Oh Look, Kathy Griffin's Back in Town

Kathy Griffin is returning to the Chicago area for a pair of weekend stand-up shows at the Chicago Theatre. 

The Chicago Tribune caught up with the funnywoman before the performances, and the interview gives a little insight into her Oak Park background and the kazoo gig at Comiskey Park that led to her "gigantic" stardom. A sample: 

I thought I was gonna be Mary Tyler Moore in two weeks. I was still attending Oak Park and River Forest High School, and I remember going back to school and saying (in a thick Chicago accent), "You know, I did a Sox commercial and I'm probably gonna have to move … to Hollywood and start doing movies."

Here's the rest of the conversation. 

According to her Wikipedia page, that's kinda-sorta how it happened. Griffin attended  after graduating from St. Bernadine's grade school in Forest Park. At OPRF, she "sought refuge in musical theatre, playing roles such as Rosemary on How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying and Hodel in Fiddler on the Roof" before packing her bags and heading west to Hollywood. 

The rest, as they say, is history. I mean, check out that video — does it get better for a D-lister than stripping on CNN next to Anderson Cooper on New Year's Eve in Times Square?

For a comprehensive look at Griffin's career, check out this retrospect in photos from snakkle.com

Ticket information for the weekend shows at the Chicago Theatre website.