Erik Griffin Talks ‘Workaholics’, His New Comedy Album and ‘Stingray Coochie’ [INTERVIEW]

To say Erik Griffin got a second chance wouldn't exactly be correct. Getting a second chance means a chance was given, whereas Erik took his second chance on dreams of being in comedy. It's all paying off.

"I started working at a school and had a whole different life plan," Griffin explained, "but then I woke up one day and realized I didn’t want to end up being a 50-year-old man who didn’t follow his dreams."

Griffin's debut album, 'Technical Foul: Volume One', was released today on Side One Dummy records.  His Comedy Central Presents Half-Hour Stand-Up Special will premiere later this year. When he's not touring the country, he's playing Montez, the overly competitive and overtly sexual co-worker of Blake, Adam and Ders on the hilarious Comedy Central series 'Workaholics.'

Griffin took a few minutes to discuss his path to stand-up, enemies in his head and, of course, the character Montez.

The name of your new album is ‘Technical Foul: Volume One’ so do you have a second album already in the works or is this like a ‘History of the World Part 2’ type of joke.

Yeah, I just thought it would be funny to name it Volume One. Let’s keep people wondering about a second album. I want people to ask, “Where is volume two?” Maybe my second album will be all music since I’m on a punk rock label.

What did you do before stand-up?

Well, right out of high school and going into college I started doing open mics. I made just a half-hearted attempt at it and stopped for eight years. Not sticking with comedy is one of my biggest regrets in life. I started working at a school and had a whole different life plan for a while but then I woke up one day and realized I didn’t want to end up being a 50-year-old man who didn’t follow his dreams.

Was there one moment that pushed you to get back into stand-up?

There wasn’t one moment but more of a collection of comments like “oh you’re so funny” or “didn’t you used to do standup?” that motivated me to get back into it. Also, I started to see the people who I did open mic nights with doing movies and getting breaks on TV and it just makes you say, “Why didn’t I keep going?” I quit my job in 2003 and just went for it.

Sometimes envy is a great motivator.

True, especially if you focus it properly. I think anything is great motivator if you take a negative and make it a positive. I have this habit of making enemies in my mind. In high school, the basketball coach told the summer before the season was riding me so hard saying things like “you’re never going to make the team.” I remember making my mom sign me up for basketball camp and working my ass off. I made the team and I was one of the leading scorers on the team and at one point the coach was reading names off the list of leading scorers and he got to my name and just kind of looked at me and I just had this smile on my face like “Yeah, you say my name you bastard.” Ever since then I’ve used that moment as a motivator. I pick enemies and use it as my motivation.

Is it weird you left a full time job to pursue comedy and become known for your role as Montez on ‘Workaholics’ which is a show about working in an office?

Yeah, it’s kind of ironic. It’s life just imitating art or maybe the reverse. Though I don’t really consider being on ‘Workaholics’ as work.

Also, the things that happen on the show hopefully don’t happen in real life.

Let’s hope not, though you never know, people seem to really relate to the show.

Was Montez their creation?

Yes, it was their creation but my interpretation on the character.

Have you ever looked at a script and thought “there is no way we’re getting away with this on TV.”

Yes, often. I mean we had a pedophile episode. I was naked in an episode. We had a mold of a woman’s vagina. I hit another man with a black two-headed dildo. You name it and we’ve done it.

Is there a lot of input from the network about the content?

When I get a script it’s pretty much been approved. There have been times we’ve had to make a few changes after the final script. For example, one of the lines fans are always tweeting at me or repeating to me in person is “stingray coochie.” In the original script, it was “stingray p*ssy.” They made us change it but for the most part it’s been fine.

Do you ever have an issue with ‘Workaholics’ fans coming to your shows and yelling lines at you while you’re trying to perform?

That doesn’t usually happen because I’ve got a big personality and I tend to take control early on in my shows. It’s not annoying at shows. It’s annoying when I’m at dinner. I’m trying to eat a meal and people come up to me and repeat lines from the show. Some guys think it’s real. I’ve had guys come up to me and ask ‘why’d you sell that broke-ass hovercraft?’ or they ask about the booger episode like ‘what did those boogers taste like?’ Come on man, I’m eating a sandwich here.

Erik Griffin's new album, 'Technical Foul: Volume One' is available now on iTunes, Amazon and on his official website.