Dave Chapelle is a brilliant man. He is a sociologist, a civil rights advocate, a man who supports his community, the arts, and tells a really funny shit joke too.
Dave Chapelle has risen to the occasion of what might have been the end of his career. Instead, he is asking questions about America that no one else is asking. A closer look at even the most sophomoric and scatological of his sketch comedy, and you will find a voice which is asking us who we are, demanding that we tell the truth, and open a discourse in sensitive, difficult, and dangerous parts of ourselves which only a man like Dave Chapelle could do.
He has said about his career:
“This is either an example of what to do, or what not to do… but let’s see where it leads.”
“I want to live an open life, I don’t want to become one of those people who runs around enforcing boundaries… but you reach a point where you become so successful that you aren’t a person anymore, you are (gestures up with both hands) one of them.”
About his country:
“America is the greatest country in the world by default. There’s really no reason why we are the greatest. But we could be a truly great country, the greatest country that ever existed if we would only be honest about ourselves and explore further discourse about certain things.”
“Success with take you where character can not sustain you. That’s why you see Martin Lawrence on the freeway waving a gun shouting ‘They’re trying to kill me!’ and Mariah Carey doing a striptease on TRL, or Dave Chapelle going to Africa. These are strong people. I mean strong people. It’s not about them, it’s about us. It’s about Holywood. It’s about America.”
And he tells a really funny shit joke too.
2 Comments
he was on a special 2 hour “Inside the Actors’ Studio” this past Sunday and he was AMAZING. what an all-around great guy he seems to be!
Love D.C.
He had a good one on Oprah recently, she asked if he went to Africa for medical attention. His reply was why would anyone from America go to Africa for medical attention, of all things?
His social commentary is priceless.