he's in Albuquerque, you know, I'm going to go back, got my brother going out there. Cause you want to sort of get the time in before they go away. But it's hard. You know what the thing though is?

If I'm being like 100 about it, it's hard. It's hard to spend time with my mom because my mom's not there anymore. Like this is not my mom. It's a different person. So you're holding on to your memories and you're like, you know, it's that good. You know, it's like that is a feeling I'm trying to fight. So when I see her, I'm just trying to just be like. Yeah, I just like it's weird.

My dad was always kind of spacey you know he's kind of like avid a lot you know like daydreaming or whatever up in his head now it's just like it seems to be a little longer well this is even different because my mom is so specific like she thinks she thinks so we have them at this like retirement place oh that's good but she thinks that at night she goes home to her grandmother's house. So I'll talk to her and she'll be like, yeah, we're going to be going home in about 15 minutes. Yeah. And I'm like, oh, man.

I'm sorry. And she doesn't realize. She thinks her grandmother's house. So I remember I talk about this on stage too. This is one of the things I talk about. I go, I didn't know what to do because she thinks her grandmother's house is that straight. Did you know her grandmother, your grandmother? I met her when I was nine and Yeah, I went to her funeral. Okay

Yeah, right right Terrible woman too, which is why I don't understand why my mom was fixated on this Yeah, just every story she told me was how my her grandmother was a tyrant, you know, so it's really strange really Yeah, where was she? In Belize. Oh, that's where your mom's from. Yeah, so this is what I'm trying to say to you So I tell my mom, you know, she like, grandma's house is down the street. So I open up Google Maps. They're in Oxnard.

Then I put grandma's address in Belize. And I show it to my mom. The line is going down Mexico, down through Central America. And she looks at it and she just laughs at me. Like I'm crazy. She's laughing at me like I'm crazy. Grandma's house is down the street. What are you showing me She's laughing at me like I'm crazy. Grandma's house is down the street.

What are you showing me? You don't go to Mexico to go to Grandma's house. So it's the kind of thing that like, when you're a logical person or you think you are, and I think that's

a man thing too. Like, we really want, everything's gotta be logical and make sense and analytical. You know what I mean? It's hard to deal with like this thing

that is like completely fantasy world. It's not fantasy world. But it's also terrifying to realize that like, the only thing that makes us anything is our fucking brain. And once that goes even a little bit, you're fucked. That's the thought process I went through, and that's why I'm working on my health not now. It's like you're one head injury away from not knowing what-

Not knowing who you are or where you are. It's crazy. My mom hits me. She's like- And now she thinks she walks, too. She thinks, I walk to grandma. I'm tired of walking. Eric, I need you to get me a bike.

Like, oh, bitch, you're not going to get a bike. Like, you know what I mean? It's so infuriating to deal with it, you know? She wants a bike. She'll be 80 years old on a bike, you know, driving around Oxnard. And she can't walk. You know what I mean? She's like, I don't want to walk anymore.

There's no buses over here. All these things. I think it's a whole world that she's created. Well, at least she's still active in her head. Yeah. That's what I said too. Yeah. Maybe that's great.

In her mind, her grandmother's still alive and she has a whole life with her. Yeah. So I'm like, okay. Because she would say to me, oh, my grandma was asking about you. That's what she says to me. Oh, grandma was asking about you. How is that little, how,

how is that, you know, little stinker, you know, you know, I just go, all right, wow. What do we know about the afterlife?

Maybe she's really, you know, and there's no, like you can't reason. And it's, it was the hardest thing to really accept. Yeah. Because I said to my mom one day in the beginning,

I was like, all right, so, oh, grandma, huh? I was like, well,

how old's your grandma? Yeah. You know, and she was like, oh, she's in her, she's in her late eighties know and she was like oh she's in her she's in her late 80s yeah you know oh she's in her late 80s i was like okay well how old are you ma how old are you you know yeah like i was like yeah trying to like i was like well how old is your mom yeah like how old is your mom do you think is it because ma you're 30 years older than me yeah that's what i was trying to explain i said you're 30 years older than me yeah how old how much older is your grandma from you?

Now it's a story problem. Yeah. Now it's like, she's like, I don't know. Then she gets mad. And I realized that I was making her uncomfortable. Right. So I was like, I had to stop doing that. Because they still got their pride, right?

Oh, stubbornness. Hell. Yeah. Imagine that. You had stubbornness. And the other thing that was tough was my mom was on social media. You add stubbornness. And the other thing that was tough was my mom was on social media.

So another thing I talk about is dementia on social media is not good. No. My mom's reliving old beefs on Facebook. She's reliving them on Facebook. With real people. She's talking about a woman that when she retired 30 years ago, she hated. And she's talking shit about her on Facebook and being racist. You know what I mean?

