Patience pays off for Comedy Attic

After years of waiting, Comedy Attic owner Jared Thompson will see stand-up comedian Nick Griffin perform at 8 p.m. today.

“We’ve tried to book him for years, and this is the first time we’ve had him,” Thompson said. “We’re considered, if not the best, one of the best clubs outside of New York and Las Vegas. It’s a destination point for people, and audiences are good. We wanted to book him, he wanted to come here.”

Griffin has been a frequent guest on The Late Show with David Letterman, which Thompson said counts for a lot.

“The most impressive thing about Nick’s resume is he’s been on the Late Show with David Letterman seven times,” Thompson said. “Nick is one of only a handful of people out there who are consistently at the top of other comedians’ lists.”

Griffin travels around the country performing at different clubs and working on material. His most recent comedy album is called “Bring Out the Monkey.”

Besides his frequent appearances on Letterman, Griffin had his own half-hour special on Comedy Central and is a favorite on the Bob & Tom Show radio program. He has been invited to well-known festivals such as the Just For Laughs Festival in Montreal and The HBO Comedy Arts Festival in Las Vegas.

“We don’t know what to expect from the audience, but we’re probably going to be sold out for all four of his shows,” Thompson said.

Griffin will have to take the Attic in stride because it’s not a place he’s used to performing at, Thompson said.

The biggest disservice they could do to an audience is to have attendees that do not want to be there, Thompson said.

“That means we don’t usually have the biggest audience,” Thompson said.

He said the venue would prefer a 50-person crowd that cares about the show than one with 90 people, some of whom don’t care.

Thompson believes that Griffin’s performance is a good way to kick-off the fall semester.

“It’s kind of a catch-22,” Thompson said. “We don’t usually attract a lot of students and most parents will be trying to avoid this part of town, so it’s going to be people who really appreciate comedy that show up this weekend.”

Students can buy discounted tickets for $6 Thursday night only, with all other tickets costing $12. Griffin will have additional shows at 8 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday.