Comedic Crapper

John Witherspoon has carved out a niche for himself as a grouchy yet hilarious father figure, from playing Ice Cube's dog-catching pop in the Friday trilogy ("Don't nobody go in the bathroom for about 35, 45 minutes") to voicing the curmudgeonly Granddad on the Boondocks cartoon series. These characters aren't...

By Jesse Hughey

May 14, 2009

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John Witherspoon has carved out a niche for himself as a grouchy yet hilarious father figure, from playing Ice Cube's dog-catching pop in the Friday trilogy ("Don't nobody go in the bathroom for about 35, 45 minutes") to voicing the curmudgeonly Granddad on the Boondocks cartoon series. These characters aren't too far removed from his stand-up comedy persona, where he gripes about everything from airline security ("I said, 'Man, that shit cost me about $300. Please don't take my cologne. If you want to take something, take my iPod.'") to Michael Vick. "That motherfucker missed $20 million because he wanted to see some stinkin' dogs rassle. Ain't that a bitch? If I had $20 million and I was him, I'd have hired some hos to mud wrestle, that's what I'd have done." By the way, he's also the brother of William Witherspoon, who wrote and produced the Jimmy Ruffin R&B hit "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted." Witherspoon performs Thursday through Sunday at the Addison Improv, 4980 Belt Line Road. Tickets ($22 to $25) are available at 972-404-8501 or improv.com.
May 14-17, 2009

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