Yeah. So I have to tell my mom. I'm like, Mom, you can't write this on the internet. You can't write this. And she's like, I can do whatever I want. So I went into her page, and I made all her preferences private. So she don't know that. She don't even know. So she's writing everything.

Now I just egg her on. She writes something, and I go, oh! Tell her off, Mom! You know? Oh, boy. egg her on she writes something i go oh tell her off mom you know so oh boy and i you know i deal with things where like i i take whatever pain and anguish and all the things that are going on in my life and i take it i just go right to the stage with it yeah well i mean you got to i mean that's what we do you know and and i and i think it does generally help people i think it does too i really think it does so do you have do you have family in Belize? No.

I have no idea. I have no idea what Belize is. Belize was like- Have you been there? Yes, many times. But Belize is like Jamaica. They actually have the similar accents. Oh, okay. Both of them were slave ports.

Okay. So you have a lot of Latin, black, and straight Latino because Honduras is right there and all this. So it's like a very hodgepodge of people. And then Belize got their independence in the 70s from England. It was English. What kind of food? It's the same kind of like Caribbean food. It's Caribbean food.

So it'd be rice, beans, oxtails, plantains. It's that kind of food. So it's very similar to Jamaica. So I have family from Jamaica roots. And then it's like there's Spanish roots. So I have all these different types of things. And then, like, you know, I don't really know exactly my father's origin. My mom used to say, like, oh, like, you know, Eastern European.

You know what I mean? But I don't know. Jews. Jews. He's a Jew. I'm telling you. Who knows? Eastern European, dude. I don't want to get to 23andMe because it's like I I don't know he's a Jew I'm telling you Eastern European dude

I don't want to get to 23andMe because it's like I just don't want to know I don't want to know they're not going to give you a name who would want to know I did mine I'm like it just came back Jew with a hate letter another one that's what it said at the top another Jew With a hate letter. Another one.

That's what it said at the top. Another Jew. So, you know. You got to do that one. Come on. Maybe. My friend gave it. My friend gave it.

I'm really not curious. Come on. You are so. I am not. It's not going to give you a name, but it's going to give you the breakdown. Even if it was just your mom, you'd want to know, right? Maybe. I mean, what's there? Maybe I'll do it'll give you the breakdown. Even if it was just your mom, you'd want to know, right? Maybe. I mean, what's there?

Maybe I'll do it and I'll make a whole thing out of it for my podcast. Riffing with Griffin. Riffing with Griffin. Is that what it's called? Yeah. How's that going? It's no WTF. Obama's not coming on.

You know what I mean? He might. Have you asked? He's in a different place now. Was that like the height of doing the podcast for you? Was that a moment where you were like, this is- What was a moment for- The most-

Just a moment for everybody. Yeah, yeah. Everybody was sort of like, what? Yeah, that's true. You're right. We all lived it with you, right? Yeah, yeah. It's like-

It's funny you say that because I thought that myself too. I was thinking to myself, how the fuck did he get the president? I was like, man, he's so crotchety. We were all thinking that. Even the president. But it's like, I think it is what it is. Whatever your audience is, you do it for them. And you keep doing it big or small.

Yeah. So, okay. So your mom's from Belize. But so your dad, did that happen in belize no no no no it was when she was in when she was in the states how'd she get here why'd she come here um her parents i think it was she just wanted a better life you know but did she come with her folks no no no she left yeah she's my mom has my mom overcompensated for her bad childhood by making sure I was spoiled when I was coming home. That's how she dealt with it. Yeah.

Yeah, so she had a bad story with her father not wanting her and a crazy mother. It was that kind of thing. Yeah, yeah, yeah. She wanted a better life for herself, and then a tyrant aunt, and her grandmother was bad. Yeah. So it was like she went to England to become a nurse to escape. And then while in England, she figured out how to come to the United States because one of her aunts was bad. Yeah. So it was like she went to England to become a nurse to escape. And then while in England, she figured out how to come to the United States because one of her aunts was here.

Yeah. That was the situation. And then she just worked her way. She had to struggle. You know, it's like I always say like my mom, she became my hero. Amazing journey. Yeah. Because she did so much to like make sure that my life was like as pleasant as possible

so I could be here today. And you're the only one. And I'm the only one. That you know, you might have some half brothers. Who knows? Jewish ones. Yeah.

