Comedy Master Eddie Griffin Wows at the Rio in Las Vegas, Irreverent Humor Brings Plenty of Laughs; Mason Pryor – Son of Late Comedy Genius Richard Pryor – and Thomas Ward Strong Opening Acts, More
Las Vegas, the entertainment capital of the world, hosts all sorts of spectacles, acrobatics shows, music performances, magic performances, celebrity tribute shows, showgirls, tours to the Grand Canyon and many other things for the millions visiting the city yearly. However, if you are looking for a laugh and are not easily offended, comedian and actor Eddie Griffin puts on a hilarious show in The King’s Room at the Rio All-Suite Las Vegas Hotel & Casino’s. I suspect it is unlike any comedy show you have ever experienced. (Photograph above with Eddie Griffin and me.)
Mr. Griffin’s show is a no holds barred commentary on a variety of social and political topics, as well as his life experiences. Some have called Eddie this generation’s Richard Pryor. It is a title he hopes to live up to every day. Speaking of the late Richard Pryor, Eddie has currently taken the late comedian’s son, Mason Pryor, under his wing.
Mason is one of Mr. Griffin’s two opening acts. The young Pryor’s routine garnered laughs about sex and the financial challenges of being relatively new to the comedy game. The other opening act, comedian Thomas Ward, told jokes about Instagram models and his bad credit score, also to abundant laughs.
After Pryor and Ward, Eddie Griffin took to the stage for two hours. There were endless laughs from the crowd. To appreciate Mr. Griffin’s humor, you have to come with a thick skin and an open mind. You will be taken to a place where no topic or person is off limits. His quick wit and comedic follow up is strong. Audiences at the Rio get a solid three hours of laugh filled entertainment during this show.
Many will remember Eddie Griffin from the Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo movies with Rob Schneider [see our past comedy coverage with Rob here], the TV show Malcolm & Eddie with Malcolm-Jamal Warner and the film Undercover Brother. Today, he is back to his comedy roots performing numerous nights a week at the Rio, as well as touring the country. He is also working with fellow comedians George Lopez, D.L. Hughley, Charlie Murphy and Cedric The Entertainer on a new BET show titled The Comedy Get Down.
Before his performance on May 24th at the Rio, we had a chance to speak to Mr. Griffin about a variety of topics. You can read the transcript or listen to the entire CYInterview below:
Listen to the entire Eddie Griffin CYInterview below:
(Backup Player: Including IE)
Chris Yandek: We are here today at the Rio in Las Vegas with comedian, actor Eddie Griffin. Eddie, thank you so much for joining me today. It’s really great to finally meet you.
Eddie Griffin: “No problem. It’s great to finally meet you.”
CY: Well, to begin with, let’s just talk about performing at the Rio and going across the country. Does this take you back to the beginning before you became a big movie and TV star?
EG: “Most definitely. That’s why I choose this room, The King’s Room. It seats 150. It reminds me of the original room at The Comedy Store.”
CY: You know, well looking forward to that, in reality, let’s take a look at Las Vegas in general. There are big concert shows, Cirque du Soleil of course, Celine Dion, Olivia Newton-John, many other things going on in this town, where does comedy have its role in Las Vegas you think?
EG: “Levity. You know what I mean. Because you’re out here gambling, you lose some money, you’re gonna need a laugh. You know what I mean. Cirque du Soleil, that’s fun to go witness when you still got a pocket full of cash. But after you just got beat up at the craps table, you’re gonna need a laugh, so comedy has always been a staple in Las Vegas, even with The Rat Pack because they added a lot of humor into their performance, so yeah.”
CY: What does it mean to you that people say that you are this generation’s Richard Pryor?
EG: “That’s a compliment that I hope I live up to daily.”
CY: I look back and on a bunch of things, I grew up with Malcom & Eddie. I grew up with the Deuce Bigalow movies, Undercover Brother of course. What do you think about still when you look back on all these great TV and movie roles that you have done?
EG: “I’ve only just begun. The best is yet to come.”
CY: So what’s in store then?
EG: “That is a brand new television series on BET called The Comedy Get Down, which is the world tour of my own with D.L Hughley, Cedric The Entertainer, George Lopez and Mr. Charlie Murphy.”
CY: So when you’re out there performing here at the Rio Las Vegas or again across the country, does it bring back old memories from the beginning before again, Hollywood happened?
EG: “No. Because I don’t live in the past, I have to live in the present and keep creating the future. So every time you do a show, it’s new.”
CY: Well, I will leave you with two questions then, because you talk about that and you are living in the present, I think that, you know, with a comedian, you always have to find new inspirations, find new things in your routine. What is inspiring you right now?
EG: “Crazy people. You know, Donald Trump, an obvious crazy person. You know what I mean. Those that are voting for Donald Trump, obvious crazy people, you know what I mean. You don’t have to write a joke. Sometimes they just walk up to you. Sometimes they just show up on your TV set. Sometimes they’re running for president and they are out of their damn mind.”
CY: And you are very concerned about him based on the social issues. Now that he is one election away from being President of the United States of America, are you even more concerned?
EG: “I am not concerned because if he wins, he’s gonna enjoy sitting behind a desk because Congress is gonna take another vacation for eight years just like they did with President Obama. He’s not gonna be able to pass anything. The first vote they’re gonna have I predict when Donald Trump wins is that they are going to ixnay the executive order. So he won’t be able to sign anything into law and he’ll have a nice desk and they’re gonna laugh at him. You already had a desk at Trump Towers. Now you have another desk at the White House. Enjoy it for the four years, but you ain’t doing sh**.”
CY: You have said that you will move out of the country if he becomes president. Will you really or was that just something you said? Will you keep to that?
EG: “I don’t know yet. We shall see. If Congress acts right, then I can stay home. If Congress actually plays ball with this retard, say goodbye to Eddie Griffin, I’ll see you when I come here on tour.”
CY: Eddie Griffin, thank you so much. In closing, why should people come out and see you at the Rio?
EG: “I don’t like to toot my own horn, but you know, you’re seeing one of the best at the top of his game. That’s why you should come.”
CY: Eddie Griffin, I have grown up with you over 20 years. Malcolm & Eddie, Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo, very excited to see the show tonight. Thank you so much for the accommodations and I really appreciate your time.
EG: “No problem. Hope you enjoy the show.”
*Editor’s Note: The Rio provided us with two tickets to Mr. Griffin’s show of which we used one.
You can find out more information about Eddie Griffin’s show at the Rio All-Suite Las Vegas Hotel & Casino at the link here.
Eddie Griffin’s official website is here.
You can email Chris Yandek at ChrisYandek@CYInterview.com
You can follow Chris Yandek on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/chrisyandek