In part 3 of the series I talk to comedian Erik Griffin about being a comedian, the LA Clippers, video games, and Blake Anderson being the worst. Erik called me on his way to the, now infamous, Chris Paul return to Staples game.
Erik Griffin is one the hardest working, and funniest stand-ups in LA. His latest special, titled The Ugly Truth, aired on Showtime last July and is a MUST WATCH. Most people know him as Montez from Comedy Central’s Workaholics, or Gershawn from Showtime’s Blunt Talk. Erik has also appeared in Bob’s Burgers, Arrested Development, and Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates. His latest venture is Showtime’s comedy/drama I’m Dying Up Here. The first season was amazing, and Erik shines as Ralph King.
Aside from being a great comedian and actor, Erik is a LA Clippers season ticket holder. Him and friend/former costar Adam Devine have tickets together and attend as many games as they can.
From Workaholic to Clipperholic, here’s what Erik Griffin had to say.
How long have you been a Clippers fan?
"I’ve been a Clippers fan for like, oh man, I’m trying to think of how long ago that was. Man, it’s like 20 years or so."
What was it that made you a fan?
"Well, it’s funny because I used to go to the games because I wanted to go watch the Supersonics, I wanted to go watch Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp play; I wanted to see the other teams. What would start to happen is you would, in the fourth quarter, you would cheer for the Clippers because it was a home game at the Sports Arena. But then it got to a point where I was like, “You know what? I actually like the Clippers.” Then, when they had Ken Norman and Loy Vaught and Terry Dehere and Mark Jackson in that year, you know, they went to the playoffs and lost to Houston that’s when it really cemented it. I was like, “You know what, the Clippers are going to do it one day.” And it’s just been a love-hate relationship ever since."
Why, in a city with a storied franchise like the Lakers, do you think there is still a fan base for a team like the Clippers?
"Well, I think that the Clippers represent a different…you know, The Lakers are like “Hollywood”. So, you know, you see Hollywood, and you’re like “Oh those are the stars and that’s the lifestyle that I can’t live.” And the Clippers are like, you know, the blue-collar, everyday…they’re the grimy underbelly of LA and you just relate to them better. The Clippers struggle is the struggle of everyone in LA. It’s like “Why are we here? What are we trying to do? Have we made it? Are we gonna make it?” So you can relate to that struggle."
It’s funny, in every interview I’ve done so far for this series when I get to that question, everyone has said “The Lakers are Hollywood”.
"Yeah well, they just represent Rodeo Drive. They represent Beverly Hills, and they represent a life that you can’t really live. When you see a game you see all the stars there, you don’t even think you can go to the game. You don’t even necessarily want to be there; you feel like if you go to the Laker game you’re out-of-place, you know what I mean? (laughs)"
Being a fan for 20 years, do you have a favorite Clippers’ moment?
"My favorite Clippers’ moment… Oh man, I don’t know if I have a favorite Clippers’ moment. But, actually though, I remember they were playing the Houston Rockets in the playoffs. That playoffs. I remember Ken Norman was at the free throw line. He was a horrible free throw shooter. He missed the first free throw in a key part of the game, and I don’t know if it was Mark Jackson, but the crowd was kind of rumbling. Was it Mark Jackson?..kind of raised up the crowd. He was like “COME ON, SUPPORT!” Giving them that “support him” sign, and then everybody started cheering, and he made that free throw and we went on and won that game, but we lost game 5."
Do you see any connections between being a fan of comedy and being a Clippers fan?
"Yes, the same thing I was saying about the analogy about LA and Hollywood. You know, the Lakers are like dramatic actors and the upper echelon of Hollywood. Comedians; they don’t get a chance, you know? The Clippers have been the laughingstock of the league, they’re like the underdog, the no one sees them, no one takes them serious. Just like comedians. Comedians are not taken serious. Like, “oh, you have to be funny all the time”, then when we get the opportunity, we just want the opportunity so we can shine. It’s the same with the Clippers. They just need the right set of players, get the right moment, the right coach, the right owner, and then maybe we’ll get that chance too."
