5 QUESTIONS WITH ERIK GRIFFIN

by Ryan Meehan

Erik Griffin, a first generation American-born comedian/actor, is hard working, ambitious, talented, and most importantly “funny” according to his mother. Erik made the decision in 2003to quit his job and plunge headlong into making comedy his full-time occupation. This challengepaid off, Erik will next be seen as a recurring character on the new Comedy Central series, TheWorkaholics as “Montez Walker”.  Erik first gained national exposure performing in the ALMA nominated Payaso Comedy Slam seen on SHOWTIME and COMEDY CENTRAL networks, Live at Gotham on COMEDY CENTRAL, Last Comic Driving on NBC, Comics Without Borders on SHOWTIME, nationally syndicated Comics Unleashed; and he can be seen featured in several national commercials, including the Emmy winning, Bud Light Swear Jar. In 2008 at the Just For Laughs Montreal Comedy Festival, he received overwhelming reviews. Erik was featured at the 2008 NACANational Conference, the 2007 East Regional and 2006 NACA West Regional Showcases. He iscurrently headlining clubs and colleges throughout the United States and Canada.  Mostly recently, Erik was seen on, Surviving the Holidays with Lewis Black on the HISTORYCHANNEL, he was featured in the Tribeca Film Festival Documentary, Just Like Us and will betouring the world promoting the movie.  With his multicultural background, a Central American-Caribbean mother, a father of European decent, Erik blends well into the North American landscape particularly in this era of cultural diversity. With his routine full of hilarious observations about life, love and self-evaluation, he brings together all ages and ethnic backgrounds, which makes for an uproariously good time.  And he’s also our guest this week in 5 Questions. 

FOH:  What do you like better, doing standup or acting on a television show?

EG: That’s a hard question these days, it’s a matter of what came first, the chicken or the egg. I love doing stand up, but to really get out there you have to be on TV. I want to always do stand up, I love it, but working on Workaholics is amazing!  So I would say acting on a television show. 

FOH:  Which episode of “Workaholics” is your favorite and why? 

EG: My favorite episode is the office camp out. It’s very simple and showcases the fun of the show, the three boys at their stoner wacky best. 

FOH:  As far back as you can remember, what was the longest time you’ve ever spent writing comedy in one sitting and what was it that you were working on? 

EG: It was a few years ago, I was sitting in a hotel room in Palm Springs. I was writing out an outline for a movie idea a buddy and I were working on together. I had an inspiration for an outline and worked on it all night. 

FOH:  You seem like you can rock a moustache pretty well…Why were you not considered for the lead in the upcoming Freddie Mercury biopic? 

EG: Who are you telling! This is top 5 mustache in the business! It had a career before me, I am just catching up now. 

FOH:  Out of all your work on the road doing standup, what was the strangest thing that ever happened to you? 

EG: The strangest thing doing stand up was actually in town at the World Famous Comedy Store on sunset. A heckler was getting out of hand, I had to put him in his place, he couldn’t take it. He rushed the stage, threw a chair at me, I had to punch the guy in the face a couple of times. Best part, I went back on stage when they were taking him out, finished my set, and got a standing ovation. Great strange times!
 
FOH:  What do you have planned for the next twelve months?   

EG: I am doing a lot of stand up, spreading my special kind of joy, auditioning and filming the next 10 episodes of the season.

You can catch Erik at Just For Laughs Montreal next week, or check out any of the links below for more Erik Griffin.   

Erik’s official website: http://www.erikgriffin.com 

Erik on Twitter: @erikgriffin

Erik on Facebook:  http://facebook.com/erikgriffincomedian

Once again thanks for visiting First Order Historians and enjoying more of the internet’s finest in user generated content.
 
Meehan