If there's one thing that's true about comedian Eddie Griffin, it's that he's never been afraid to push buttons; his style is far more Richard Pryor than Sinbad or Bill Cosby. During one standup special, he described how to figure out the racial makeup of the robbers.
"Now see white boys, they plan shit. They've got technical terms for their guns, maps, body armor, they do it with a military precision," the African-American comic observed. "N-----s? They just show up with a nine and a .45. And they'll only bring one clip."
Still, Griffin says that pale-skinned perpetrators may need to pick their targets more carefully. "I saw that these white boys robbed the Bank of America. Everybody knows there's no money in the Bank of America. It's like the McDonald's of banks - there's one on every corner!"
Griffin started performing standup in the '90s, a later in that decade appeared on TV as one half of the title duo of Malcolm and Eddie. And while his movie career has been spotty at best, he garnered big laughs as both Rob Schneider's "man whore" pimp in the Deuce Bigelow movies and his own starring turn as a blaxploitation hero out of his time in the now cult-favorite Undercover Brother.
Griffin is also a singer/songwriter in the '70s-Philly soul/funk style, and on his site (www.eddiegriffin.com), you can download tracks from the sacred ("Spiritual Crossroads") to the profane ("Pussy Obligation") to the party (um, that would be "Party Too Hard").
But standup remains where Griffin shines the best. He's out to promote his latest DVD, You Can Tell 'Em I Said It; but just know that whatever money he makes on this tour, it's not going into the Bank of America.
June 9-11 at the Improv, 7620 Katy Freeway. $30. 713-333-8800 or www.improv.com
