Kathy Griffin’s signature firecracker, as-seen-on-TV personality is not an act.
In just five minutes over the phone last week, Ms. Griffin managed to cover a lot of ground—from her dietary habits to Kylie Jenner and Tyga’s alleged relationship, from Donald Trump to Caitlyn Jenner to her 95-year-old mother, Maggie, who imbibes more frequently than Ms. Griffin prefers.
She did not relinquish the conversation’s reins until she was finished—blunt, witty and always unapologetic, even when it comes to her romantic life.
“Cher once told me to never date a man older than 36,” she explained from the road. “My boyfriend of four years turns 36 this year, and I think I’m going to have to call Cher to have her break up with him.”
On Saturday, the 54-year-old comedian will come to the Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center for a stand-up show, as part of her 80-city “#LikeABossTour.”
“When I announced the 80-city tour, I might have been drinking sizzurp in the back of Kylie Jenner’s new Ferrari,” she deadpanned.
In 2013, the Guinness Book of World Records honored the comedian for having starred in and written 20 televised stand-up comedy specials—more than any comedian ever. Her first “HBO Comedy Half-Hour” aired in 1996, and her most recent show, “Kathy Griffin: Record Breaker,” aired on Bravo in 2013.
Ms. Griffin has found herself in the limelight over the last 25 years after breaking into television on NBC’s “Suddenly Susan.” She proudly displays two Emmy awards and a Grammy in her foyer in California.
But she initially faced backlash from her Irish Catholic family, who pushed her to trade in comedy—for a career as a dental hygienist.
“They wanted me to marry a Jew doctor. Yeah, my parents were happy to switch religions,” she said. “My mom also wanted me to be a stew—short for ‘stewardess.’ She always said, ‘If you were a goddamn stew, we could all go to Europe for $8!’ Now that I have a mansion in the Hills and a shelf of awards, they’re all on board.”
While Ms. Griffin is not one to turn down a television gig, her true love lies with stand-up, especially when it’s not filmed.
“I love doing television, but I will say that the live experience is too heinous even for a cable special,” she said with a laugh. “The live experience is alive and well, and nothing can replicate that feeling, energy, or inappropriate vomiting that is between the audience and the comic.”
That exchange between Ms. Griffin and her audience is addicting, she said. In fact, after two weeks without doing a stand-up show, Ms. Griffin says she gets “the shakes.” Self-diagnosed with a “stand-up comedy disorder,” Ms. Griffin has forced herself to master the art of living on the road.
“I really can’t say that I am on a crazy schedule—I am a night owl,” she explained. “I’ve been doing it for so many years that I kind of have it down. I don’t feel run down, because it actually energizes me.”
Ms. Griffin said she rarely prepares for a show. “I have no idea what I’m going to say on stage until about 7:58,” she said. “I like to take the audience’s temperature. I love to fly by the seat of my pants and not know what I’m going to say. I like to have anchor stories and bring the personal to my shows.
“It’s the personal material that people come to see,” she continued. “I am a crazy magnet.”
But Westhampton Beach ticket holders should know one thing for certain: Mr. Trump will be speared and roasted over Ms. Griffin’s fire that night.
“I do feel that I will do almost whatever it takes to make sure that President Trump is still in the running up until my show,” she said. “He represents promise to me, and he represents the promise of a national meltdown. He is the Amanda Bynes of presidential candidates.”
Kathy Griffin will bring “#LikeABossTour” to the Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center on Saturday, August 22, at 8 p.m. Tickets range from $135 to $165. For more information, call (631) 288-1500, or visit whbpac.org.
on Aug 18, 2015