Or whoever. Yeah. I wish maybe I can get, you know, see, there's another reason. I'd be like, you,

you've been casting this whole time. So when do you, so when did you start doing the comedy? You just, you were just an LA.A. kid? Yeah, I was an L.A. kid. I wanted to do comedy, so I told my mom was the kind of lady that if I said I wanted to be a rock climber,

she would go buy ropes and sign me up for a class. So when you were in high school, what were you thinking? I don't know what I was thinking yet. I wasn't a great student. I didn't know what I wanted to do yet. Did you go to college? Yeah, I went to West L.A. College for a couple of years. And I did all this just because my mom wanted me to't a great student. I didn't know what I wanted to do yet. Did you go to college? Yeah, I went to West LA College for a couple of years. I did all

this just because my mom wanted me to be a college graduate. It was all for her. It wasn't for me. Then I transferred into USC because she was working there, so I got tuition remission. I didn't have to pay, but I just did terrible. It was just terrible. Then I was telling her,

I want to do this. And then I took a class. She signed me up for this class. When were you coaching basketball? It was around that time. So you quit college and you were coaching. Yeah, I got a job. So part-time I was working at a school as the PE coach.

Oh, really? Yeah, so I was coaching the after-school sports. How did you qualify for that job? You don't have to have any, to work at some Catholic grammar school. You don't have to like, you know, they're not looking for you to be like, you know, you're just working with the kids after school. You know what I mean? I was 19.

You know what I mean? So it didn't matter. And then I started after that. I was just working jobs. Then I started working at the high school that I graduated from. Then they needed somebody to work in the library. Then I started working with the then school that I graduated from, that they needed somebody to work in the library. Then I started working with the, that I got a job in the office being a registrar. Were you miserable? It was miserable because I didn't know what I wanted to be. So then I decided, you know what, while I'm doing that, I want to be a teacher. So then I started going to like, I took my credits from USC and all this stuff. And I went to Mount St. Mary's.

They had an adult college on the weekends. And so I i started doing that but then as i'm doing that i i sign up for a comedy class but you but you were getting laughs at the basketball club oh yeah yeah yeah were you always getting laughs yes i was always i've always been a funny person yeah you know and so and then within emotionally funny person so if like i'm, people are laughing at me. Yeah. So I'm like, you know. So after a while, I started to go, oh, I got to use this. That's a rare thing. Yeah, there's something here. Where even your anger is impotent.

Yeah. You know what I mean? Yeah, it's like they're just laughing at you. The endearing, cranky guy. Yeah, that's what it turned into. And so I was like, all right. So then I took a class. And then I took this comedy acting class at UCLA.

Which one? Which class? I took two UCLA extension classes. So then I took a class, and then I took this comedy acting class at UCLA. Which one? Whose class? I took two UCLA extension classes, and it's funny enough, one of them was in stand-up, and one of them was in acting. The stand-up one was actually taught by Sandy Shore, if you can believe that. But wait, I thought she had her own thing. She was also doing a UCLA extension class. Whoa, Sandy.

Mitzi's daughter, who's kind of strange. Yeah, very strange. Wasn't she Buddhist? She was very strange. She told us that she slept in a spaceship. Dice. What? Yeah, she said, I sleep in a spaceship. Here, I thought it was dice, because she slept with dice.

Well, that's a whole other monstrous story, right? I guess I was sitting there like, I guess that's kind of a spaceship. Yeah. I don't know where to. So it was like, that was weird. But then I got the bug after that. But then I didn't know what to do. But did you learn anything from Sandy?

Oh, I learned how to be on stage for this time. What was the curriculum like what you guys do? You know, it was like I always recommend anyone that if you want to start doing comedy take one class Yeah, just to be comfortable being on stage Around people that are gonna make you feel safe. Huh? All right, right, right, right Yeah, it's a way to get on stage around people that are going to make you feel safe. Huh. Oh, right, right, right, right. It's a way to get on stage without being totally terrified. Yes.

And then you could also take 10 weeks to like, let me work on these dumb jokes. Yeah, yeah. And you know all the people. Yes, exactly. And you're all going over your jokes. And then we had like a showcase. At like the Belly Room? In the OR. In the OR.

The first time I ever did comedy on stage was in the OR. And that was Sandy's deal with her mom. Yeah. And then I remember I was like, oh, I love this. But I didn't know what to do after that. Right. So then I- What was the acting class?

It was just a comedy acting class at UCLA. And I remember this was the first time my mom- Yeah. My mom saw me and it was the first time that she believed in me oh yeah because you know when you tell this woman wanted me to be a lawyer doctor or businessman yeah and i say well i actually want to be an entertainer yeah it was like oh no yeah but then when she saw me she was like oh he could do it oh yeah you know that's a good feeling yeah yeah it was a good feeling and then um you know then i then i was working i feeling. And then I was working. I had jobs.

And then when you're in LA, I don't know how to get on stage. I didn't know what to do. Taking a class is safe. But then after that, it's all up to you. And you've got your nine jokes? Right. Signing up for open mics. And that's what you started doing?