Being both a huge Clippers fan and a huge comedy fan I’ve noticed a big fan base within the comedy world for the Clippers. There’s you, Payman Benz, Jensen Karp, Jen Statsky, obviously Billy Crystal. What is it about the Clippers that you think attracts so many people from the comedy scene?
"I still just think that it has to do with…because you have two teams in LA, and one team is associated with the historic history and all this. And then you have these Clippers that’s just sort of grimy underdogs. I think it’s the same answer. I just think that the Clippers are…you’re starting your own tradition. A lot of these people are coming and it’s like how you have Billy Crystal who’s been there the whole time. There’s just something about the Clippers, like I said, it’s that underdog feeling; you just want to be a part of that when it finally happens. You know, I thought it was going to happen for the last four years… but it just…it just didn’t. And that’s how comedy is; you hit, and then it’s gone. You have to keep working at it, you know, comedy is something you have to keep working at and I think people can relate that to the Clippers. That just seems too intellectual how I’m saying that, but if you break it all down, that’s what I think it is."
The team got really raw and young in the Chris Paul trade. There was some struggle but seems like they’re finding some balance and rhythm now. What do you think the future looks like as a franchise?
"Well, I think that there’s something about the NBA; it’s the cream of the crop, and there is a HUGE difference between a super star and a regular player. If you don’t have those type of players you’re not going to win. I don’t care how hard you work, you could be the everyman-working-hard-guy all you want, you have to have game. You have to be able to run fast, get fouled, play through it, the best veteran players. The people that have those players, those are the teams that win. OK? I think that we now see the difference without having Chris Paul. So I think the future looks good, because we’re going to be in the draft and we’re going to develop players, and then we might get lucky and get that one star again like how we got Blake Griffin, which changed the whole culture of the franchise with how athletic and great he is."
I know you do a lot of gaming on Twitch. Do you play 2k?
"No I’m not. I’m going to tell you why… I don’t like basketball games because the computer AI has too much to do with the outcome. You see, no one shoots 100%. Probably in the history of the game there probably hasn’t been anyone, like a star say shot 100% in a game; went 10 for 10 or something like that. So therefore, the computer knows this, so whatever the algorithm they use, a guy’s going to miss a shot. No matter what you do, you can’t shoot 100%, so the computer has too much involvement in the outcome of the game. And I don’t like that."
Were you at least an NBA Jam guy?
"Oh yeah. I used to love all those games, man. I remember the original NBA Jam and the original EA Sports, remember that Lakers vs Celtics, remember that game? Those were the days, man."
The Clippers just had NBA Jam night. Back in the day, what was your NBA Jam duo of choice?
"I used to like Shawn Kemp and Gary Payton. And of course the Bulls, everyone played with them. I don’t know why, something about the Seattle Supersonics, man I just loved Shawn Kemp. Because that was back in the day when you could dunk on somebody and point in their face (laughs). They need to bring that back. I remember when taunting was OK, they need to bring that back. It was just better when you could dunk on somebody and talk about they momma right on the court. THAT was when basketball was basketball."
I know your former Workaholics costar Blake Anderson, being from the Bay Area, is a big Warriors fan. During the height of the Clippers/Warriors rivalry would you two get into it over those match-ups?
"Oh yes, yes, yes he’s the worst. He’s the worst. I HATE Warriors fans (sighs). I can’t… I just don’t even respect the Warriors and everything that has happened. Everybody was injured that first year that they won.We weren’t ready, we were up 20 on them… oh my God, I’m so mad. And then, somebody took a picture of me during the Clipper game when Steph Curry was shooting his three-pointer and I have the Home Alone face going on, and then you know, they took a picture of that and it went viral because of Blake [Anderson], he’s sending it to me. He’s the worst."
I can’t thank Erik enough for taking the time to chat and answer these questions for us. He’s as sweet as he is funny. Be sure to check his Twitter and website for tour dates. You can catch him streaming his games on his Twitch page. Be sure to keep an eye out for season two of I’m Dying Up Here on Showtime on May 6th, 2018.