David Alan Grier addresses capacity crowd at Ann Arbor library
Detroit native, University of Michigan grad, and actor/comedian David Alan Grier - best known for his work on the sketch comedy show “In Living Color” - spoke to a capacity crowd (approximately 140 people) at the downtown Ann Arbor District Library Sunday afternoon. Dressed casually in jeans, a plain white T-shirt, and a camouflage painter’s cap, the comic first issued a warning to parents that he’d be “dropping a couple of F-bombs.”
And because Grier’s Ann Arbor appearance was about promoting his new book, “Barack Like Me,” he discussed what inspired him to write it.
"Growing up in Detroit Michigan, I grew up in a very black and white world,” said Grier. “You were either black or white. … I didn’t live in a very nuanced time, and one of the things I was captivated by and intrigued with was this national conversation we were having on race, that I think was really fueled by Barack Obama’s candidacy, and his being of mixed race, and watching as the journalistic community - how they wrestled with this term, how they defined him. “
Grier’s experience on inauguration day convinced the comic to combine his insights on the event with a memoir narrative in “Barack Like Me.”
“I thought, ‘Wow, you know what? This day is going to be retold and retold and retold,’” said Grier. “And what the food of that retelling is going to be is each individual’s relationship to this country, politically, socially, culturally. It’s all about each individual’s life story and what they brought into that experience that peppers and flavors the way they experienced it.”
The most moving moment of the campaign for Grier came when CNN announced that Obama could clinch the nomination.
“I just started crying and weeping,” Grier said. “Because for so long, I remember other African American candidates running, but I was programmed to think, like everybody, ‘Oh, they’ll win a couple. It’ll be nice, it’ll be fun, they’ll give some good speeches, and then they’ll be gone, and then the real race will start.’ … So to me, that was even more emotional than when he actually clinched the nomination, let alone became elected. Because In that moment, this window of opportunity, of the future of everything to come was there, it was a possibility for the first time.”
After reading excerpts from two chapters - “The Death of the Angry Black Man,” and “The Secret of Marriage” (in which he hilariously skewers the Hollywood trope of “The Magical Negro”) - Grier took questions from the crowd, and one of the first concerned his memories and experiences in Ann Arbor as a student.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve been back to Ann Arbor, and I’d heard it was really built up, that it wasn’t the same,” Grier said. “But driving in, it’s still beautiful. I really love this town. For me, what I loved about the environment of Ann Arbor, … it was a cultural environment where you could go and see Chinese opera; and then, the next night, medieval music played on period instruments; then, the next night, I could hear a classical organ concert and hang out with friends. This town was really where I cut my cultural teeth and tried to soak up all of that stuff, and being a student, it didn’t cost a lot, and I really, really, really love that about Ann Arbor.”
Grier talked about concocting a college major in radio, television and film, with a journalism minor, but confessed that what he ended up with was a degree in general studies. Following that, Grier went on to study drama at Yale - so while he’s most known for his comedy, Grier is a classically trained actor.
This will serve him well as he embarks his newest project next week: a role in David Mamet’s world premiere play, “Race.” “He’s directing it, with me along with Kerry Washington and James Spader and Richard Thomas, and it’s a dramatic, very serious piece. It’s an awesome script. Probably the best role I’ve ever had.”
One audience member asked about the cancellation of Grier’s short-lived show “The Chocolate News,” which aired on Comedy Central.
“You have to remember that when ‘The Chocolate News’ went off the air, we were in a tailspin,” said Grier. “The economy was bottoming out, people were being fired from these corporations, our ratings weren’t good enough to get a pass, and it was an expensive show, so we were vulnerable, and that’s the worst place you want to be in Hollywood. On the good side is, the show was picked up, I was able to blast for a year, and I got to speak my mind and do a show that, more than any other show, was my own, purest creative and artistic voice. And unfortunately it didn’t last, but it felt good, and I’m proud of it.”
An old friend of Grier’s stood up to ask what he thought about Rush Limbaugh’s failed attempt to purchase an NFL team. “I’m of two minds,” said Grier. “There’s the libertarian part of me that (believes that) this is America, and I don’t believe in censorship of any kind. But by the same token, I didn’t make the decision, the NFL made the decision, as well as the players, and the coaches. And for some strange reason, they don’t want Rush Limbaugh a part of their league, which is fine with me. Matter of fact, I’m happy about it. … Look, he has a billion dollars. The fact that he can’t own a football team - he’ll be fine.”
Grier gently teased members of the crowd while answering their questions, but before ending his talk to sign books, he re-emphasized his affection for the area.
“This was the best audience ever,” said Grier. “It was so great to come back to Ann Arbor. I just had a beautiful day.”