Yeah. And I remember going, when I was doing open mics, it was like Jamie Kennedy was doing open mics. How long have you been in it? Hot Pocket guy was doing open mics. How long have you been in it? Hot Pocket guy was doing open mics. I was 22. You know what I mean? Gaffigan?

Gaffigan was doing open mics. No. Yeah, man. This was like way back in the day. And so what happened was I stopped because I didn't know. I had so many bad experiences on stage that I was like, I can't do this. So it was 28 years ago. You know what I mean?

Or so. Yeah. And then it took me like, it was when I was like, I can't do this. So it's 28 years ago. You know what I mean? Or so. Yeah. And then, and then it took me like, it was, it was when I was 30. But that was just when there were mics at clubs, right? You couldn't. No, they were like coffee houses. Oh really? Yeah. There were? Yeah. There was weird little coffee houses all over the place. There was this place on Venice called Pedersen's and that was like a weekly show. And then what happened was I quit for like eight years. So you did like,, that's funny because that happened to me too. I did stand up one summer after I'd done it in college with another dude. And I did it one summer for real doing open mics and shit.

And it was like 84. And then I didn't do it for another three years. So I graduated college. Then I immediately came out here and started doing it. I wish I would. I didn't even have that journey. I just stopped. I stopped.

Yeah. And then it was when I was 30 years old. What turned you? What made you go like, fuck? Well, I didn't want to wake up 50 and be like, I didn't follow my dream. No, but I mean, what stopped you when you were doing open mics? Oh, man. I had so many bad... I remember... I'll never forget this.

Do you know who J. Anthony Brown is? No. Oh, well, he's just like old school black comic and I'm at this club. It's called Mixed Nuts at the time. It's not a comedy union. Okay. Yeah, okay. It's on Pico by Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles.

No, I remember that place. It was called Mixed Nuts way back in the day. Is the union still open? I don't know. Right. It's a black club. Yeah. Yeah.

So I'm sitting there in the back with a bunch of comics. He goes up, he's hosting, and he's killing. Yeah. Okay. And he don't know who's going next. He looks all the comics who next you know yeah and so i'm sitting there in the front and it's literally everybody took a step back so i go oh shit okay guess it's me i go up i start doing my jokes two minutes and he's giving me the light yeah so i get off stage and he goes on and does 20 minutes about how bad I was. Oh, no. Yeah.

Just like killing me. Yeah, yeah. And I was like, this sucks. Yeah. Like I was like, who wants to deal with this? Yeah. I felt terrible about myself. Yeah.

And I was like, this isn't for me. Yeah. And I just stopped. I to this day regret that. What happened to that guy? He's still around. Does he know this story? Yes, because I was on a radio show he was hosting, and I talked to him about it.

I was like, you know, he did this to me, and he was just laughing about it. He was like, it is what it is. And then he said, yeah, but you're on radio. I do TV. I know. I felt like it worked out for me. But it's one of those things that I always say. People always say, don't live with regret, and I don't believe in that.

I believe it's okay to have regret because you remember not to do that ever again, right? Right, right. It's okay to be like this is a memory I have that I'm gonna make sure and I'm gonna pass that on to other people right? I'm gonna say like hey, you know if you stop it's like I almost regret to like not getting into a relationship Earlier in my life right cuz it's like did you have opportunities? Yeah. Yeah, of course. And it was like, I've realized, oh, wow, maybe it is a better road to be like 30 having kids and then you're, you know what I mean? Yeah.

So it's like that kind of thing where you go- You're not in a terrible window. If you really want to do it, 50 is not terrible. It's not terrible, but you're just thinking about when your daughter or son is 30, you're 80. Yeah. Right. If you're lucky. If you're lucky.

If you're lucky. But there's nothing wrong with that. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with that. No, I know. But what I'm saying is it's one of those things you should think about it. I tell young men all the time now, think about it. You talk about telling people as if you're running some after school program for people. That's what comedy is sometimes.

I guess so. I mean, I used to do a whole bit about being an old dad because I was with a younger woman who wanted a kid. And it's like, just that remembering people. Remember when I was a kid, the kids that had old dads? Yeah. Like after school, you're waiting. I know. And this guy drives up. This old guy drives up.

Who's that? And he's like, that's my dad. I know. He's embarrassed. Yeah. How old is he? I don't even know. I know. Because my and I had to have my electric walker. Right. That's what I said. I see. And then the kid goes, I got to go.

I got to help him. I know. It's like, oh, no. I don't want to be that guy. I'm like, oh, no. I got to make sure I. I know they love you no matter what, apparently. Yeah, but still, you don't want them to have that.

