Anthony Griffith: Best of Times, Worst of Times

Summary

The Moth Podcast Episode Summary: Anthony Griffith – "Best of Times, Worst of Times"

Episode Overview In the episode titled "Best of Times, Worst of Times," comedian Anthony Griffith shares a profoundly moving and heartbreaking personal story that delves into the tumultuous period of balancing the pursuit of fame with the devastating news of his young daughter's cancer relapse. Recorded live at the US Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen in 2003, Griffith's narrative is a raw and unfiltered account of love, loss, and the struggle to maintain one's professional aspirations amidst unimaginable personal grief.

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1. Pursuit of the American Dream: Moving to Los Angeles

Anthony Griffith begins his story by recounting his bold decision in 1990 to relocate from Chicago to Los Angeles with his family, driven by the ambition to achieve fame and fortune in the competitive world of stand-up comedy.

“I moved from Chicago with my family to LA to seek my fame and fortune...”
(02:04)

This move symbolizes Griffith's leap of faith into the uncertain but hopeful terrain of Hollywood, where he believed his comedic talents could flourish.

2. Life-Altering News: Two Simultaneous Phone Calls

Shortly after settling in Los Angeles, Griffith receives two pivotal phone calls that set the stage for the ensuing drama.

“One was from the talent coordinator for the Tonight Show offered me to have a spot as a comedian on tonight's show and the second call was that my daughter's doctor had called up to say that her cancer had resurfaced.”
(02:15)

The juxtaposition of professional opportunity with personal crisis creates an immediate conflict, forcing Griffith to navigate the precarious balance between his career aspirations and his role as a father.

3. Juggling Two Worlds: Comedy and Caregiving

Griffith details the intense juggling act required to manage his daughter's deteriorating health while simultaneously advancing his comedy career.

“For that next year my life was pretty surreal because two different personalities during the Day in order to keep my daughter at home with me, I would have to learn CPR and how to work a heart monitor and administer medicine...”
(02:45)

By day, Griffith becomes a caregiver, immersing himself in medical responsibilities such as learning CPR and managing his daughter's treatment. By night, he transforms into a performer, honing his craft and performing at various comedy clubs in hopes of securing a spot on the Tonight Show.

4. The Toll on Humor: From Lighthearted to Dark

As Griffith grapples with his dual responsibilities, his comedic material begins to take on a darker tone, reflecting his inner turmoil and pain.

“My humor is becoming dark and it's biting and it's becoming hateful.”
(04:00)

He acknowledges the shift in his performances, noting that while the talent coordinator seeks lightheartedness, Griffith's genuine emotions compel him to infuse honesty and sorrow into his acts.

5. The Climax: Loss and Continued Performance

Tragedy strikes when Griffith's daughter succumbed to her illness, marking the nadir of his emotional journey. Despite the overwhelming grief, he continues to perform, masking his pain behind applause and maintaining his professional façade.

“By that time, my daughter had died and I had six applause breaks that night. No one knew I was mourning.”
(09:15)

This poignant moment underscores the immense pressure Griffith felt to uphold his role as the 'man of the house,' even as he endured profound personal loss.

6. Reflection: The Complexity of Balancing Life's Contradictions

Griffith reflects on the duality of his experiences, echoing the famous opening line from Charles Dickens' "A Tale of Two Cities," which aptly encapsulates his situation.

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.”
(10:45)

This reflection highlights the paradox of achieving professional milestones amidst personal devastation, emphasizing the intricate and often conflicting nature of human experiences.

7. Aftermath and Continuing the Journey

Following his heartbreaking story, host Dan Kennedy provides an update on Griffith's life post-storytelling. Residing in the serene mountains of California, Griffith continues to perform stand-up while also exploring new creative avenues inspired by his experiences at The Moth.

“The overwhelming positive response from him telling a story at the Moth has prompted him to write a one-man show as well as other short stories that are now in development.”
(10:50)

Griffith's resilience and commitment to his craft serve as a testament to his strength and the enduring power of storytelling as a means of processing and healing from personal tragedy.

