If you ever find yourself in the middle of a bank holdup, comic Eddie Griffin says, the criminals’ race will determine how well executed the robbery goes. “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,” he observed during one standup special. “Niggers? They just show up with a nine and a .45. And they’ll only bring one clip.”

Still, Griffin says that pale-skinned perpetrators do have room for improvement, especially when it comes to picking their targets. “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’s rough and gritty style is much closer to Richard Pryor’s than to Sinbad’s or Bill Cosby’s, which may be one reason his movie career has been spotty (although his performances in Deuce Bigalow and Undercover Brother got big laughs). Standup remains where Griffin shines the best as viewers can see during his performance today. 8 p.m. Thursday, 8 and 10:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The Improv, 7620 Katy Freeway. For information, call 713-333-8800 or visit www.improvhouston.com. $30.

June 9-11, 2011

This article appears in Jun 9-15, 2011.

Bob Ruggiero has been writing about music, books, visual arts and entertainment for the Houston Press since 1997, with an emphasis on Classic Rock. He used to have an incredible and luxurious mullet in...