You don't know what you want. Who knows? You know, you don't know what you're going to be like. I know. Who knows? You don't know what they're going to be like. It's all speculative. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's all based on your own fear.

But it's based off our own experience, too, because, like you're saying. Yeah, but that's not that kid's experience. I mean, that kid didn't really say that. I made up that kid. It's weird when you have an old dad, but, you know, my recollection is they don't know that. I mean, they can compare. I think they figure it out when, like,

they're at the park and the young dad is fucking throwing the ball and running. And you're sitting on a lawn chair just like, you got it. Good job. Keep going. So it's like I want to have experiences. All right. Well, you better get on it then.

I'm trying. I'm engaged. All right. How old is she? She's got a nice ring. She's 32. Yeah. We still got to put her down.

Put her down? That's just a joke. Women are 30. You got to put them down. Oh, really? Yeah, that's just a joke. Sorry. All the female listeners right now, that's the moment where they hate me.

He loves his mom, but now he's a bastard. What an asshole. Mama's boy asshole. That's right. It'll be okay. That'll be the name of my new album. Yeah, he's a bastard. Yeah, what an asshole. Mama's boy asshole. Yeah. Yeah, that's right. It'll be okay. It'll be the name of my new album. Yeah, Mama Boy Asshole. Yeah.

So when you go back, how do you reenter? I mean, what did you do for eight years when you're out in the wilderness? Oh, well, that's what I'm saying. That's when I started working. I was like, that's when I started, you know, I was working at a school. I was like coaching basketball, working in the library. In the back of my head, I was like, I just thought, you know, I'll never. Did you always think about that guy saying those things? Yeah.

And not even just that. It was like when you're in L.A., it's hard to like understand how do you get on stage? There's nobody going, here's how you do it. There's no like path. You got to go meet another comic. Yeah, exactly. And I didn't know anyone. I didn't, you know. here's how you do it. There's no like path. There's no like. Now you gotta go meet another comic. Yeah exactly and I didn't know anyone. I didn't you know and so it wasn't till I

was 30 and I was like I'm gonna go to open mics. Yeah. And then I had my buddy. My buddy Jeff and we started together and I remember telling him he didn't want to do it anymore and I saw another buddy of ours Eric Edwards. He calls and he's like hey man we're at this open mic want me to sign you guys up. And I saw another buddy of ours, Eric Edwards. He calls and he's like, hey man,

we're at this open mic. Want me to sign you guys up? And I go, yeah. I'm on the phone. I go, yeah, sign us up. Sign us up. And Jeff's saying, no, no, I don't want to do it. I go, yeah, sign us up, man. We're signing up for this thing. Because when you're first coming up, you like that companionship at an open mic. But check it out. I don't agree, actually.

Because when I got off the phone, my buddy Jeff yells at me. He goes, I don't want to go. If you want to go, just go. And so for the first time the next day, I went to an open mic by myself, and I realized, this is how you're supposed to do it. I just mean that it's nice to have people you come up with. I get

that, but come up with them, you're going, you're not, it's not a crutch. And so then I started to be like, oh, I could leave here and go someplace else now. And I really started to process. And I realized, but I was older. When you're 30, I realized you have to cultivate relationships. You have to like.

I never knew that part. Make your peers, you have to make your peers think you're funny because they're the ones that get you work. They're the ones that introduce you. And it was like all these things that I figured out later. And then here I am. So my, I always say, I started, I really started started i started really doing comedy when i was 30 yeah that other shit was just like a pipe dream of like just like you know what was that like a year you did a day

a dare you know yeah but was it like how long did you do that it was like it would be like i would go to an open mic every six months all right yeah i wasn't really doing it. So how long did it take you to, you know, so where'd you get in first? I got in, I went to the Queen Mary. The boat? Yeah. They had a comedy club there. Holy shit. It was called, it was.

Long Beach? Yeah, Long Beach. Yeah. This crazy guy ran this club. I kind of remember this. And then from, then I would do comedy there. And then I started to go to the Ice House. They had the annex room. Oh, yeah, the little room over there.

And they would do like three shows on Friday, three shows on Saturday. And then from there, I got in at the Ha Ha. The Ha. Yeah. And then from the Ha Ha. In the Valley. Yeah. In this process, too, I was starting to get, I was like trying to get a showcase in front

of Mitzi at the comedy store. Yeah. That's still the grail. Yeah. Because I- Showcase for the witch. Because I knew Ahmed Ahmed was the one that like, he got

me in. So he got me a showcase. The woman didn't even talk to me. She didn't even look at me. So then it was like two years later through Tommy that I got finally got a showcase in front of her again in the main room and she actually said something to me. It's the only time she ever talked to me. What'd she say to you? She walked through the hallway

and she looked at me and said, you were funny. And then they took her out. And I was like, and I felt like, I was like, man, I might be one of the last people to get that. Yeah. She was that far gone? Yes.