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Key Takeaways

• Dual Responsibilities: Griffith's story vividly illustrates the challenge of managing demanding professional ambitions alongside critical family obligations.

• Emotional Resilience: His ability to continue performing despite personal loss underscores the profound resilience required to navigate such hardships.

• Transformation Through Tragedy: The evolution of Griffith's humor from lighthearted to dark mirrors his internal struggle, showcasing how personal pain can shape artistic expression.

• The Role of Storytelling: Griffith's participation in The Moth provided a cathartic outlet for his grief, highlighting the importance of narrative in healing and connecting with others.

Notable Quotes with Attribution

• “Don't mess up. Just don't mess up.” – Anthony Griffith
  (02:30)

• “I'm a clown whose medical bills are raising, who's one step from being evicted, who's one step from getting his car repossessed. And I have to come out and make you laugh because no one wants to hear the clown in pain because that's not funny.” – Anthony Griffith
  (06:45)

• “This is life. Welcome to the real world.” – Anthony Griffith
  (08:30)

• “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” – Anthony Griffith
  (10:45)

Conclusion

Anthony Griffith's "Best of Times, Worst of Times" is a stirring narrative that captures the essence of human vulnerability and the relentless pursuit of dreams amidst life's most challenging moments. His story serves as a powerful reminder of the complexities of balancing personal sorrow with professional aspirations and the healing potential of sharing one's truth through storytelling.

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For more stories like Anthony's, visit The Moth and consider supporting this invaluable nonprofit organization to continue bringing such heartfelt narratives to audiences worldwide.

Transcript

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[Dan Kennedy]

Welcome to the Moth Podcast. I'm Dan Kennedy. The Moth features true stories told live without notes. All stories from the podcast are taken from our ongoing storytelling series in New York, Los Angeles, Detroit and Chicago, and from our tour shows across the country. Visit themoth.org this week's story by Anthony Griffith was recorded Live at the US Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen back in 2003. Anthony is a comedian, but we should warn you that the story he's about to tell is not funny. In fact, it's one of the saddest stories we've ever presented at the Moth. But Anthony was very clear that the time had come for him to tell this story. The theme of the night was When Worlds Collide, Tales from the Clash.

[Anthony Griffith]

Charles Dickens classic tale tells off with the phrase it was the best of times and it was the worst of times. 1990 I moved from Chicago with my family to LA to seek my fame and fortune and in a couple of weeks of being there I got two important phone calls. One was from the talent coordinator for the Tonight show offered me to have a spot as a comedian on tonight's show and the second call was that my daughter's doctor had called up to say that her cancer had resurfaced. A year prior she was diagnosed with cancer and we fought it and it went into remission and now it's back and for that next year my life was pretty surreal because two different personalities during the Day in order to keep my daughter at home with me, I would have to learn CPR and how to work a heart monitor and administer medicine, all these technical terms and take her back and forth. Excuse me. To get her platelets and blood and check up on her. And at night, I would go from club to club with the talent coordinator and I would work on my set and try to perfect it. And I would meet veterans like George Wallace and Seinfeld and Roseanne. And I thought that everything was great because we had beat the cancer before, we could beat it again. And this was the first time that I was going to be in front of millions of people on the Tonight show. And the first time on the Tonight show I was extremely nervous. All I could think about while I was backstage being introduced was, don't mess up. Just don't mess up. Whatever you do, don't mess up. And the curtains open, and there's 600 people and the cameras and. And Johnny's over there and the band is over there. And I don't know what I said for the next six minutes, but I get six applause breaks. And the great part of that night was that I was going to my car and I met Johnny, who was going to his car, and it was just a private moment between us in the parking lot of him saying, you were very funny. You were extremely funny. Start working on your second Tonight show because I want you back. By the time I get the official call for my second Tonight show, my daughter.

My daughter was admitted to the hospital.

