Eddie Griffin – You Tell Em I Said It

You Tell ‘Em I Said It is Eddie Griffin’s third stand-up comedy DVD.

Griffin has appeared or starred in over two dozen films.  It’s clear from this show that this stand-up comic has spent too much time on set and not enough time writing material. The special airs February 19th at 11 p.m. on Comedy Central. You Tell Em I Said It will be available as a comedy MP3 download and DVD sarting February 22nd

If you’ve heard more than a few stand-up comedy albums in your life, then about 80% of the material on this album will sound rehashed.  He talks about material such as priests having sex with young boys, cops treating black people unfairly, and black women having a lot of attitude.  I’m trying very hard to contain my yawn.  It takes Griffin over an hour to get to a track that has any worth, “Fighting Food Chain”, but this track is not enough to save the album, not even close.

When Griffin isn’t talking about the same thing you’ve heard a dozen times, he’s telling boring, uninspiring jokes.  Throughout the set it’s clear that Griffin’s comedy writing process is just going through the motions.  He tries being topical about current athletes’ problems like Lebron James, Tiger Woods, and Michael Vick, but he barely tells jokes during these bits.  He just talks over the situation they’re in, throws in a few expletives and slurs and the audience eats it up *yawn* damn, well, I tried.

The only thing more annoying than Eddie Griffin’s “material” in this album is the sound editing.  There are numerous points where the audience switches from uproarious laughter (the biggest mystery of this release) to flat-out silence, and vice-versa.  Stand-up comedy is supposed to flow, and every time the audience reaction abruptly switches gear because of crummy editing, it takes the listener out of the swing of the set.

If you want to hear Eddie Griffin’s best work, go back and find some of his stand-up CD or DVD from the 90’s.  They are far away better than You Tell ‘Em I Said It.  Bottom line: don’t waste your money.

You Tell Em I Said It
Eddie Griffin
Stand-up comedy dvD
Comedy Central Records 2011

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