Because they were bringing her to the main room. Dude, when I was a doorman there, just to be recognized as anything, it was like, it could go either way. Most times you're like i just don't want to see me i said you know i'm working here yeah does she have to see me can i avoid it somehow and but you and then all of a sudden you'd find out she saw you she's paying attention maybe you know i don't know but it was it had it was a double-edged sword yeah if you could just keep working without her no i mean i came up at a time that it was just different. She told me, like, you should wear a scarf.

You're a poet. Oh, God. I'm like, okay. I didn't get none of that stuff. Oh, I wore a scarf. It was Tommy who was doing that. He was pretending that she was saying these things to him. I know.

I used to say to Tommy, like, he'd go like, no, she really wants you to go forth. I'm like, dude, is she still alive even? Yeah. It was a weekend at Bernie's situation. It was like the Bates house. You know, like, what's going on up there? Like, he, like, became her. Yeah, he did.

But you know what? People talk a lot of shit about him, and I think there was a method to the madness of, like, what he was trying to do. No, he honored the system. Yeah, he did. And I got no beef with that guy. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I mean, I know he did bad shit, and he was a weirdo, and a lot of people have problems

with him, but he gave me spots. He would say racial things. He would say, like, weird things. I don't know anything about that. But he gave me spots. He would say racial things. He would say like weird things. I don't know anything about that. But I got what he was trying to do. It was a method to the madness. He was trying to do her method. Right.

Kind of. But he, you know, all I know is I came in as a pro. He treated me like a pro and that was that. Yeah. So this is like what, a couple years in? Yeah, no, yeah, no. This was like, oh man, I'm trying to think now. It was like 2006 is when I-

So right when the club was at its worst. Yeah, Tommy had already taken over now. Right. So it was at its worst right before that when they were doing alphabetical order and it was Duncan. Yeah. It was like craziness. So he takes over.

He's like, he's got these guys now. But the crowds weren't there, were they? They were starting to come, though. Oh, okay. They and it was Duncan. Yeah. You know, it was like craziness. So he takes over. He's like, he's got these guys now. But the crowds weren't there, were they? They were starting to come, though. Oh, okay. They were starting to come. Yeah. So you were there for all the crazy stuff. Yeah.

So I started to get in. And then at that point, it was like, all right. You know, 2008, I got Just for Laughs. You know? New Faces. New Faces. Yeah. And then it was 2009, I booked workaholics and that how many

seasons was that we did seven seasons of that wow and then after that i was just like you know i'm off and running yeah i'm i'm in you know what i mean seven seasons yeah got your health insurance yeah man got your draw on the road you know well it was weird a college show doesn't really bring a draw for a comedy club because college show doesn't really bring a draw for a comedy club because college kids don't have money but they know you i think those guys now are starting to come watch me oh yeah because now they're 37 and they got two kids and they're like oh that's the dude from that show that i love you know what i mean now they're like oh he's a comic you know now they're like you know that kind of deal so how much you working in film

and television? As much as I would love to work all the time, but it just is what it is. I just did a pilot. It didn't get picked up. But then I did a movie. I went to New York and did this Ray Romano movie. Oh, yeah?

Yeah, so that was great. He was the director. Oh, really? And wrote it. It's actually, watching the scenes, he's a great actor, man. No, he is great. Yeah, he's a great actor. He wrote it and he's directing it? He's writing and he's directing it. He's really running with that shit. No, he is a great actor. Yeah, he's a great actor. And so he was- He wrote it and he's directing it?

He's writing and he's directing it. He's really running with that shit. Yeah. It's interesting. It's so beautiful to see him do- He's one of the only guys in his generation. He won. He already won the grill.

Made a billion dollars. He won. Yeah. And now he's like, well, now I want to really learn how to do this. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. All the stuff. I want to become a good actor and now I guess he's going to be- He wants to be a director and a writer.

It was a great story, man. I really enjoyed watching the work and the people. He's already got all the money in the world. It's great that he keeps going. You always want the last job you'll ever need, and everything else you do after that is what you want. Yeah, but a lot of times what they want is just to repeat themselves. True enough.

Like he's not in another sitcom. He's like, I did that. Everybody loves Raymond's done. I did it. I made all the money I'm ever going to make. And he became a good actor. And now he's like, and I want to be in things. Did you act with him?

No, we didn't have a, did we have a, no, we didn't really have. Yeah, yeah, we did. Good part? It's a small part. I play like a wedding DJ. Ah. You know, that like, but this, the wedding DJ, they have at every event. Right.

