Dave Chappelle: A Tribute..

Hi!

Seeing as today is April Fool's day, I think it's suitable that I do a tribute to something humor based..

That something, is a stand up comedian by the name of Dave Chappelle (and before someone types "Why not do a tribute to Monty Python or South Park?!" I'd like to say that although I love both of these series, I just have Dave Chappelle on the brain at the moment..)


Dave Chappelle is a great stand up comic, having very precise views on race, class, and popular culture that make people roar with laughter (myself included).  His style of comedy is very cutting edge and adult, having talked about subjects like sexuality and race. What makes his style unique is that he can put a cartoony twist on this type of humor that really makes it work; this is actually helped by the fact that his biggest influence is Bugs Bunny. In fact, if you look at him on camera during an episode of "Chappelle's Show",  you can actually see him give a subtle smile and wink to the camera that shows it!   

Speaking of which, I LOVE Chappelle's Show. Ever since it premired January 22, 2003 on Comedy Central, people have been laughing their asses off. When I was introduced to the man, I too was laughing my ass off (this coming from the kid who started watching adult swim at eight or nine years old).

The show was ground breaking in that it combined stand up AND sketches , with many recurring cast members (like Charlie Murphey, and Paul Mooney) and guest stars (an example being Rick James of all people). Aside from how hilarious the stand up comedy and sketches were, the comedic editing was just perfect, knowing exactly how long to keep a sketch or a stand up routine going. I think the Chappelle show was not only the first stand up/sketch comedy on Comedy Central (giving birth to others like "Mind of Mencia with Carlos Mencia) , but was also the first to basically perfect the concept of the show itself.

The show is also known for it's recurring characters; including (but not limited to) Tyrone Biggums ( a high pitched crack addict played by Chappelle), Negrodamus (a black Prophet and fortune teller played by Paul Mooney), and Silky Johnson, Player Hater of the year  (played by, again, Dave Chappelle).

I love a lot of the sketches on the show (many of which were ad libbed) , and one of my favorite recurring ones is  "Charlie Murphy's True Hollywood stories", which is where Charlie Murphy retells his encounters with 1980's celebrities (I especially love the one with Rick James, which is regarded as Dave Chappelle's magnum opus).

The show ran for two seasons (with a third consisting of lost episodes) due to numerous delays and problems. Which is unfortunate since it would've been awesome to see an official new season being made.

The good news? He's still around, being funny as hell with stand up shows and specials. If ever he decided to make a new show, I'd be more than excited to see it.