How does the trade to Detroit affect Blake Griffin’s comedy career?
Blake Griffin is now a Detroit Piston.
The Los Angeles Clippers sent their former franchise power forward packing earlier this week in a blockbuster, rebuild-kickstarting move that sent shockwaves through the NBA.
We’ve analyzed how the move affects the NBA power struggle, what it means for the future of the Clippers, and reflected upon Griffin’s time in Los Angeles.
NBA Superstar is only one bullet-point on Blake Griffin’s impressive resume. The five-time All-Star and 2010-11 Rookie of the Year is also a stand-up comedian who has already built an impressive list of credits for himself. Griffin has performed at the prestigious Just for Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal, been featured on Comedy Central’s Broad City in a scene-stealing performance, and even started his own production company.
He’s accomplished all this while living in Los Angeles, the entertainment capital of the world. While his move to Detroit provides him with a potentially exciting fresh start in terms of basketball, the Motor City does not offer the same kind of opportunities in the world of comedy.
While Griffin’s status as a super-rich NBA superstar certainly provides him with financial flexibility far beyond the scope of most aspiring comedians, he’ll still need to keep his skills sharp while living in Detroit. No matter how many trips to the coasts he can take for high-profile meetings, auditions, or shoots, he’ll want to make sure he’s keeping his comedy muscles in shape while spending most of his time in Detroit.
We did some research on the comedy scene in Detroit to help Blake find places to test out new material and hone his comedy craft.
“The best comedy show in Detroit is Cellarman’s,” said Detroit native and current NYC stand-up Joel Walkowski. He then added that Cellarman’s “is where Blake will have the Pistons during the second half of his contract.”
Griffin’s injury history combined with his five-year, big-money contract doesn’t exactly have Pistons’ fans hopeful for the long-term success of their team.
Walkowski was able to find something positive in the doubt about the future of the Pistons, saying “The only silver lining about this Blake Griffin contract is that I’ll never have to hear people complain about how [Lions QB Matthew] Stafford is overpaid again.”
Maybe there’s not as much “industry” in Detroit in front of which Griffin can showcase his comedic chops, but that doesn’t mean there’s not stage time to be had. Comedian (and founder of Whiskey Basketball Day) Nate Fridson sees it as a golden opportunity for Blake to test himself as a road-dog.
“Blake Griffin has an opportunity to decide what kind of comic he wants to be. I say, now that he is in the midwest and not the coast, it behooves him to work the road more,” Fridson advises. “He should take advantage of Detroit’s comparatively central location and pick up some work on every road trip, scheduling one-nighters after every away game.”
Working the road is certainly a great way for a comic to develop their act, as well as a thick skin. Fridson also sees the change of scenery as a way for Griffin to increase his statistical output, comedically speaking.
“LA had him on a minutes restriction comedy-wise but now that he’s in the midwest he can really stretch the stage and develop some longer pieces or at the very least work on his transition game. Either way, I expect an uptick in his laughs-per-minute (LPM) numbers.” You heard it here first from Nate Fridson, comedy sabermetrician.
In terms of his long-term comedy success, Griffin may want to join the Michigan Comedy Network group on Facebook. Here, he’ll be able to find a list of open mics he can hit up to work on new material as he puts his nose to the comedy grindstone. If he’d rather skip the open mics, and wants to take advantage of his status as super-famous-NBA-player (and his Just For Laughs credit) to get himself stage time, we’ve found this list of stand-up comedy venues in the Detroit area for Blake to consider.
Adam Sokol, another former-Detroit, current-NYC stand-up recommends Griffin check out the New Way Bar in Ferndale for a Monday night open mic experience not-to-be-missed. He calls the event “the greatest collection of nut jobs and crazies on earth.” High praise indeed.
We’ve already been able to procure Blake some work at a local Detroit comedy club…if he’s able to make a few friends by April.
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“I’m featuring for Dave Attell in April at the Comedy Castle in Detroit,” current Los Angeles, former Detroit comedian Nicole Aimee Schreiber told us. “Tell Blake he can get a guest spot if he can bring out at least 10 people.”
The change of scenery could provide possible inspiration for film locations for Griffin’s production company. Maybe they could move the setting of the planned remake of White Men Can’t Jump to the midwest city, or start works on a Beverly Hills Cop reboot. Perhaps this time around the titular cop goes from Beverly Hills to Detroit in a switcheroo to mirror Griffin’s own move.
Our main advice for Blake is just to put himself out there. We know it can be daunting to start fresh in a new city, especially after establishing yourself elsewhere. The sooner he can throw himself into his new scene, the sooner it will begin to feel like home.