At the christening, at the graduation party. Right, right, right. You know, and I'm that same guy that I end up getting with his sister in the movie. Oh, okay. Okay. So it was fun. That's pretty good. Yeah.

Funny part. You know, it was great. You know, he's, he was, he, you know, I'm in the hotel. I had to like quarantine for like three days because I hadn't got I just got my second shot I was just recently yeah it was recent and then you know he calls me

and it was like no ID so I didn't answer because I don't like anything and then I get a message hey this is Ray Romano and I'm like oh shit I know I'm going to talk to him because he's the director but I didn't think I was going to talk to him like that and I gotta say I was geeking out because it was like his voice is so distinct yeah you know what i mean like i was like this is fucking ray romano on another you know i feel like

am i brad garrett right now you know what i mean am i in the show am i in the show am i on a neighbor right now so it was great and he was like hey let's go hang out you know he's like me and him and the other writer and the other dude in the show in that movie. He's like, we're going to go get some pizza and we're going to go to the cellar. Yeah. So I walk in with, you know, freaking John Gotti. You know what I mean? Yeah.

I'd never performed at the cellar before. Did you go on? I got on. Did you like it? It was great. It reminds me very much of the comedy store. Were you in the cellar cellar down the basement? We did two different shows.

Were we at the other place? We did the other one and the underground. Yeah, the basement? We did two different shows. We did the other place. We did the other one and the- Was that the underground? Yeah, the underground. We did the main one. Yeah. But it was great. And then I got in.

She let you in? Yeah. Esty let you in? Yeah. Lucky you. It's funny. He goes, you know Eric Griffin, right? And I take my mask down and she goes, oh yeah.

And I was like, you don't know who the fuck I am. Stop acting like I am. You just love this guy and he's vouching for me. So he says, he goes, because we're going to be there two weeks now. He's like, well, let's come again. First of all, we're bumping people, and I don't like that. So Ray's like, hey, let's come Saturday. And I go, hey, Ray, why don't we put ourselves on the lineup?

And he goes, oh, yeah. You know what? You're right. Good idea. OK. Oh, really? Nice. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Good idea. Okay. Oh, really? Nice. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Good idea. Yeah. You know what I mean? Because we want to bump people. Right. I mean, you could do it, but it's like, come on, man. You can't. No, he's dragging you along.

Yeah, yeah. Because people, I'm going to be like, oh, why is he, you know? Yeah, and Keith Robinson going, who the fuck? Yeah, exactly, dude. It was like, so, but it was really cool. And, you know, and so I had that experience. So anyways, you know, and, you know, you just, So anyways, you work when you can at this point right now. So stuff comes up, I'll go out for it, and we just do it.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. You know what I mean? Yeah. I mean, I think when I did I'm Dying Up Here, I got that from they saw me at the comedy store, man. Yeah, they used to order store guys. Yeah, they were just there that night. And it was like I got to part three weeks later.

Did you meet Jim Carrey? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. He just there that night, and it was like I got to part three weeks later. Did you meet Jim Carrey? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. He was there that night. I always tell this story, but it was so weird. Adam, he comes up to me and says, I'm about to go on stage. Yeah.

He says, hey, Eric, Jim Carrey's here. My first thought was, is he bumping me? Right, of course, yeah. And I was furious, Mark. Furious. Yeah. And I was furious, Martin. Furious. Yeah, yeah. So I was like, what the fuck is he doing here with $300 million in the bank bumping people that he's never done comedy?

He hasn't done comedy in like 10 years. Yeah. Why is he here? Yeah. You know? So I went on stage with like anger in my soul and I kill. Right. It's so funny because I'm the same way.

And anytime I see the bumpers or the people that can for whatever reason, like I'll see Burr. You didn't tell Burr. Call in. Yeah. I just say, like, when are you going on? He's like, I don't know. And I'm like, I'll bring you up.

Just like this. This is like just to curtail it. You're like, not before me. I don't want to wait. Yeah. I just, you know, it is what it is. I get so mad, dude. It's because it's like, all you got to do is just be on the lineup. Yeah.

Just let us know. Yeah. Can it be like that? Can it just be like there's 16 people on this lineup? Yeah, right. Or you see it like. Can you be. You look at the schedule and there's the Pauly Shore pop in.

I'm like, really? Oh, come. Or you see it like- Can you be- You look at the schedule and there's the Pauly Shore pop in. I'm like, really? Oh, come on. Do we need that? Wait. Just put him on the lineup. You know, like, why not- Oh, I did Pauly's movie. That's another movie

I just did. Oh, yeah? How was that? It was just, the movie was called Guest House. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. The premise of the movie is

people have a house and Pauly Shore is living in the guest house. That's the premise. As Pauly Shore. Yeah, yeah. No matter what his character is, it's just Pauly Shore is living in the guest house. That's the premise. As Pauly Shore. Yeah. No matter what his character is, it's just Pauly Shore is living in the guest house. I thought it was nice.