If you don't know about cancer, when it comes back, it comes back hard. It's like beating up a gang banger for the first time. And then it's coming back, and he's coming back meaner and stronger, and he's coming with his friends. So in order to compensate for that, you have to raise the chemo and you have to raise the medicine and you have to raise the radiation, which.

Is difficult for an adult.

An adult. But she was only 2, so she's.

Bald, which she doesn't mind because every.

Kid in the ward is bald. And she thinks this is part of.

Life and she can't keep her food down. And there's. You're not prepared for this. There's no books. There's no home ed class to teach you how to deal with this. And you can't go to a therapist because in the black world, a therapist is taboo, as reserved for rich white people. So you're trying to figure it out. What did I do? Maybe it's something I did, maybe something my wife did, maybe my doctor diagnosed it erroneously. Something. But at night, I still have to be a comic. I have to work on a Tonight show because that's what I'm gonna do. I'm a clown. I'm a clown whose medical bills are raising, who's one step from being evicted, who's one step from getting his car repoted. And I have to come out and make you laugh because no one wants to hear the clown in pain because that's not funny. And my humor is becoming dark and it's biting and it's becoming hateful. And the talent coordinator has seen that there's a problem because the NBC is all about nice and just everything is going to be okay. And we're starting to buck horns because he wants everything light. And I want to be honest and tell life. And I'm hurting and. And I want everybody else to hurt because somebody is to blame for this. So I buck up and I suppress my anger and I form and develop a nice, cute routine for the second Tonight Show. And I get applause breaks and I get asked to come back for a third time. And I'm perfecting my third set, and the doctor asked me to come in. And I know something's wrong because even the doctor is crying. And doctors don't cry. And he said that we've done all we can. There's nothing else for us to do. And I said, how much time does she have? And he said, at the most. At the most, six weeks. And I should plan for that. And I'm thinking, how do I plan for that? I haven't planned to buy her her first bicycle. I haven't planned to walk her to school. I haven't planned to take pictures of her on her prom. I haven't planned to walk her down the aisle to married. How am I going to plan to buy her a dress to be buried in? And I'm trying to keep it together because I'm the man and I'm the man of the house. And I don't want to cry, but it's coming. And I'm trying to tell my wife, tell myself, tony, I'm trying to beg the world. Just give me chance, Just give me chances. Just let me take a breath. Just stop just for a minute. I want to call my parents and tell him, what do I do? I don't know what to. I'm a grown man and I don't know what to do. And a man voicing me comes up like Denzel from training day. Man up, nigga. You think you're the only one losing kids today? 25 kids walked in here with cancer, only five walking out. This ain't no sitcom. It don't wrap up all nice and tight in 30 minutes. This is life. Welcome to the real world. And he was right. So I bucked up because that's what I'm supposed to do. And on my third Tonight Show. By that time, my daughter had died and I had six applause breaks that night. No one knew I was mourning. No one knew that I could care less about the Tonight show or Johnny Carson. In 1990, I had three appearances with the legendary Johnny Carson and a total of 14 applause breaks. And I would have given it all if I could just have one more day sharing a bag of french fries with my daughter. It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. Thank you.

[Dan Kennedy]

Anthony Griffith lives in the mountains of California at 5,000ft elevation in an animal protected community. It's much different from the inner city of Chicago where he used to live, but he still travels doing standup. He says that the overwhelming positive response from him telling a story at the Moth has prompted him to write a one man show as well as other short stories that are now in development. The Moth is a nonprofit organization organization so consider supporting our free podcast by going to our podcast contribution page or by becoming a Moth member and you can do [e-mail] our podcast host, Dan.

[Rosetta Stone Advertiser]

Kennedy is the author of the book Rock An Office Power Ballad. Learn [e-mail] thanks to all of you.

[Dan Kennedy]

For listening and we hope you have a story worthy week. Podcast audio production by Paul Ruest at the Argo Studios in New York. Podcast hosting by PRX Public Radio Exchange helping make public radio more [e-mail].