It was like an homage to like watchy. Yeah. It seemed funny, but it came and went. Where is it? It's on Netflix now. Yeah. People like it. I mean, I'll say it wasn't like, you know what?

You're going to be like this. Okay. Well, that's what's so funny about him is like, you know, he talks about when he gets on stage, how he used to be the character. It's like, he's still a guy. By the end of the 15 minutes, that's what's so funny about him is he talks about when he gets on stage how he used to be the character. It's like, he's still a guy. By the end of the 15 minutes, he's the guy. The wheeze is back. Yeah.

And people have fond memories of the wheeze. That's what I'm saying. It's weird. It's okay that he was one of the largest stars at a particular time. When you talk about just a comedy world, Pauly was huge. Yeah. Okay? He was huge. Like him or not, he was huge. Yeah. Okay? He was huge.

Like him or not, he was huge. And now he's like a nostalgia act. He means something to somebody. Yeah, it's like- Remember when we were 15? There's going to be like a Bravo show with him, Gary Busey. I think it's already happened. You know, they're going to go on like tours of inns.

Yeah. So are you working tonight? Yeah, I'm at the store tonight. What time? I don't know. Which room? I think I'm in the OR. I don't know.

Me too. I think I'm in the OR. I'm in the OR. I'm going to see what time I'm on. Yeah. What time are we on tonight? I'm on. I'm at 945.

Oh, I'm probably after you. That's what they always do. No, wait. You can't. Sometimes I'm after you. I'm at 945. Because I'm at 945. We're in different rooms. I'm in the main room. Oh, yeah. I'm probably after you. That's what they always do. No, wait. Sometimes I'm after you. You're not at 9.45 because I'm at 9.45. We're in different rooms. I'm in the main room.

Oh, yeah. I'm in the OR. Yeah, yeah. So we'll be on stage at the same time. Wouldn't that be nice? Yeah. And I'll be hearing you. I'll be on stage in the OR and I'll be hearing the big laughs.

I'm like, oh, fucking hell. Killing down the hall. What are you talking about? People like listening to you. I know. What does that mean? That's a backhanded compliment. You're not a belly laugh comic. Sure I compliment. You're not a belly laugh comic.

Sure I am. You're not a belly laugh comic. I can get a belly laugh. But that's not what you want. Sometimes. You want people to go like this. Good one. No.

You want people to be like, ooh, ooh, that's a smart one. I get some belly laughs. I know. I've got to say, but that's not what- I can do it. But that's not your goal. I like the laughs where they're like, what? Yes, exactly.

You want the ones where people go, ah, you got me with that one. But that's a laugh. It is. But I can- It's a natural. First of all- I can roll it out, dude. You want to go?

I'll belly laugh. Next time I'm after you, I want to see like an all belly laugh set. All belly laugh set. You're not sitting on that stool. You want me to work it. You're up. I want you to be up with energy, walking around, giving it to the crowd. People are going to be like, shit.

Holy Christ. This is 1976, Mark Merritt. He's got it in him still. Yeah. All right, buddy. But you're in a good place right now. I'm okay, yeah. You're in a good place.

Thank you, sir. You too. Good talking to you. Oh, that's it? All right. Thank you. You all right? Do you want to. You're in a good place. Thank you, sir. You too. Good talking to you. Oh, that's it? All right, thank you. You all right? Do you want to plug the podcast in here?

Yeah, Riffin with Griffin, and I also game. I'm on Twitch all the time on Eric Griffin Gaming. Oh, really? Yeah, I love it. I'm the old man gaming. I have no idea what that world is.

Yeah, it's just me. I play video games, and people watch me, and they pay me to do it. Wow. That's a good gig if you can get it. Yeah, that's the gig I want to keep. All right. to do it wow yeah it's a good gig if you can get it yeah that's the gig i want to keep all right all right eric griffin riffing with griffin is the podcast you can also see him on workaholics

if you haven't seen that show he's also on i'm dying up here and he's uh he does the stand-up okay all right now i will uh I think I'll play some guitar. Thank you. Cat angels everywhere. Boomer lives. So rocked out, I did it backwards. Did I mention there are cat angels everywhere man it's a night for the whole family be a part of kids night when the Toronto Rock take on the Colorado Mammoth at a special 5 p.m. start time on Saturday, March 9th at First Ontario Centre in Hamilton. The first 5,000 fans in attendance will get a Dan Dawson bobblehead courtesy of

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